Spritz Candy Cane Cookies

Have fun creating these candy canes, made with a cookie press and two colors of peppermint-flavored dough. MORE + LESS -

3/4

cup sugar

1/2

cup shortening

1/2

cup butter, softened

teaspoon peppermint extract

egg

2 1/4

cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1/2

teaspoon baking powder

Dash salt

drops red food color

hard peppermint candies, finely crushed

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1

Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, combine sugar, shortening and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add peppermint extract and egg; beat until well combined. Add flour, baking powder and salt; mix well.
2

Divide dough in half. To 1 half, add food color; mix until well blended and uniform in color.
3

Attach star template to cookie press. With press lying on its side, fill one side with half of white dough; fill other side with half of pink dough. Press dough onto ungreased cookie sheets, forming 4-inch strips. Bend tops of each strip to form cane shape. Repeat with remaining dough.
4

Bake at 375°F. for 4 to 7 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet. Immediately sprinkle warm cookies with crushed candy.

For a more intense color, use paste food color instead of liquid food color.
To speed up the shaping process, press out a line of dough along the length of the cookie sheet near the edge. Cut the dough line into 4-inch pieces. Use toothpick to curve the top of each piece, forming the cane's handle. Continue process to fill the cookie sheet.