Delicious candy cane cookies twist red and white ropes of tender sugar cookie dough together into candy cane shapes! Top off these classic Christmas cookies with a sprinkle of crushed candy canes for the perfect holiday treat! Add some peppermint extract to make these traditional sweets extra holiday-rific!
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A Classic Christmas Cookie Tradition
If baking gets you in the Christmas spirit, check out my holiday baking recipes! There are cookies, my fantastic Christmas cake, fruitcake and more cake ideas, pies, fudge, candy, and so much more to try!
🥘 Ingredients
Candy Cane Cookie Ingredients
- Shortening - ½ cup of shortening provides a tender texture to these cookies and makes them less prone to spreading.
- Butter - ½ cup, softened, adds richness.
- Confectioners' Sugar - 1 cup for sweetness.
- Large Egg - 1 egg binds the ingredients.
- Almond Extract - 1½ teaspoons for flavor (or peppermint extract for a minty twist).
- Vanilla Extract - 1½ teaspoons, enhances flavor.
- Salt - ¼ teaspoon, balances sweetness.
- Flour - 2½ cups of all-purpose flour, the bulk of the cookie dough.
- Red Gel Food Coloring - ½ teaspoon for a vibrant red color.
Candy Topping Ingredients
- Peppermint Candy - ½ cup, crushed, adds a minty crunch.
- Sugar - ½ cup for extra sweetness.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Candy Cane Cookies
You'll need a set of measuring cups and spoons, a large mixing bowl, a stand or hand mixer, a baking sheet, and a cooling rack.
This recipe makes 36-48 cookies, depending on the size of your cookies.
Make The Cookie Dough
Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together ½ cup shortening, ½ cup butter, and 1 cup confectioners sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Step 2: Adding eggs and extracts. Add 1 large egg, 1½ teaspoon almond extract (or peppermint extract), 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Mix until combined.
Step 3: Incorporating flour. Gently mix in 2½ cups all-purpose flour until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix the dough.
Add Color & Chill Cookie Dough
Step 4: Coloring the dough. Divide the dough into two equal halves. To one-half, add ½ teaspoon red gel food coloring and mix until the color is evenly distributed.
Step 5: Chilling the dough. Cover both halves of the dough with cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours. The dough should be easy to handle and not too sticky before moving on to the next step.
Portion & Shape Cookies
Step 6: Shaping the dough ropes. Roll 1 teaspoon of the plain dough into a 4-inch long rope, about the thickness of a pencil. Repeat with a red portion of dough.
Step 7: Twisting the dough. Place the ropes of dough side by side and press the tops together lightly. Twist down the length of the dough.
Step 8: Forming candy canes. Transfer the twisted dough to a parchment paper or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet. Gently curl the tops of the cookies to form the handles of your candy canes.
Step 9: Arrange cookies on the baking sheet. Continue rolling and shaping the cookies, placing them onto your baking sheets with 2 inches of spacing.
Bake & Sprinkle Cookies
Step 10: Baking the cookies. Bake the cookies in the center of your preheated oven at 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) for 8-9 minutes.
Step 11: Adding candy topping. While the cookies are still warm on the baking sheets, mix ½ cup crushed peppermint candy with ½ cup sugar. Sprinkle this mixture over the baked cookies.
Step 12: Cooling the cookies. Allow the cookies to set on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Dough Consistency: If the dough is too dry or crumbly, add a splash of water or milk to achieve a pliable texture. This adjustment ensures your cookies maintain their shape and have a pleasing texture.
- Coloring: Use red gel food coloring for a vivid and festive look. Gel coloring provides a brighter hue without affecting the dough's consistency, making your cookies visually striking.
- Topping: For an extra festive touch, sprinkle sparkling sugar on your cookies. It adds a delightful crunch and a decorative sparkle, elevating the holiday charm of your treats.
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🥡 Storing
Keep baked cookies in an airtight storage container at room temperature for up to a week.
Freezing Dough
Shape cookies and lay them out on a baking sheet to freeze. Once frozen, transfer into a freezer container with sheets of parchment paper between the layers.
Freezing Cookies
Freeze cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet. Transfer frozen cookies into a freezer storage bag or container (which is better for preventing breakage).
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📖 Recipe Card
Candy Cane Cookies
Ingredients
Candy Cane Cookies
- ½ cup shortening
- ½ cup butter (softened, at room temperature)
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1½ teaspoon almond extract (or 1 teaspoon peppermint extract)
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon red gel food coloring
Candy Topping
- ½ cup peppermint candy crushed
- ½ cup sugar
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Make The Cookie Dough
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the ½ cup shortening, ½ cup butter, and 1 cup confectioners sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the 1 large egg, 1½ teaspoon almond extract, 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Mix until combined.
- Mix in the 2½ cups all-purpose flour until just combined (do not over-mix the dough).
Add Color & Chill Cookie Dough
- Divide the dough into two equal halves and add the ½ teaspoon red gel food coloring to one portion.
- Cover with cling film and refrigerate both bowls of dough for 2 hours. Once the dough is easy to handle and not too sticky, it's ready to move onto shaping the cookies.
Portion & Shape Cookies
- Shape by rolling 1 teaspoon of the plain dough into a 4-inch long rope. The rope should be about as thick as a pencil. Repeat with a red portion of dough.
- Place the ropes of dough side by side in a straight line and press the top together lightly. Twist down the length of the dough.
- Transfer twisted candy cane cookie dough to a parchment paper or silicone baking mat lined baking sheet. Gently curl the top of the cookies down to form the handles of your candy canes.
- Continue rolling and shaping the cookies. Place them onto your baking sheets with 2 inches of spacing.
Bake & Sprinkle Cookies
- Bake in the center of your preheated oven at 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) for 8-9 minutes. Leave the cookies on your baking sheets for the next step.
- Crush your candy canes or ½ cup peppermint candy and mix with the ½ cup sugar. Combine then sprinkle over the baked cookies. Leave the cookies on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes.
- Transfer the sprinkled cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely once set.
Notes
- If your dough seems dry or crumbly, add a splash of water or milk to get the right consistency for shaping and rolling.
- This vintage recipe uses shortening, which does not spread as much as butter. If you opt to use butter only, you should chill the dough longer (4 hours or up to overnight) or chill your shaped cookies before baking.
- Using red gel food coloring will result in brighter red color in your cookies. You can always use red food coloring drops if that's what you have on hand.
- You can use either crushed peppermint candies or candy canes. They both taste great!
- Upgrade the granulated white sugar to sparkling sugar to mix with the crushed peppermint for a festive touch.
- To store: Keep baked cookies in an airtight storage container at room temperature for up to a week.
- To freeze dough: Shape cookies and lay out on a baking sheet to flash freeze. Once frozen, transfer into a freezer container with sheets of parchment paper between the layers.
- To freeze cookies: Flash freeze cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet. Transfer frozen cookies into a freezer storage bag or container (which is better for prevent breakage).
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