Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Sift flour right into the bowl and mix with a mixer or spatula just until it becomes a dough. Cut off about one third of the dough and set aside.

Work with the smaller section of dough: Cut in half. Add red gel food coloring one drop at a time into one half of the dough and mix well to get a vibrant red color. Roll it into a short and thick log, about four inches long on a piece of parchment paper. Pop it in the freezer to chill for about 20 minutes - until completely frozen.

Take the other half of the smaller portion of dough and color it white (optional) by adding white gel food coloring a few drops at a time and mixing well. Shape it into a short and thick log about 4 inches long on a piece of parchment paper. Pop it in the freezer for about 20 minutes until completely frozen.

Add the cocoa powder into the larger portion of dough, mix well to create a chocolate cookie dough and set aside at room temperature.

Once the red and white logs are completely frozen, remove one from the freezer and cut it in half longwise. Cut each half into half longwise, to create long, rectangular wedges. Cut each piece into half again. You should have eight equally sized wedges. Repeat with the remaining color.

Build two new logs by sticking the wedges back together and alternating colors. Make sure to press them well together and use your fingers to smooth out any gaps that appear in the center.

Connect the two logs together by pressing the two ends together and smoothing the cookie dough with your fingers at the place where they join together. Wrap in parchment paper and place in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up so that it holds its shape.

On a large piece of parchment paper, flatten out the chocolate cookie dough that you made earlier. Make a rectangle with the long edge being approximately the same length as the long red and white log.

Once firmed up, take the red and white log out of the freezer and place it on the chocolate cookie dough. Use the parchment paper to help wrap the chocolate cookie dough all around the log. Take off the chocolate cookie dough where you see that there is too much and add it to where there isn’t enough. Roll on top of the parchment paper to create a smooth roll.

Mix the coarse sugar and crushed peppermint candies together and sprinkle onto the parchment paper where the log is. Roll the log in the sugar mixture, coating the sides liberally in the sugar. Wrap it in parchment paper and freeze until completely chilled - about 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 355°F (180C) while the cookie log chills. Place the chilled log onto a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into ½ inch slices. Place onto a parchment lined or non-stick cookie sheet, leaving 1-2 inches of space between each cookie for spreading, and bake for 9-11 minutes or until the tops stop being shiny. The middles should still be soft and slightly underbaked.

Remove the cookies from the oven and use a spatula to transfer them onto a cooling rack to cool completely while you bake the rest of the cookies.