Prep time: 25 min | Bake time: 12 min | Total: 37 min

Ingredients:

• 1 box sugar cookie mix
• ½ stick butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup softened cream cheese
• ½ cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for surface
• Red food coloring
• 1 ½ teaspoons peppermint extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325° F.
2. In a bowl, combine sugar cookie mix, melted butter, egg, cream cheese, and flour; mix together to form dough.
3. Separate dough into 2 equal portions and place in 2 different bowls.
4. Add red food coloring gradually to 1 bowl of dough, kneading together until desired shade of red is created.
5. To second bowl of uncolored dough, add peppermint extract and knead together.
6. On a floured work surface, shape each dough into balls and then roll each ball into 1/4-inch-wide ropes, each about 6 inches long. For each cookie, carefully twist some of the red and white ropes of dough together and shape into a candy cane.
7. Spread candy canes out on cookie sheets and bake on the top shelf of the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool before serving.

Makes 25 cookies

From: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/candy-cane-cookies-recipe/index.html

Photo credit: http://www.bunkycooks.com/2010/12/candy-cane-cookies-ho-ho-ho/