Candy Cane Cookies Recipe

Try the festive Candy Cane Cookies Recipe for a sweet, peppermint twist perfect for any gathering!

Ingredients

• 2 sticks (227g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 3/4 cup (385g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon liquid red food coloring
• 1 egg white
• 2 tablespoons sparkling sugar

Instructions

Step 1: Cream the Ingredients

Begin by combining the room-temperature butter and sugar with the peppermint and vanilla in your mixer, along with the baking powder and salt. You want to work until the mixture transforms from separate grains and softened butter into a glossy, pale paste that slowly clings to the bowl—light, aerated, and faintly speckled with tiny sugar crystals. This is the moment the base flavor and texture are born, a soft cloud of mint-scented fat and sugar that will carry everything else. Visualize that pale, slightly glossy paste in the mixer bowl before moving on to the egg.

Step 2: Incorporate the Egg and Flour

Scrape the bowl down so no sticky pockets remain, then beat in the egg until fully absorbed and the mixture tightens. Add the flour and fold just until everything comes together into a cohesive dough—no more, no less—so the final cookies stay tender and shortbread-like. The resulting dough should be smooth, slightly tacky, and homogenous, with a faint sheen from the butter and just enough structure from the flour and egg to be shaped. This is the single pale dough ready for color and division.

Step 3: Add a Splash of Color

Divide the dough into two equal portions and keep one plain and one destined for festive color. Add the liquid red food coloring to the second half and knead or mix until the red is perfectly even—no streaks, no blotches—resulting in a vibrant, uniformly tinted crimson dough that contrasts sharply with the creamy white half. You’ll see two distinct masses now: a soft ivory dough and a brilliant holiday-red dough, both pliable and ready to be chilled.

Step 4: Chill and Relax

Shape each dough half into a smooth disk, wrap them tightly in plastic, and let them rest in the refrigerator for at least three hours until firm. After chilling they should feel cool and slightly dense to the touch, with clean edges where you shaped them. This rest firms the butter so the ropes will hold shape when you roll and twist them later; it’s a small pause that makes a big visual and textural difference.

Step 5: Shape Your Canes

On a lightly floured surface, roll the white and red dough into even ropes, then gently press them together and twist into the classic candy cane spiral. Form each twisted rope into the hooked cane shape and place them spaced about two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet so they have room to spread. At this stage they should look neat and handcrafted—visible spiral stripes, slightly pinched seams where you joined the ends, and a soft matte surface ready for glaze.

Step 6: Sugar and Bake

Brush each shaped cane with a thin egg white wash to give a delicate sheen, then sprinkle with sparkling sugar for a frosted, crystalline finish. Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 8–10 minutes until the edges are set and the tops show a faint golden tint, then allow them to cool until just touchable. The finished cookies should be tender, slightly glossy, and speckled with sparkling sugar—perfect for gifting or a holiday platter.

Notes

• Let cookie sheets cool completely before placing a new batch.
• Misshapen cookies often come from warm dough; cool longer if needed.
• Store in an airtight container to maintain freshness for up to two weeks.
• For more vibrant red, additional food coloring may be necessary.
• Chilling the dough is key to maintaining shape during baking.