Candy Cane Cookies...a labour of love!

This is the one of those recipes that I love so much, I choose to forget how tedious it can be to make.  : )  Once a year I set aside a few hours to labour over these delightfully cute cookies.  They are totally worth the effort!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 2 cups glutinous rice flour
• 1 cup white rice flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• red food colouring

Directions:

1. Cream the butter and icing sugar together.  Add in egg and beat until smooth.  Mix in the vanilla and peppermint extract.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together flours, baking powder and salt.
3. Spoon the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and stir until well blended.
4. Divide the dough in half and add red food colouring to one half.
5. Chill the dough for about 1 hour.
6. Take equal size portions of each colour dough and work them into soft balls.  Roll each one out into a long rope.
7. Take equal lengths of each colour rope and twist together gently to make a braided dough.  Form in the shape of a candy cane and place on a cookie sheet very carefully.
8. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
9. Handle with care!  These cookies are delicate.