While everyone is heading back to school and leaving behind thoughts of holiday cookies, I’m going to bring you right back to those thoughts.
Candy cane cookies are my favorite type of treat, hands down, any time of the year. Sharing this recipe with you right at the start of a new semester is meaningful because that means I have another excuse to bake more of them. In other words, I get to eat more of them.
Remember to practice patience because these cookies can be difficult to make. However, they are so very worth it.
Ingredients
½ cup shortening
½ cup butter or margarine
1 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar, to top cookies with
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon red food coloring
½ cup sugar
Directions
1 Mix shortening, butter, sugar, egg and extracts thoroughly.
2 Mix flour and salt into shortening mixture.
3 Divide dough in half.
4 Blend red food coloring into one half of dough. For a modification, take half of dough and split again. Mix one half with red food coloring and the other with green food coloring.
5 Roll a 4-inch strip of dough from red dough and from white dough.
6 For smooth, even strips, roll them back and forth on a lightly floured surface.
7 Place strips of rolled dough side by side and press them lightly together and twist like a rope.
8 Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet.
9 Gently curve the top of the cookie to the left to form the curve of the candy cane.
10 Bake the cookies at 375 degrees for nine minutes or until lightly brown.
11 While warm, sprinkle the cookies with confectioners’ sugar.
While a holiday staple, I believe these cookies can be enjoyed throughout the winter months. Ignore the cold weather, heat the oven and bake.
allmwagn@indiana.edu
