Peppermint Crunch Sugar Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Cream the butter, sugars, and extracts until light. Stir in eggs. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients, then gently add to the butter mixture. Pour oil over the top and mix just until combined.
3. Drop by cookie-scoopfuls onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes, just until the edges are very barely browned. The cookies should be puffy and very pale. You definitely don't want to over-bake these, or the cookies will become hard and crunchy. We want soft and chewy.
5. Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper onto a clean countertop where they can cool completely.
6. To make the royal icing, beat the meringue powder, 10x sugar, and water with an electric mixer for 10 minutes. It should be silky smooth, thick and spreadable when it's done. I use my KitchenAid for this and work on the candy canes while waiting.
7. Unwrap and crush the candy canes until mostly powder and small chunks. I used a mini food processor, but you can use a rolling pin and a plastic bag if you need to get some frustration out.
8. When the cookies are cooled, ice a few at a time, then immediately sprinkle with crushed candy canes (if you try to do them all at once, the icing will set and the candy canes won't stick).
These keep very well if stored in a cool place. Perfect for making a few days ahead of time for your gift baskets and cookie trays.
Merry Christmas!
D