INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg yolk
2 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup finely crushed hard peppermint candies or candy canes (about 3-ounces)
additional powdered sugar for rolling
DIRECTIONS
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 and chill for about an hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Position rack in middle of oven. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment, or spray with nonstick spray.
Form dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in powdered sugar and place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Using tines of a fork, flatten each cookie, creating crisscross pattern.
Bake until cookies are golden on bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool completely.
TIPS
*Use round peppermint mints or small candy canes (they easier to unwrap than the larger ones).
*These cookies turn out best if mint is crushed finely, with few large "chunks" of peppermint.
*Reader tip: Add white chocolate chips!
*Since readers recommended it, I added some peppermint extract to the original recipe.
**I am SO in the nesting phase of this pregnancy. All I want to do is bake. I am going to be making my second batch of my grandmother's homemade rolls today to freeze and I have been adding cookies recipes to my lists. Original recipe found here. Found via Pinterest. Enjoy!
{image credit Recipe Girl}
