Welcome to Day 1 of
The Twelve Days of Holiday Treats!
Once again, this year, from December 1st-12th I’ll post a new holiday treat recipe every day – inspiration for your holiday entertaining!
The recipes I’m sharing are small-er batch (as many of us will still be attending/ hosting smaller gatherings) – each recipe makes 1-dozen or a few more smaller-sized treats that are simple to prepare and that use everyday ingredients and equipment so hopefully you’ll be able to whip up any of these on a whim. Check out the treats from 2019, 2020 and 2021 at the bottom of this post too for more inspiration!
First up, Chocolate Peppermint Creme Cups.
Following on the success of the PB & J Cups from last year, I decided to add a festive touch to the idea of a chocolate cup with a mint filling – a favourite year-round combo but especially appreciated over the holidays! I’m not sure why mint always feels like the holidays for me since, growing up, candy canes weren’t really a part of our festive foods, but now it sure does and there’s no better combo than mint with chocolate.
These aren’t particularly difficult, more a bit fiddly, so take your time with them (I made them a few times to get the chocolate/ mint ratios right). Use the best quality chocolate you can here – because there are so few ingredients, it does make a difference.
Chocolate Peppermint Creme Cups
Chocolate cups with a bright mint filling.
Ingredients
for the chocolate cups:
- 1/2 cup (100g) milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (100g) dark chocolate chips
for the peppermint creme
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- 1/2 cup (70g) icing sugar
for decorating
- crushed candy canes (optional)
Instructions
- Line a mini-muffin tin with paper liners.
- Melt chocolate in a metal or ceramic bowl set over a pot of simmering water (or in a microwave at 50-60% power in bursts of 30 seconds until it's just about melted and then stir to melt the remainder).
- Coat the bottom of the paper liners with the chocolate (easiest to use a piping bag here) and use a spoon to push it slightly up the edges to form a shallow chocolate cup.
- Place the tray in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Combine the butter, corn syrup and peppermint extract in a medium bowl using electric hand beaters until smooth.
- Add the icing sugar about 1/3 cup at a time, mixing until just combined.
- Once all the icing sugar is added, mix until smooth and creamy.
- Remove the chocolate cups from the fridge.
- If the remaining chocolate has set too hard, re-melt in the microwave at 50-60% power in bursts of 30 seconds until it’s smooth and liquid.
Place the peppermint creme in a piping bag (fitted with a small, plain piping tip - or not. Optional, but it does help to pipe the mixture evenly on the chocolate. - Pipe about 1 teaspoon of the creme mixture into the chocolate cups.
- Use a clean finger dipped in water to flatten the creme slightly.
- Once you have filled all the chocolate cups, place the tray in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, pipe the remaining chocolate over the top of the creme using a piping bag or use a small spoon to coat the top of the peppermint creme. Make sure the chocolate runs down the sides of the creme patty to “close” the chocolate casing.
- If using the crushed candy cane, sprinkle it over now.
- Place the tray in the fridge to set completely. Remove from fridge and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- Store in an airtight container - you can refrigerate if you like but will need to bring them to room temperature before serving.
Make the chocolate shells:
Make the peppermint creme:
Assemble:
Notes
Storing: store these in an airtight container - you can refrigerate them if you like but will need to bring them to room-ish temperature before serving.
Recommended Products
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And… can you make them in advance?
Yep, they keep in the fridge for a while… if you can make them last…
Stay tuned to see what tomorrow brings and in the meantime…
Baking up a storm this holiday season?
(this is an affiliate link, but I genuinely use Nuts.com products and love them. Highly recommended if you are in the US/ Canada where they currently ship)
Check out the rest of 2022’s 12 Days of Holiday Treats:
Day 1: Chocolate Peppermint Creme Cups
Day 2: Chocolate-Dipped Wafer Cookies
Day 3: Gingerbread madeleines
Day 4: Funfetti Cookies
Day 5: Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Day 6: Coffee Financiers
Day 7: No-Bake Strawbery Cheesecake Cups
Day 8: Holiday Joys
Day 9: Holiday Spice Marmalade
Day 10: Soft Molasses Cookies
Day 11: Coconut Roughs
Day 12: Holiday Lights Jam Sandwich Cookies
Check out 2021’s 12 Days of Holiday Treats:
Day 1: Speculoos financiers
Day 2: Chocolate Dipped Orange Sugar Cookies
Day 3: Madeleines à la Clémentine
Day 4: Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies
Day 5: Sunbutter and Jam Chocolate Cups
Day 6: Hot Chocolate and Marshmallow Cookies
Day 7: Linzer Cookies
Day 8: Chocolate-Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies
Day 9: Choc-Mint Thumbprint Cookies
Day 10: Pailles (Puff Pastry and Jam Cookies)
Day 11: Strawberry Santa Hats
Day 12: Mulled Wine Jam
Check out 2020’s 12 Days of Holiday Treats:
Day 1: Rice Krispie Wreaths
Day 2: Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
Day 3: Peppermint Bark
Day 4: Orangettes
Day 5: Rocky Road Chocolate Crackle Slice
Day 6: Candy Cane Sugar Cookies
Day 7: Orange Pim’s
Day 8: Mendiants
Day 9: Chewy Chocolate Mint Crackle Cookies
Day 10: Apricot, Coconut and Cranberry “truffles”
Day 11: Chocolate, Cherry and Almond Brownies
Day 12: Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Check out 2019’s 12 Days of Holiday Cookies:
Day 1: Easy Three Ingredient Shortbread
Day 2: Jam Drops
Day 3: Chocolate Caramel Slice
Day 4: Melting Moments
Day 5: White Christmas
Day 6: Langues de Chat
Day 7: Chocolate Coconut Slice
Day 8: Cornflake Biscuits
Day 9: Rocky Road
Day 10: Honey Joys
Day 11: Rum Ball Truffles
Day 12: Giant Florentine Cookie (to share)
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