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1. Preheat oven to 375F.
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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.
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3. Drop by cookie-scoopfuls onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
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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.
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5. Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper onto a clean countertop where they can cool completely.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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Merry Christmas!
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D
