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Peppermint Cookies

Last Christmas a group of us attended the Christmas Tour put on by one of our local churches. If you all remember, Lovella was very busy preparing her home for this event. As we travelled through one home, the hostess served these small button-like peppermint cookies. We tasted...we looked at each other thinking...Can we ask for this recipe? I dared and was not sorry. The hostess most delightfully shared her Peppermint recipe. Anyone can make these delicious cookies. And you don't need to run out to Funk's to purchase ammonia...it's hard to find, all you need is peppermint extract.


Ingredients
  • 1 cup whipping cream / heavy cream
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
  • 3 cups flour
  • shredded coconut
  1. Cream together the heavy cream, sugar, and egg. (do not whip the cream beforehand)
  2. Add baking powder, peppermint extract, and flour.
  3. Mix together into a soft dough, roll out and use small cookie cutters.
Icing Sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups icing sugar (powdered)
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla 
  • pinch/drop of green food coloring
  1. Combine icing sugar, milk, and vanilla in a bowl.
  2. Stir in additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time until the icing is of a drizzling consistency and add a drop of green food coloring.
  3. Sprinkle shredded coconut on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or till bottoms are barely brown.

Just another one of those simple recipes to spark up your Christmas repertoire.

40 comments:

  1. I'm sure this is a good one if you dared to ask for the recipe! :) I have a question...did you make your own heavy whipping cream for this or use cool whip? (I know...that's a bad word!)

    Thanks,Donna

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  2. Wait, I'm confused....the recipe says "whip cream" but the instructions say "do not whip cream." Does that mean to use liquid heavy cream in the ingredients?

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  3. This looks like a good one, too! Just in the remote chance that you would ever want baker's ammonia, here is a link for it. The company is reputable and definitely expert. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/bakers-ammonia-ammonium-carbonate-27-oz

    Or you can just go to their home page and type in "ammonia" and take it from there.

    Thank you so much.

    from down south

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  4. I too am confused on the whip cream - use heavy cream instead? And what does the ammonia add to the recipe? If we have it/get it how much should be added? And the icing - just water and confectioner's sugar?

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  5. Whipping cream and heavy cream are pretty similar. The difference is that heavy cream generally has more fat content. Usually they are interchangeable. In this recipe I believe she is saying to use the liquid cream (whipping or heavy) without beating it first.

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  6. there is another recipe posted that has baking ammonia for a recipe for peppermint cookies for those that are asking, but personally i am glad that you posted one without baking ammonia marg.
    it is good to know that when i run out of baking ammonia i can come to this recipe.
    i will answer this question about the whipping cream for marg since i am in a time zone two hours ahead.
    please use heavy cream (whipping cream)....no you do no want the cream whipped and do not use cool whip as a substitution....but that is often how new recipes are created by misunderstanding the instructions and come up with something else that tastes great.
    but heavy (whipping cream) is the way to go...right marg? :-)
    hey if marg says this is a good recipe it is worth a try!!!!
    i love peppermint cookie!

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  7. Oh my..Lazy bones needs to get up!
    Thanks Char...
    Please use heavy liquid cream, but do not whip it. Thanks Char.
    And I know that it is hard to find bakers ammonia, therefore I was quite excited to know that one could use Peppermint extract.
    Enjoy.

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  8. So funny...my mom asked for the recipe too :)
    This is a good reminder that I really need to do some Christmas baking!

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  9. Oh, nice to know (in case of no baker's ammonia)!

    Just a heads up, in Abbotsford, I have seen baker's ammonia advertised at the Safeway pharmacy.

    Candice

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    Replies
    1. the
      mad butcher in abbotsford has baking ammonia ,pure peperment and cracklings

      Delete
  10. These would go so good with hot chocolate!

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  11. marg....for peppermint cookies you use the extract regardless if you use baking ammonia or not, that is what makes them peppermint :^D.
    I think you meant to say baking powder instead of baking ammonia.

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  12. I have been trying to find a cook peppermint cookie recipe, so thank you for this.
    I think I will make them with crushed candy canes sprinkled on top instead of coconut.

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  13. These are super delicious! My mom, sister and I have been making them at Christmas for a couple years. They don't last long - they are so good!

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  14. Lovely, irresistible little tidbits, they were! They are on my 'to do' list for this month.

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  15. I'll be interested in trying this recipe. I have been making my Oma's Peppermint cookies for years and those have baking ammonia (available at health food stores in Manitoba) and peppermint oil. Once you find baking ammonia it keeps forever in a freezer bag, in a sealer jar, in the freezer.

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  16. Such little sweet looking cookies!

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  17. Anyone looking for baking ammonia can find it at Pacific Imports on George Ferguson Way, close to the Subway in the strip mall between Garden and Gladwin St. They also carry the peppermint oil.

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  18. Hi Ladies! I'm new here.
    These cookies sound good but I'm confused about the ammonia. What is it for(?) and I have never heard of it for cooking.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  19. I don't think we have to worry about baking ammonia at all - these cookies call for peppermint extract.
    Baking ammonia was mentioned in the preamble because it is the usual ingredient in Mennonite peppermint cookies BUT these ones apparently are just as good and do not require this sometimes elusive ingredient.
    I too grew up with the Tante's soft peppermint cookies that called for ammonia, but I've never had an interest in making them. These on the other hand . . .

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  20. To my readers.
    I love this post, as I was at work today, and I notice others of you have taken the liberty to make comments and explain things that are new to me also. I have never made the Grandma ammonia cookies, somehow it seemed like too much time, but these just seemed to cap it off for me.
    Marg

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  21. Oh how I wish we could still 'run to Funks'. How I miss them! You can get baking ammonia at Well Seasoned in Langley if you are in this area.

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  22. These are the cutest little peppermint cookies! I remember having them at the show. Very good!

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  23. How many cookies does this recipe make? I wanted to make the "real" peppermint cookies for a baking exchange but I don't have time to get the baking ammonia imported from Abbotsford :) This recipe will have to do!

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  24. Oh how I love Peppermint Cookies! I still remember making cookies long ago and using liquid, cleaning ammonia before knowing about baking ammonia. My roommates refused to eat them and Grandma Toews had a good laugh.

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  25. I am in the middle of making these peppermint cookies..one recipe i have used calls for 3 tsp of baking ammonia while another calls for 3 tbsps. (this is in a recipe of 6 cups of flour). How much ammonia is really necessary. Also in a pinch do you think i could substitue 3 cups of plain yogurt for heavy cream??

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  26. I just made these this afternoon, using whipping cream and taste exactly like my Mom and Oma's. I am so excited! I have wanted to make them for a few years now and have been nervous but obviously no need to be! I used a small circle cutter, and ended up with 4 dozen cookies (without doubling the recipe)! My girls even "helped" me out (they are 4 and 2). Thanks for this awesome website.

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  27. What is the icing for this recipe and do you ice them while they are still warm?

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  28. So often we take things for granted, and I appreciate your question, as today my daughter said, "Mom we're all beginners."

    Icing
    11/2 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)
    1-2 Tbsp. milk or as needed
    1/4 tsp vanilla
    I added a drop of green food coloring.

    Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and milk in a mixing bowl.
    Stir in additional milk 1 tsp. at a time until the icing is of a drizzling and add a drop of green food coloring and then I sprinkled coconut on top.
    Hope that suffices.
    marg

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  29. These turned out so delicious...I had a lot of people ask if they were ammonia cookies. If they're mistaken for the "real thing", then I think that's amazing!

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  30. You can get baking ammonia at Price Mart used to be save on in west oaks mall Clearbrook or as they like to call it now Abbotsford
    My Daddy made the best peppermint cookies and he always used ammonia
    Just not the same without it and I've had both.

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  31. this recipe is great, I have also used the dough to make Rolo Cookies and added cocoa to it for a different flavour.

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  32. Ok, those of us in the south are intrigued with the baking ammonia. Was it substituted with the peppermint or the baking powder. And if for the baking powder, how much would you use of the ammonia - if you wanted to use it instead?

    Please explain, we're dying to know. lol
    TIA

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  33. Darlene, Just in case Marg is not available to answer this right away, I will respond since I also make peppermint cookies. Baking ammonia is used as a leavening agent like baking powder. There are a couple of other recipes that use baking amonia for the levening agent on our blog you can check them out as well. It will give you the correct amount.
    http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/2009/09/peppermint-cookies.html
    http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/2009/09/peppermint-cookies.html

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    Replies
    1. oops, I sent the same one twice.....try this one as well.
      http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/2010/05/omas-peppermint-cookies.html

      Delete
    2. Hi Darlene,
      I was out all day...thanks Char for answering.
      I am not substituting anything here...I just remember as a small child my grandmother made some cookies with ammonia and one day I tasted this recipe and I was reminded of my Grandmother's cookies...and realized that they were so simple to make. The ingredient in here is peppermint extract.
      In the above recipes ammonia and peppermint have been used.
      So give each recipe a try and see what you like best.
      I was attracted to the simplicity of this recipe.
      Hope this has been helpful.

      Marg

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    3. Thanks to both of you for taking time to answer!

      All I've even cooked with is either baking soda or powder (and yeast/sour dough). And while I know how to make homemade baking powder, it still requires "store-bought" ingredients (unless someone knows how to make baking soda and cream of tartar.) Now I just need to figure out how to turn a deer's horn into baking ammonia. lol

      Guess I'm just fascinated with learning about how people survive(d) without having a grocery store to run to each time they ran out of a staple. Of course, 2+ years of unemployment and being single would have NOTHING to do with THAT interest! I think I'll be doing more investigation on baking ammonia.

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  34. I substituted the cream for coconut milk and it worked out great, just added a bit more flour as the dough is gooey. Yum!

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  35. Here's another one..I accidentally bought peppermint OIL instead of EXTRACT. I assumed the oil is stronger so I decided to cut it down to 1/2 a tsp. Does anyone have any experience with this? Does one work better than the other? These are surprise for hubby...am in the process of baking them while he is out of the house, so they will now be a surprise for everyone!:)

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  36. Dez, you sure did the right thing by cutting down the peppermint when using oil.
    Peppermint oil is much more pungent, and using too much would indeed ruin the cookie. Was Rudy surprised and how did he like them? :)

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