Candy Cane Cookies

By junerodgers

Red and white cookie dough is twisted into candy cane shapes and then topped with crushed peppermints. It's everything wonderful about candy canes and cookies rolled up into one!

Ingredients

• * COOKIES:
• 1/2 * 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 * 1/2 cup solid shortening (Crisco)
• 1 * 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 * 1 egg
• 1 * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 * 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2-1/2 * 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 * 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 * 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
• *
• * TOPPING:
• 1/4 * 1/4 cup finely crushed candy canes
• 2 * 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 * 1 egg white, beaten

Preparation

Step 1

In large bowl of electric mixer, cream butter, shortening, sugar, and egg until light and fluffy. Add extracts. Stir together flour and salt and add gradually to creamed mixture. Beat until just combined. Divide dough in half. Add food coloring to one half, mixing well to distribute color. Wrap each half separately in waxed paper. Refrigerate dough at least one hour. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pull off about a heaping teaspoon of each dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a five-inch long rope. Place ropes side-by-side on cookie sheet and carefully twist together to look like a candy cane. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until golden at the edges. While cookies are baking, stir together the crushed candy canes and granulated sugar. Remove cookies from oven, and while still on cookie sheet, brush each lightly with beaten egg white and sprinkle with candy-sugar mixture. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.