Really Easy Candy Cane Cookies

I love buying baking magazines with recipes for exotic and beautiful cookies and baked goods.  It always seems like a great idea to make batches of holiday cookies to give as hostess gifts or share with my friends (or just eat by myself), but when it comes time to actually deliver the goods and make these complicated confections my mind kind of shuts down and I end up making brownies from a mix or just going to Starbucks and getting a latte instead.  If you are determined to whip up a batch of festive cookies but feel intimidated by the process, here is a super easy recipe for cookies that LOOK and TASTE delicious:

Candy Cane Cookies

1 large roll of slice and bake sugar cookie dough

Red food coloring

Coarse granulated sugar

Cut the roll of cookie dough in half and let it warm to room temperature.  Put a few drops of red food coloring in half the dough and blend well, so you have a white ball and a red ball of dough.  Chill both balls for about an hour so it is easy to work with.  Using your hands pinch off a few tablespoons worth of white dough and roll between your hands to form a stick shape, about 1/2″ thick and 5″ long.  Do the same with the red dough, wrapping each around the other to form a braid.  Bend into the shape of a candy cane, and place on a greased cookie pan.  Repeat until all the dough is finished.  Sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake according to the wrapper directions, usually 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

These cookies are so easy to make that they are a fun activity for little hands.  There is a minimal amount of mess and the end result will leave you feeling like a kitchen diva!  Enjoy…