These Christmas Candy Cane Cookies are a great addition to your next holiday cookie box! Butter, powdered sugar, flour, vanilla, egg and peppermint extract (optional) and of course red food coloring.
I’m not a candy can fan, but can eat these cookies all day!
Personally, the actual ‘candy cane’ is just not something that I really enjoy. We get a box to decorate our Christmas Tree with and usually end up throwing them away after Christmas. 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 harder-type cookie and have excellent flavor! I personally prefer them without the peppermint flavoring.
Substitutions
As I mentioned above, I do not like the peppermint flavor in the cookie personally so I just omit the flavor. Almond flavoring could substitute the peppermint with the same dose.
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.
Why Candy Canes?
I kind of knew the history behind candy canes, but was curious as I was baking these. Without going in to great 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, every website had a slightly different story but basically the same. This would be a great little lesson for young kids, I know I TRY to incorporate as many baby Jesus-related stories or activities as I can around Christmas time, to try and keep focus on the REAL reason for the season! (with a 2-year old my activities are pretty simple!)
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If looking for more holiday treats, try these Mint Chocolate Brownies with Chocolate Syrup.
Candy Cane Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Mixer
- measuring utensils & spoons
- Cookie Sheets
- plastic wrap
- pastry brush optional-for decorative sugar
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 sticks butter softened
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1-2 tsp peppermint extract optional
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp red food coloring
Decorative Sugar Topping (optional)
- 2 tbsp egg wash
- 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, peppermint and mix well.
- Once combined, slowly add the flour. Mix on low.
- 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 red. 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 1-2 hours. (another idea is red & green candy canes)
- Once dough is cooled, preheat oven to 375 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 awhile so many hands make light work (hint perfect for small children!).
- Once all dough is in a 'rope'. Start twisting the ropes together to form a candy cane. Make sure to pinch the dough together, especially if it starts to fall apart a bit. Form into a candy cane shape, then set on a greased cookie sheet.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the white dough starts to turn slightly golden.
- If you are decorating with sugar, immediately brush with egg wash and sprinkle the sugar on right after removing from the oven.