Ingredients:

• 3/4 C. (1 ½ sticks) butter, softened
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Red food coloring
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 C. powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 package (10 oz.) Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips
• ½ C. Heavy Whipping Cream
• 4 oz. bar chocolate, chopped

Directions:

1. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment.
2. Mix butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Add the sifted sugar, mix slowly until very smooth, about 5 minutes. Add the egg yolk, vanilla and 3-4 drops of food coloring; combine thoroughly. Scrape sides of the bowl, add the flour, half at a time. Once all the flour is mixed in, add half the package (1 C.) of Andes Baking Chips. Mix until evenly distributed. Roll a tablespoon of dough into a ball, place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. With the back of a small measuring spoon or end of a wooden spoon create an indentation in the center of the ball. Chill shaped dough on baking sheet 15-20 minutes before baking.
3. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. When done, remove and cool on a rack.
4. While cookies are cooling, prepare the filling. Chop bar chocolate, place in a microwave safe bowl with the remaining chips and cream. Heat for 30 seconds, remove and stir. Repeat for 15 seconds and stir until completely smooth. When cookies are completely cooled, put the filling into a piping tube or cut a small opening in a corner of a plastic bag and fill each cookie with a small amount of the filling. Refrigerate to set. Store in an air tight container.

Yield:

About 3 ½ – 4 dozen

*Can also be made with green food coloring and Andes Crème de Menthe Baking Chips.