Candy Cane Cookies

By Makinze GorePublished: Sep 21, 2021

2.5

2 Ratings

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Andrew Bui

Candy cane cookies look so much more complicated than they are. They are a simple sugar cookie where half of the dough gets dyed red and then twisted together. So simple! These cookies also do well to be made the day beforehand and the dough can even be made up to 3 days ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. Make sure your formed cookies are well chilled before baking so that they keep some of their height!

Need more ideas? We have every single Christmas cookie you could ever need!

Have you made these yet? Let us know how it went in the comments below!

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Yields:: 24 serving(s)
Prep Time:: 10 mins
Total Time:: 4 hrs

Ingredients

3 c.
all-purpose flour
1 tsp.
baking powder
1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
1 c.
(2 sticks) butter, softened
1 c.
granulated sugar
1
large egg
1 tbsp.
milk
1 tsp.
peppermint extract
Red food coloring
Sanding sugar

Directions

1. Step 1In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Step 2In another large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg, milk, and peppermint extract and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients and beat until fully incorporated.
3. Step 3Remove half the dough from the bowl, form into a disc and wrap with plastic wrap. Add red food coloring to remaining dough and beat to combine. Form red dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate both doughs until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
4. Step 4Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide each disk into 24 pieces; roll each piece to a 6” long rope. Take one red and one white rope and twist the two pieces together, bending the top into a hook to form a candy cane shape. Place on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Repeat with remaining dough. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes.
5. Step 5While cookies chill, preheat oven to 350°F. Bake cookies until just set and edges are lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.