Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa

2-3 drops peppermint extract

pinch salt

nonpareils for sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extract. With the mixer running slow beat the flour into the butter mixture. Remove half of the mixture to a bowl. Add the cocoa to the dough in the mixer, and mix until well-incorporated. 

Fill the cookie press fitted with a disk of your choice (I used tree) with the dough, alternating tablespoons of chocolate and plain dough. 

Press dough 1 inch apart onto ungreased, unlined nonstick baking sheets. Sprinkle with nonpareils Bake 8-12 minutes or until set. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.  

Yield: 1 1/2-2  dozen cookies (this recipe can be easily doubled)

My thoughts:

I was wondering why peppermint is such a popular flavor at the holidays, I mean wouldn’t something seasonal like citrus be a more natural choice? Thanks to living in the modern world, I found this article that asks this important question. Apparently candy canes started out as a stick sugar candy given to children to keep them from being noisy in church? I’m a little skeptical. Apparently no one knows why peppermint flavoring was added or why they were striped. My guess is that like so many food origin stories is that the guy probably had peppermint flavoring and red dye on hand and voila. It is an eye-catching combo and there weren’t too many peppermint candies out there save the York Peppermint Pattie.

It also credits Bobs for popularizing candy canes after the invention of an automated candy cane machine that made it possible to make curved candy canes vs the peppermint sticks that had been popular. I have to say, Bobs are far and away the best commerical candy canes out there, annoying lack of apostrophe aside, so I am not surprised they are were at the forefront of the candy cane revolution.

Anyway, it seems like no one knows but I do love peppermint and the holidays are as good an excuse as any other to make something pepperminty. These cookies pair it up with its BFF, chocolate and create a refreshing crisp little cookie. I only made a small batch because we are only two people but feel free to double to triple the recipe, it should be fine.