Dessert & Baked Goods › Candy Cane Cookies

makes 3½ to 4 dozen cookies

• ½ cup shortening (Crisco)
• ½ cup butter, softened (room temperature)
• 1 large egg
• 1½ tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
• 2½ cups flour, sifted
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp red food coloring (more or less to your color preference)

Optional - sprinkle while cookies are still warm

• ½ cup crushed peppermint candy
• ½ cup sugar

Special Equipment

• hand mixer
• ruler
• parchment paper
• cookie sheet

1. Preheat oven to 375º
2. In a bowl, mix shortening and butter until just melded together. Add the egg and mix to combine
3. Add almond and vanilla extracts. Mixture will have a "scrambled eggs" appearance. Mix to combine, about 1 minute
4. Add sifted confectioners sugar, about a third at a time, and mix after each third to combine
5. In a separate bowl, sift flour and salt and stir to combine and add about a third at a time to shortening, butter, egg and extract mixture. Stir in a figure-of-8 pattern to mix until dough forms a thick consistency, making sure to scrape dough from the sides to incorporate
6. Divide dough in half evenly. In one half, add ½ tsp of red food coloring, a few drops at a time (more or less to your color preference). Stir to incorporate
7. Roll out dough, about 1 tsp at a time, into thin rope-like shapes, about 4" long. Press pieces together and twist and form into candy cane shape
8. Gently place on parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for about 9 minutes a 375º, until cookies are lightly browned around the edges
9. Remove with a spatula and while warm and sprinkle with sugar and/or crushed peppermint candy.  Let cool on a rack

These cookies freeze well, so you can make them ahead of time and be ready for your holiday.