Description
These festive Candy Cane Cookies are peppermint-flavored sugar cookies twisted with classic red and white dough to create adorable candy cane shapes. Perfect for holiday celebrations, they are soft, buttery, and infused with refreshing peppermint extract.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons pure peppermint extract
- 1¼ teaspoons clear vanilla flavoring
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon red squeeze gel color
Instructions
- Cream Butter: Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer with a large mixing bowl, cream the unsalted butter on medium-high speed for 1½ to 2 minutes until smooth.
- Add Sugar Mixture: Reduce mixer speed to low, add granulated sugar, cream of tartar, and heavy cream. Increase speed to medium and mix for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is fluffy.
- Incorporate Egg: Reduce speed to low, add the egg, and mix until fully incorporated.
- Add Extracts: Mix in the peppermint extract and clear vanilla flavoring on low speed.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Gradually add baking powder and flour ½ cup at a time on low speed. Mix just until no streaks of flour remain.
- Divide Dough: Divide dough into two equal balls. Return one ball to the bowl to color red, cover and refrigerate the other white ball for 1 hour.
- Color Red Dough: Add red gel color to the dough in the bowl. Mix on low until uniform color appears. Place red dough in bowl, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare Dough for Shaping: Remove dough from refrigerator and cut each color dough in half. Cover work surface with parchment paper to avoid staining.
- Roll Dough Balls: Using a ½ tablespoon scoop, form white and red dough into tight balls. Chill again for 10-15 minutes for better shaping.
- Roll Into Ropes: Roll each dough ball into 5-inch long ropes with cool hands to maintain shape.
- Twist and Shape: Press the bottoms of the white and red ropes together lightly and twist gently. Curve the top to form the candy cane hook.
- Arrange on Sheet: Place twisted ropes on prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake Cookies: Bake cookies for 7 minutes at 350°F until edges are set.
- Cool: Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Repeat: Remove remaining dough from refrigerator and repeat shaping and baking steps.
- Store: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is essential to prevent spreading and maintain the candy cane shape during baking.
- Keep an eye on oven temperature as it may vary; adjust accordingly to avoid overbaking.
- Peppermint extract is key for the classic flavor; omit if you prefer plain sugar cookies.
- Protect your work surface with parchment paper when shaping dough to avoid red food coloring stains.
- Keep hands cool when rolling ropes to help the dough hold its shape and prevent flattening.
- Ensure dough ropes stay rounded and do not flatten them when twisting for best results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
