These Candy Cane Cookies are a peppermint-flavored cookie dough that is twisted into a candy cane shape. This Christmas cookie recipe is a delicious and fun peppermint flavored sugar cookie to make with the kids.
Every holiday season, mom and I would make several trays of Christmas cookie recipes and would share them with friends and family. These are great for cookie exchanges, hostess gifts, and more.
As a little girl, getting my hands in the cookie dough and rolling it out, twisting the dough together to make a Candy Cane shape was so fun!
Making these cookies can be a time-consuming job, but if you have little ones, it is a very fun holiday recipe to make with your children on a winter afternoon!
Ingredients
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Unsalted butter
Powdered sugar (also known as confectioner's sugar)
Vanilla and Peppermint extract, this is the brand I like to use.
Large Egg
Salt
Flour
Red food coloring, I like to use this brand of gel food coloring.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the powdered sugar at medium speed until fluffy.
- Add the egg, vanilla and peppermint extract, and salt. Mix until well combined.
- Add the flour and mix until well combined.
- Divide the cookie dough in half and stir the red food coloring into ½ of the dough portion. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for up to 30 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Divide the red dough and the white dough into 1 teaspoon portion sizes. Roll each portion of dough into a 4" rope.
- Place 1 white and 1 red rope side by side and twist them together, pinching the ends to seal. Form the twisted rope into a candy cane. Place the cookies 2" apart on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 8 minutes or until cookies are firm to the touch. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
- Store the cookies in an air-tight container for up to 1 week on the counter and 3 months in the freezer.
Equipment
Mixing Bowls
Rubber Spatula (to scrape the side of the bowl)
Cooling Rack
Silicon mat or parchment paper
Variations
- Substitute butter flavored shortening for the butter.
- Sprinkle crushed candy cane over top of the candy cane cookies before baking.
- Substitute different flavors for the peppermint (ie: cherry, raspberry, almond)
Top Tips for the Candy Cane Cookie Shape
- Warm dough is hard to twist. Keep the dough chilled by keeping part of the dough in the refrigerator as you make the candy cane cookies.
- Dust the counter top with some flour and quickly roll the portioned dough with both hands a few times back and forth until they are 3 inches long.
- Pinch both ends of the candy cane cookie dough ropes together. Then, roll it away from you on the left-hand side. Then roll it towards you on the right-hand side. Once the twist is in there, lightly roll it on the board back and forth a few times to help the dough stick together better.
- Don't worry if the Candy Cane Cookies don't look perfect or if your twist is a little loose. They still turn out good, even if you're not consistent with the twisting.
- Adding a little more flour with the rolling makes it easier to keep the dough stiffer as it is being twisted
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
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Candy Cane Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon red food coloring
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the powdered sugar at medium speed until fluffy.
- Add the egg, vanilla and peppermint extract, and salt. Mix until well combined.
- Add the flour and mix until well combined.
- Divide the cookie dough in half and stir the red food coloring into ½ of the dough portion. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for up to 30 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the refridgerator and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Divide the red dough and the white dough into 1 teaspoon portion sizes. Roll each portion of dough into a 4" rope.
- Place 1 white and 1 red rope side by side and twist them together, pinching the ends to seal. Form the twisted rope into a candy cane. Place the cookies 2" apart on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 8 minutes or until cookies are firm to the touch. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week on the counter and 3 months in the freezer.
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