Christmas Baking

Question. How do you properly spend a Saturday afternoon in December?
Answer. By making delightful treats to be selfishly consumed shared with others!

My friend Elise, being the amazing dental student that she is, came up with the idea to spend a few hours baking and constructing sweets for the holiday season. Me, having a giant sweet tooth (and knowing that she will need patients in the future), agreed to this request. Duh.

Here are some photos of our finished products, with the recipe for the cookies - which I found here.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT COOKIES
1 C shortening
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C light brown sugar (packed)
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp butter flavoring
2 drops peppermint extract
2 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Crushed candy canes (We used 3 for the dough and 5 for the topping)
Chocolate, for melting (We used dark & milk chocolate)

*In a bowl, cream shortening and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.
*Mix in vanilla, butter & peppermint extracts.
*In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Gradually add to the creamed mixture.
*Stir in crushed candy canes.
*Shape into a 15-in roll and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for four hours or until firm.
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
*Unwrap cookie dough and cut into slices, placing on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until edges begin to brown.
*Melt chocolate, if using, in a double boiler. Dip half of the cookie in the chocolate and lay on wax paper to harden. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes before the chocolate sets.