First Time's a...

Well, now that I'm officially in the holiday spirit (as if I wasn't before - HA - like Susan, I start listening to Christmas music WAY before any social "norm" calls for), it's time to get back in the kitchen. I actually HAVE been baking... not a ton but I did manage a few things for my recent out of town visitors.

Even though I have resolved to let this holiday season pass me by, especially given the fact that we passed the t-minus 3 month mark and realized just how much we have left to do, I couldn't pass up making just a few things to bring with us to holiday parties, and let's be honest... to munch on ourselves.

Also, I've been dying to participate in Susan's "Eat Christmas Cookies" event; even though I usually shy away from these online foodie "events" - I think it was the cute logo and the Christmas cookie theme that lured me in.

So for my first-ever entry, I have prepared one of my Christmas staples... Layered Peppermint Crunch Bark.

I follow the Bon Appetit recipe pretty much exactly... my only comment being that as you start to layer warm chocolate on the previously chilled and firm layer, work very quickly and don't play with the chocolate too much or you will get a swirly-brown-looking mess. The great thing is that regardless of how they look, they ALWAYS taste great! Plus, how can you beat delicious "cookies" that require few ingredients (remember Trader Joe's for chunks of white and semi-sweet chocolate) and come together fairly quickly and easily - seems like a perfect recipe to me, or at least one for the abbreviated Christmas I'm having this year.

I'm tempted to say that I will be back with a second cookie, but that might be getting a little ambitious so only time will tell! In the meantime, check out all of the other submissions... but consider yourself warned - there are a ton of delicious-looking cookies just begging to be baked!