For a number of holiday seasons, driving through Starbucks car-serve lane for sustenance for the commute home also filled me figuratively and literally with flashy ideas for holiday potluck baked goods and hostess gifts. Cheating on my diet has proved most useful. When you're exceptionally busy at work, it's either that kind of idea or the office vending machine to provide inspiration for holiday meals. We'll save the true tales of hoarding loose change to purchase dinner party treats from vending machines for another time around the yuletide fire.

If past years haven't introduced you to Starbucks' Peppermint Brownies, you're missing a rich treat. Fudge-mint brownies are topped with peppermint-buttercream frosting and then chocolate frosting. My Starbucks (though not all) added crushed peppermint candies to the very top. In the name of research, I ate a few of these brownies on multiple occasions while driving home from work, marveling at how easy it would be to emulate the tasty presentation; what a good idea to drizzle crushed peppermint hard candies or candy canes atop cooled baked items to give them a fast and impressive holiday touch.

Others love these brownies, too, as evidenced by copycat recipes on the Internet and enthused chat by participants like "Twinkle30" and others in the "community blog" areas of popular sites like Cooking Light and Taste of Home magazines. Their imitation recipes are much like my own. On www.internationalrecipes.net, "Dave" describes them as "festive and minty without waiting in line."

Just add 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract to fudge brownie mix and bake as usual. Add another 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract to store-bought buttercream frosting and spread that on brownies. Atop that, spread store-bought fudge frosting — to which you've have stirred in some chocolate chunks — and sprinkle some crushed candy canes or peppermint hard candies on the very top.

My peppermint brownie runs to Starbucks calmed and inspired me as much as if I had grabbed for one of their New Age-touched (and less calorie-filled) chai teas.

Here are some other ways you can use peppermint to pep up holiday potluck or dinner party desserts all within a five-minute mad dash to the supermarket. Have some crushed peppermint hard candies or candy canes on hand that you've bludgeoned with a meat pounder in a resealable plastic bag and then:

— Buy some frosted cookies or cupcakes at the supermarket bakery and drizzle crushed peppermint candy pieces on top.

— Buy a chocolate cream pie or chocolate cheesecake, top with whipped cream and sprinkle with peppermint candy pieces. For the cheesecake, also push some pieces of the candy into the sides. Serve on a platter surrounded by unwrapped mini candy canes. Or, if you're even more inspired, make the wonderful homemade peppermint cheesecake that follows.

— Add some of your crushed peppermint candies to store-bought granola, especially out-of-this-world gourmet ones, such as those made by Whole Foods Market chain or those sold under La Brea Bakery brand. Sprinkle on top of ice cream or apple or pumpkin pies.

— Place a candy cane in each cup of hot chocolate you serve into which you have also mixed 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract or peppermint drink syrup — like Torani, available in regular and sugar-free at some supermarkets, gourmet stores and online at outlets like Amazon.com. Fun products like Nestle Peppermint Mocha Flavor Coffee-Mate Liquid Coffee Creamer also provide instant gourmet shots in the arm to hot chocolate or coffee. Here's a recipe to try:

HOT PEPPERMINT MOCHA SHOTS

1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup Peppermint Mocha Flavor Nestle Coffee-Mate Liquid Coffee Creamer (see Note)

3 ounces cacao dark chocolate baking bar

Whipped cream, to taste (optional)

Yields 6 servings.

Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Using back of knife, scrape along inside of vanilla bean to collect seeds.

Heat water to boiling in small, heavy-duty saucepan. Add seeds from vanilla bean or vanilla extract; heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium. Add Coffee-Mate and chocolate; whisk until smooth, slightly thickened and hot.

Divide mixture between 6 small coffee cups or tall shot glasses; top with dollop of whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Note: If necessary, substitute, to taste, a mixture of peppermint extract and chocolate syrup. Or try a mixture of beverage syrups, like popular Torani brand's peppermint and chocolate syrups available in some supermarkets and gourmet stores, as well as online at outlets like Amazon.com.

— Nestle (http://www.nestleusa.com)

PEPPERMINT CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Crust:

2 cups chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

6 (8-ounce each) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

2 cups granulated sugar

6 eggs

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chunks

1 cup crushed candy canes or peppermint hard candies (see Note)

Garnish:

Whipped cream, to taste

1/4 cup crushed candy canes or peppermint hard candies

Yields 18 to 20 servings.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

To prepare crust: In a large bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of pan (a 10-inch cheesecake pan, ungreased, or springform pan with 3-inch sides, greased) and freeze.

To prepare filling: In a mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar on medium-high speed until very smooth, for 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. With the mixer running, pour in melted chocolate in a steady stream. Stir in 1/2 cup of the flour, vanilla and peppermint extract. In a small bowl, coat chocolate chunks and candy canes with the remaining flour. Fold into batter by hand.

Pour over frozen crust, smoothing out to sides of pan. Bake in preheated oven until top is light brown and center has a slight jiggle to it, 60 to 75 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before garnishing or serving.

To garnish: Ice top of cake with whipped cream or pipe a ribbon around border. Top with crushed candy canes or peppermint hard candies.

Note: To crush candy canes or peppermint hard candies, place them in a resealable plastic bag and pound with a meat pounder until crushed to desired coarseness.

— "The Cheesecake Bible" by George Geary (Robert Rose, $24.95).

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "Cooks' Books" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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