Sugar Cookies w/ Candy Cane Kisses!

Well, I made those yummy sugar cookies with the candy cane kisses! They turned out so cute! I still have lots of them even though lots were eaten! It makes a bunch! Luke loves the cookie part but isn't too fond of the kisses in the middle.. so he eats around it! Here's the sugar cookie recipe (from a friend of mine) and I'll add the changes I made for these particular cookies at the bottom:

Rolled Sugar Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter, softened

3 TBS milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups self-rising flour

In large bowl combine sugar, butter and milk, vanilla and egg, blend well. Mix in flour. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for 1 hour.

*My notes: This dough is STICKY!!! So it MUST be refrigerated! You will think it needs more flour by how sticky it gets but it really doesn't. I honestly don't think an hour would do it. I always make my dough thenight before so it has all night in the frig! I just lightly flour the plastic wrap and dump the dough on it and wrap it up!

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough about 1/4 inch thick on floured surface. Cut with cookie cutter and bake for 5-7 minutes until lightly golden on bottom.

*My notes: I have made these sugar cookies many times rolling them out and they are wonderful w/ icing on top!! I usually take about 1/3 of the dough from the frig and roll it out... cut and bake. It's best to keep the rest of the dough in the frig so it doesn't get warm. It really works best when it's really chilled! They cook fast and will burn in no time. In my oven they need right at 5 to 5 1/2 minutes. They shouldn't brown on the top at all.

Candy Cane Sugar Cookies:

Prepare dough the same way as above and refrigerate. Heat oven to 400. Break off pieces of dough and roll into a ball about the size of walnuts. Arrange on lightly greased cookie sheet about 4 inches apart. Press each dough ball into a 1/4 inch thick flat disk with a glass (make sure to flour the bottom of the glass) making sure that each cookie has about 2 inches between them after being pressed. Bake 5-7 minutes. When the cookies come out of the oven press one candy cane kiss into the center of each cookie. Immediately move to a wire cooling rack. Be careful not to turn/tilt the cookies when moving them off of the cookie sheet because the kisses will immediately begin to melt thus resulting in a big blob of melted white chocolote. These must cool for a few hours for the kisses to harden back up. This makes 3-4 dozen.

And if you're interested:

Icing (for Rolled Sugar Cookies)

2/3 cup butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

2-4 TBS milk

Beat butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and milk, adding enough for spreading consistency. Add food coloring if you'd like. Spread onto cooled cookies. This icing never gets rock hard but it does harden up some.

YUM!