Candy Cane Crazy

Maybe it's because the temps stay in the 90's and the humidity is also in the 90's, but we have been candy cane crazy for the last few days. Anything peppermint or red and white striped has stirred us into a creative frenzy. Sarah is even reading "Peppermints in the Parlor" by Barbara Brooks Wallace. This book was my stepping stone to Agatha Christie when I was her age. Anyway, we opened a care package from a sweet church in Kansas and found candy canes! Our kids had been asking for candy canes, and when we left the States in June, I don't think we could have found any. So, when the striped wonders arrived, I pulled some recipes out of the back of my recipe box and away we went.

First, we pulled out the white chocolate (from another care package originating in Kansas-have I mentioned what a blessing care packages are?) to make these candy cane cookies:

 

1 package (18 oz.) refrigerated sugar cookie dough - we just made our own from scratch

1/4 cup peppermint candies, chopped (about three candy canes)

1/4 pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)

1 package (12 oz.) white chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Form dough into a ball and place in center of baking stone or sheet. Lightly flour roller and roll dough to within an inch of edges. Bake 17-20 minutes or until golden. While cookie is baking, chop candy and nuts. Remove cookie from oven and immediately sprinkle morsels evenly over cookie. Let stand 2-3 minutes. Spread chips evenly into thin layer; sprinke with candy and nuts. Cool 5 minutes. Cut and Serve. 16 servings

 

We discovered that candy canes do not crush well in tropical humidity. Part of the candy sticks to the plastic wrapper, and the rest of it quickly becomes a sticky conglomeration instead of a fine powder. So, we did the best we could, and not a crumb remained!

 

Today, we made candy cane cookies from "The Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library". It is copyrighted 1971 and I think the recipe card came from my mom. I found an almost identical recipe here. During a break from school, Sarah and a friend whipped up these cookies. We were supposed to top them with crushed candy canes again, but after one attempt with gloppy results, we decided that they were still yummy! It's been SO fun to share with our neighbors.