Peppermint Sugar Cookies!!

My Mother-in-law makes sugar cookies every Christmas that EVERYONE loves! Even I like them, and sugar cookies generally aren't my favorite due to a lack of... well... chocolate :D. Heh heh, what can I say? Anyways, every Christmas I dutifully make one batch of sugar cookies for Alex because that's what you do at Christmastime. And every Christmas I look anxiously at him awaiting his judgment... and then every Christmas he says, "They're good... just not like my Mom's." What on earth?!? I use her recipe! I have concluded that she bakes love right into them, and you can taste it :).

So this year I studied up on cool cookie decorating techniques, different recipes, and all kinds of stuff. I got excited about baking sugar cookies! And... I came up with my own version that Alex loves!!! WOOHOO!!! Not that it replaces his Mom's cookies. It is different, and can't really be compared with hers... due to the addition of... well... chocolate :). Are you all ready for the recipe?
Peppermint Sugar Cookies
1 cup softened butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 3/4 cups flour
Cream butter and sugar together. Add the rest of the ingredients, mixing well after each one. Refrigerate dough 2 hours. Roll out, cut, and bake at 400* for 8-10 minutes (less if you roll them thin) on lightly greased cookie sheets.

Embellishments:
Brown dipping chocolate
White dipping chocolate
Crushed candy canes

Because my snowflake cookie cutter (see top picture) turned the cookies into flowers when baked, I wanted to turn them back into snowflakes (I'm trying to think Christmas thoughts even if it IS 72 degrees out today!). So I dipped the top of the cookie into the brown chocolate, plopped it down on wax paper and sprinkled the crushed candy cane on before the chocolate hardened. Then with white chocolate in a plastic bag with the corner cut off, I drew a snowflakeish design on the tops. They look pretty snazzy! In my humble opinion :).

Just think... you too, could have mountains of cookies in your kitchen very soon! This recipe makes quite a lot!

The Finished Product:

Note: To switch this back to the original recipe, simply substitute vanilla for the peppermint extract, and add 1/2 tsp nutmeg. They're good that way too... especially if you figure out how to bake love into them!