Description
These festive Candy Cane Cookies are a delightful holiday treat featuring a tender, buttery base infused with peppermint extract and colored with vibrant red and white dough twisted into iconic candy cane shapes. Lightly baked to a golden finish and optionally topped with crushed candy canes, they make a perfect seasonal dessert that’s both fun to make and delicious to eat.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 2 sticks salted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 – 1 tsp. red food coloring
Decoration (Optional)
- 3 candy canes, crushed
Instructions
- Make the base batter. Place the softened butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer bowl. Beat with a hand mixer or paddle attachment at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract, mixing well to fully combine. Gradually add the flour, one cup at a time, mixing on low after each addition until fully incorporated. Scrape down the bowl sides and bottom as needed to mix evenly.
- Divide and chill white dough. Remove half the dough and form it into a disc about 1 inch thick. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight to firm up.
- Color and chill red dough. Add the red food coloring to the remaining dough in the bowl. Mix at low speed until the color is evenly distributed, adding more food coloring if necessary to achieve your desired red shade. Remove the red dough, knead it on a clean surface to ensure even coloring, form into a 1-inch disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Prepare for baking. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Shape the candy cane cookies. Unwrap both dough discs. Pinch off 1/2 tablespoon portions of each color dough separately. Roll each piece on a clean surface into a 5-inch long rope—keep red and white dough separate to avoid color mixing. Place one red rope alongside one white rope and twist them together, pinching the ends to seal. Shape each twisted rope into a candy cane form and carefully transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with all dough pieces. If the dough becomes sticky or difficult to handle, re-wrap and chill for 15 minutes.
- Bake and decorate. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes or until the white dough is lightly golden. Immediately after baking, sprinkle the tops with crushed candy canes if using. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets.
- Store. Once cooled, store cookies in an airtight container layered with parchment paper between them, at room temperature for up to one week.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring (1/2 tsp) for more concentrated color or 1 tsp liquid red food coloring.
- If dough gets too sticky, chill it for 15 minutes before continuing to shape cookies.
- For best results, keep red and white dough separate while rolling to prevent color bleed.
- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week at room temperature.
- Crushed candy canes on top add extra peppermint crunch but are optional.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1.5g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
