Description
Delightful peppermint meltaway cookies provide a festive winter treat with classic holiday flavors. Crisp butter cookies melt delicately on palates, offering pure seasonal comfort for cookie enthusiasts.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (226 g / 8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cups (156 g / 5.5 oz) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (60 g / 2.1 oz) cornstarch
- ½ cup (60 g / 2.1 oz) powdered sugar
- 1 cup (120 g / 4.2 oz) powdered sugar
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsps milk (plus more as needed)
- Optional: red or green gel food coloring
- Crushed candy canes or peppermint candies
Instructions
- Oven Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350F (175C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper for optimal cookie placement.
- Butter Mixture: Cream butter and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, then blend in peppermint extract to infuse aromatic flavor.
- Dough Formation: Gently fold flour, cornstarch, and salt into the butter mixture, mixing until ingredients are just combined and a cohesive dough emerges.
- Cookie Shaping: Scoop 1-inch dough balls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart, and delicately flatten each ball using the back of a spoon or fingertips.
- Baking Process: Bake for 10-12 minutes, monitoring for subtle golden edges that indicate perfect doneness, then allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
- Glaze Creation: Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and peppermint extract in a small bowl until achieving a smooth, silky consistency, adjusting thickness with additional milk if needed and optionally incorporating gel food coloring.
- Finishing Touch: Once cookies have completely cooled, drizzle or spoon glaze over each cookie and immediately garnish with crushed candy canes or peppermint candies while the glaze remains wet.
Notes
- Soften Butter Strategically: Ensure butter is at room temperature but not melted for optimal creaming, creating a light and fluffy cookie texture.
- Handle Dough Delicately: Avoid overmixing after adding flour to prevent tough cookies; mix just until ingredients combine to maintain a tender crumb.
- Control Glaze Consistency: Start with small amounts of milk when making the glaze, adding gradually to achieve the perfect drizzling thickness without becoming too runny.
- Customize Flavor Variations: Experiment with different extracts like vanilla or almond for alternative taste profiles, or swap candy cane toppings with crushed chocolate or nuts for unique twists.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 25
- Calories: 124
- Sugar: 9.6 g
- Sodium: 14 mg
- Fat: 8.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.5 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 1.1 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg