Description
These festive Candy Cane Cookies combine classic sugar cookie dough with a peppermint twist and striking red and white colors, perfect for holiday celebrations. The dough is divided, colored, twisted into candy cane shapes, and baked until just lightly golden, creating a buttery, tender cookie with a hint of peppermint flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Decorations
- Red gel food coloring
- Granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar using a mixer until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. This process incorporates air which helps to create a tender cookie texture.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract (if using) until fully combined, ensuring an even distribution of flavors in the dough.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt to aerate and evenly distribute the salt.
- Combine Ingredients into Dough: Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until a soft dough forms without overworking to keep the cookies tender.
- Divide and Color Dough: Divide the dough in half. Leave one half plain and color the other half with red gel food coloring, kneading gently until the color is even.
- Chill Dough: Wrap both dough portions tightly in plastic wrap and chill them in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes to firm up and make rolling easier.
- Form Candy Cane Shapes: Roll equal-sized pieces of red and white dough into ropes, twist them together, and shape into candy cane or wreath forms for a festive look.
- Roll in Sugar and Prepare for Baking: Roll the shaped cookies in granulated sugar for a decorative sparkle, then place them on a lined baking sheet, spaced to allow for slight spreading.
- Bake Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the bottoms are lightly browned, ensuring they remain soft and tender.
- Cool Cookies: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to set before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely, preventing breakage.
Notes
- Using gel food coloring prevents the dough from becoming too wet as liquid food coloring might.
- Chilling the dough is key to easy handling and helps the cookies hold their shape during baking.
- For a stronger peppermint flavor, increase the peppermint extract to 1 teaspoon.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week to maintain freshness.
- You can substitute half the all-purpose flour with almond flour for a nutty flavor and slightly softer texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Candy Cane Cookies, sugar cookies, peppermint cookies, holiday cookies, Christmas cookies, festive cookies
