Vanilla & Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies
Every year, my family enjoys a giant platter of Christmas cookies. And every year you’ll find these adorable vanilla and peppermint candy cane cookies. Their shape is iconic and they have a delightful hint of peppermint. Honestly, I enjoy these more than actual candy canes. So let’s dive in and I’ll show you how to make and twist these winter classics.
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Christmas Classic
These cookies are not a simple drop cookie deal, but the great news is, they are still stinkin’ easy. Ben did not want to spend his lunch break making cookies, but this recipe would be a great holiday activity to do with kids.
Candy canes are an iconic part of Christmas and the whole winter season. But candy canes are sticky and sickly sweet. These candy cane cookies are a great alternative or addition to the candy cane tradition. While their taste is mild, you still get that tasty peppermint flavor!
How to Make Candy Cane Cookies
The dough for these candy cane cookies is crazy easy to whip up. I used my hand mixer to make the dough, but it would be even quicker in a stand mixer. Once you have the dough, divide it into two equal portions.
Add peppermint and red food gel to one half. I used 6 drops of Chefmaster gel color to get a nice, vibrant color. If you use a regular food coloring, the color will be much more faded. In fact, I think you could even do a few more drops of the red gel, but no more than 10 drops total.
In the other half of the dough, I added a squeeze of white food color and vanilla. Both of these are completely optional. In fact, my family’s original recipe does not call for these. But I’m an extra type of person, so I went the extra mile. Or baby step.
How to Twist Candy Cane Cookies
Rolling out the dough and shaping the candy cane cookies is pretty simple, but I know it can really help visual learners to see it for themselves. In the candy cane cookies video, you can see exactly how I made the dough, portioned, and shaped the cookies.
But I’m going to spell it out for you here too. Because I personally love seeing it all written down too.
- Portion out 1 teaspoon of white dough (10g). Roll into a ball, then roll into a 5 inch long rope. Repeat with the red dough.
- Press the two ropes together lightly. Twist the dough into a spiral then hook the top to make a candy cane shape. I found it helps to roll the two ends of the dough in opposite directions. You’ll see what I mean in the video.
- Place the candy cane cookies on a baking sheet and bake!
Best Tips & Tricks
Okay, these candy cane cookies truly are just that simple. But I do have a few tips, tricks, and notes to share with you. First of all, long nails really make this tricky. I kept poking and stabbing the cookie dough, but they baked up just fine and didn’t look like Wolverine made them, so it’s cool.
As the dough warms up, it will become a little bit sticky. If you’ve read my cookie tips post, you know I only bake one sheet at a time. While one is baking, wrap the dough and put it back in the fridge. When they come out, use a fresh cookie sheet for the next round so that the first sheet can cool down.
Also, dust your surface with a tiny bit of flour. If you use too much, the two ropes won’t stick together well, so be careful. And to make rolling easy, I used a fondant smoother. It’s totes optional, but if you have one, use it!
Related Reading: Five Spice Molasses Cookies
But What Do They Taste Like?
An actual candy cane will smack you in the face with icy peppermint. I love that, but it would be a weird intensity in a cookie. These vanilla and peppermint candy cane cookies are much more subdued, but still have a pleasant dash of peppermint.
If you want an INTENSE peppermint cookie, you could always add more. Personally, I like the smooth blend of vanilla and peppermint in these cookies. But you aren’t baking for me. You can always tweak recipes to suit your own tastes.
Enjoy!
I so hope you get to enjoy these adorable vanilla and peppermint candy cane cookies this holiday season. They are a fun, easy, and festive cookie that you can only enjoy without judgment for a few months each year. I mean, I won’t judge you for eating them in April. You do you.
If you liked my candy cane cookies video on the Bakes & Blunders YouTube channel, let me know! Like that video and subscribe so you can see more of my videos.
Candy Cane Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks or 8 oz, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar 4.5 oz
- 1 egg
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 11.5oz
- ¾ tsp salt
- red gel food coloring
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- white food coloring optional
- ½ tsp vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and egg until combined. Add the flour and salt and mix until combined.
- Divide the dough into two equal halves. To one half add 6- 10 drops of red gel food color and the peppermint extract. Mix until the color is combined.
- Optional step, add a squeeze of white food color and vanilla extract to the other dough and mix until combined. Wrap both cookie doughs and chill for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375° and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Take 1 teaspoon (10g) of the red dough and roll it into a 5 inch long rope. If the dough is too sticky, very lightly dust your counter with flour. Repeat with the white dough.
- Place the two ropes side by side and press them together lightly. Twist the rope and place the dough on a baking sheet, forming the classic candy cane shape.
- Bake for 9- 10 minutes, or until set and very lightly browned. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes, then carefully place the baked cookies on a cooling rack.
Notes
- You can watch this candy cane cookie video to see how I roll and shape the cookies.
Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
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