Candy Cane Cookies

4 medium-size candy canes
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
Red food coloring

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Explain to your child that she will be helping with one of the most important parts of the recipe: the addition of the crushed candy canes. Set her up at a butcher block or a protected counter surface. Put the candy canes in a sealable plastic bag, close it tightly, place it on a hard surface, and let your child use a can of soup to pound the sticks until they're completely crushed. Empty the candy into a bowl and set it aside.

Cream the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Add the flour; mix until smooth. The dough will be thick and easy to shape.

Halve the dough mixture and place each piece in its own mixing bowl. Invite your child to add 5 drops of red food coloring to the dough in one of the bowls and to blend it in. Add the crushed candy canes to the red dough and mix well. Use plastic wrap to wrap both halves of the dough separately and chill for at least 1 hour.

Clean your kitchen counter and then lightly flour the surface. Roll each portion of the dough until it's about 1/4 inch thick. Then let your child knead each until it's soft. Pull off a 1 1/2-inch piece from both the plain and the red-colored dough. Help her roll these pieces into 4-inch ropes on the floured kitchen surface.

Twist the two pieces of dough together to create a candy cane. Place them on a nonstick or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Roll the rest of the dough in the same fashion. Once it has been formed into canes, bake the cookies for about 12-15 minutes. Let them cool completely before you remove them from the pan. Makes about 8 cookies.