Old-fashioned candy cane cookies for Christmas: a classic recipe that is always tasty and fun to make.
These candy cane cookies are a classic recipe that turn out super cute and are fun to make. A word of warning though–you really have to be into making cookies, because they are a little more labor intensive. Easy to make, but they take some time. Don’t plan on making them if you are in a rush.
I used the Betty Crocker candy cane cookies recipe, but they are all pretty much the same. It is a basic sugar cookie dough with some added mint extract.
Before you get started, know that you have to make the dough and then refrigerate it for four hours or overnight before you can form and bake them.
Betty Crocker Candy Cane Cookies recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
- 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 egg
- 3 1/2 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red food color
- 2 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candies
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Directions
- Stir together 1 cup sugar, the butter, milk, vanilla, peppermint extract and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Divide dough in half. Stir food color into 1 half. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
- Heat oven to 375ºF.
- Stir together peppermint candy and 2 tablespoon sugar; set aside.
- For each candy cane, shape 1 rounded teaspoon dough from each half into 4-inch rope by rolling back and forth on floured surface. Place 1 red and white rope side by side; press together lightly and twist. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; curve top of cookie down to form handle of cane.
- Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until set and very light brown. Immediately sprinkle candy mixture over cookies. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
The recipe says “stir food coloring into one half,” but stir really isn’t the right word. I made a dent in the middle of the half of the dough I was making pink, dropped the food color drops in there, and then closed it up and kneaded the ball of dough until the color was evenly distributed.
When rolling the dough, I pinched and rolled a ball of each color to ensure similar size, then rolled it between my palms to start elongating it and then transferred it to wax paper to roll longer. You can roll adding pressure to parts of the dough to get it evenly sized down the length of the “rope.” Next, twist them together and form a cane and transfer to your cookie sheet.
The candy crushed candy cane and sugar didn’t stick to the candy cane cookies when they came out of the oven, so I scratched that step. I think they look great without the candy cane stuff on top, a bit more classic. The mint extract in the dough is a nice flavor without being overpowering.
I always cool on wax paper instead of a wire rack. It works out fine.
I liked the candy cane cookies recipe and would definitely make it again. I hope our friends and family enjoy them as well. Don’t forget to leave some for Santa…
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases from product links on this site.
