Have you ever had a meltaway cookie? They’re quite different than your standard cookie - not crispy, not chewy, not crumbly, not cakey. So, then, what are they? Well the name kind of says it all - you take a bite and for a hot second you think it’s going to crumble apart, and then it just melts away into a puddle of tasty in your mouth! Peppermint perfect for these cookies, as that strong hit of flavor provides a great contrast to the smooth and creamy texture. Some don’t love these types of cookies, as they are flour & starch heavy and have a bit of an aftertaste to that effect. Personally, I love the opportunity to make something out of the norm when it comes to a cookie. It’s important to shake things up once in a while!
The recipe from which I adapted these included a dollop of cream cheese frosting atop the cookies, which I think would be lovely. However, these were destined for my lab cookie jar where they needed to be stackable and last at least a few days without refrigeration, so I decided to switch it up and do a hard minty icing, and sprinkle some crushed candy canes on top. The icing needs to be just-applied or at least still tacky in order for the candy canes to stick, but if you then aren’t going to serve the cookies within 12 hours, the candy cane pieces will likely melt and run a bit. I think it’s still quite pretty that way (how you’re seeing them in these pictures) but just a heads up.
Happy Baking!
MAKES ~15 cookies
INGREDIENTS & SUPPLIES
150g AP flour (1.25c)
2oz cornstarch (1/2c)
2 sticks butter (1 cup), room temperature
2oz powdered sugar (1/2c) & 6oz powdered sugar (1.5c)
1tsp & 1/4tsp peppermint extract
1-3TB milk
crushed candy canes (for garnish)
stand or hand mixer
2 large cookie sheets & parchment
DIRECTIONS
Whisk the flour & cornstarch together, set aside.
With your mixer cream the butter and 2oz of powdered sugar, then add your peppermint extract and mix until just combined.
Add your dry ingredients and mix until homogenous (start your mixer on low!)
Cover your mixer bowl and refrigerate it for one hour
Preheat your oven to 350F and line your cookie sheets with parchment.
Roll the dough into 1.5” balls and place them at least two inches apart on your cookie sheets. If you’re not using oversized cookie sheets you may need to use more than two.
Start checking your cookies at 10 minutes (but don’t keep the oven door open for more than a second!). They’re done when the bottom edges are just barely starting to brown. Depending on your oven this will take 10-15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets.
Once the cookies are cool, make the icing: whisk 6oz powdered sugar, 1/4tsp of peppermint extract, and 1TB of milk, gradually adding more milk 1tsp at a time and whisking until the icing is thick but pourable.
Place the cookies on a cooling rack with wax paper or tin foil underneath. Spoon the icing over each cookie - you can either do a little dollop in the center, or cover the cookies fully. After you ice 3 or 4 cookies, sprinkle on the crushed candy cane to avoid the icing hardening too soon.
These will keep countertop for a few days, or stored in an airtight container with wax paper between cookie layers for up to one week.
Adapted from TheRecipeCritic.com