Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Chocolate Peppermint No Bake Cookies -- a holiday #recipe from @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: I’ve written two Christmas books now – Peppermint Barked, the 6th Spice Shop mystery, out July 19, and As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles, the 5th Food Lovers’ Village mystery, set in fictional Jewel Bay, Montana. I absolutely adore writing Christmas books – they are just inherently fun, even though there is, of course, murder and mayhem. And Christmas cookies and other fun holiday recipes! 

By coincidence, both were written in late spring and summer, and published in July. Mr. Right loved that I was testing Christmas recipes in June – all those yummy cookies he would otherwise only get once a year! It’s not typically super hot here in Montana until August, so I didn’t mind turning on the oven occasionally.

Alas, that is not a universal truth, so for Peppermint Barked, I deliberately included a couple of no-bake recipes so readers could enjoy the taste of the book as well as the story.


This cookie is a holiday version of a classic, particularly easy to make with kids. It’s not actually in the book, but who cares? 

(Some recipes say you can use regular “old-fashioned” oats instead of the usual quick-cooking oats. Leave the mixture in the pan, off the heat, for 5 minutes before spooning onto the baking sheets, to give the oats extra time to soften in the chocolate mixture. I haven’t tried this, but suggest that if you do, be prepared to spoon quickly, as the batter might get stiff as it sits. 

Crushed peppermint dust sprinkled on top would be a lovely holiday addition. 

Happy Holidays – whatever and whenever you celebrate!

Chocolate Peppermint No Bake Cookies 

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats, uncooked


Assemble your ingredients. Line two full-sized baking sheets with silicon sheets or parchment paper. 

In a large saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, unsalted butter, milk, cocoa powder, and salt.

Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring frequently, for three minutes. (Don’t skimp on the boil or the time, or the cookies might not set.) 


Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the extract and oats. 


Drop by spoonfuls onto the baking sheets, in six rows of three cookies. Flatten slightly if you’d like; mounded cookies are just as tasty!

Cool at room temperature; cookies will be firmly set in about 45 minutes. 

Makes 36. Cookies freeze well.



PEPPERMINT BARKED: A Spice Shop Mystery (coming July 19, 2022 from Seventh St. Books)

From the cover: 
A Dickens of a Christmas turns deadly…

As the holiday season lights up Seattle’s famed Pike Place Market, Pepper Reece’s beloved Spice Shop is brimming with cinnamon, nutmeg, and shoppers eager to stuff their stockings. Add to the mix a tasty staff competition—a peppermint bark-off—along with Victorian costumes for this year’s Dickensian Christmas theme, and Pepper almost forgets to be nervous about meeting her fisherman boyfriend’s brother for the first time.

But when a young woman working in her friend Vinny’s wine shop is brutally assaulted, costumed revelers and holiday cheer are the last things on Pepper’s mind. Who would want to hurt Beth? Or were they looking for Vinny instead?

The vicious attack upsets everyone at Pike Place, but none more than Pepper’s own employee, Matt Kemp. At first, Pepper is baffled by his reaction, but his clandestine connection to Beth could hold the key to the assailant’s motive. Or perhaps it’s Vinny’s ex-wife who knows more than she’s letting on . . . and what about the mysterious top-hatted man with whom Pepper saw Beth arguing that morning?

As the secrets of the market come to light, long-held grudges, family ties, and hidden plans only further obscure the truth. Is it a ghost of the past rattling its chains, or a contemporary Scrooge with more earthly motives? As Pepper chases down a killer, someone is chasing her, and in the end, the storied market itself may hold the final, deadly clue.

A cozy holiday mystery full of culinary delights and a rich cast of characters, the sixth installment in the Spice Shop Mystery series will keep you turning the page . . . and reaching for another piece of peppermint bark. 


Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries, and the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories. Death al Dente, the first Food Lovers' Village Mystery, won Best First Novel in 2013, following her 2011 win in Best Nonfiction. Her first historical short story, "All God's Sparrows," won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story. Peppermint Barked, her 6th Spice Shop mystery, will appear in July 2022, and Blind Faith, her second standalone suspense novel (written as Alicia Beckman), will release in October 2022. 

A past president of Sisters in Crime and a current board member of Mystery Writers of America, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by Leslie's website and join the mailing list for her seasonal newsletter. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.

8 comments:

  1. How cool! I'd never thought about adding peppermint to the old standby, making in a hurry when you want something sweet and chocolaty, but I sure will be giving it a try.

    Agree with you on them setting up fast if you waited that long to spoon out.

    Can't wait for the opportunity to read "PEPPERMINT BARKED"!
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. A taste of the season despite the heat! (Well, not heat here, but probably where you are!)

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  2. 3 minutes of cooking time. Perfect for any time of year.

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  3. Thank you for this, Leslie. Sounds like a wonderful new (peppermint) twist on the old favorite!

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    1. My pleasure! Not real clear in the photo, but the extract comes from Red Stick Spice in Baton Rouge, and it's perfect -- good flavor without being overwhelming.

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