candy cane cookies

I don't bake. I've never claimed to be able to bake. I can, however, bake Christmas cookies. They always turn out perfect and I never want to share. The recipes are probably perfect, leaving it hard to make an error. I pay this tribute to my Grandmother and her trying and testing of recipes. She had a tendency to modify things over time and was truly a baker. With this, I share another recipe this year.

The Candy Cane Cookie. Sure, there are many out there, but this is the one. The mix of vanilla and almond extract is delicious. It's heavy on the almond, a yummy flavor that few desserts have these days. Sure the candy cane cookie takes a bit of patience, but with a little TLC, they are well worth it. A very festive cookie too. My added tip: bake on parchment paper to make it extremely easy to lift of the cookie sheet. This minimizes the breakage.

Ingredients

• 1 C butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 C powder sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 2 1/2 C flour
• 1/2 C crushed peppermint candy canes mixed with sugar

Directions

Cream sugar and butter, beat in egg and flavoring. Mix in flour and salt. Blend a few drops of red coloring into half of the dough.

Flour a pastry cloth. Roll the two separate colors until you get a skinny piece about 4" long. Place strips side-by-side, pressing lightly together, and twist like a rope. Cookies must be completed one at a time. Bend one end to form a candy cane.

Bake 5-7 minutes at 375. Remove from oven and while still hot, sprinkle with candy cane mixture. Carefully remove from cookie sheet to cool.

Merry Christmas!