Day 6: ‘Candy Cane Cookies’

Snow has started to come down, Christmas will be here soon. How about to candy canes for the tree? Yes Candy Canes!!! Today’s recipe is Candy Cane cookies. These peppermint cookies are excellent with the Christmas Tree cookies. I have another recipe for the same cookie that I will post soon, except this one peppermint extract instead of the actual peppermint candies.

1 cup shortening
1 cup confectioners’ sugar (sifted)
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. red food coloring
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy
1/2 cup granulated sugar
 

1. Heat oven to 375.
2. In a large bowl, mix together shortening, sugar, egg,vanilla, and almond extract. Mix thoroughly.
3. Mix flour and salt together. Slowly stir into sugar mixture.
4. Divide dough into two equal halves.
5. Blend red food coloring into one half of dough.
6. Using 1 tsp of dough, roll a 4″ strip from each color of dough.
7. Place one red strip and one white strip side by side.
8. Press one set of ends together, then twist strips like a rope.
9. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
10. Curve top of rope down to form handle of cane.
11. Bake approximately 9 minutes, until lightly browned.
12. While still warm, remove cookie from cookie sheet and sprinkle with mixture of crushed candy and sugar.

• To prevent dough from drying out, make each cookie one at a time, rather than rolling out all one color, then the other.
• For smooth, even strips, roll strips back and forth on a lightly floured surface (or use confectioners’ sugar!)