My fireside tea is being hosted by another of my baking Santa's. I'm using some of the gifts that I won from Gina's most generous giveaway. Gina blogs at With Twigs and Branches. Please stop by and tell Gina "hi".
The bouquet of roses that I'm using as my centerpiece is from my sweet friend Stephanie, from The Enchanting Rose. The bouquet was delivered from The Bouqs Company and I must say that they are extraordinary! What a lovely surprise they were! Thank you so much, Stephanie!
I'm using my Merry Christmas teacup from Johnson Brothers.
Isn't this the sweetest, most old-fashioned pattern? Perfect for a girl like me!
This little Santa was given to me from my late beloved hubby, and has a special place in my heart. Santa is checking over the cookies that are oh so tasty. Please help yourself, as I think you'll love them! If you already have a favorite chocolate chip cookies recipe, just use half milk chocolate chips and half of the Andes Peppermint Crunch chips, in place of the two cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Peppermint Crunch-Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies (from culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com, found on tastebook.com)
After researching, I found that the recipe is actually adapted from Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz. Here's the recipe:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
7 ounces milk chocolate chips
7 ounces Andes Peppermint Crunch Chips
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by
hand), beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and
vanilla on medium speed just until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, then stir
in the flour mixture followed by the chocolate and peppermint crunch chips.
On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into quarters. Shape
each quarter into a log about 9 inches long. Wrap the logs in plastic
wrap and refrigerate until firm, preferably for 24 hours . I froze my logs).
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the
oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone
baking mats.
Slice the logs into disks ¾ inch thick and place the disks 3 inches
apart on the prepared baking sheets. If the chips crumble out, simply push them back in.
Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the
cookies are very lightly browned in the centers, about 10 minutes. If
you like soft chocolate chip cookies, err on the side of
underbaking.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.
Look at all these wonderful gifts that I received from Gina! Thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart, Gina! I was overwhelmed by your generosity, and have enjoyed the Christmas CD's, the beautiful dishes, the darling towel, the three Yankee holiday scented candles, the notepads and the books. The handmade card was soooo beautiful! What creativity and love was put into that. I so appreciate everything.
I am sharing this with these lovely parties:
