STORE BOUGHT COOKIE DOUGH FOR COOKIE CUTTERS RECIPES

Steps:

• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Separate dough into individual rounds or 12 portions, and soften at room temperature until pliable, 20-30 minutes. Roll dough into 12 balls and place on the prepared sheet pan.
• Use your thumb to make indentions in the center of each dough ball. (If dough cracks a lot, let it stand at room temperature a little longer and smooth out cracks with your finger.) Refrigerate pan for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325°.
• Bake cookies in the center of the oven until set, 10-11 minutes. Remove from oven and use the end of a wooden spoon to re-press the indentions in the center of each cookie. (It is normal for the cookies to spread some. The indentions will hold their shape after being pressed with the wooden spoon. The idea here is to create a crater to hold the silky ganache filling.)
• If cookies cracked during baking and you think the filling could leak once the cookies are filled, smooth out cracks on the soft, warm cookies with the back of a spoon. Let cookies cool on the pan 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• While cookies cool, place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan until simmering. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let the mixture stand 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth, then whisk in peppermint extract.
• Spoon peppermint ganache into each cookie crater and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.