Candy Cane Cookie Recipe

It's the holiday season and I've been feeling really festive and what's the best way to get in the mood? Rewatch all the Glee Holiday episodes (they're always a noteworthy highlight)...and...bake!!! 

I had make Candy Cane cookies a long time ago with my mom, back when making Santa Claus special treats was key to having a successful Christmas, and I remember the process having been  fun and the outcome being adorable. I revisited the recipe and altered it a bit to make it even tastier, so here it is: 

Ingredients:

- 1 ¼ cups of unsalted butter

- 2 eggs

- 2 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

- ¼ cup milk

- 2 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla

- 4 cups flour

- 1 tsp salt

- ½ tsp baking powder

- Desired food coloring (red if you want to make a traditional candy cane)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy

2. Beat in milk, egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract.

3. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt until it is well blended.

4. Divide dough in half

5. Blend food color into 1 half.

6. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

7. Preheat oven to 375ºF.

8. Stir together peppermint candy and 2 tablespoon sugar; set aside.

9. For each candy cane, form 4-inch long ‘worms’ out of 1 teaspoon of red dough and 1 teaspoon of white dough by rolling back and forth on floured surface.

10. Place 1 red and white rope side by side

11. Twist them together by lightly pressing the ends together and twisting

12. Roll them in sugar

13. Place on cookie sheet

14. Curve top of cookie down to form handle of cane.

15. Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until set and lightly browned.

16. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

17. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

In case you were wondering, an up side of this recipe is that the cookies aren't too sweet. This is why I decided to roll them in sugar. In the pictures you'll see that some cookies are topped with sprinkles, but they're a lot better with classic, plain old sugar. Also, I prefer them on them toastier side, which is why I tended to bake them for 11 minutes. 

Even though actually shaping the dough into candy canes was harder than I remembered it being (probably because my mom had done all of the work last time) the outcome was insanely cute. I gifted these cookies to my friends and they were really popular, receiving lots of ooohs and ahhhhs. 
What gets you in the holiday spirit? 

XXX
- your friend, Estelle