Festive Peppermint Sugar Cookies (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour (about 360g)
02 - ½ teaspoon baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

04 - 1 cup softened unsalted butter (roughly 227g)
05 - 1 cup granulated white sugar (around 200g)
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
08 - 1½ teaspoons peppermint extract

→ For Decorating

09 - 1 teaspoon red food coloring (gel or liquid)
10 - 3 tablespoons crushed candy canes or peppermint candies

# Instructions:

01 - Grab a medium-sized bowl and whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt until everything's evenly distributed. Set this aside for now.
02 - Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat your softened butter and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes until it looks pale and fluffy. Add in your egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract, then beat again. Don't forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything's incorporated.
03 - Turn your mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture you prepared earlier. Mix just until the flour disappears into the dough—don't overmix! If there's a bit of flour hanging out at the bottom, just use your hands to knead it in gently. Take half of this dough out and place it in another bowl.
04 - Add your red food coloring to one half of the dough and mix until you get a vibrant, even red color. Start with about a teaspoon if using liquid coloring, or a few drops if using gel—you can always add more to deepen the shade. Wrap both doughs separately in plastic wrap, press each into a disk about an inch thick, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours until they're firm enough to work with.
05 - When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375°F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
06 - Cut both doughs into one-inch cubes and roll each cube into a ball. Lightly dust your counter with flour, then roll each ball into a rope about 5 inches long by gently rolling it back and forth under your palm. Take one white rope and one red rope, lay them side by side, and carefully twist them together. Bend the top down slightly to create that classic candy cane hook shape. Place them on your prepared baking sheets with about an inch between each cookie.
07 - Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies look dry and set—they shouldn't brown much. As soon as they come out of the oven, sprinkle the crushed peppermint candies on top while they're still hot. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Notes:

01 - For best results, make sure your butter and egg are at room temperature before mixing—this helps everything blend together smoothly. If you forgot to take your egg out ahead of time, just pop it in a bowl of warm water for a couple minutes.
02 - Always use pure vanilla extract rather than imitation for the richest flavor in these festive cookies.
03 - Check that your baking powder hasn't expired—old leavening agents won't give you the right texture.
04 - The key to tender cookies is accurate flour measurement. If you have a kitchen scale, weigh it out for precision. Otherwise, fluff up your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into the measuring cup, and level it off with a knife—never pack it down.
05 - Keep your dough chilled while you work! It's much easier to roll and shape when cold, and it helps prevent cracking. Only work with small portions at a time and keep the rest covered with plastic wrap in the fridge.
06 - Roll and twist one candy cane at a time instead of preparing all the ropes first—this prevents the dough from drying out and cracking as you work.
07 - If your dough starts cracking while you're rolling it into ropes, pop it back in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up again.

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