Add in the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until it is combined.
If using food coloring, take out half of the dough and divide into 2 sections. Wrap separately in plastic wrap.Add in the food coloring to remaining dough and mix until it is mixed throughout. Divide into 2 sections and wrap separately in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate the dough sections for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
Roll 1 section of pink dough and 1 section of dough without coloring to about ⅛ to ¼ inch thick rectangles. Try to get them even in size. Keep remaining dough refrigerated until ready to roll out.
Place one of the rectangles on top of the other. Roll them up as tightly as possible lengthwise.
Using a butter knife, gently slice through the cookie roll with a sawing motion. Make the slices about ¼ inch thick. If the layers in your slices start to loosen up, it's ok.
Place on baking sheet about 2-3 inches apart.Bake for 9-11 minutes. The edges should appear set and the center will no longer look gooey. Do not cook them until they are browning. Remove from the oven and allow them to sit for 2-3 minutes before transferring to wire cooling rack.
Notes
Serving size and nutritional values are estimated. You may get more or less cookies depending on shape and size.To avoid hard cookies, do not let them start to brown on the edges. When they no longer look gooey and the edges look set, remove from oven. Cook times may vary based on size of cookie and your altitude.We are at a low altitude so you may need to adjust accordingly.The food coloring is optional, peppermint extract is clear so your cookie will look like a sugar cookie without coloring. For the candy canes - If you want to add a little bit of decoration, you can crush up a candy cane finely. If you add it to the top before baking, the pieces will melt on top of the cookie. For a nice decoration, it is best to add right after baking. Be sure that your candy cane is crushed very finely. Big pieces will be hard to chew on top of the cookies but fine pieces will not.