Bake These Candy Cane Cookies Once tastes like buttery sugar cookies with a cool peppermint swirl and a light crunch from crushed candy canes. Bakers who want a festive, kid-approved cookie that looks fancy but stays easy will love it, and the total time lands right around 1 hour. I baked a batch for my neighborhood swap, and one tiny elf returned my plate with only a peppermint thumbprint left behind.
Why Candy Cane Cookies Recipe Is Worth It
Bake These Candy Cane Cookies Once Recipe delivers bakery looks with simple steps you can tackle on a weeknight. The dough rolls easily, twists cleanly, and bakes into bright red and white canes that earn compliments every time. Peppermint keeps the flavor fresh without overpowering the buttery cookie.
You can mix the dough by hand or use a mixer and still get tender cookies that hold their shape. The recipe doubles well for gifting, and kids love to help roll the ropes. You can swap flavors or colorways without fuss, so one base dough carries your whole cookie tray.
Ingredients You Need
- All-purpose flour, 2 1/2 cups, spooned and leveled; I like King Arthur for consistent texture
- Baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon, for a gentle lift
- Fine sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon
- Unsalted butter, 1 cup, room temp; Kerrygold gives extra richness
- Granulated sugar, 1 cup
- Large egg, 1
- Pure vanilla extract, 1 1/2 teaspoons; go with a real vanilla like Nielsen-Massey
- Peppermint extract, 3/4 teaspoon; use 1/2 teaspoon if you prefer a softer mint note
- Red gel food coloring, a few drops; gel beats liquid for bold color without thinning the dough
- Crushed candy canes or peppermint candies, 1/2 cup, plus extra for sprinkling
- Optional coating: 1/4 cup coarse sanding sugar for sparkle
Pantry shortcuts and swaps:
- Use high-quality refrigerated sugar cookie dough, 16 to 18 ounces, when the calendar looks wild; knead in 3 to 4 tablespoons flour to stiffen, then add extracts and color.
- Swap almond extract for peppermint and add red and green sugars for a classic bakery vibe.
- Use gluten-free 1:1 baking flour at the same weight for a simple swap.
Equipment:
- Stand mixer or hand mixer, mixing bowls, and a whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons, silicone spatula
- Parchment-lined baking sheets
- Plastic wrap
- Cooling racks
Quick Tips & substitutions
- Keep butter soft but cool to the touch, not shiny or greasy, for crisp edges.
- Use gel food color and add a little at a time until you see a bright candy cane red.
- Chill both dough colors for 20 minutes so the ropes roll cleanly and hold the twist.
- Roll ropes on an unfloured surface or a silicone mat to keep the dough grippy.
- Twist gently and press the ends so the stripes do not separate in the oven.
- Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack for even color.
- Want less mint? Cut the peppermint extract to 1/2 teaspoon and boost vanilla.
- No candy canes on hand? Use peppermint puffs or starlight mints and crush them.
- Avoid liquid food color, which softens the dough and blurs the stripes.
How to Make Candy Cane Cookies
- Heat the oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl until combined.
- Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and peppermint extract, and mix until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough comes together and looks soft but not sticky.
- Split the dough in half. Tint one half with red gel food color until you see a deep candy cane red. Wrap both portions and chill for 20 minutes.
- Scoop 2 teaspoons from each color. Roll each portion into a 5 to 6 inch rope.
- Lay one red rope next to one plain rope, pinch the top ends, and twist into a spiral. Curve the top to shape a cane and seal the bottom.
- Set the canes on the sheets, 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with crushed candy cane and sanding sugar if you want sparkle.
- Bake until the tops look matte and the edges look set, 8 to 10 minutes. Pull the sheet from the oven before the cookies brown.
- Cool the cookies on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack. Let them cool fully so the candy bits firm up.
Simple Variations
- Chocolate mint: Swap 1/4 cup flour for 1/4 cup cocoa powder in the red half.
- Almond bakery style: Use 1 teaspoon almond extract and keep the dough all white, then roll the cookies in coarse sugar.
- White chocolate dip: Once cool, dip the hook in melted white chocolate and dust with crushed candy cane.
- Sprinkle stripe: Roll the red ropes in red sanding sugar before twisting for extra shine.
- Color swap: Make green peppermint canes or red and green ropes for a party platter.
- Citrus twist: Replace peppermint with 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest and 1/2 teaspoon orange extract.
Ways to Serve Candy Cane Cookies
- Plate with hot cocoa, mocha, or peppermint tea.
- Stack a few in treat bags for teacher gifts or mailbox surprises.
- Crumble over vanilla ice cream with hot fudge.
- Add to a cheese board for a sweet mint bite between salty nibbles.
- Set on mugs as a stirrer for warm drinks.
Storage
Store the cookies in an airtight tin at room temperature for 4 to 5 days. Slip a piece of parchment between layers to protect the hooks. Freeze baked cookies for up to 1 month, or freeze shaped unbaked canes for 2 months and bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes. Keep crushed candy canes in a sealed jar so they stay dry and crisp for topping future batches.
Bake These Candy Cane Cookies Once Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract until combined.
- Gradually mix in the flour and salt until a soft dough forms.
- Divide the dough in half. Tint one half with red food coloring until evenly colored.
- For each cookie, take one teaspoon of plain dough and one teaspoon of red dough. Roll each into a 4-inch rope, then twist them together and curve one end to shape like a candy cane.
- Place cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are just beginning to turn golden. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.