1. With a hand-held mixer or in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix room temperature butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. About 2 minutes on medium. Then add sifted confectioners’ sugar and mix until incorporated. 
2. Next, sift in flour, cocoa powder and salt. On the lowest setting, mix until just combined.
3. Transfer dough to cling wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. I like to shape the dough into a rectangle, about 1/2 inch (1.27 cm) thickness to make it easier to roll out later.
4. Sprinkle cocoa powder onto your work surface and roll your dough out to about a little over 1/8 inch (3.1 mm) thickness. Lightly dip your cookie cutter into cocoa powder and cut out your cookies. With a metal spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to a parchment lined baking tray, placing them 1 inch apart. Gather the scraps, reroll and cut out more cookies. I used a 2.5 inch (6.3 cm) stocking cutter and got 16 cookies. If at any point the dough gets too warm from handling, don’t fret, pop it back in the fridge for 15 minutes or so to firm up!
5. This step is optional, but if you would like to hang the cookies like ornaments, punch a tiny hole in the upper right corner of your stockings. I used the end of a skinny piping tip. Make sure to stay away from the corner's edge and you'll want the hole to be large enough to insert twine through. Place the tray of cookies into the freezer for 20 minutes before baking. This is a very important step and cannot be skipped.
6. Bake at 350ºF (176ºC) for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to sit on the tray for several minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

White Chocolate Peppermint Coating

1. Add candy canes to a small ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Pour in to a small bowl or dish and set aside.
2. Add white chocolate to a 1-cup glass measuring cup. Melt in your microwave in 20 second intervals. Stir until smooth. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of oil and stir until smooth. Once you are happy with the consistency, add peppermint extract and mix until incorporated.
3. Gently dip the cookies into the white chocolate, letting the excess drip off. Using a toothpick or skewer, poke through the hole, sprinkle crushed candy cane to the white chocolate (front and back) and then set on a parchment lined baking sheet. If at any point the candy gets stuck in the hole, just use a toothpick or skewer to clear it out. White chocolate can solidify or thicken quite quickly. If you find it hard to work with, just pop it back in the microwave in 15 second intervals. Careful not to overheat it as it can seize up.
4. Place in the fridge to set up for at least 20 minutes. Once the white chocolate has hardened, thread with twine if you wish. Enjoy!