Candy Cane Cookies
It isn’t Christmas without a batch of Candy Cane Cookies! They are such a classic for the holiday season, and so fun to make.
Servings: 4 dozen
Ingredients
- 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 ½ teaspoon
- 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring or less if you have a more concentrated food coloring (gel coloring works best, and needs 1 teaspoon for a great color)
For Sprinkling (optional):
- ½ cup (each) regular sugar and red decorating sugar (OR crushed peppermint candies) combined in a shallow dish
Instructions
Make cookie dough:
- 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.1 cup butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
- 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.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Mix dry ingredients:Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- 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.1 teaspoon red food coloring
Shape cookies:
- 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.Chill the shaped cookies for 30 minutes. Proceed in the same manner until all candy canes are shaped.
Bake cookies:
- 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 (see notes). Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.Store in cookie tins at room temperature for about 1 week.½ cup (each) regular sugar and red decorating sugar (OR crushed peppermint candies)
Notes
- Dough consistency: Your dough should be quite soft and pliable. If it's dry and cracking a lot during rolling, it's likely that either your egg was a little smaller or you accidentally added a bit too much flour (which happens easily!). Add one or two tablespoons of milk, which should solve the problem. On the other hand, if your red dough is a bit too sticky due to the food coloring, knead in a few teaspoons more flour.
- Chilling: This recipe purposefully chills the cookies AFTER shaping them. a) it's easier and neater to shape the cookies when the dough is warm (it breaks and cracks more easily when chilled), b) it takes a lot less time to chill and c) the dough and cookie sheets are thoroughly chilled when the cookies hit the oven (vs getting warmed up by hands etc) for best shape retention.
- Sugar sprinkling: To make the sugar stick better, you can instead brush the cooled cookies with a thin powdered sugar glaze before sprinkling. I don't do this because it slightly mutes the red, but I know many people who swear by it.