It’s officially December, which means it’s officially socially acceptable to eat cookies with every single meal until we all make our Jan 1 resolutions to workout and burn off all those cookies. If you’re feeling stressed out about the holidays, I don’t think you’re alone. With Thanksgiving being the latest possible date this year, it feels like we’re rushing straight into the Christmas holidays – decorating, baking, and even Mother Nature trying to force this mini snowstorm in today. I’ve taken advantage of the cold weather and everyone else traveling this weekend to get a head start on my holiday decorating and baking. This is the fifth year I’ve hosted The Salted Cookie Holiday Cookie Swap, where friends and friends of friends all get matched to send and receive one recipe. This is our biggest year yet with almost 30 participants. Originally I was going to make a version of my peppermint sprinkle cookies and whip up some peppermint frosting to make mini oreo-like sandwich cookies. I might still make those later this month, but I needed something that was going to hold up better in the mail, so I adapted my Salted Candy Bar Blondies recipe to peppermint it up for the holidays.

One reason I usually bake on Sundays is because it’s dangerous for me to have a batch of cookies in the house alone, so I always wrap them up and feed them to my coworkers Monday morning as a bribe. So I’m really hoping the snow is a non-event and I can bring the extras of these into work tomorrow. And if I show up at work this week with no extras, you know where they are. In full transparency, I’ve eaten three of these today since I have not left the house since I got back from yoga. They are SO good, and they are SO easy to make. 

Bars are always an easy go-to if you’re sending something in the mail, since they tend to hold their shape a little better and don’t dry out as quickly as regular cookies. I loaded these up with Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips, and Ghirardelli white chocolate chips. They are the perfect level of pepperminty without tasting like mouthwash or burning the inside of your stomach (even if you eat half the batch). I like to bake them just for 30 minutes and then let them sit on the counter to cool for an hour or so (while nibbling away at the corners with a fork). This makes the outside just crunchy enough with the insides being gooey. Mmmmm. 

I picked up a few of these cute little holiday cookie tins at Target during one of my mindless Target shops last weekend. They fit most of the batch perfectly (had to eat the leftovers, obviously). When I ship them to my cookie swap match, I wrap the entire tin with saran wrap to keep them as fresh as possible on the journey through the mail. So if you’re looking to add a refreshing, delicious cookie bar to your holiday baking trays this season, whip up a batch of these White Chocolate Peppermint Blondies. Enjoy!  

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Yield: 15 Bars

White Chocolate Peppermint Blondies

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

A super easy and refreshingly minty holiday cookie.

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/8 sticks (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 2 cups Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• Sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 13”x9” pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and mix on medium until light and fluffy. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl. Add the egg, yolk, vanilla and peppermint extract and mix until fully incorporated.
4. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low just until the powdery texture of the flour disappears. Immediately add the rest of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and mix a final 15 seconds.
5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold in 1 3/4 cups of the Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips. Keep 1/4 aside (or whatever's left in the bag) to sprinkle on top. Mix in the white chocolate chips.
6. Use a rubber spatula to spread the dough in the lined pan in an even layer. Top with the remaining peppermint crunch baking chips + a handful of white chocolate chips. Add holiday sprinkles if you have the.
7. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the center is lightly golden brown.
8. Remove from the oven and let cool for a half hour. Slice into squares and serve!