A few weeks ago, I was able to travel for a quick weekend trip to celebrate the wedding of a good friend. While I was gone, my sweet children convinced Ryan to take them to the kitchen store so they could welcome me home with surprise presents. According to Ryan, they went a little nuts shopping and apparently wanted to buy me everything, but they finally settled on some new dish towels and this fluted biscuit cutter set. I admit the biscuit cutter set is probably not something I would have picked out for myself, but now that I have them, I love them. In addition to making beautiful edges on biscuits, they are also such fun cookie cutters.

These Peppermint Cacao Nib Shortbread Cookies are a delightful spin on a traditional shortbread. Crushed peppermint and cacao nibs add a hint of crunch and the peppermint adds a festive complement to the darker flavor of the cacao nibs. These minty chocolatey cookies are a wonderful accompaniment to some after-dinner coffee. They would also make a beautiful addition to any holiday cookie platter as well as make a lovely homemade gift.

Peppermint Cacao Nib Cookies

Ingredients

1/4 cup coarsely broken peppermint pieces (I used natural peppermint candy from Hammond’s)
1/4 cup cacao nibs
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
powdered sugar for dusting, optional

Instructions

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the peppermint candy pieces until fairly uniform. Add the cocao nibs and pulse several times. Add the flours, cocoa powder, and salt and pulse again to combine. Sprinkle butter cubes evenly over mixture and process for 30-45 seconds. Scrape down the sides and continue to process just until dough starts to clump together. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and gently knead together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 15-20 minutes.
Line baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough until it becomes 3/8-inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and transfer to lined baking sheets. Chill cookies in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
While cookies are chilling, preheat oven to 300. Bake cookies, rotating the sheet halfway through baking time, for 18-20 minutes, until cookies appear dry on top. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Lightly dust with powdered sugar, if desired.