Today’s cookie is brought to you by laziness. The mass quantities of eggs I bought last week have been depleted, and I wasn’t in the mood for going to the store. In order to accommodate this, I found a recipe that didn’t require eggs.
Enter Mint Meltaways.
I’ve made these for the past number of years, but generally with some strange colors. Like black or Muppet green. I decided to go simple this year and only dye the frosting. I ventured to my food coloring bag and saw that something wasn’t right.
And then I looked closer around my kitchen.
And then I remembered this morning when I went to cut my son’s nails that one hand of his was dyed red. I didn’t think much of it at the time (mostly because he’s 10 and…”creative”), but suddenly, everything made sense.
(Also, when I asked him about this when I picked him up, he explained that he was trying to “re-color and re-flavor” his chewing gum the day before. I told you he was creative.)
Anyway, back to the cookies.
I mixed them up in Ol’ Trusty and threw them on a cookie sheet.
While they were baking, I mixed up my frosting. I went subtle red this year–which, by the way, is a nickname I’ve never been called.
(Think about this for a minute. It’s not funny if I have to explain it.)
This year, I used a small star tip instead of the large, and I don’t know if it made much difference.
All of the Christmas-y goodness, without a trip the store…and an added bonus of a mystery discovered and solved!
—
Peppermint Meltaways
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- FROSTING:
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons 2% milk
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 to 3 drops red food coloring, optional
- 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies
Directions
In a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in extract. Combine flour and cornstarch; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
Shape into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
In a small bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners’sugar, milk, extract and, if desired, food coloring; beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cookies; sprinkle with crushed candies.
Store in an airtight container.
