A week of Christmas cookies

As promised, I'm sharing the recipes for my favorite cookie recipes this week. All of them come from our annual Christmas cookie issue and most of them submitted by St. Petersburg Times readers. With Christmas just a week away, it's now or never for baking. C'mon, start your mixers!

Peppermint Wands were submitted in 2004 by Marion Haupt of Zephyrhills. I've made them every year since, sometimes even twice a season. They get me off of the hook from making the frustrating candy cane cookies my husband so adores. You know the ones, dye half the dough red (really pink), roll out ropes of dough and then braid them together to make a candy cane. Mine always crumble or break in two after baking.

The dough for Peppermint Wands is essentially the same, and so is the taste. It's very tender because of sweetening by confectioners' sugar rather than granulated. Don't make logs larger than suggested. I smash up candy canes for sprinkling because they crush easier than candies. Somebody could make a lot of money coming up with peppermint candy pieces for baking. Did I just give up my million-dollar idea?

Peppermint Wands
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
For coating:
4 ounces German sweet chocolate, melted
10 red, green and white peppermints, crushed, or finely chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. (We used parchment paper.)

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in bowl; set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. On low speed, beat in flour mixture until combined. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Roll 1 teaspoon of dough into a log, about 21/2 inches long. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, placing cookies 11/2 inches apart.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until pale golden at edges. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool.

For coating: When cookies are cool, dip one end of each cookie into melted chocolate. Return to wire rack. Sprinkle each dipped end with 1/4 teaspoon crushed peppermints or finely chopped nuts. Cool on racks in refrigerator for 20 minutes to set. Store in airtight containers at room temperature. Makes about 7 dozen cookies.

Source: Marion Haupt, Zephyrhills, 2004