Baking with My Mom: Peppermint Meltaways

My mom is a baker extraordinaire year-round, but she really shines around the holidays. We have a few family favorite cookie recipes that we make every year, and this year I’m sharing one of my favorites- Peppermint Meltaways. These little bite-sized cookies are so festive and they literally melt in your mouth. We love them!

To start off, combine sugar, butter, and peppermint extract in a mixing bowl and mix until light and creamy. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and cornstarch. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet and mix until well-combined. Chill in the fridge for between 30 minutes and a hour.

While your dough is chilling, pre-heat the oven to 350 F and line 2-3 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Once the dough has chilled, roll the dough into small, 1-inch diameter balls and place on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Mom and I were pretty precise about our measurements- we used a digital scale and weighed each ball at 10 grams.

Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are juuust slightly browned. While your cookies are baking, prepare the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the powdered sugar, butter, peppermint extract, and milk until combined. Then add the red food coloring. For the peppermint topping, crush up peppermint candies in a food processor.

Once the cookies are baked, allow them to fully cool and then spread the frosting on top. They will be fairly delicate (since they are so melt-in-your-mouthy), so be gentle! For the finishing touch, sprinkle the peppermint on top and you’re done! Mom and I always “mess up” at least one cookie so we have an excuse to taste test an ugly one, and these pass the test every time. This year, we included these in a cookie box we’re sending out to some family friends (along with our Family Favorite Candy Cane Cookies).

Check out the full recipe for these Peppermint Meltaways here!

What is your favorite Christmas cookie?