Candy Cane Cookies Recipe delivers buttery vanilla cookies with a cool peppermint twist and a tender, melt-in-your-mouth crumb. This festive bake suits new and seasoned bakers and takes about 1 hour 30 minutes start to finish. I bake these with my kid after school, and we duel over the last striped cookie.
Why Candy Cane Cookies Recipe Is Worth It
Candy Cane Cookies Recipe gives you a soft sugar-cookie base with a clean peppermint finish and eye-catching stripes. The dough shapes easily, holds crisp edges, and stays tender for days. You get bakery-style holiday cookies without fancy tools.
Ingredients You Need
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to cool room temp (I like Kerrygold or Challenge for flavor)
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted for fewer lumps
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (McCormick tastes balanced, not harsh)
- 2.75 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 0.5 teaspoon baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 to 1.5 teaspoons red gel food coloring (gel color keeps dough firm; I use AmeriColor)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, only if dough feels dry
- Optional finish: 1/3 cup crushed peppermint candies or candy canes, plus coarse sanding sugar
Pantry shortcuts and swaps:
- No peppermint extract on hand. Use crushed candy canes for topping and keep vanilla-only dough.
- Out of powdered sugar. Pulse granulated sugar in a blender until powdery for a quick stand-in.
- Sensitive to red dye. Use beet powder or leave the dough plain and drizzle melted white chocolate.
Equipment:
- Stand mixer or hand mixer, large bowl, rubber spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons or a kitchen scale for accuracy
- Parchment paper, two baking sheets
- Plastic wrap for chilling
- Small offset spatula or bench scraper for clean divides
Quick Tips & substitutions
- Measure flour lightly. Too much flour makes cracks and dull stripes.
- Keep butter cool-soft, not shiny. Warm butter makes spread-y canes.
- Chill both dough colors. Cold dough twists cleanly and keeps edges sharp.
- Roll ropes to about 6 inches. Longer ropes break, shorter ropes look stubby.
- Twist gently. Press the ends together so the colors fuse before curving the hook.
- Skip cracks by smoothing ropes with slightly damp fingertips.
- For gluten-free, use a 1-to-1 baking flour blend and add 1 tablespoon milk if the dough feels crumbly.
- For dairy-free, use plant butter sticks and check softness more often.
- For egg-free, use a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax plus 3 tablespoons water, rested 10 minutes).
How to Make Candy Cane Cookies
- Prep: 25 minutes
- Cook: 20 minutes
- Total: about 1 hour 30 minutes, including chill time
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set the dry mix aside.
- Beat butter and powdered sugar on medium speed until creamy and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl.
- Mix in the egg, vanilla, and peppermint extract until smooth.
- Add the dry mix in two additions on low speed until the dough comes together. If the dough looks dry or sandy, mix in milk 1 teaspoon at a time just until it clumps.
- Divide the dough in half by weight or eyeball. Tint one half with red gel color to a deep candy cane red, mixing until even.
- Wrap each color and chill for 30 minutes to firm up. This step keeps shapes crisp.
- Pinch off 2 level teaspoons of red dough and 2 level teaspoons of plain dough. Roll each into a rope about 6 inches long on a cool surface.
- Place the ropes side by side, press one end together, and twist 4 to 5 times. Curve the top to form the candy cane hook.
- Set canes on the sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Keep the unused dough in the fridge while you shape the rest.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes, until the bottoms look set and the tops feel dry but still pale. Do not brown the cookies.
- Sprinkle crushed peppermint or sanding sugar on hot cookies if you want sparkle. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely.
Simple Variations
- Chocolate dip: Dip the straight end in melted dark chocolate, then dust with crushed candy.
- Almond twist: Swap peppermint extract for 1 teaspoon almond extract and finish with white sanding sugar.
- Mocha stripe: Add 1 teaspoon espresso powder to the plain dough and keep the red dough peppermint.
- Confetti cane: Fold 2 tablespoons holiday sprinkles into the plain dough for specks of color.
Ways to Serve Candy Cane Cookies
- Stack in tins with parchment for festive cookie boxes.
- Pair with hot cocoa, peppermint tea, or a latte.
- Crumble over vanilla ice cream with warm fudge.
- Plate with other Christmas cookies for a colorful dessert board.
- Tie one cane on a gift with ribbon for an edible tag.
Storage
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Keep peppermint cookies in a separate tin so the mint aroma does not take over other flavors. Freeze shaped, unbaked canes on a sheet until firm, then bag and freeze for up to 2 months, and bake from frozen by adding 1 to 2 minutes. Freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature in the closed container to prevent moisture loss.
Candy Cane Cookies Recipe
Candy Cane Cookies are festive, buttery cookies twisted with red and white dough to resemble traditional holiday candy canes.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract until combined.
- Gradually add flour and salt, mixing until dough forms.
- Divide the dough in half. Tint one half with red food coloring; leave the other half plain.
- Take a small piece of red dough and a small piece of plain dough. Roll each into a 5-inch rope. Place the ropes side by side and carefully twist together. Curve the top to form a cane shape.
- Place shaped cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set and just starting to turn golden at the edges. Do not overbake.
- Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
For best results, use gel food coloring for a vibrant red. Dough may be chilled if too soft to shape. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.