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Candy Cane Cookies Recipe

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★★★★★

4.9 from 116 reviews

These festive Candy Cane Cookies are a delightful holiday treat featuring a tender, buttery dough twisted into iconic red and white candy cane shapes. Infused with vanilla and lightly sweetened, these cookies are perfect for Christmas celebrations, combining a fun shaping process with a simple baking method to create charming, delicious cookies that delight kids and adults alike.

Ingredients

Scale

Cookie Dough

  • 125 g unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup)
  • 100 g powdered sugar (3/4 cup)
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 250 g all-purpose flour (2 cups)
  • 1 pinch of salt

Decoration

  • Red gel food coloring

Instructions

  1. Cream the Butter and Sugar: Beat the softened butter with the powdered sugar until the mixture is light and creamy, ensuring good incorporation of air for a tender cookie texture.
  2. Add Egg and Vanilla: Incorporate the egg and vanilla extract into the butter-sugar mixture and mix until smooth, creating a homogeneous batter.
  3. Combine Dry Ingredients: Add the all-purpose flour and a pinch of salt to the wet ingredients, mixing gently just until the dough comes together without overmixing to avoid a tough cookie.
  4. Divide the Dough: Split the dough evenly into two portions for coloring and shaping.
  5. Color One Portion: Tint one half of the dough with red gel food coloring thoroughly, then wrap both the colored and plain dough portions in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to firm up.
  6. Shape Dough Balls: After chilling, roll small balls of dough weighing approximately 15 grams each, preparing for the twisted candy cane shape.
  7. Form Candy Cane Shapes: Roll one red dough ball and one plain dough ball each into thin ropes, twist the two ropes together carefully, and bend the top to mimic a traditional candy cane hook.
  8. Chill Shaped Cookies: Place the formed candy cane-shaped cookies onto a lined baking sheet and chill for 1 hour to help maintain their shape during baking. Alternatively, freeze for 20 minutes as a quicker option.
  9. Bake the Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), then bake the cookies for about 10 minutes or until the edges turn lightly golden, indicating they are perfectly baked.
  10. Cool and Serve: Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on the baking sheet before serving or storing to allow them to set and finish firming up.

Notes

  • Use gel food coloring for more vibrant colors without altering the dough consistency.
  • Chilling the dough and shaped cookies is essential to maintain the candy cane shape during baking.
  • You can store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
  • For a festive touch, consider adding a little peppermint extract to the dough instead of vanilla extract.

Keywords: Candy Cane Cookies, Christmas Cookies, Holiday Cookies, Festive Cookies, Vanilla Cookies, Twisted Cookies

Find it online: https://www.sanacooks.com/candy-cane-cookies-recipe/