The Ultimate Candy Cane Cookies Recipe (Festive & Soft)
Embrace the holiday spirit with the ultimate Candy Cane Cookies! This festive recipe features a beautiful red and white swirl of soft, buttery cookie dough kissed with peppermint. Perfect for any holiday platter, this is one of our favorite Christmas cookies recipes that's as fun to make as it is to eat. They look stunning and taste like pure holiday magic.
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Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 90kcal
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- red gel food coloring a few drops, or as needed for vibrant color
Instructions
- CREAM the softened butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl using a hand mixer until the mixture is smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- ADD the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- WHISK together the all-purpose flour and salt in a separate medium bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a soft dough forms.
- DIVIDE the dough into two equal halves. Leave one half plain. Add a few drops of red gel food coloring to the other half and mix until the color is evenly distributed and vibrant.
- WRAP both the plain and red dough portions separately in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or until it is firm enough to handle easily.
- PREHEAT your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- SHAPE the cookies by taking one teaspoon of the white dough and one teaspoon of the red dough. Roll each piece into a 4 to 5-inch rope. Place the ropes side-by-side, gently twist them together, and curve the top to form a classic candy cane shape.
- PLACE the shaped candy cane cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1-2 inches of space between each one to allow for minor spreading.
- BAKE for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set and the bottoms are lightly golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Equipment
- Hand Mixer
- Baking Sheets
- Parchment paper
Notes
For the best results, use gel food coloring to achieve a vibrant red without making the dough sticky. If the dough becomes too soft while shaping, return it to the refrigerator for a few minutes to firm up. These cookies can be made ahead; the dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 90kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 45mg | Potassium: 10mg | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.3mg