peppermint crunch cookies
I made these funky cookies yesterday morning to take along on a 24-hour retreat with the women in my small group. The cookies didn’t turn out exactly as I had hoped, but they were a hit!
“Peppermint Crunch Cookies” is recipe #157 in “365 Great Cookies You Can Bake” by Lois Hill, but of course I modified it slightly. Here’s the recipe as I made it:
:: Peppermint Crunch Cookies ::
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 t. peppermint extract
1 c. plus 2 T. sifted flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. coarsely crushed peppermint candy canes
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat in the egg and peppermint extract. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the batter. Stir in the crushed candy canes.
Drop spoonfuls of batter onto lightly greased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375* for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are brown.
After the cookies have cooled for 2 to 3 minutes, but are still warm to the touch, use a spatula to transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
::
The cookies were more crisp than I would have liked… and they were VERY hard to get off the baking sheet. I didn’t grease my cookie sheet, because I use an airbake pan that I never grease, but next time I think I’d grease it. (Perhaps I should follow directions more often?!) Part of the problem is that the candy cane pieces melt and then stick to the cookie sheet, but in spite of the problems, the cookies were quite yummy!
