Kid Friendly Candy Cane Cookies Recipe
These festive Candy Cane Cookies combine peppermint and vanilla flavors with a buttery dough that’s twisted into beautiful holiday shapes — fun for kids and adults alike!
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl Large bowl for dough mixing
- 1 Baking sheet Lined with parchment paper
- 1 Wire rack For cooling
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter softened
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons Granulated sugar reserved for topping
- ¼ cup Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Peppermint extract
- 1 Egg
- 2 ½ cups All purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- Red gel food coloring
- 2 tablespoons Crushed candy canes for topping
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream together butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Mix until well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add dry mixture gradually into the wet mixture and combine until dough forms.
- Divide dough in half. Add red gel food coloring to one half and mix until evenly colored.
- Wrap each dough color in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
- Roll a teaspoon of each colored dough into 5-inch ropes. Twist together and form into candy cane shapes.
- Place on cookie sheet and bake for 8–10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle immediately with topping mixture of crushed candy canes and 2 tablespoons sugar.
- Cool cookies on baking sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Between batches, scrape off sugar and candy cane bits from baking sheet to prevent burning. Store cookies in airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days or freeze for longer storage.