Out of the Frying Pan! Recipes: Peppermint Cookies (printer version)

Peppermint Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp. peppermint extract
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
food coloring, optional

optional:

4 oz. white dipping chocolate, melted, or 1/2 batch royal icing

Cream butter, sugar, egg yolks and peppermint extract. Mix in flour.
If you want plain cookies, simply roll dough into a long (about 2 feet), thin log. If you want solid-colored cookies, add in 5 - 6 drops of your choice of color and mix thoroughly. If you want to make the tri-colored cookies shown, divide dough into three equal batches. Leave one plain, color one with red food coloring and one with green. Roll each batch into a long rope (about two feet long). Stack them together like a pyramid (see slicing photo, below).
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for a few hours. You can refrigerate the dough for up to a week, or divide long log into two rolls, wrap tightly in foil, and freeze until you're ready to use it.
Preheat oven to 400°. Unwrap cookies and slice into thin (1/8 - 1/4"), uniform discs. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 7 - 10 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove to wire rack to cool. Spread or drizzle with melted white chocolate or royal icing, if desired.