White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies

I used to see awesome looking recipes on American blogs that involved speciality candies that we just didn't get in England, I would wish longingly that I could have access to those tasty treats! Sometimes I would get so desperate that I would pay crazy high prices to order them off American grocery websites...but I no longer have to do that!

When I spotted this recipe and realised it included White Chocolate Peppermint M&M's, I already had a bag of these babies sitting in my cupboard...just waiting to be baked up into something awesome! and so paired with some white chocolate chips and crushed candy canes, and these cookies were born! 

I have never had crushed candy canes in cookies before, they gave a great texture and didn't give an overbearing peppermint flavour either.  The white chocolate chips balanced out the mintiness perfectly! and these cookies tasted great cold...and even better warm too!

They were the perfect seasonal treat!

White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies:

Makes 30

From Two Peas & Their Pod

3 cups plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup crushed candy canes

1 cup White Chocolate Peppermint M&M's

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with a silpat baking mat (I have one of those now too!) or parchment paper and set aside.

Combine flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

Cream butter and sugars together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until combined.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Slowly mix in the dry ingredients.  Stir in the white chocolate chips, candy canes and M&M's.

Drop heaped tablespoons of dough on prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the centre.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes.  Transfer cookies to wire rack and cool completely.

Eat and enjoy!

7 Layer Bars

Remember I told you about our upcoming trip across the border, well it happened and it was amazing! I stocked up on tons of yummy ingredients and baking equipment...the week we got home I baked four things in one day for a little party we were having at our house, so I think it's safe to say my baking mojo has returned!

The first time I made magic bars was last Christmas and I was a convert straight away! Since we arrived in Canada I have made them 3 different times and they've disappeared so quick they've never made it to the photography stage!

What's not to love about a graham cracker crust with a soft moist layer of sweetened condensed milk on top, and layers of toasted coconut, milk choc chips, white choc chips, peanut butter chips and salted peanuts on top! Last time around I made them they weren't 'authentic' 7 layer bars as I had fewer than 7 ingredients so this time I made the real deal!

They are so easy to throw together and I loved the addition of peanuts this time around, it added a fun salty balance against all the sweet! 

These are the pefect bake to whip up for your friends and family with the holidays approaching, as they really don't take very much time and as long as you have a tin of condensed milk in your cupboard you can pretty much go crazy with whatever toppings take your fancy!



7 Layer Bars:
Makes 16
Adapted from Eagle Brand

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 (14 oz. can) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup peanuts
1 1/3 cups shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F.
Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter, mix well.  Press crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan.  Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture.  Layer evenly with remaining chocolate chips and peanuts.  Sprinkle the shredded coconut over everything.  Press down firmly with fork.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
Leave to cool in pans.
Then cut into bars and transfer to cool completely on a wire rack.

Kathi's Cookies: White Chip Double Chocolate Cookies

Sometimes you meet people and you just know you are going to be friends for life - that's how I felt when we met our wonderful American friends Kathi and Kurt.  We met them through our church when we were living in Reading 6 years ago.  I still remember the first time I met Kathi, I had moved away to university and was attending church in a new area and was feeling pretty shy about the fact I didn't really know too many people there.  Even though she was new too she came over and spoke to me, I remember being really grateful for that! Previous to that I had spent my time after church ended chatting to this 8 year old little boy James so I'm sure James was pleased to have me leaving him alone after that! 

After that we spent a lot of time together because Byron and Kurt were both involved with the Young Mens organisation in our church (for boys between the ages of 12-18) and Kathi and I were both leaders for the Young Women (girls between the ages of 12-18). Kathi is the kind of friend who is always thinking of others and doing kind deeds, she is always happy and joyful and gives the best hugs, I felt like during my time away at University she was like a second mom to me.  Halfway through our time living in Reading we moved to the other side of town which meant we had to start attending a different congregation of our church.  We still kept in touch with Kathi and Kurt, and one night when we found ourselves locked out of our house we didn't really want to call on anyone from our new church for help because we didn't feel we knew anyone well enough to do so.  Our parents lived too far away for us to travel to just for one night, so we called up our old friends and they were more than willing to help out - putting us up in one of their very beautiful guest rooms...I could have stayed all week! 

Kathi introduced me to the delights of apple crisp, fruit pizza...and these delicious cookies! She had made them one evening for a church event at her home and Byron and I couldn't stop eating them! I even think we snuck some home with us.  When I asked Kathi how she made them she told me they were just made with Nestle morsels and it was the recipe from the back of the bag! She told me next time she went back to America she would bring me some back...and true to her word she did! We were very excited to bake them up but were rather confused when our cookie dough was still pale in colour and not dark brown.  I called Kathi to see if I had somehow done something wrong and she laughed when she realised she had brought me the wrong Nestle morsels.  She had brought me the chocolate swirled chips when she should have brought me the white chips!

So the next time she went back to The States, she brought me some bags of white chips! and we were finally able to recreate the deliciousness of those cookies! I saved the bag which had the recipe on and kept it in my diary until recently when I was transferring all my random recipes into a proper recipe file, I came across this recipe and realised it had been far too long since I'd made some of these babies! 

So I rectified that! and really you don't need Nestle chips to make it, any old white chocolate chips will do! 

I had written this post last week and since then Kathi has proved once again why she is the best kind of friend to have! I was trying to source an American ingredient and couldn't find it anywhere in the UK, I really needed to call on an American friend to help me out and I knew I could depend on Kathi.  I messaged her asking if she didn't mind checking out some of her local shops, I wasn't even sure if they would have the product I wanted, and within 6 hours of me sending my original message she replied to tell me it was in the post and on it's way to me! 

Since our first meeting in Reading those 6 years ago, Kathi and Kurt moved to Singapore, we moved to Turks and Caicos, they moved back to Texas and now we will be heading off to Vancouver soon but I know this to be true...

'Though miles may lie between us, we're never far apart, for friendship doesn't count the miles, it's measured by the heart." - Anon -

and I know that we'll definitely see each other again, whether it's over some Southern style BBQ in Texas or over some milkshakes at a diner in Vancouver - hint hint! 

White Chip Double Chocolate Cookies (A.K.A Kathi's Cookies):

Makes 20

From Nestle Tollhouse via Kathi!

150g plain flour 

30g cocoa powder 

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 

1/4 tsp salt 

113g unsalted butter, softened 

80g caster sugar 

50g packed dark brown sugar 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

1 egg 

 225g white chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Combine flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a small bowl.  
Beat butter and both sugars with vanilla extract in the bowl of a freestanding mixer until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gradually beat in flour and stir in white chocolate chips.
Drop by well rounded ice cream scoops onto baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until centers are set.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.