Joyfully Retired

Kathy (Bermuda Onion) and Julie (Booking Mama) have been featuring a Virtual Cookie Swap for the past twelve days. Now it’s our turn to add to the Cookie Exchange. I decided to share one of my family’s favorites.

We’ve been making these cookies for over forty years. They are very tasty but, in my opinion, we make these cookies for the fun of it – especially when children are involved. Part of the Christmas fun is an afternoon spent around a table with cutout cookies, frosting, sprinkles and then this recipe.

Candy Cane Cookies

Gather together these ingredients:

• 1 cup shortening (half butter)
• 1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
• 1 egg
• 1  1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2  1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

Optional topping after the cookies are baked:

• 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy (candy canes)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Mix together thoroughly the shortening, sugar, egg and flavorings. Mix flour and salt together and add to shortening mixture. Divide dough in half. Add red food coloring to one half.

Roll a 4-inch strip (snake) of each color. For smooth, even strips, roll them back and forth on a lightly floured board. Place strips/snakes side by side, pressing lightly together and twist like rope.

For best results, complete cookies one at a time- if all the strips of one color are shaped first, the dough of the other strip gets dried out.

Place on a ungreased baking sheet. Curve the top down to look like the handle of a cane. Bake at 375 degrees for about 9 minutes or until lightly browned. While still warm, remove from baking sheet with your spatula. Optional:  Sprinkle with a mixture of sugar and the crushed peppermint candy canes. This makes about 4 dozen canes. This recipe came from my vintage Betty Crocker Cookie Book I received in 1964. I still have the book, minus the front and back covers. This book got way too much use.

I hope you’ll gather some children together and have a fun cookie baking party. But, if there are no children available, make these Candy Can Cookies anyway and give them to people who are still young at heart. Now, let’s go over to Kathy’s and Julie’s and swap some more cookie recipes.