Candy Cane Cookies

Yeap , that’s that time of the year again .. where my kitchen will smell like butter and vanilla .. christmas cookies time . I normally start around this time of the year , that way i get to get them ready to be decorated and be sent out to friends soon after . So far i’ve made about 6 different kind of cookies . Last year , due to our relocating , we didn’t get to bake any cookies , not even 1 bit !! And usually that’s our christmas tradition , i always bake a lot of cookies during christmas time , and couple of years ago i started making nutrolls to give out to some friends or neighbours too .

Anyway we’re going to start this time with candy cane cookies . They have peppermint taste in it , and they’re so adorable . Was very fun making them , my 8 years old son , helped me in the kitchen with this , by rolling them into a ball . They have a really bright colors , i just wish that they hold its shape when being baked instead of getting a little flat when it’s done baking .

Directions : 

1/3 cup of shortening

1/3 cup of unsalted butter

3/4 cup of sugar

1 large egg

1 tbsp. of milk

1 tsp. of baking powder

1 tbsp. peppermint extract

2 cups of all purpose flour

1. In a large mixing bowl , cream the butter and shortening for a minute or so until it’s fluffy . Then add sugar , beat until it’s mixed well . Add the egg , peppermint extract . Then add baking powder and flour . Mix well , don’t overmix them .

2. Divide the dough into 2 , you can color it with any color you want , if not , you can keep 1 plain , and the other half you can color it red , i used a red coloring gel . Beat well until the color combined . Chill in the fridge for couple hours .

3.Roll the dough into small balls , make the same amount between the whites and the reds .

4. Then roll them like a snake gently on the surface , then line them side by side and roll them gently to make them entwine with each other .

5. Once it’s done , transfer carefully to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper , and curl the end gently to shape them into candy cane . Bake at 375 F for about 12 minutes or so .

Let it cool on the sheet for 7 minutes before removing them to cool completely on a cookie rack .