Candy Cane Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon liquid red food coloring
• 1 egg white
• 2 tablespoon sparkling sugar

Directions

1. Make the dough by adding the butter, sugar, peppermint, vanilla, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat everything together until it turns into a thick paste that sticks along the bowl.
2. Stop and scrape the bowl, then mix in the egg until the dough takes it in fully. Add the flour and beat only until the mixture comes together and you no longer see dry flour.
3. Divide the dough in half and take one half out of the bowl. Add the red food coloring carefully to the dough still in the mixer, then run the mixer on low until the color is blended evenly.
4. Press each portion of dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
5. When you are ready to bake, heat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
6. Shape the cookies while the dough is chilled and firm, but still workable right from the refrigerator. If it feels too stiff, leave it out for just a few minutes until it can bend and roll; if it gets too warm, it will become difficult to handle.
7. Take a 1-inch round piece from the white dough and roll it into a 5-inch rope. Repeat with the red dough, making sure both ropes are the same length.
8. Set the 2 ropes side by side, twist them around each other, move the twist to the prepared baking sheet, and bend the top into a candy cane.
9. Continue with the rest of the dough, leaving about 2 inches between cookies on the baking sheet.
10. For the topping, beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water until foamy. Lightly brush each cookie with the egg white mixture, then sprinkle with the sparkling sugar.
11. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the edges have the faintest bit of browning. Cool them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
12. Store the cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for a week or two.