Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

Ingredients

8 ounces PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Sugar
2 teaspoon Vanilla
2-1/2 cups Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted
6 squares BAKER'S White Chocolate
12 Hard peppermint candies, crushed

Instructions

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

BEAT first 4 ingredients in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add flour and baking soda; mix well. Blend in melted chocolate. (Dough will be stiff.)

ROLL tablespoonfuls of dough into 52 balls; roll each into 3-inch-long rope. Place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets, bending top of each slightly to resemble candy cane.

BAKE 10 to 12 min. or until puffed and set; cool 5 min. on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Melt white chocolate; drizzle over cookies. Sprinkle with crushed candy. Let stand until chocolate is firm.

Notes

If your dough is too sticky to easily roll into balls, just refrigerate for 30 min. or until dough is easy to handle. For best results, do not use margarine or vegetable oil spread in place of the butter.

A minute or two can make the difference between perfectly baked cookies and over-baked cookies. Since oven temperatures can vary, check cookies at the lowest bake time and remove from the oven when centers are set.