Peppermint sugar cookies

I had a lot of peppermint candy left over from the holidays that I decided I needed to do something with. This recipe follows the base recipe for sugar cookies in Joy of Cooking, but I just added peppermint extract and chopped candy pieces. I used chocolate peppermint patties and candy cane flavored white chocolate, but you can use anything you have available. I used snowflake-shaped cookie cutters, but for Valentines Day you could use heart shaped cookie cutters and decorate your cookies with red icing.

Ingredients:
2 sticks (1/2 lb) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
2 1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup -1 cup (approximate) finely chopped candy pieces

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Beat in egg, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Stir in the flour with a rubber spatula. Add candy pieces. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut out the cookies with a cookie cutter and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 15 minutes. You can wrap extra dough in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

source:
"Rich Rolled Sugar Cookies". Rombauer, Irma S., Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker.Joy of Cooking. New York: Scribner, 1997. 827-828