Peppermint Cookies

(click on collage to enlarge - sorry there's no scratch and sniff)

I went over to my Mom’s to take photos of her while she was starting to bake Peppermint Cookies for the MCC Relief Sale. This is one way that she still feels she can contribute to a good cause with a gift that God has given her. She looked so cute in her jean dress and red checkered - embroidered apron, a gift from her own Mom!
Peppermint Cookies are soft white cookies that have a unique strong scent while they bake, because of the baking ammonia in them. I wondered if they could be made without ammonia and just peppermint extract, and she said that they would not be as “fluffy nor flavorful.” It’s the baking ammonia, which is a type of leavening agent, that gives them the distinct light texture, and peppermint oil does not evaporate, the way extract would, while baking. The little Mennonite ladies in our community find these things somewhere by word of mouth. It’s 'this delicatessen' or 'that bakery', but because this site is internationally read, I would suggest a candy making supply store, health food store, drugstore (ask pharmacist) or checking online.

Ingredients:

½ cup softened butter
2 ½ cups sugar
3 eggs
½ cup oil
2 cups sour cream
20 drops peppermint oil (1/3 tsp)
2 Tbsp baking ammonia dissolved in 2 Tbsp hot water
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
8 cups flour

Method:

1. Prepare cookie sheets (preferably light colored, aluminum) by coating lightly with shortening (using a paper towel). Then sprinkle lightly with flour, tilt cookie sheet and tap ends to allow flour to spread evenly all over.
2. In large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs one at a time.
3. Dissolve baking ammonia in hot water. May need to use a spoon or your fingers to make sure there are no lumps.
4. Add oil, sour cream, peppermint oil and baking ammonia to egg mixture, beating each in well.
5. In separate bowl mix dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients, stirring with wooden spoon or using a hook attachment on your large mixer.
6. Cover and let stand in fridge overnight.
7. Divide dough into four parts to roll out. Roll out to ¼” thickness, using a light dusting of flour on rolling surface as well as on top of dough.
8. Cut with small round cookie cutter or small tomato paste tin.
9. Bake at 400 F for 10 – 12 minutes or until golden from underneath.
10. Remove onto wire cooling racks. Re-use cooled baking sheet without washing. You may scrape up the flour with a plastic scraper and dust with flour again, but you don’t
    have to keep greasing it up for the rest of the batch. One batch makes 10 - 12 dozen cookies, depending on size.

If desired, make a thin icing with confectioners sugar and whipping cream, mixing to a consistency that easily spreads on cookies.