Candy Cane Cookies

American Dessert Recipes

2 1/2 c. flour 1 tsp. salt 2 sticks butter, softened 1 c. confectioners sugar 1 egg 2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. red food coloring (or enough drops to make a nice red dough)

A real kid crowd pleaser. My kids ask for these cookies every Christmas. Be sure to make them small - they disappear like magic! Preheat oven to 350°F (or wait until you're ready to form the cookies). In a bowl, sift together flour and salt. In a large bowl, beat together butter and confectioner's sugar until light and fluffy - like frosting. Add egg, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add flour mixture and beat until well combined. Remove half the dough from the mixing bowl and set aside. Color the remaining dough with the red food coloring. Shape the cookies: Take about a teaspoon of dough of each color and roll into a snake shape. Place the snakes beside each other. Twist together by rolling your palm on top of them to give the candy-cane-stripe look. Carefully lay on the baking sheet and curl the top for the hook. If you can't get the hang of it, don't sweat it. Curl them into little round shapes, like swirly peppermints. Or keep them straight like peppermint sticks. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes until bottoms are very lightly browned and tops are no longer moist.

Submitted by Gretchen Grant
Contributed on: Monday December 10th, 2007 and modified on Sunday May 16th, 2010