Candy Cane Cookies

Tracy P. over at The Journey is hosting a Cookie Exchange on her blog today. And since I've been busy baking (mostly preparing to bake) my favorite Christmas cookies lately, I decided to join her party.

If you read my post from yesterday, you already know a little bit about what is involved in my recipe. I don't know exactly where my recipe originates from, all I know is that I used to make these cookies with my grandmother when I was a little girl, and I always had fun doing so.

Here are the ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. red food coloring
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup finely crushed peppermint candies

Here's what you do with your ingredients:

1. Cream shortening and margarine until fluffy.
2. Add powdered sugar, egg, almond extract, vanilla extract, flour, and salt, and mix well.
3. Divide dough in half.
4. Add food coloring to one half and mix well.

After you've prepared your dough, it is best to chill it for a while in the fridge before continuing with the recipe. This is a great time to prepare your crushed peppermint if you need to.

5. On floured surface, roll a teaspoon of each dough into 4 1/2 in long ropes.
6. Twist ropes together and curve one end down (into cane shape).
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet.
8. Mix sugar and crushed peppermint candies.
9. While cookies are warm, coat with candy/sugar mixture.


Please excuse the photo. It was the only one I had on my computer of the cookies. The cookies in the photo were made by Sarah and Emily when they were 9 and 7, and were made much larger than they were supposed to be.

I hope you enjoy my cookies. I think they are yummy and I hope you do, too.