A quintessential Christmas cookie: colorful, fun to eat, and bedecked with chocolate and peppermint.
Thanks to feedback from you, our readers, we've made a change to the chocolate glaze since it was first published — please see the details in “tips,” below.
To make the dough: In a medium bowl, beat together the sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla. Add the flour, stirring to make a cohesive dough.
Line a 9"-square cake pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap, leaving enough overhang around the edge of the pan to be able to grip it.
With slightly wet fingers, press the dough into the lined pan, creating as smooth a surface as possible.
Place the pan in the refrigerator and allow the dough to chill for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment.
Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide the square into thirds crosswise to make three 9" x 3" strips of dough. Cut each strip of dough into 3/4" x 3" slices. Place the slices on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the sticks for 12 to 15 minutes, until they're golden around the edges. Remove them from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.
To make the glaze: Slowly melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water (a double boiler), or in a microwave.
Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies and sprinkle with the peppermint crunch or crushed candies. Place on a rack to allow the glaze to set.
Store cookies, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.
