Description
These Candy Cane Cookies are soft with a crisp exterior and bursting with peppermint flavor, making them a perfect festive treat for the holidays. Made with a combination of vanilla and peppermint extracts and decorated with crushed peppermint candies, these cookies resemble classic candy canes both in flavor and appearance.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (227g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons peppermint extract
Decoration
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring
- 3 tablespoons crushed peppermint candies
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to combine evenly.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract and beat again, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Incorporate Dry Mixture: With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry flour mixture. Beat just until combined—if flour remains at the bottom, remove the bowl and knead the dough by hand a few times until fully incorporated.
- Divide and Color Dough: Remove half of the dough and place it in a separate bowl. Add the red food coloring to this portion and mix thoroughly until the color is consistent. Use about 1 teaspoon if liquid food coloring, or a few drops if gel. Adjust the color for richness if necessary.
- Chill Dough: Wrap each dough portion separately in plastic wrap, pressing them into 1-inch thick disks. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until the dough is firm to the touch. Dough can be chilled up to 3 days at this stage for flexibility.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Shape Cookies: Cut each dough disk into 1-inch cubes. Roll each cube into a ball, lightly flour your surface, and gently roll each ball into a 5-inch-long rope using your palm. Place one red and one plain rope side by side and carefully twist them together to create the candy cane striped effect. Curve one end down about an inch to form the handle of the candy cane. Arrange the shaped cookies on the baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies for 10 minutes or until they appear dry on the surface.
- Decorate and Cool: Immediately after removing from the oven, sprinkle the warm cookies with crushed peppermint candies. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- The dough is easy to work with after chilling and can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking, allowing for flexible preparation.
- Rolling the dough into ropes helps achieve the traditional candy cane look with red and white stripes.
- If using gel food coloring, add it sparingly as it is highly concentrated; add more if needed to achieve a bright red color.
- Sprinkling crushed peppermint candies immediately after baking helps them stick to the cookies while still warm.
- These cookies have a soft interior with a crisp outer layer, perfect for holiday gifting or serving at festive parties.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 126 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 46 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 21 mg
