These festive Chocolate-Peppermint Shortbread cookies are full of holiday cheer and delight kids and grown-ups alike. You can feel good knowing they’re healthier than other holiday treats: They use a combination of butter and canola oil so they taste buttery-rich, but have less saturated fat. And they’re 100% whole-grain with a fine, crumbly, classic shortbread texture — thanks to whole-wheat pastry flour (look for it at natural food stores or specialty grocery stores).
Active time: 18 minutes Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Ingredients Directions Preheat oven to 325°F (165ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cornstarch and salt. In a large bowl, combine butter and oil. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture; beat at medium-low speed until a firm dough forms. Divide dough in half. Pat each dough half into a 5 1/2-inch circle on a prepared baking sheet. Using a large knife, cut each circle into 12 wedges, but do not pull wedges apart (keep the circle intact). Bake at 325°F until just starting to brown around edges, 32–35 minutes. Immediately re-cut wedges and keep circles intact. Cool cookies completely on pan, about 30 minutes. Space wedges apart. Place chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high until chocolate melts, about 1 minute, stopping to stir every 20 seconds. Scrape the chocolate into a small zip-top plastic bag. Snip a small hole in one bottom corner of the bag; pipe chocolate evenly over cookies. Sprinkle crushed candy canes over cookies. Let stand until set. Serves: 24 | Serving Size: 1 cookie Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 103; Total Fat: 6g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 6mg; Sodium: 24mg; Carbohydrate: 11g; Dietary Fiber: 1g; Sugar: 5g; Protein 1g Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 15mg; Iron: 2%; Vitamin A: 2%; Vitamin C: 0%; Calcium: 0%Chocolate-Peppermint Shortbread
Originally published December 2020, updated December 2022
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