craftygal fridge - Recipe for Candy Cane Christmas Cookies

Find out about the candy cane’s origins.

Use those extra canes for a candy cane smoothie.

Here’s a simple candy cane bark recipe too.

I’m Hooked on These Pepperminty Candy Cane Cookies

by Christy

Ask anyone in my extended family which cookies are first to disappear from the cookie tray at Christmas, and you’ll probably get a consensus: the candy cane cookie. There’s something so settling about these not too sweet, mint cookies that’s just right. They go perfectly with coffee or cocoa, and will be the piece de resistance of your dessert tray this holiday season.

I remember learning the sacred art of rolling the red and white dough just so when I was young, I would make trays full of perfectly twisted candy cane-like cookies--if Christmas cookies are even allowed to be twisted! They always looked so nice at that point, and after they’d baked to a perfect, almost, but not quite, done they were lovelier yet. But the finishing touch is the best part of this recipe. The crushed candy canes sprinkled over the hot cookies are what make them so elegant and eye-catching (oh, and tasty too)!

I have such an affinity for these cookies that I remember picking around these cookies from the bins of Christmas cookies we had to make Santa’s plate. You’re cool Santa… I love you and all, but I’m just not quite sure you’re candy cane cookie worthy!

Recipe:

Cookie Ingredients:

1/2 cup of soft shortening

1/2 cup of soft butter

1 cup of confectioner’s sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp. of almond extract

1 tsp. of vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups of sifted flour

1 tsp. of salt

Topping Ingredients:

1/2 cup of crushed candy canes

1/2 cup of sugar

Directions:

1) Split your dough into two parts and dye one part of it red with about 1 tsp. of red food coloring. Chill dough for 2 to 3 hours.

** After you’ve made your topping (and you’re still waiting for your dough to chill) try the other quick and easy recipes in the "Weblinks" section of this article with your leftover candy canes.

2) While the dough is cooling, crush candy canes in a food processor and set aside for later combined with the sugar.

** If you don’t have a food processor in the house, a meat tenderizing mallet and a thick plastic bag will get the job done as well. Sandwich baggies and zip-lock bags are great because you can keep an eye on the consistency of the crushed candy canes, which should be about the same texture as your sugar in the end.

3) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll one small ball (quarter-sized) of each color. On a flat surface, roll your balls into 3-inch long strips (give or take). Placing the red and white strips side by side, roll them together in one direction until the two colors have wrapped around one another and twisted together. Do not roll the strip back and forth. Now you’ll have one smooth strip of dough that’s about 4 or 5 inches long. Curve the strip at the top to the shape of a candy cane and place it on your cookie sheet.

4) Bake a tray, checking frequently to avoid browning the cookies, for about 9 minutes. Turn and rotate the trays if necessary.

5) Promptly after removing the trays from the oven, remove the cookies to a brown paper bag or a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes/sugar topping on the cookies, covering them well. After they cool for a couple minutes, lift the cookies from the paper and place them on a cooling wrack. Reuse the excess candy cane powder for later trays of cookies.

Be sure to handle these cookies with care once they’ve cooled off because the candy cane powder is not necessarily fixed to the cookie. It’s best to make this cookie project a family bake date or have a friend over to help keep the process running efficiently.