peppermint melt-a-ways // recipe

a good friend of mine, dani, shared with me one of her family's favorite christmas cookie. and once i saw a picture of these beauties i NEEDED the recipe.

i'm not kidding when i say these taste like they came straight out of mrs. claus' kitchen. 

most definitely an osborne christmas staple from here on out!

RECIPE

[originally from land-o-lakes website]

makes about 4 dozen

bake at 350*

COOKIE:

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

GLAZE:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons milk [i used whole milk]

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

3 drops red food color, if desired.

crushed candy canes or peppermint candy

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, combine butter, powered sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract. Beat at a medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour and cornstarch. Beat until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Heat oven to 350*F. Shape rounded teaspoonfuls [i used a small cookie scooper] put onto ungreased cookie sheet [TIP: i kinda flattened the cookie ball a bit with my fingers]. Bake for 12-15 minutes [13 was the magic number for mine!]. Let stand 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets and cool completely. 

Meanwhile, combine 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 TBS softened butter, 1/4 tsp peppermint extract and milk until the desired glaze consistency is reached. Stir in food color, if desired. Drizzle over cooled cookies and immediately sprinkle with crushed candy. Before putting them away [if they don't get eaten right away!], wait until the glaze is firm on the cookie. 

ENJOY!