Description
These Candy Cane Cookies are soft with a crisp exterior and bursting with peppermint flavor, perfect for the holiday season. Featuring a delightful twist of red and white dough shaped like candy canes and topped with crushed peppermint candies, they offer a festive treat that evokes the classic holiday candy experience.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360 g)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened, 227 g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons peppermint extract
Additional Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring
- 3 tablespoons crushed peppermint candies
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add Egg and Extracts: Beat in the large egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract, stopping once to scrape down the bowl to ensure everything is well incorporated.
- Combine Flour Mixture: With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until the flour is combined. If some flour remains at the bottom of the bowl, remove it 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 red food coloring (about 1 teaspoon if liquid, or a few drops if gel) to this half and mix until the color is well combined and vibrant.
- Chill Dough: Wrap each dough half separately in plastic wrap and press into 1-inch thick disks. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm to the touch. The dough can be chilled for up to 3 days at this stage.
- Prepare Oven and Baking Sheets: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Shape Cookies: Cut both dough disks into 1-inch cubes. Roll each cube into a ball. Lightly flour your work surface and roll each dough ball into a 5-inch-long rope by gently rolling it up and down with your palm. Place one red and one white rope side by side and carefully twist them together. Curve one end down by about an inch to create the candy cane handle shape. Place the shaped cookies on the prepared baking sheets spaced 1 inch apart.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies appear dry on top. Immediately after removing them from the oven, sprinkle each cookie with crushed peppermint candies.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes to set the peppermint topping, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring for a more vibrant red color without adding extra liquid to the dough.
- Chilling the dough firms it up, making it easier to roll and shape the candy canes.
- If dough is sticky when shaping, dust the surface lightly with flour to prevent sticking.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to keep them fresh.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend suitable for baking.
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
