Chocolate-Peppermint Holiday Bites

Preheat oven to 375F.

For the dough:
Cream together the butter and sugar in a medium sized bowl. Add the egg and beat well. Set aside.

Mix together the dry cake ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients (three batches at a time) into the butter and sugar mixture and beat until just smooth. Roll dough into a large ball and set to chill in the fridge for half an hour.

After the dough has chilled, scoop out very small balls of dough (about a teaspoon’s worth) and flatten gently on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 7-9 minutes and then let cool completely on baking sheet. The cookies will harden as they cool.

For the peppermint filling:
Beat together the shortening and butter. Add the confectioner’s sugar and extracts and continue to beat for about six more minutes until light. Drop either red or green food coloring into the bowl until desired colored is present. Scoop filling into a plastic bag or pastry bag (with a very small tip) and pipe a small amount between two cookies. Sandwich cookies together.

For the chocolate coating:
Make the chocolate covering by melting together the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over very, very low heat. Take a knife and spread a single layer on top of the bite size sandwich. Place cookie on wax paper. Decorate with sprinkles and then place in freezer for half an hour until chocolate is set.