Adele's Peppermint Heart Cookies with Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

One Christmas season many, many years ago, I was invited to bake cookies with my friend Adele and her family. It was an annual tradition for them, something I found to be completely foreign. The only things I recall my mother ever baking were a lackluster lemon meringue pies at Thanksgiving and drop-biscuits that were super dry and literally tasted the way Bisquick smells. My mom could cook like no body's business, but baking was never her forte.
I remember arriving to a kitchen that smelled heavenly, full of the aromas of cinnamon and browned butter. Freshly baked cookies and pastries sat cooling on racks while Adele, her mom, and sister busily toiled away on their own individual creations, yet seemingly working together. Various baking supplies peppered the kitchen counters: newly opened bags of flour, big black bottles of pure vanilla extract, and sticks of unsalted butter softening on the counter.

At Adele's request, I had come prepared with a recipe in hand. The night before I flipped through my mom's big plastic container of laminated recipe cards, each one boasting a full-color photograph. It didn't take me long to find the recipe I wanted to make: Peppermint Heart Cookies. Peppermint seemed perfectly appropriate for a holiday cookie and for some unknown reason the fact that they were pink and heart shaped didn't seem to matter one bit.
I remember being nervous, but really excited. I followed the recipe very carefully, being sure to take my time to not make any mistakes. The rest of the day is a bit of a blur; I don't remember much except listening to Manheim Steamroller, cracking jokes about the Whisper 2000 and watching the lights on their magnificent Christmas tree twinkle.

Years have past, friendships have been made and forgotten, and many miles have separated us, but Adele and I have remained friends. Our paths may have taken us in completely separate directions in life but when she writes, calls, or I am lucky enough to actually see her, we pick up like right where we left off.

A few weekends ago Adele was in town for a conference and even though it had been more than four years since I had last seen her, I couldn't wait to spend the day catching up. And of course I couldn't greet her empty handed! I arrived with a big tin of these cookies as a belated birthday gift which she dove into almost immediately, which I loved. I think that these are the perfect cookie to celebrate an important friendship in your life and it doesn't even have to Christmas to make them.

Peppermint Heart Shaped Cookies
Yield: About 16-20 sandwich cookies

Cookies

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1 eggs, at room temperature
3 cups of all purpose, unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

Cream the butter and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together. With the mixer on low/medium speed, slowly add dry ingredients to the wet, being sure to scrape down the bowl frequently. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Separate the dough ball into 2 balls and place between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll the ball out to about 1/4 inch thick being sure to keep all the dough between the sheets of paper. Transfer to a cookie sheet and store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or until firm (you can also cheat by putting them in the freezer).

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut out desired shapes (I used a big heart shaped cookie cutter plus a slightly smaller one to create a heart shaped frame) and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Bake for 8-12 min. Keep a careful watch on your first batch so you can establish the correct cooking time. After 6 minutes, keep checking them every minute until they are firm to the touch and just the slightest bit brown. Cookies will continue to bake as your remove them from the oven. Let them sit for a minute, remove the cookies from the baking sheet with a spatula big enough to support the entire surface of the cookie (or they may break) and cool on a wire rack.

Repeat steps with left over cookie dough.

When they are completely cool, store them in an airtight container or a big zip-lock bag. You can even freeze them and save them until later.
Peppermint Buttercream Frosting
adapted from More From Magnolias Bakery

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cold milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (if you don't like peppermint, use vanilla)
pink food coloring gel (optional)
4-5 red peppermint candies or one candy cane, crushed but not pulverized (optional)

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar or you may find you need to add more milk. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly until you get your desired color. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Assembly
Carefully spread each heart-shaped cookie with a generous dollop of pink frosting. Top with a heart shaped cookie frame (if desired) and sprinkle a little crushed peppermint candy in the center.