Chocolate-Mint Cookies

Stir together flour and next 2 ingredients. Beat butter and next 5 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer 3 to 4 minutes or until creamy. Add eggs, and beat until smooth. Add flour mixture, and beat just until blended.

Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Flatten into disks between parchment paper. Roll each to 1/4-inch thickness; transfer to a baking sheet, and chill 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°. Place 1 dough disk on work surface, and remove top sheet of parchment paper. Cut with a lightly floured 2 1/2-inch round cutter, rerolling scraps once; place 1 inch apart on 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

Sprinkle 1 tsp. crushed peppermint candies onto each cookie. Repeat procedure with remaining dough and candy.

Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until firm. Transfer cookies to a wire rack, and cool.

White Chocolate Linzer Cookies: Prepare as directed through Step Cut centers out of half of cookies with a lightly floured 1 1/2-inch round cutter. Sprinkle 1 tsp. crushed peppermint candies over each hollow cookie. Proceed with Step Spread 1 tsp. melted vanilla candy coating onto solid cookies; top with hollow cookies. Makes 2 dozen. Hands-on 45 min.; Total 1 hour, 40 min.