Peppermint Kisses

Wow, I can't believe it's already 2012! And I can't believe I'll be turning 18 in just two days! Time really does fly. I know I haven't posted anything since Christmas Eve, but I have a good excuse, honest. You see... I ended up going to my Grandma's house in South Carolina from the 27th to the 31st and then the famly and I went up to New York City for New Years (no I didn't get into Times Square...only the crazies who don't eat or have bladders do that), but I'm back now and I'm posting about cookies that I made in mid December. I know you all have left-over candy canes, so this is a great ways to use those up.

I had an absolute blast making this dough. I don't know why, but I don't think I have ever been so excited over a cookie. Maybe it was the spirit of the holiday season that was filling my brain, but I don't care.

When making this dough I was so giddy because as soon as I added the crushed candy canes to the dough, it all turned pink! I was so excited over this I made everyone in my family look at the rosey pink dough. I think my mom did the best job at being enthusiastic for me. My sister just kinda gave me the "I'm judging you" face.

These cookies were definitely a hit, especially with my mom. She kept nibbling on them all day and the next day. But be careful when baking, because the cookies will still look super puffy and uncooked, but that's when you need to take them out, like ASAP, because they will settle down and crinkle up on the top.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and an awesome New Year. I've already come up with a very long list of what I need to make by the end of this year.

Peppermint Kisses

adapted from Sing for Your Supper
makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
12 mini candy canes (or about 3 large ones?)
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
2. In a food processor (or by hand) crush the candy canes to a fine powder. It's ok
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in the egg and egg yolk and mix on medium for about a minute or until the eggs have fully been incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add in the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat until all of the flour mixture has been incorporated.
4. Using a portion scoop, drop the cookies on the lined baking try, spacing them about an inch and a half apart. Bake for about 6 minutes, no more than 8. The cookies will look very underdone, but don't pay any attention to that, take those cookies out of the oven! Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about a minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.