Sttudio292

Candy Cane Cookies

Ingredients ~

1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp peppermint essence
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon red food colouring
3 cups flour

Method ~

1. Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl until well mixed and fluffy.
2. Mix in the egg, vanilla and peppermint essence.
3. Fold in the flour gently with a spatula, till no lumps remain.
4. Divide the dough into two and set one piece aside.
5. Add 1/2 tsp of red food colouring to one piece of the dough and work the dye into the dough kneading by hand. Add more food colouring if needed, until the dough is a bright red.
6. Shape both pieces of dough into 1-inch thick circles, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This will make the cookies easier to roll out and shape.
7. Preheat the oven to 180*C. Line two baking trays with non-stick/butter paper.
8. Remove both pieces of dough from the fridge and unwrap. Take walnut-sized balls of the dough and roll each into a thick rope about 6 inches long. Pinch both coloured ropes together at the top and gently twist them together. Place the twisted ropes on the baking tray and gently hook the top to create a candy cane shape. If the dough starts to break as you roll it, put it back in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
9. When all the dough has been shaped, chill both trays of the cookies for 15 minutes before baking. This helps the cookies hold their shape during baking.
10. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the bottom edges and the tips of the cookies are just barely starting to turn golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes on the baking tray. Remove and let cool completely before placing them in airtight boxes.
11. These cookies taste better a day after baking as their flavours have time to enhance and will stay fresh for about 2 weeks.