Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Langkah-langkah

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a couple baking sheets  with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

2. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat 1 cup butter until it is soft and creamy. Add 1 and 1/4 cups sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Make sure to stop halfway to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl.

3. Add 1 egg and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat until combined, scraping sides.

4. Add 2 and 1/4 cups flour, be sure to spoon and level. Don't stir it in yet!

5. Add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Use a small spoon to gently stir it into the flour. Make sure there are no lumps!

6. Mix the dry ingredients into the dough until almost combined. Stop when there are still white streaks of flour.

7. Add the entire bag of red Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips. See notes for an alternative if you can't find them!

8. Mix the baking chips in until combined well, scraping the bottom of the bowl.

9. Shape the dough into 2 inch balls. (1 and 1/2 inch balls would be fine too.)

10. Add 1/2 cup sugar to a bowl. Roll the dough balls in the sugar. Place the dough on the baking sheet with about 2 inches in between each cookie.

11. Bake at 350 for about 9 minutes.

12. Meanwhile, crush 6-8 candy canes in a ziplock bag.

13. Remove the pan from the oven and shut the oven door.

14. Sprinkle each cookie with about a teaspoon or two of crushed candy cane. Use 2 spoons to push each cookie toward it's center. See this post for details.

15. Return the pan to the oven and continue baking for another 2 minutes, or until the edges are set. The center can have a little bit of shine on top, but it should be no larger than the size of a quarter.

16. Let the cookies set on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to come to room temperature. But come on, eat at least one of them nice and warm! With a glass of milk please. And maybe some Christmas music to round it out.

17. Store on the counter in a sealed container for up to 5 days. These cookies would be really pretty half-dipped in white chocolate!