PEPPERMINT-CANDY SUGAR COOKIES

Peppermint-Candy Sugar Cookies image

Provided by Martha Stewart

Time 2h25m

Yield Makes about 30

Number Of Ingredients 9

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces flat round peppermint candies
2 tablespoons coarse sanding sugar

Steps:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
With a mixer on medium speed, beat butter with granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla until just blended, scraping down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture until combined. Refrigerate dough until firm, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, place peppermints in a resealable plastic bag and finely crush with a meat mallet. Transfer to a shallow bowl and mix with sanding sugar.
Form rounded teaspoons of dough into balls for small cookies, or rounded tablespoons for larger ones. Roll in crushed-candy mixture to coat. Arrange 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
Bake, rotating sheets once, until edges are starting to brown, about 11 minutes for small cookies, 14 minutes for larger ones. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. (Break off any bits of melted candy from edges of cookies, if necessary.) Cookies can be stored in an airtight container, between sheets of parchment or waxed paper, up to 1 week.