PEPPERMINT CRUNCH SUGAR COOKIES

Last Friday Janice and I went to the River Market Antiques downtown close to the City Market.  It is an old building with 3 stories of antiques of different vendors.  It is hard to go there and not come out with something you can't live without.  

I got some darling small (one scoop size) ice cream dishes that I plan to take to my CO grandchildren the next time we go visit them.  Janice found some small Christmas cookie cutters to use when she bakes Christmas cookies with her two granddaughters...never too early to get ready.  I found a heart cookie cutter just like what I was looking for....I used to have one but it didn't make the move from CA with us.  I also bought a stand-alone cabinet for my kitchen.  Now I have a cabinet for my small appliances and some more work area.  I can also keep my mixer out now.

I was really excited about finding the heart cookie cutter because I wanted to make some Valentine cookies.  I had bought a bag of Andes Peppermint Crunch candies thinking they would be perfect to chop up and add to a cookie recipe.

Thursday afternoon I decided I would try it out so I could take some to share with my friends when we played cards the next day.  I have to have someone help me eat all these "goodies" I make.  

I like to make recipes from "scratch" but I also am willing to take shortcuts.  The Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie cookie mix is one of those shortcuts I really like.

I got the stick of margarine out to let it sorta come to room temperature while I chopped the candies.  I guess I should say while I "unwrapped" and chopped the candies.  After I chopped about 10 of the candies, I noticed on  the back of the cookie mix that if you were going to make "cutout" cookies, you only used 1/3 cup of margarine.  So I cut that amount off the stick of margarine and then put the extra back in the frig.

After I chopped the 10 candies, I put them in a measuring cup to see how much I had. I wasn't sure how much I was going to use in the cookie, but since it wasn't a cup, I unwrapped 10 more and chopped them up. Then I got an idea I should only put 1 cup in the mix and I could use the extra and sprinkle on top.  (You will end up probably chopping all of the candies in the bag.)

I also wanted to make the cookies red and so since I had some Wilton red food coloring, I decided to use it.  I thought I would start with 1/4 teaspoon and see what that looked like and then add more if the dough wasn't red enough.  It was perfect so I didn't add any more.

This is one of the better looking ones I made.











Here is my recipe:


ANDES PEPPERMINT CRUNCH SUGAR COOKIES

1    pkg Sugar Cookie cookie mix (17.5 oz)
1/3 cup margarine
1    tablespoon flour
1    egg
1/4 teaspoon Wilton red food coloring
1    pkg Andes Peppermint Crunch candies

Unwrap and chop the candies measuring 1 cup to add to the cookie mix


  

Stir flour into dry cookie mix thoroughly. (I used the whisk attachment for my mixer.)

Add the soften margarine and egg 

Add the chopped candies before the soft dough forms. 

And add the red food coloring.












After the soft dough formed, I put the bowl in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. (The cookie mix doesn't say to do this.)  The dough isn't as likely to stick to the rolling pin if you do this.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  You will use a ungreased cookie sheet.

"Flour" surface you plan to roll the cookies out on with SUGAR.  I love my tempered glass cutting "board" for rolling out dough.  Dough doesn't stick to it.

Make a ball with about half of the dough and roll it out about 1/4 inch thick.  Put the rest back in the frig.

Using a cookie cutter, (heart shape for Valentines) cut your cookies as closely as you can from the dough.
Add the leftover dough back in the bowl with the rest and take out some new, if you didn't have a cookie sheet full.

Place on cookie sheet and allow room for the cookies to spread when they bake.  Sprinkle more chopped candies on top to bake.  Bake for 7 minutes.  Cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing them to a wire rack to cool.  


The picture on the right was the first pan I cooked.  I wasn't sure how much candies to sprinkle on top. 

This is what they looked like after I took them out of the oven.  

I realized I needed to sprinkle a lot more candies on top.

I was much happier with the way my cookies looked after they baked.
















Oh, btw, my friends really liked the cookies.  I'll take some more for my son Patrick and his family to enjoy when we see them this weekend.  That will leave me a several to enjoy over the next few days....that is, if my husband doesn't eat them before I get a chance to.