In my house, the holiday season means it is time to bake. There is a pretty healthy rotation of brownies, cookies, and banana bread coming in and out of the oven. And while my husband and son prefer anything of the chocolate variety, sometimes I like to mix it up. This recipe has passed their “good cookie” test – which is hard to do if chocolate chips are not among the first ingredients!
Ingredients
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (be sure NOT to use spearmint, or it will taste like toothpaste!)
1/2 cup crushed mini candy canes or peppermint candies, divided
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Stir flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in a small bowl.
Beat sugar and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in egg, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Gradually blend in the flour mixture. Roll dough into walnut-sized balls and place 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets briefly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tip #1
To crush candy canes or peppermint candies, place them into a resealable plastic food bag; smash them with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy saucepan.
Tip #2
Rolling the dough balls in sugar (or even candy cane sugar, which you can make by pulsing candy canes in a food processor until nice and fine) before they hit the cookie sheet gives the cookies a little sparkle and crunch.
Tip #3
For those folks who say it isn’t a cookie without a little chocolate, melt your favorite variety and either dip a side of the cookie or drizzle it over the top.
