Chocolate Peppermint Christmas Trees

Rich dark chocolate decorated with mint icing and mint candy is pure holiday delight.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ cup butter, at room temp.
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp. peppermint extract
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
• 5-6 hard round peppermint candies, crushed

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; reserve. On medium speed, beat butter, granulated sugar and peppermint extract until fluffy. On low speed, gradually beat in reserved flour mixture until dough forms. Shape into disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill until firm, at least 30 min.
2. On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to ¼” thickness. Using 3″ tree-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies, rerolling scraps. Transfer to baking sheets, placing 1″ apart. Bake until baked through, 10–12 min. Let cool.
3. Stir together confectioners’ sugar, 1 Tbs. water and vanilla. Drizzle over cookies; sprinkle with peppermint candies.