So Simple and So Good!

Why didn't I ever think of this before? It is so simple and yet soooo delish.  I was hankering for Christmas cut out cookies so I know, I know, I made some last night. I knew in the back of my cupboard somewhere I had sprinkles. How old? Oh I don't know, OLD. Then I remembered, I have some candy canes so I crushed them in a zip lock and sprinkled them on the cookies as soon as I iced them. Sprinkle fast as the icing hardens rather quickly.  Ice, sprinkle, ice, sprinkle. It's almost as good as Peppermint Bark, my other favorite.

Ingredients

• 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•  Icing, recipe follows
• Candy Canes crushed in a zip lock bag

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. In another bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, a third at a time to make a stiff dough. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll out a portion of cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased or nonstick cookie sheets. I use parchment paper, bake untl lightly golden, about 10-15 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through cooking time. Cool completely before decorating.

Colored Icing:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons water or milk use your judgement
In a small bowl, mix sugar and water to form a thick, smooth icing.  Drop icing onto cookies using a small teaspoon and smooth with the back of the spoon.