I am thankful for….going home on Thursday!

That means homemade sugar cookies, kitties in my bed, Christmas Eve dinner, baking with my mom, a dishwasher, my old pajamas from ninth grade, northern accents, walks with my mom, game nights with my sister, tea every morning, pumpkin bread, our christmas tree, and much needed quality time with my family.

Christmas is my favorite time of year, for all these reasons and more. But one of my favorite holiday activities has always been baking goodies with my mom and my sister. We always make our traditional favorites, but every year we throw in a few suprises. Here’s a recipe I’ve been drooling over for the past month – it sure looks delicious!

Peppermint Crunch Blondies
Servings: 8-12

Ingredients:
1 Cup flour
1 Cup brown sugar
3/4 Cup walnuts, toasted
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 Cup coconut
1/2 Cup chocolate chunks
3/4 Cup crushed candy cane
1/2 Cup earth balance or butter, melted
3 eggs
2 tsp pure peppermint extract
2 Tbsp almond milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a square pan (or round) with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix eggs and set aside. In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl beat together the brown sugar and melted butter for about 3 mins. Add in the eggs, peppermint extract, and almond milk. Beat for 60 seconds.

Stir in the flour mixture until fully incorporated. Now stir in the walnuts, chocolate, coconut, and 1/4 cup of candycane chunks. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread with spatula. Sprinkle on 1/2 cup of crushed candy cane and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F. Allow to cool for 30 mins. before removing from pan.