Peppermint Cookies

Peppermint cookies are a Christmas classic in our house, the first of the holiday baking and usually several batches later January 1st rolls around and we finally stop stuffing our faces!

My first introduction to these wonderful cookies was the special mommy care-package that would arrive frequently to one of my college roommates - a bucket of beautiful pink, soft, pepperminty cookies that I'm sure were a significant contributing factor to my "freshman 40". They were so good that it was one of the first recipes I sought out when I had my own kitchen and they've stuck with me since. They're a traditional Mennonite cookie, made by many an Oma - usually made with baking ammonia, but I've tried to update the recipe to use baking powder & baking soda instead.

Peppermint Cookies

Makes about 48 cookies

1/2 cup Butter

2 cups Sugar

2 Eggs

2 cups Heavy Cream (Whipping Cream)

2 tsp. Peppermint Extract or 2 drops Pure Peppermint Essential Oil

5 & 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

2 Tbsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

2 Tbsp. Cornstarch

Peppermint Butter Icing

Long Shredded Sweetened Coconut

Cream the butter. Add sugar and eggs, beat well. Add remaining wet ingredients. Mix dry ingredients and add to wet. Refrigerate in plastic wrap for 2 hours - overnight. Roll dough about 1 cm -1/2 inch thick for a soft fluffy cookie, thinner if you like a crisper one. Cut in circles and bake at 375 for 6-7 minutes or until the bottoms start to brown.

Cool on a wire rack then ice with Peppermint Butter Icing. Sprinkle tops with coconut and serve.

These cookies can be adapted to any holiday, just change the colour of the icing or the shape of the cookie. I make mine round, but shapes work well too. These cookies freeze really well (I actually prefer them frozen).

Happy Baking!

~Adel~

Roger's Butter Icing

I don't normally post other people's recipes, but today I couldn't find my usual icing recipe for sugar cookies because they changed the bag...so this is just a record for me and for anyone else who likes the Classic Butter Icing from the back of the Rogers Icing Sugar bag in Canada.

1/2 cup Butter, softened

2 cups Icing Sugar*

2 tsp Vanilla**

2 Tbsp Milk

1 cup Icing Sugar

1-2 Tbsp Milk

*for chocolate icing, add 1/3 cup Cocoa Powder with the 1st addition of icing sugar.

**to change the flavour of the icing, replace Vanilla with peppermint, almond, coconut, etc

Combine butter and 2 cups of icing sugar with a mixer. Add vanilla and milk and mix until smooth. Add remaining icing sugar and 1-2 Tbsp of milk to desired consistency. Add food colouring as desired.

Makes enough icing for 2-8" round cakes.

~Adel~