Christmas without baking is like winter without snow. My favorite and most popular recipe, a treat which embodies the holiday season, came about after a little searching on Pinterest. After a little tweaking, I soon had my peppermint cookies.

Peppermint Cookies

2 ½ C all-purpose flour

1 t baking powder

¼ t salt

1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ C powdered sugar

1 large egg yolk

2 large egg whites

½ t peppermint extract

½ C finely crushed hard peppermint candies or candy canes

Sift together dry ingredients – flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and beat until blended. Add egg whites and extract and mix well (mixture will look grainy). Gradually beat dry ingredients into butter mixture. Stir in peppermint candies.

Gather dough into a ball. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for about an hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Flour countertop and take half of the chilled dough. Roll dough to a ¼ inch thick sheet. Cut with festive cookie cutters. Place cookies about 2 inches apart.*

For the best results, bake cookies for 9 minutes or until golden on the bottom. Move to racks to cool. Store in airtight container.

*Cookies also can be rolled into balls and dusted with powdered sugar.