It's Creme de menthe Day!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Originally uploaded by Betty Crocker Recipes

Since it's National Cream de menthe day I was surfing the web looking for something to make in honor of the day and this is what I found. Look at that picture! Don't it just make your mouth water? My cookie monster of a husband is going to love these! If you try this recipe let me know how they turn out.


Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
6 to 8 drops green food color
1 egg
1 cup creme de menthe baking chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food color and egg until soft dough forms. Stir in creme de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks.

2. Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

This is a great recipe for St. Patrick's Day too don't you think-

• National Creme de menthe day

Recipe: Chocolate Grasshopper Cheesecake

Celebrate National Chocolate Mint Day, St. Patrick's Day or any green theme party with this beautiful and tasty cheesecake by Pillsbury.

Let's Talk About It:
I'm thinking this is what I want to eat for National Chocolate Mint Day which is celebrated every February 19th. I really like the idea of using chocolate Creme de menthe candy to top the whipped cream. It really sets off the cheesecake with it's double stripe and gives it a great tongue tingling balance. Well that's what I think anyway.

Recipe: Chocolate Grasshopper Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS
Crust

• 30 fudge mint cookies, crushed (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Filling

• 4 oz semisweet baking chocolate
• 3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup green crème de menthe liqueur*
• Topping and Garnish, if desired
• Sweetened whipped cream
• Crème de menthe thin rectangular candies for garnish, unwrapped, cut in half diagonally

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 300°F. Wrap foil around bottom and side of ungreased 9-inch springform pan. In large bowl, mix crust ingredients with fork until crumbly. Press in bottom and 1 inch up side of pan. Bake 12 minutes. Cool 30 minutes.
2. In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate on High 45 to 60 seconds, stirring once halfway through microwaving, until melted. If necessary, continue to microwave on High in 15-second increments, stirring until smooth. Set aside.
3. In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl frequently, until smooth and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Stir in liqueur. Pour filling evenly over crust.
4. Drop 8 to 10 tablespoonfuls melted chocolate randomly onto filling, allowing chocolate to sink into filling. With table knife or small spatula, cut through chocolate and filling to swirl for marbled design.
5. Bake 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes or until set 2 inches from edge of pan. Remove from oven; run knife around side of cheesecake to loosen. Return to oven; turn oven off and open door slightly. Cool cheesecake in oven 1 hour. Remove from oven to cooling rack; cool at room temperature 1 hour. Refrigerate 3 hours.
6. To serve, remove side of pan. Spoon whipped cream into decorating bag with large star tip; squeeze bag to pipe cream around top edge of cheesecake. Garnish with candies.

*One teaspoon peppermint extract and 4 to 6 drops green food color can be substituted for the crème de menthe liqueur.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Before heating oven, place small baking pan filled with 1 to 2 cups water on oven rack below cheesecake to help prevent cheesecake from cracking. Bake 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft):

Before heating oven, place small baking pan filled with 1 to 2 cups water on oven rack below cheesecake to help prevent cheesecake from cracking. Bake 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.

St. Patricks Day

Happy St. Patties Day everyone. Time to go GREEN! St. Patrick's Day has long adopted the color green for this Holiday and the popularity of everything being green even goes as far as the foods we eat on this day and the drinks we drink on this day as well. The most popular drink is Green Beer for the adults and green coolaid for the kids.

Ingredients

16 ounces golden irish lager beer

3-6 drops green food coloring

Directions

1. In a chilled pint size glass pour beer add food coloring and mix inches Enjoy!
2. "Slàinte!" (pronounced "slawn-cha")
3. As the Irish would say. The traditional toast is the Irish equivalent of cheers and means "good health" in Gaelic.

Corned Beef and Cabbage is the most common meal eaten in the United States for St. Patrick's Day, even though historically, corned beef and cabbage is an American (rather than a traditionally Irish) meal and I have to say I love corned beef and cabbage!

In the United States, many people have also made the holiday a celebration of the color green. These people, besides wearing green on that day, may also stage dinner parties featuring all green foods. Heres some examples for you.

• Corned Beef & Cabbage with a few drops of green food coloring added.
• Green jello fruit salad.
• Baked Broccoli casserole.
• Green Beans.
• Irish Stew with a few drops of green food coloring added.
• the list goes on and on ..................................................
  

Irish Brown Soda Bread

Now, do you need some bread to serve with your St. Patties Day meal? This turn-of-the-century traditional Irish bread uses baking soda instead of yeast for a foolproof recipe perfect for St. Paddie's Day. Rolled oats and sweet buttermilk enhance the flavors of this rustic bread. Go to our St. Patricks Day page for the recipe.

Don't Forget about the Irish Coffee! You can also find this recipe on our St. Patrick page.
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