Easy Candy Cane Cookies Recipe for a Merry Christmas
Candy Cane Cookies are a quintessential holiday delight, surprisingly simple to create! These charming treats start with a basic sugar cookie dough, resulting in a buttery, vanilla-infused flavor that everyone will adore. Imagine these show-stopping cookies gracing your Christmas cookie platter, adding a touch of festive magic to your holiday spread.
The holiday baking season is upon us, and it’s time to create delicious and memorable treats! While revisiting cherished classics, why not add a new star to your repertoire? These iconic candy cane cookies are a perfect place to start, bringing joy and festive spirit to your kitchen.
These enchanting cookies are crafted from a simple sugar cookie dough, elegantly colored and twisted to mimic the classic candy cane form. The result is a delightfully soft, tender, and buttery cookie that is sure to impress.
Envision these enchanting cookies taking center stage on your holiday dessert table, nestled within beautifully adorned cookie boxes for gifting, or even left out as a special treat for Santa Claus himself!
Why You’ll Love Them
- Crafted with one simple dough. This festive recipe features a reliable sugar cookie dough. Simply divide the dough in half, blend in red food coloring, and twist to achieve those signature candy cane stripes. The versatility of a great sugar cookie base makes this recipe incredibly easy.
- Indulgently Buttery and Soft. These sugar cookies possess a melt-in-your-mouth soft and tender texture, reminiscent of those unforgettable Christmas pinwheel cookies. The perfect balance of butter and sugar creates an irresistible treat.
- Surprisingly Simple to Make. Don’t let their elaborate look fool you; these cookies are surprisingly easy to make. Just adhere to our simple shaping success tips, and you’ll be creating masterpieces in no time. The key is patience and a little bit of practice.
- Dough that’s Freezer-Friendly. Just like white chocolate peppermint cookies, the dough can be prepared up to three months in advance. So, put on your apron, gather all the necessary ingredients, and start your holiday baking preparations early! Preparing in advance can take the stress out of the busy holiday season.
Candy Cane Cookies Video
Ingredients
The essential ingredients required for this recipe are the same as the foundation of our popular cinnamon roll cookies. Let’s take a closer look at each ingredient and its significance:
- All-purpose flour: Precisely measure the flour and sift it to achieve a lighter texture, which prevents a dense cookie. This step ensures a delicate and airy final product.
- Baking powder: Functions as a leavening agent, helping the cookies rise and giving them their airy texture. To assess the freshness of your baking powder, add ½ teaspoon to a bowl and pour a dash of white vinegar or water over it. If it fizzes immediately, the baking powder is fresh; if not, replace it with a new batch. Using fresh baking powder is essential for proper rising.
- Kosher salt: Salt plays a vital role in elevating the overall flavor profile. We generally opt for kosher salt when baking because it dissolves evenly, but if you only have table salt, that’s acceptable too—just use slightly less to compensate for its finer texture. A touch of salt balances the sweetness perfectly.
- Unsalted butter: Just like in butter cookies, butter is the secret ingredient to creating soft, flavorful, and rich cookies. Choose unsalted butter to have better control over the overall salt content of your recipe. The richness of the butter is what makes these cookies so decadent.
- Sugar: Serves more than just adding sweetness; it is a key player in the texture and structure of your cookies. For about 3 minutes, cream it together with butter until the mixture becomes light and fluffy to make sure that your cookies have that impeccable texture. Proper creaming of the butter and sugar is crucial for achieving the right consistency.
- Eggs: The binding agent that unites all the ingredients. Use room-temperature eggs to ensure a better incorporation into the dough. Room temperature eggs emulsify more easily, creating a smoother dough.
- Vanilla extract: Elevates the cookies’ overall flavor with its enticing vanilla fragrance. A high-quality vanilla extract will enhance the overall taste experience.
- Red food coloring: The striking red color you see in our photos results from using gel food coloring, which is significantly more concentrated compared to standard (water-based) food coloring. You’ll also need much less gel food coloring to accomplish a vibrant, festive candy cane color. Start with a small amount and gradually add more until you achieve your desired shade.
Peppermint Twist: If you’re a peppermint enthusiast, experiment with the recipe by lowering the vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon and adding 1.5 teaspoons of peppermint extract. Then, give our recipe for white chocolate peppermint cookies a try!
See the recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Candy Cane Cookies
Chilling the cookie dough for a minimum of 1 hour is critical for success with this recipe, so ensure you allocate sufficient time before getting started. Trust us, they are absolutely worth every moment of waiting!
- Sift and blend dry ingredients. Combine and sift the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Sifting ensures the dry ingredients are evenly distributed, preventing lumps in the dough.
- Cream butter and sugar. Employ a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream together the softened unsalted butter and sugar in a sizable mixing bowl until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. This process incorporates air into the mixture, resulting in a tender cookie.
- Incorporate eggs and vanilla extract. Incorporate the eggs one at a time, thoroughly beating after each addition. Integrate the vanilla extract, blending the ingredients until they achieve a consistently smooth and creamy texture. The vanilla extract enhances the overall flavor profile of the cookies.
- Incorporate dry ingredients. Switch the mixer off and add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, blending only until a soft dough comes together. Exercise caution not to overmix; combine just enough to incorporate the ingredients. Overmixing can result in tough cookies.
- Divide the dough. Remove the dough and divide it equally in half. Mold one piece of the dough into a square, tightly wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. This section will become the white part of the candy cane cookies.
- Incorporate food coloring. Return the remaining dough to the stand mixer bowl, and with the mixer set to “low,” add the red food coloring incrementally until you achieve your preferred shade. Remove this portion of dough, shape it into a square, tightly wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. This will serve as the red segment of the cookies.
- Refrigerate both portions of dough for a minimum of 30 minutes. This chilling period allows the gluten to relax and the butter to solidify, preventing the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
Note: The crucial element of this recipe is refrigerating the dough post-mixing, allowing the butter ample time to re-solidify before you begin shaping the cookies.
- Line both baking sheets with parchment paper. Parchment paper prevents the cookies from sticking and makes for easy cleanup.
- Shape the candy canes. Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Divide each dough portion (both plain and red) into approximately 18 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a small ball, then roll each ball into an 8-inch rope. Generously flour your work surface during the rolling and twisting process to keep the dough from adhering.
Pro Tip: Generously flour the work surface throughout the rolling and twisting stages to avoid the dough sticking.
- Twist one white rope together with one red rope. The twisting action creates the classic candy cane swirl.
- Transfer the cookie onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, and then gently curve the top to form the candy cane shape. Duplicate with the remaining dough pieces, re-flouring your work surface as required.
- Chill the shaped cookies before baking. Transfer the prepared baking sheets to the freezer for about 20 minutes, or to the refrigerator for around 30 minutes.
Note: One of the most vital tips is to refrigerate, or even freeze, the cookies once they have been formed into candy canes, but before baking them. This crucial stage will keep the butter in the dough from melting too rapidly in the oven, which tends to make cookies morph into shapeless blobs!
- Bake the cookies for approximately 10 to 12 minutes in an oven preheated to 350ºF, until they are a pale golden color.
- Allow to cool and savor! Let the candy cane cookies rest on the baking sheets for a few minutes before moving them to wire racks to cool entirely. After they have cooled, share these festive goodies with loved ones, or keep them to serve at your holiday gatherings!
Tips for Making These Cookies
- Creaming Technique: Cream the butter and sugar thoroughly, for around 3 minutes, until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. This process is crucial for ensuring the candy cane cookies achieve a soft and tender texture.
- Handling the Dough: Because this dough contains a large amount of butter, it’s essential to handle it sparingly to prevent your hands’ heat from softening it excessively. Flour your work surface as you go to avoid any sticking. If it becomes too soft, place it back in the refrigerator for approximately 15 minutes so it can firm up again.
- Twist as You Go: Form each cookie individually, rather than rolling out all the white and red dough first. This helps to ensure that the cookie dough remains flexible and doesn’t dry out before you’re ready to twist it.
- Chilling the Dough: Don’t neglect this step! After forming the cookies, chill them in the freezer for a minimum of 20 minutes. This action assists in preventing excessive spreading during baking and preserving the candy cane shape.
- Experiment with Peppermint Extract: For those who adore peppermint, consider giving the peppermint twist variation a try! Reduce the vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon and add 1.5 teaspoons of peppermint extract to the red portion of the dough for an extra burst of minty flavor.
- Decorating: For an additional touch of festivity, consider sprinkling the cookies with crushed candy canes or sanding sugar immediately after removing them from the oven.
Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions
Make-Ahead Instructions
Follow the recipe to prepare the candy cane cookie dough, and after it has been prepared, you have the following choices:
- Chill in the refrigerator. When you anticipate baking within approximately one or two days, seal the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- Freeze for later use. For longer make-ahead potential, tightly seal each portion in plastic wrap, place them in a freezer-safe bag or container, and freeze for a maximum of 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before you’re ready to use.
Freezing Baked Cookies
When you have already baked the cookies and you want to freeze them, follow these steps:
- Cool completely, layer, and wrap. After the cookies have fully cooled, stack them in layers, separating each layer with wax or parchment paper. Wrap the entire stack in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn.
- Transfer the wrapped stack of cookies to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Keep frozen for up to around 2-3 months.
- Thaw and enjoy. When you are prepared to enjoy the cookies, take them out of the freezer, unwrap them, and allow them to thaw at room temperature. Doing so will help to maintain their texture and taste.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is it important to chill the dough?
- Chilling the dough facilitates its firming up, which simplifies handling and prevents excessive spreading during baking. It also enriches the cookies’ flavor and texture.
- How can I prevent the cookie dough from cracking while rolling?
- If the dough begins to crack, return it to the refrigerator for approximately 15 minutes. This procedure will firm up the dough, making it much more manageable and lowering the chances of cracks developing.
- How long will the baked cookies last at room temperature?
- The baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to about 1 week at room temperature.
- How can I avoid the edges of the cookies from browning too much?
- Maintain a watchful eye over the cookies while they bake, and remove them from the oven when the edges have just set. They will continue to firm up as they cool.
More Christmas Cookies You’ll Love
- Marshmallow Christmas Wreaths
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookie Cups with Cream Cheese Frosting
- The Best Cutout Sugar Cookies
- Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies
- Grinch Cookies
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