Chocolate Mint Melt-Aways

ingredients

• Cookies:
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  1 1/3 cups whipped butter
  1 cup hydrogenated fat
  1 cup margarine
  3/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powder sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• Ganache:
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
  2 2/3 tablespoons whipped butter
  2 tablespoons hydrogenated fat
  2 tablespoons margarine
  4 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/8 cups gourmet white chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• Coating:
• 1 1/8 cups bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening

directions

cookies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 2 heavy large cookie sheets. Using electric mixer, cream butter and extracts in medium bowl until light. Beat in sugar. Beat in half of flour. Stir in remaining flour. Spoon half of dough into pastry bag fitted with no. 4 star tip. Pipe 2.5 inch-long ovals with solid centers on prepared cookie sheet, spacing cookies 0.5 inch apart. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake until golden brown on edges, about 12 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and cool.

ganache:

Bring cream and butter to simmer in heavy small saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and stir until smooth. Mix in extract. Refrigerate just until firm enough to spread, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Line 2 cookie sheets with foil. Using small metal icing spatula, spread 1 teaspoon ganache over flat side of 1 cookie. Arrange ganache side up on prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ganache is firm, about 30 minutes.

coating:

Melt bittersweet chocolate and vegetable shortening in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from over water.

Dip 1 end of 1 cookie into bittersweet chocolate. Grasp cookie on sides and dip ganache side into bittersweet chocolate, shake cookie to remove excess chocolate. Place cookie on same sheet, chocolate side down. Repeat with remaining cookies. Chill until chocolate sets, 30 minutes. Remove cookies from foil. (Can be prepared 2 weeks ahead. Refrigerate in single layers in airtight containers. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.)