Sweet Leaf

Our church recently had a bake sale, and suggested that Christmas themed goods are usually a hit. I thought I would make a variation of my old favourite candy cane cookies. Candy cane cookies to me are kind of a combination of ice box and sugar cookies; not quite crispy like ice box often get, but similar in terms of letting the dough chill.

But candy cane cookies are a pain to make. Rolling out thin strands of dough and trying to twist them together without breaking them usually results in me getting very frustrated, because they keep breaking. I thought it might be easier this time to roll our the different colours of dough, stack the sheets, roll them up like a jelly roll, and slice the cookies once chilled. It worked really well.

I was worried the spirals might not hold together well, since I had floured each sheet of dough when rolling them out. But once they were baked they held together just fine. I might, in future, lightly brush the sheets with water to help them stick together a little better, but other than that I wouldn’t change a thing.

They are so eye-catching, and have a subtle peppermint flavour. They definitely make a festive and cheerful addition to any Christmas event. I’m not going to copy the recipe out here this time, but you can find it in the Better homes and Gardens ‘New Cook Book,’ which has a red checkered picnic blanket cover on it. Happy Holiday Baking!