If there is one thing that brings out the Grinch in me, its Christmas cookie plates. I know its a nice gesture for the holidays and I like to know that someone is thinking of me, but before I know it, the counter is full of cookie plates, plus my own holiday treats, and only half of it gets eaten because there are just too many sweets, even for a family of 10. Even though I try really hard not to eat too many sweets, before I know it I’m pulling out my fat pants and spanks and run an extra mile everyday at the gym (or should I saying jiggle an extra mile) all of January just to work all these treats off! But despite all that, I make treats anyways.

This year I thought it would be fun to try some peppermint patties. I found a recipe at Hanielas but as soon as I got started I was already disappointed with the recipe. The center was more of a Junior Mint texture than a patty. So with a few changes, I was able to pull together a delicious batch of patties for my Christmas cookie plates this year.

Ingredients

3 cups powdered sugar (divided)

1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 1/2 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable shortening

10 ounces dipping chocolate wafers

Directions

-Combine 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, corn syrup, water, peppermint extract and shortening. Stir until the ingredients are combine.

-Add the last 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and knead until smooth. Add extra powdered sugar if needed until the dough is no longer sticky.

-Refrigerate the dough for about 15 minutes. They will be easier to dip when cold.

-Create patties by pulling off a small piece of dough and creating about a 1/2 inch diameter ball.Then place on a piece of wax paper and pat the ball down until it is about 1/4 inch thick.

-Melt the chocolate and dip the patties.

-Place the patties on wax paper and refrigerate for about 15 minutes or until the chocolate has hardened.