Peppermint is a wonderful flavor often associated with winter, and these cookies, found in a delightful Christmas cookie magazine, have been on my list to bake for the past several weeks. Sometimes, you can tweak a recipe and make it better; other times, what you add or omit affects the finished product in what I wouldn’t necessarily call a bad way, but in an unexpected, less than desirable way.
Hoping for intense peppermint flavor, I added more crushed peppermint candies than recommended. At the time, I didn’t think about how they increased quantity of candy (essentially, melting sugar, which turns to liquid) would affect the dough, and it certainly did. Rather than turning out button-like as Russian Tea Cakes do, these were flat, and took longer to bake. The cookies still taste good, but next time, I’ll stick closer to the recipe and incorporate 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract, then decrease the vanilla to 1/2 teaspoon as well.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies (20 candies)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups flower
- 1 cup powdered sugar, for rolling
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds.
Add the 2/3 cup powdered sugar, crushed peppermints, vanilla, and salt; beat until well combined.
Add flour, one cup at a time, beating until combined.
Using a one-inch cookie scoop, scoop out dough and roll into balls, then place at least one inch apart on baking sheets.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown.
Remove from oven, let stand on baking sheets for 5 minutes.
Roll in powdered sugar and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
amy bakes in the 'burgh 