Festive Candy Cane Cookies

Total Time: 37 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 7 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 36
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/3 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 ounces chocolate
• 2 teaspoons shortening
• 1/2 cup candy cane, crushed (peppermint)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 375°f.
• 2 grease cookie sheets.
• 3 beat the first two ingredients on medium speed for 30 seconds.
• 4 add sugar & baking powder, then egg, milk and vanilla.
• 5 beat well in mixer.
• 6 beat in cocoa powder and as much flour as you can with the mixer.
• 7 stir in remaining flour.
• 8 divide dough in half.
• 9 cover, chill at least one hour.
• 10 working with piece of the dough at a time, roll into slightly less than 1/4 inch thickness on a floured surface.
• 11 using a candy cane cookie cutter cut dough.
• 12 place one inch apart on greased cookie sheet.
• 13 bake 7 - 9 minutes until firm and lightly browned.
• 14 remove from cookie sheet and cool on wired rack.
• 15 heat chocolate and 2 tsp of shortening in small saucepan over low heat until melted, stirring often (although i microwave on low heat for 30 second intervals until melted, stirring in between).
• 16 pour melted chocolate into freezer quart sized ziploc bag (i used freezer kind because it was thicker). clip a small bit off one corner to create a hole in the bag. then gently squeeze the bag drizzling the chocolate through the hole on to the cookies.
• 17 sprinkle on crushed candy-canes (quickly before chocolate hardens!).
• 18 let stand until set.