My favourite cookies of grammy's were candy cane cookies. She probably didn't make up the recipe herself; it appears in Christmas Cookies (1986). But I didn't know that as a kid, and she was making them long before the publication of that book: my mom remembers her making them when she was little. Nowadays if mom makes them she uses a handwritten recipe copied from grandma's - the best kind of recipe I think.
Not only do handwritten recipes show that the ingredients and methods are tested, but it puts you in touch with the writer and brings the recipe to life. They might have additions and emendations, and, if you're lucky, they even have food stains to show their time in action (also a sign of a good cookbook). They preserve history, but aren't stuck in it. My mom's candy cane cookies are not just like grandma's, and mine are not just like hers. It doesn't matter though, because they are yummy in every iteration, and a candy cane cookie will always mean Christmas.
The recipe for candy cane cookies can be found in the Recipe Box. These cookies begin with one batch of basic cookie dough, similar to sugar cookie dough but with the addition of shortening. To this grandma would add both vanilla and almond extract. Mom adds vanilla, almond, and peppermint extract. I add just the vanilla, then split the dough into two batches (which will be the two stripes of the candy canes) before adding almond to one and peppermint to the other. The peppermint batch also gets red dye.
Take a small ball of each colour (less than a tablespoon), and roll them into strips. Before doing this, you can optionally crush up about three candy canes to roll the red strips through, or you can crush them later to mix with sugar and sprinkle over the cookies just after they come out of the oven. In my experience the sugar-candy cane sprinkles don't stick very well, so just to be safe I do both.
Roll the strips of each colour out to about the width of your pinky finger, then twist them together. It is possible to make larger candy canes than this, but they may be more liable to breakage, especially if they will be travelling.
Then shape into a candy cane. I do this before transferring to a lightly greased baking sheet, but if it is easier for you you could transfer the twist to the sheet and shape there.
These cookies do expand a bit when baking, so make sure there is a little bit of space between each cane.
If baking with candy cane pieces, remove from the baking sheet while still slightly warm, as the melted candy will stick to the sheet.
Finally, all you need to do is decide if you're leaving any for Santa...
