Grandma’s Candy Cane Cookies
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These Candy Cane Cookies are one of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes! Flavored with peppermint and colored to look like little candy canes, these cookies are charming, whimsical, and delicious. This is one of the few recipes that was shared in my family, and I love making them each year. You will absolutely love making these adorable candy canes to share with your family at Christmastime!
What Are Candy Cane Cookies?
There are so many memories tied up in these delicious peppermint flavored cookies. I can remember coming back to get more of these candy cane cookies from my grandma’s famous cookie bar in her dining room. I had a difficult time stopping myself from eating the entire plate!
These cookies are not necessarily historical, though they did become popular in the 80s and 90s from the big hardcover Christmas baking books that you can now find in just about every thrift store across the US. This recipe has been written using almond extract as well as peppermint extract. My grandma liked to use peppermint, but I also enjoy these cookies with almond flavoring!
Why You’ll Love These Candy Cane Cookies:
Cute and Whimsical. These cookies just exude charm! I love their colorful dough and whimsical candy cane shape. They make a great centerpiece for an old-fashioned cookie bar and are a real crowd pleaser with children.
Great for Kids. Kids absolutely these cookies, but they are also wonderful if you want to avoid real candy canes! Real candy canes can be a bit dangerous for children, so if you are more on the cautious side, then these candy cane cookies can be a great alternative.
Fun to Make. While these aren’t the world’s easiest cookies to make, they are a lot of fun! I love shaping them, and you can get creative and make new shapes, too!
Gathering Ingredients:
Butter. For perfect cookies, I recommend softening your butter to about 62° F (16° C), which is a bit colder than room temperature. This will ensure that your cookies do not become too warm!
Powdered Sugar. Rather than granulated sugar, these cookies use powdered sugar which makes them a shortbread cookie. This helps the cookies to hold their shape while baking rather than spreading out.
Eggs. Make sure that your eggs are room temperature!
Vanilla Extract.
Peppermint Extract. If you prefer, you can swap out the peppermint extract for almond extract for a more traditional version of this recipe.
Flour.
Salt.
Red Gel Food Coloring. I highly suggest using gel food coloring for this recipe so that you do not have to use a lot of coloring to get a striking, deep red color!
How to Shape Candy Cane Cookies:
Step One: Shape a piece of the white dough into a ball about the size of 2 tablespoons. Do the same with a piece of the red dough.
Step Two: Then, roll each ball into a log about 6-inches (15-cm) long.
Step Three: Pinch the ends of the white dough and the red dough logs together.
Step Four: Then, wrap them around each other like a candy cane. Do not roll the two pieces together, but instead braid them, laying each overlapping piece over top of the other. Pinch the opposite ends of the dough together.
Step Five: Shape one end of the cookie into the shape of a hook, like a walking cane, and place the finished cookie onto the baking sheet. Repeat this process with the rest of the dough.
Tips for Making Perfect Candy Cane Cookies:
Weigh Your Ingredients. I test all of my recipes by weight, so if you are wanting the most accurate results for this recipe, it is a good idea to weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale.
Keep the Dough Cold. This dough needs to be cold to retain its shape while baking. If the dough becomes too soft or warm, it will cause the candy canes to spread so you will not get that classic shape with definition. If you notice the dough becoming soft and wet feeling, pop it back into the refrigerator for about 15 to 20 minutes before resuming shaping.
Let the Cookies Rest. After baking, leave the cookies to rest on the baking sheets for a further 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. This will help the cookies to retain their shape. They have a tendency to break if they are still too warm!
Final Thoughts:
This holiday cookie recipe is a modern classic that is beloved by so many! I love making these Candy Cane Cookies with my kids each Christmas, and they especially love eating them. This is a treasured recipe that you can make to share with family and friends, and it’s a real showstopper for your holiday dessert spread. I hope you have fun making your own peppermint flavored candy cane cookies.
xoxo Kayla
Grandma's Candy Cane Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (232 g) salted butter, softened
- 1 cup (115 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 to 1 tsp red gel food coloring
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until the butter has lightened in color and become fluffy in volume, about 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Then, add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing each well into the batter, about 1 to 2 minutes. Finally, beat in the vanilla and peppermint extracts.
- Add the salt and mix in for about 30 seconds, then begin slowly adding the flour. Continue to mix the dough on medium speed until a firm dough forms that no longer clings to the sides of the bowl. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another 1 minute.
- Divide the dough into two equal sized pieces. Shape one piece into a disc and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Set this aside for now. To the remaining half of dough, add the red food coloring. Mix the dough on high speed until it is deeply colored red, about 2 to 3 minutes. Try your best to fully incorporate the coloring to avoid any streaks. Shape the dough into a disc and wrap with plastic wrap.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
- When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375° F (191° C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside for now.
- Remove the doughs from the refrigerator. Shape a piece of the white dough into a ball about the size of 2 tablespoons. Do the same with a piece of the red dough. Then, roll each ball into a log about 6-inches (15-cm) long.
- Pinch the ends of the white dough and the red dough logs together. Then, wrap them around each other like a candy cane. Do not roll the two pieces together, but instead braid them, laying each overlapping piece over top of the other. Pinch the opposite ends of the dough together. Shape one end of the cookie into the shape of a hook, like a walking cane, and place the finished cookie onto the baking sheet. Repeat this process with the rest of the dough.
- Refrigerate the cookies on their baking sheets for about 20 minutes, or pop them into the freezer for about 10 minutes. The dough needs to be cold before baking so that it does not spread.
- Bake the chilled cookies for 10 minutes in the preheated oven or until the edges are just lightly browned. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and leave the cookies to finish baking on the sheets for a further 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
- These cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for about 5 days, or they can be frozen and enjoyed later!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
151Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
