Candy Cane Cookies

1 . Stage

Make the dough: Place the butter, sugar, peppermint, vanilla, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of stand mixer. Beat until a paste forms and clings to the side of the bowl. Scrape down the side of the bowl and beat in the egg until it is absorbed. Add the flour and beat until just combined and no more dry streaks of flour remain.

2 . Stage

Color half the dough: Divide and remove half the dough from the bowl. Carefully add the red food coloring to the remaining dough. Mix on low until the color is evenly distributed.

3 . Stage

Chill the dough: Pat each piece of dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

4 . Stage

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350ºF: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

5 . Stage

Shape the cookies: The chilled dough should be firm, but still easy to shape straight from the fridge. If not, let it warm for just a few minutes until malleable. Don't let it warm too much or it will be too soft to work with again. Pinch off a 1-inch round piece of the white dough and roll it out to a 5-inch rope. Do the same with a piece of the red dough (make sure the ropes are the same length). Place the ropes next to each other and twist together. Transfer to the baking sheet and curve the top of the dough into a candy cane shape. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.

6 . Stage

Top the cookies with sparkling sugar: Make the egg white wash by beating the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water until foamy. Brush the top of each cookie with the egg white wash and then sprinkle with the sugar.

7 . Stage

Bake the cookies: Bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are just barely brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack. These cookies will keep for a week or two in a sealed container at room temperature.