These Soft Christmas Candy Cane Cookies with almond extract are a great addition to your next holiday cookie box! Butter, sugar, flour, vanilla, almond extract, egg and peppermint extract (optional) and of course red food coloring.
This recipe is unique, festive and sure to be a hit for your next holiday cookie platter or Christmas cookie exchange. These will definitely take those cookie platters to the next level!
I’m not a candy cane fan, but can eat these almond flavored cookies all day!
Personally, the actual ‘candy cane’ is just not something that I enjoy. We get a box to decorate our Christmas Tree with and usually end up throwing them away after Christmas. BUT these cookies are a candy cane I can get behind. They are such a pretty addition to a holiday cookie platter or look and taste great on their own. They are a soft, but firm, cookie and have excellent flavor! I personally prefer them without the peppermint flavoring.
These Candy Cane Cookies with almond flavoring are a recipe ‘passed down’
I love a good recipe with a story behind it. The original Candy Cane shaped Cookie recipe I used was from a neighbor, Lillian. She gave the recipe to my mom and we continue to make them during the holiday season. I have, however, amended the recipe slightly to add more butter and the option to add peppermint extract.
We now live in the home and farm where Lillian used to live, how special is that? I was pretty little when Lillian was around, but do remember her, and it is special to make these cookies in her the same kitchen where she baked them!
Learn more about our farm story in this blog post. Every farm has a story and I personally think it is important to remember it, and pass it down–just like a good recipe!
Ingredients in soft Candy Cane shaped Christmas Cookies
Flour – all-purpose works just fine. I use the off brand found at most grocery stores.
Sugar – some recipes I found for candy cane cookies call for powdered sugar. I switched to using regular white sugar.
Egg- 1 large egg. Simple enough there. I like to crack the egg in a small bowl BEFORE putting in the batter- my grandma Wild taught me to do that in case it was ‘bad’. Have I ever had a bad egg before? Not that I can remember, but it is easier to find egg shells that way if they crack into the bowl.
Baking Powder, Salt – for the rise. Pretty important not to miss that ingredient.
Flavoring and Dye— I use almond extract in the entire batter. If you like peppermint- I would suggest splitting the dough in half and flavoring the white dough almond and the red dough peppermint. (I just am not a huge fan of peppermint!). Add vanilla too.
Optional- red sprinkles for the candy cane- need egg wash to stick! Egg wash is 1 tbsp of water + 1 medium egg, whisked together.
Substitutions for Candy Cane Cookies
As I mentioned above, I do not like the peppermint flavor in the cookie personally so I just omit the flavor.
The decorative sugar is definitely optional as well but I think it adds a cute touch. Add the egg wash as soon as the cookies are out of the oven, and then sprinkle the sugar on. That is how they ‘stick’.
Another option is to color half the dough green, and the other half red for a fun Christmas color.
Storage of Candy Cane Cookies
These will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to about 5 days.
Freezer: these can be baked, cooled, and frozen. Just set on counter to thaw and enjoy later. Be careful with storage of these cookies because they can break fairly easily.
Meaning of Candy Canes at Christmas
I kind of knew the history behind candy canes, but was curious as I was baking these. Without going into detail, the Candy Cane has been around for hundreds of years.
The ‘J’ shape represents a shepherd hook, the white represents purity and the red represents ‘Jesus’ blood’. Here is a site where you can dig deeper into the meaning of Candy Canes. This would be a great little lesson for young kids, I know I TRY to incorporate as many Jesus-related stories or activities as I can around Christmas time, to try and keep focus on the REAL reason for the season!
Important Step to make these soft Christmas Cookies
DO NOT forget to cool the dough in fridge for 3 hours. If you do not, they will likely spread out in the oven when baked.
I suggest taking it a step further and cooling the pre-shaped, un-baked, cookies in the freezer for 2-3 minutes right before putting the pan in the oven.
This is because when we work with the dough to roll it into long strips-it warms up again. The dough needs to be kept cool to prevent spreading in oven.
Size of ropes is important on these Christmas Cookies!
Do you prefer a thicker candy cane? Then make these ropes with about 1 tablespoon of dough each color. Note, that this will make less cookies per batch.
Want something daintier? Then use 1/2 tablespoon each and get the ropes just slightly thicker than a pencil. This will yield more cookies, too. I will drop an image below of a thicker vs. dainty cookie to compare. The dainty cookies will be done baking at 10 minutes, ovens vary.
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More Recipes you Might Like
If looking for more holiday treats, try these Mint Chocolate Brownies with Chocolate Syrup.
I make these easy maple cinnamon rolls in platters to gift to family to enjoy Christmas morning. They can be frozen ahead of time, too! The maple frosting is amazing.
Crockpot corn is a great staple to bring to those holiday potlucks.
Soft Christmas Candy Cane Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Mixer
- measuring utensils & spoons
- Cookie Sheets
- plastic wrap
- pastry brush optional-for decorative sugar
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 sticks butter softened
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3-1/4 cups flour
- 1/2-1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp red food coloring
- 1/2-1 tsp peppermint extract optional
Decorative Sugar Topping (optional)
- egg wash 1 egg + 1 tbsp water, whisked
- 2-3 tbsp decorative sugar red, green, etc.
Instructions
- Add the softened butter and sugar to a mixing bowl. Beat until light and fluffy (3 minutes). Then, add the egg, vanilla, almond extract, salt, baking powder.
- Once combined, slowly add the flour and milk- adding half the flour, then a little milk, then remaining flour and rest of milk. Stir on low for this.
- Remove half of the dough from the mixer & set aside. Then, add the red food coloring to the half that is still in the mixer. Mix slowly until the dough is your desired red. If you are adding peppermint, add it now. You can add more red coloring if you wish to get the tint desired. Wrap the red & white dough into separate plastic wraps, let sit in the fridge for 3 hours. (another idea is red & green candy canes)
- Once dough is cooled, preheat oven to 350 F. Scoop about 1/2-1 tbsp size of both the red and the white dough. On a clean surface, roll each ball into a 5-6 inch rope. Continue with the remaining dough. This step takes a while so many hands make light work ( perfect for small children!).The size and thickness is up to you. A rope about the thickness of a pencil or a little thicker will result in a dainty candy cane. Something a little thicker (1 Tablespoon worth of dough each) will give you a more plush candy cane-but also a little softer in my opinion.
- Once all dough is in a 'rope'. Pinch the end of a white and red rope together tightly. Start twisting the ropes together to form a candy cane. Form into a candy cane shape, then set on a greased cookie sheet. 1.5 inch spacing between each candy cane.
- If you are decorating with sugar, make the egg wash (1 medium sized egg + 1 tbsp water whisked together) and brush with egg wash over the cookies. Then, sprinkle the sugar on the assembled candy canes.
- Now, put pan of un-baked cookies in freezer for a brief few minutes to cool them again if needed. This helps prevent the cookies from spreading in the oven- 2-3 minutes in the freezer helps! It also helps to cool the pan between batches.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the white dough starts to turn slightly golden. If opted for a thinner candy cane-make sure to check at 10 minute mark.
Notes
Add peppermint extract to the red dough if you wish, or all dough if you prefer peppermint over almond flavoring.Another option is half green dough and half red dough. It is important to match ‘ropes’ of same length and size so you don’t ‘run out’ of half the rope. You can make the ropes with 1 tbsp of dough each and have a ‘thicker’ candy cane or use 1/2 tbsp for a daintier cookie. 5-6 inches long. Note: depending on the size of cookie you decide to make will determine how many cookies this will actually make. A daintier cookie will make more cookie sin the batch than a thicker cookie. Make sure you cool the dough AND cool it right before putting in oven to prevent spreading in the oven. Store in freezer in air tight, freezer safe, container. Set out at room temp to thaw. Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary on the size you decide to make the cookies.
Great flavor, soft, but firm enough to stay in shape. I love these with almond extract vs peppermint, but I always favor almond! Be sure 2 pieces of dough same width (and length) Great on a variety cookie tray!
Great flavor, soft but firm enough to stay in shape. Best if 2 pieces of dough are same width. Look great on a variety tray of cookies!
Love the almond flavoring in these cute cookies, soft, but firm enough to stay in shape… cute and tasty and fun to make. Best if you get the 2 pieces of dough the same width.