Chocolate Peppermint Stars

I've made these cookies every year since they appeared in the magazine and they always turn out great. Last year I made them at a relative's house and they did what some negative reviews say - they turned into shapeless, oily messes. There was an oven thermometer in the oven and I noticed that it was fluctuating between 250 and 450, even though it was set at 350. I think this was the problem. I tested my oven at home and it holds tight at 350 and they turn out great every time. I also use a trick from the Joy of Cooking Chirstmas cookies. When I have to roll out cookie dough I do it immediately between 2 pieces of wax paper and place in the fridge. It is much easier to roll when it is warm. Be sure to peel the wax paper off of both sides before cutting.

• plantmonster

• Rhode Island

• 11/29/2017

Made these for our annual cookie bake this year and they were a hit. You do need to use some extra flour when rolling out the dough but they are totally worth it. I made them into trees. The combination of the chocolate cookie, drizzled icing and crushed peppermint is divine. Had to make a 2nd batch for Christmas Eve.

• kgplough

• Atlanta

• 12/24/2008

我同意其他读者在没有being enough flour in this recipe. After reading the reviews. I started with 1 1/3 C flour and used lots of flour when rolling and rolled to slightly more than 1/8 inch. I noticed that the first rolled cookies spread slighly while the re-rolled (with more flour now) did not spread. You definately need to warm up/kneed the dough before rolling. I melted the chocolate and added 1T crisco and piped thru a zipper bag with the corner snipped off (you can zap the bag for a few seconds if the chocolate starts to seize up). I also used the Andes peppermint baking pieces. Next time I make these I will start with 1 1/2 cups flour.

• alukasik

• Lowell, ma

• 12/20/2008

简单,美味,和美丽的…菜谱recommends you may make them 3 days ahead... but I found you may make them up to two weeks early and freeze or refrigerate. Instead of crushed peppermints(which stick in your teeth) I used Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips... which are like a soft white chocolate red and white peppermint... and already in the little pieces you need!

• halo3777

• Michigan

• 12/3/2007

I used Andes creamy peppermint chips instead of candies and I think that really made these cookies wonderful. The peppermint wasn't as strong, which made people that don't like peppermint much really like these. A very attractive cookie....I think maybe my new favorite!

• mk0824

• Dallas

• 1/8/2007

I thought the cookie tastes good but is too delicate. I refrigerated the dough and they still broke easily. My friends prefered it as a plain chocolate cookie - peppermint optional.

• GrtCookie1

• 12/30/2006

These cookies are beautiful and very tasty, with some work. The dough is very hard right out of the fridge and once it becomes too soft, it does get sticky. You need to use a lot of flour and I rolled the dough in small amounts, adding a little bit of cold dough each time. They turned out great. I did not cook them the full time listed, as I wanted a softer cookie. I used peppermint baking chips, rather than peppermint candy (bought by mistake, but turned out great!) Everyone loved these cookies, a definite favorite!

• kristimae

• Edmond, OK

• 12/27/2006

This seems to be a chocolate shortbread, and indeed the dough is tricky. Like other reviewers, I found it to be crumbly and unworkable first out of the fridge; I kneaded it like modeling clay to warm it up a bit, then quite frankly added a liberal amount of flour. The dough was quite sticky. The more flour I added, the better luck I had and in the end, the stars did hold their shape while baking. I drizzled the cookies with both bittersweet and white chocolate (and in the future would find a way to thin out the chocolate for easier drizzling). I put the trays in the fridge to speed up the setting process, but I have to admit the cookie is very attractive and quite delicious.

• Leebot

• Portland, Oregon

• 12/26/2006

Rich chocolate flavor and not that difficult to make.

• Anonymous

• Minnesota

• 12/26/2006

I'm sorry that I bothered with this time consuming recipe: it's difficult to make (chilled, the dough is hard as granite, and after rolling and cutting, it quickly becomes gooey/sticky); the chocolate does not easily drizzle (you must fling it Jackson Pollack-style across a tray of cookies, which can be a huge mess); the cooking process leaves the cookies flattened and out of shape (a far cry from the perfect little stars shown in the magazine); and the final result is a cookie that admitedly has a nice taste, but is far too crumbly.

• Anonymous

• New York

• 12/26/2006

This recipe rates high for presentation but is difficult to make. The dough and chocolate is difficult to work with. The taste is good and similar to girl scout thin mint cookies.

• Anonymous

• Seattle

• 12/25/2006

These cookies rate high for presentation and would be good if you are going to a party or giving as gifts. They taste much like girl scout thin mint cookies and are nothing amazing. I also thought they were a lot of work and I had trouble getting the chocolate to swirl off the spoon like the recipe describes.

• Anonymous

• Seattle

• 12/25/2006

This cookie is tasty with a beautiful holiday presentation. I rolled cookies out closer to 1/8 inch rather than 1/4. I had no problems rolling out or cutting. I used 8 oz. of Ghiradelli 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate chips for the drizzle. I microwaved them for about 2 minutes on HIGH, rather than the double boiler method. I will add these to my list of Christmas cookies to make again.

• daustin

• San Bernardino, CA

• 12/24/2006

These stars ended up working out, but they worried me the whole way through. Rolling out the dough at the perfect amount of firmness so the stars had nice sharp edges, but so that the dough wasn't too hard to roll out was tricky, The photo in the magazine showed a cookie that looked to be about one eighth-inch thick , not one -fourth inch. It took much longer for them to become firm in the middle, so I let them bake a lot longer. I squiggled white chocolate as well as dark chocolate on them and they needed that little extra shot of white. The layers of frosting and peppermint make them beautiful cookies and different from the usual ones that we see every year. Kind of a lot of work, but would do it if everyone begged for them.

• rosiestt

• La Jolla, CA

• 12/21/2006

This cookie is melt in your mouth good! I made it exactly as the recipe said. The dough is tempermental, but worth the effort. I baked them on cookie sheets with parchment, and let them cool completely before decorating. I also melted the chocolate in the microwave in a ziploc bag, cut off the tip, and used it as a piping bag. It was very easy. These cookies are beautiful, and will become part of my Christmas cookie tradition.

• Anonymous

• Marietta, O

• 12/20/2006