Peppermint...the flavor of the season!

Happy Saturday, Everyone!!!  Today is Day #2 of the Recipe swap here at Really Reasonable Ribbon.Let me just tell you...you will want to come back every day just to see what treat is being shared next!  All I can say is YUMMO!!!!!
My treat is super simple, but delicious nonetheless!I used to bake everything from scratch.  Every year, I gave huge gift baskets full of homemade cookies, brownies, candies, fudges etc.  I actually broke my oven one year because I had it turned on for 22 hours straight.  NOT even joking.  
But then I became a busy Mom of 5 kids, and "Made from scratch" became "Made Quick and Easy". LOL
I do still give baked goods, but they are the kind that mylittle ones can help me with.The one I am sharing today is my FAVORITE.Peppermint PoppersThere is no mixing or measuring involved with this cookie, which is one of the reasons it is my favorite! The kids can make these with minimal help from me! YAY!

Ingredients:1 roll Pilsbury Refrigerated sugar cookie dough1 bag Peppermint Hershey's kissesmini muffin panmini muffin cups
1. Preheat oven to 3752.  unwrap 40 kisses and put them into a bowl and place them in the freezer (**This is an important step!**)3.  cut your log of cookie dough into 10 even sections (I find it easier to harden in the fridge before hand....it keeps the dough from sticking to the knife)4.  you will then cut the 10 sections into quarters and roll into balls.  This will give you 40 pieces of dough.5.  line your muffin pan with the cups and place 1 ball into each cup6.  bake for 10-12 minutes until just beginning to brown.7.  pull pan out of the oven and allow to cool for 1 minute. 8.  now place 1 frozen kiss into the center of each cookie pressing just enough to embed the candy into the cookie.  NOT TOO HARD.9.  Allow to finish cooling and then remove from the pan and repeat until all of your dough/candies are used. **Another variation of this is Peanut Butter Patties using a roll of Pilsbury Peanut Butter Cookie dough and Reeses Peanut Butter Cup miniatures.  Use the same steps as listed above.**
Now I am going to share my packaging idea with you. It is a simple white gift box wrapped with natural jute, candy cane striped ribbon and topped with a super easy "bow" and baker's twine (candy cane striped).  I lined the inside with a double layer of candy cane striped tissue paper and will fold the flaps across the cookies before I put the lid on.  I am actually making several of these boxes to give as gifts this year, and I wanted the outside to be just as "scrumptious" as the inside. I chose the striped ribbon and twine to establish the candy cane effect, but I also wanted to represent the fact that it is a homemade baked gift. Hence...the jute and baker's twine.

When I was young, I worked at Foley's department store and I befriended the manager of the gift wrapping department.  She taught me a few things about wrapping gifts that have stuck with me all these years.  She told me once that how your wrap/present your gift is what is going to get the receiver interested.It sets the tone for what they can expect to be on the inside of the package.For example...You wouldn't wrap crystal candlesticks with dollar store paper and a cheesy stick-on bow.She also told me that the wrapping is the MOST important part of the gift...especially when you are doing things like a white elephant gift exchange.  Have any of you ever participated in a white elephant?What gift does everyone try to win??The one that is wrapped the prettiest.It is just human nature to go for the prettiest.Oh yeah...and babies...what do they play with?Not the toy....the paper and ribbons that the gift was wrapped with.

So, when you are wrapping your gifts this holiday season, keep those things in mind. Bonnie has a huge selection of ribbons, trims and laces.I am confident you will find just the perfect one for your special gift!