Peppermint Candy Cookies

Directions

Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together until fluffy.

Add the flour and walnuts and blend to form dough.

Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Candy mixture:

In a small bowl combine both ingredients.

Set aside.

Three tablespoons of this mixture is used in the filling and the remainder is used to garnish the cookies.

The filling:

In a bowl blend together the cream cheese, milk, food coloring and the confectioners’ sugar until smooth.

Blend in 3 tablespoons of the candy mixture.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and for each cookie pinch off a rounded teaspoon of the dough.

Form into a ball and shape around your thumb to make a little compartment in the middle.

Place about ¼ teaspoon of the cream cheese filling in the depression.

Pinch the dough back together and roll it back into a ball.

Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling.

Place the balls on a nonstick cookie sheet.

Bake in a preheated 350℉ (180℃) oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

Do not brown.

Remove cookies to a cooling rack.

To garnish, roll the cooled cookies in the remaining candy mixture.