Candy Cane Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup cream cheese, softened
• 1⅓ cups sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp peppermint extract
• ½ tsp salt
• 3½ cups all-purpose flour
• Red gel food coloring

Instructions:

1. Beat butter until creamy, then add cream cheese and sugar. Mix until smooth.
2. Add egg yolk, peppermint extract, and salt. Mix well.
3. Add flour on low speed just until the dough comes together.
4. Divide the dough in half. Tint one half red with gel coloring.
5. Roll each dough between parchment sheets into rectangles about ¼” thick, 5″ wide, and 18″ long.
6. Chill 10 minutes, then stack red on white. Lightly roll to fuse the layers. Chill 45 minutes.
7. Slice ½” × 5″ strips. Roll each strip into a rope, twist to create the red-white spiral, then bend the top to form a candy cane shape.
8. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If dough softens, chill briefly.
9. Freeze the tray for a few minutes while preheating the oven to 350°F (175°C).
10. Bake 12–14 minutes until set and lightly golden on the bottom. Cool fully.