Holiday Window Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 and 3/4 cups premium flour
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 220 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar, for dusting
• 0.5 cup red candy

Preparation:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high; add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until completely incorporated. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture in two additions, and knead into a dough. Divide the dough in half and divide it between two pieces of plastic wrap; shape into disks. Wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour until the dough hardens.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Generously dust the work surface with powdered sugar. Working with one disk at a time, roll the dough out to a thickness of about 0.6 cm, dusting it with powdered sugar as needed. Return the dough to the refrigerator if it becomes too soft. Using 7-10 cm cookie cutters, cut out shapes from the dough and arrange them 5 cm apart on the prepared baking sheets. Using a small sharp knife or a small cookie cutter, cut a small hole in the center of each shape. Gather the scraps of dough, roll them out, and cut out more shapes. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour, until firm.
3. Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Process the candy canes in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Spoon the candies into the holes in the dough. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges and the candy canes are melted, about 16 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet. Dust with powdered sugar; shake any loose powder from the windows, if desired.