Description
Candy Cane Cookies are a festive delight, bringing the joy of the holiday season right into your kitchen. With their buttery vanilla dough and refreshing peppermint flavor, these cookies are not just a treat; they’re a celebration! Perfect for sharing at gatherings or gifting to loved ones, their charming red-and-white striped appearance is sure to spread holiday cheer. Easy and fun to make, these cookies are an ideal baking project for families, inviting everyone to join in the fun of twisting and shaping the dough.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- Red food coloring (gel preferred)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter and powdered sugar until fluffy (about 3–4 minutes).
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract; mix until smooth.
- Gradually blend in the flour and salt until a soft dough forms.
- Divide the dough in half; color one half red using gel food coloring.
- Roll out 1 teaspoon from each color into 4-inch ropes. Twist them together and shape into candy canes.
- Place cookies on lined baking sheets and bake for 8–10 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly golden. Cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Fiber: <1g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
Keywords: If the dough is too soft, chill it in the refrigerator for 15–30 minutes before shaping. Experiment with flavors by adding crushed candy canes to the dough or using different extracts like almond.