Bouffant Blonde Cooks: Coastal Living magazine

Over the holidays I developed a rather unfortunate love of peppermint flavored milkshakes at Arby’s. I’m not even a huge milkshake fan. It’s just that one night the picture looked good and I ordered one. And I was hooked.

This recipe comes from the December 2012/January 2013 issue of Coastal Living magazine. It looks absolutely wonderful. What a great dessert for the holidays or for Valentine’s Day or for, well, anytime you can find an excuse for an absolutely luscious dessert.

White Chocolate-Peppermint Mousse

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, divided
12 oz. white chocolate, chopped
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
Garnish: crushed peppermint candies

Heat ¾ cup cream in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Remove from heat, and add chocolate, stirring until melted. Stir in peppermint extract. Cool completely.

Beat remaining ¾ cup cream until firm peaks form. Fold chocolate mixture gently into whipped cream mixture. Spoon mousse into 8 (3-oz.) cups or glasses. Garnish, if desired. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes 8 servings.

How fun are cookies that look like candy corn!? This recipe is in the October 2012 issue of Coastal Living magazine. The magazine also includes some other wonderful recipes and some tips on carving pumpkins with a coastal theme. Be sure to check it out!

Halloween Cookie Bites

1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon lemon zest
Yellow food coloring
Red food coloring

Beat butter and sugar together at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Combine flour, salt and lemon zest; gradually stir into butter mixture.

Divide dough into 3 equal pieces (about 1 ¼ cups each); tint 1 piece with yellow food coloring. Tint another piece orange using red and yellow food coloring. (Add 1 to 2 teaspoons flour to orange dough if food coloring makes it softer than other colors.)

Place white, untinted dough in bottom of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, pressing down. Top with orange dough and then yellow, pressing down. Cover and chill 2 hours.

Turn dough out onto work surface. Cut slices 3/8-inch thick from dough; cut each slice into 6 triangles. Place cookies on parchment paper -- or aluminum foil -- lined baking sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes, or until set but not browned. Cool on wire rack 1 minute; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 10 dozen.