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Peppermint Pretties


This is one of those recipes that 'happened by mistake'...and has become an annual favorite.  We were served these tasty little peppermint morsels at a Christmas open-house many years ago.  The hostess kindly gave out the recipe. I thought I had copied it out wrong since the butter was missing...so I added half a cup of butter. The cookies were delightful and I have made them every Christmas since.  I later discovered that there really was no butter in the original version...but I'm sticking to my updated recipe.  Everything tastes better with butter.  Right?  These freeze well and taste great straight from the freezer.

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  1. Cream softened butter and sugar.
  2. Add cream, egg and peppermint extract; beat until smooth.
  3. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.
  4. Chill dough for at least one hour.
  5. Roll out to about 1/4" thick and cut with tiny cookie cutters.
  6. Bake at 350°F for 5-6 or until bottoms begin to brown.
  7. Drizzle with peppermint frosting. (For pale green icing add food colouring.)
  8. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes, if desired.
 Peppermint Frosting:
  • 1/4 cup soft butter
  • 2 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar)
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
  1. Beat softened butter until smooth and creamy. 
  2. Add powdered sugar, milk and peppermint extract. Beat until smooth.
  3. Add a little more milk if necessary in order to drizzle the icing.
Yield: 10 dozen 1 1/2" cookies.


*Tip ~ Put icing into a Ziploc bag, snip the corner and drizzle over the cookies.

Have you done any Christmas baking yet? 

PS From all of us to all of you who are celebrating Thanksgiving today...Happy Thanksgiving!

13 comments:

  1. Those look lovely! I'm going to have to bookmark this page to come back in a couple of weeks. I haven't done any baking yet (other than fruitcakes which are ripening on a shelf in the pantry) - that will have to wait until my last essay is submitted and the semester is finished.

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  2. Everything is better with Butter for sure!!! Haven't started yet but these might need to go on my list. They look perfect Judy!

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  3. Judy, this would be a super contribution to Food on Friday: Victorian or Afternoon Tea Party over at Carole's Chatter. Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving to all Americans everywhere!

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  4. They look good. I've made plain shortbread, nut shortbread, cherry-nut shortbread, and Vanillekipferl (a traditional Austrian cookie based on ground filberts), and my favorite home-made Almond Roca.

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  5. Hi Judy no no I haven t started yet--planning to make a chocolate sheet cake I assume you can freeze it and some tarts and apple pie---don't really know make ahead to freeze deserts yeah I know ---:(

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  6. Hi. Does the first 2 tsps of peppermint flavoring go in to the dough with the cream and egg? I have everything I need to start baking them this weekend.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, the peppermint is added along with the cream and egg. Thanks for asking!

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  7. How many does one batch make, approximately? And will they freeze well once iced?
    ~Colleen

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    1. They freeze very well...and we like to eat them frozen too. :) This recipe makes about 10 dozen 1 1/2 " cookies.

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  8. I'd like to make these for a Christmas baking exchange - like the comment above, how many does one recipe make?
    - Helen

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    Replies
    1. Helen...I have edited the recipe to include the 'yield' (10 dozen 1 1/2 inch cookies).

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  9. these sound so good...i tried to pin but didn't find a way to do it...so I bookmarked...(my printer is out of ink...:)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, BJ. In the box at the very bottom of the post is a row of links...with the Pinterest symbol being the second last one. If you click on that symbol, you should be able to pin it right from the post. Hope that helps.

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