christmas cookies: chocolate candy cane chews

nothing says christmas like candy canes.  and nothing goes with candy canes quite as well as chocolate.  just think of twirling a candy cane in a hot mug of cocoa.

to make these treats you’ll just need a little peppermint extract, some cocoa powder and a food processor to grind up the candy canes.  the result is delicious chewy chocolate cookie surrounded by a crunchy candy cane shell.

chocolate candy cane cookies
1 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil (canola or soy bean work great)
1/2 c soy milk
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp peppermint extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 c flour
12 candy canes

add the soy milk and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside to thicken.  this will act as the egg replacer.

in another bowl mix together the sugar, oil and peppermint extract.  once the soy milk mixture has thickened slightly, add that in too.

in a large bowl mix together the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder and flour.

slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry until fully incorporated.  the mixture should be thick enough to roll into a ball.

in a food processor grind up the candy canes into little bits.

lay the candy cane bits out on a plate to roll the balls of cookie dough in.  keep in mind the bits are sticky and want to keep sticking together, so you’ll have to keep breaking it up with a fork and you might only want to process a few at a time.

lay on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or aluminum foil and bake at 350F for 15 minutes.

i found that the candy cane will melt around the edges of the cookies, so if you’d prefer you can press down the cookies and sprinkle the bits of candy cane over the top.

these are perfect with the soynog i made earlier in the week.

makes 2 dozen cookies