Candy Cane Sugar Cookies

These cookies are a fun "twist" on the typical sugar cookie.  I chose not to frost them because I didn't want to cover up the cuteness of the red and white but you could put a glaze over the top if you do not like plain sugar cookies.

I made two batches of my favorite sugar cookie recipe (here).
Using red food coloring, I dyed one batch to the color I was looking for.
After the required chilling time, I rolled out the dough into thin logs and twisted them together.

I then shaped them into candy canes and placed them on the baking sheets and baked according to the sugar cookie directions.
Be aware that the cookies flatten slightly so you don't want the logs of twisted dough to be too huge...otherwise you will end up with large red and white dough blobs!

Buttermilk Tutorial

There are times I do not have buttermilk in the refrigerator and I need it for a recipe.  I love grocery shopping but if I went more than my planned once per week trip, we would be broke!  When I don't have what I need, it is time to improvise and learn new cooking techniques!
Buttermilk is sour, acidic milk.  The acid in the buttermilk, when combined with baking soda in a recipe, creates a light and airy quality in the product.
Buttermilk has some very simple replacements.  These are all over the internet and in cookbooks, so I am not going to cite one source because they are all the same!  Next time you don't have any buttermilk available, try one of these easy replacements.

Option 1: (this is the one I use most often)
1 TBSP lemon juice or white vinegar
milk

Pour 1 TBSP of lemon juice or vinegar into a 1 C measuring cup.
Fill the rest of the measuring cup with milk.
Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
Use what you need!

Option 2:
3/4 C plain yogurt
1/4 C milk

Mix the two ingredients together for a substitution for 1 C buttermilk.

Option 3:
1 C milk
1 3/4 tsp cream of tarter

Blend the two ingredients together well so there are no cream of tarter lumps in the milk.