Description
Delicious and festive candy cane cookies, perfect for the holiday season.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (OR peppermint; if your almond extract is very concentrated, start with 1/2 teaspoon)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring
- 1/2 cup regular sugar and red decorating sugar (OR crushed peppermint candies) (combined in a shallow dish)
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar: Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer or in your stand mixer until well combined.
- Cream with egg: Add the egg and extracts, then beat until the egg is fully combined – do not mix any longer than necessary, or your cookies may turn out tough. It will look scraggly, that’s fine.
- Mix dry ingredients: Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
- Combine cookie dough: Gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just combined – do not overmix, you just want it to come together.
- Divide cookie dough: Tip out half of the cookie dough mix on your work surface and knead a few times until smooth. Set aside.
- Color the dough: Add the red food coloring to the remaining half of cookie dough in your mixing bowl and mix on low speed until fully incorporated. Add more coloring if needed to reach a bright red color.
- Divide each color cookie dough into about 8 pieces and roll, one at a time, into long ropes on a lightly floured surface (do not use too much flour or your candy canes will end up looking unappealing; keep remaining dough under a clean tea towel to keep it from drying out). Cut the logs into 4-5 inch pieces.
- For each cookie set a red and a white rope of dough next to each other, then twist together.
- Place on lined baking sheets (set cookies 2 inches apart) and curve one end to form the handle of the candy cane the shaped cookies for 30 minutes. Proceed in the same manner until all candy canes are shaped.
- Heat oven to 375°F. Once hot, bake chilled cookies (one tray at a time!) for 8-10 minutes, or until very lightly browned. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with the sugar or peppermint candy mixture. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely in cookie tins at room temperature for about 1 week.
Notes
- Store the cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
- These cookies can be decorated with additional sprinkles for a festive touch.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 50mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg