Candy Cane Cookies Recipe

Candy Cane Cookies Recipe delivers buttery peppermint sugar cookies with crisp edges, a soft center, and that classic red-and-white twist. Bakers who want a festive holiday cookie that shapes well and bakes in about 1 hour 20 minutes will love this. I baked a version of these with my aunt every December, and the dough still makes my kitchen smell like pure cheer.

Why Choose This Candy Cane Cookies Recipe

This Candy Cane Cookies Recipe gives you tender butter cookies with a clean peppermint finish and a photo-ready swirl. The dough handles like a dream, holds its shape, and bakes without spreading all over your sheet pan.

I fine-tuned the peppermint level so it tastes bright without going toothpaste-y. You can mix by hand or with a mixer, chill briefly, and twist ropes like you did with play dough as a kid.

I made these for a cookie swap, and they vanished before the cocoa even cooled ★★★★★

Ingredients You Need

• Unsalted butter: 1 cup or 226 g, softened to room temp; I like European-style for extra flavor, but any good butter works
• Granulated sugar: 1 cup or 200 g
• Large egg: 1
• Pure vanilla extract: 1.5 teaspoons; Nielsen-Massey gives a lovely aroma
• Peppermint extract: 3/4 teaspoon; use pure peppermint, not mint blend, and measure lightly
• All-purpose flour: 3 cups or 360 g; King Arthur gives consistent results
• Baking powder: 1 teaspoon
• Fine sea salt: 1/2 teaspoon
• Red gel food coloring: about 1/2 teaspoon; gel beats liquid because it won’t water down the dough; Americolor or Wilton hold color well
• Optional garnish: 2 tablespoons crushed candy canes or coarse sanding sugar
• Pantry shortcut: Use 2 pounds store-bought sugar cookie dough, mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, then tint half red

Equipment

• Stand mixer or hand mixer with paddle attachments
• Mixing bowls, rubber spatula, and whisk
• Plastic wrap or reusable silicone wraps
• Half-sheet pans, parchment or silicone mats
• Small cookie scoop or tablespoon
• Bench scraper and ruler for neat ropes
• Cooling racks

How to Make Candy Cane Cookies Recipe

Step 1: Cream butter and sugar

• Beat softened butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl.
• Add egg, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Beat 30 seconds until smooth.

Step 2: Add dry ingredients

• Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
• Add dry mix to the butter bowl on low speed. Mix until the dough comes together and no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.

Step 3: Split and color the dough

• Divide dough into two equal pieces by weight. Tint one portion with red gel food coloring, kneading with a spatula until even.
• Wrap both portions flat as disks. Chill 30 minutes to make shaping easier.

Step 4: Roll ropes and twist

• Line two pans with parchment. Pinch off 1 tablespoon portions from each color.
• Roll each into 6-inch ropes on a lightly floured surface. Place one red and one plain rope side by side, pinch tops, and twist gently. Curve the top to form a cane. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Chill shaped canes on the pans 10 minutes to help them keep clean lines.

Step 5: Bake

• Heat oven to 350°F or 175°C.
• Bake one pan at a time for 9 to 11 minutes until the bottoms look set and the tops look dry but not browned.
• Cool on the pan 5 minutes, then move to racks. Sprinkle crushed candy canes or sanding sugar while warm if you want sparkle.

Tips & Common Mistakes

• Chill the dough so it rolls cleanly and resists cracking.
• Use gel color, not liquid, so the dough stays firm.
• Weigh dough portions for uniform cookies that bake evenly.
• Roll ropes with light pressure to avoid stretching and thinning.
• Twist gently so the colors stay defined and do not smear.
• Keep canes about the same size so one batch does not overbake.
• Pull cookies when they look set but pale; browning makes them dry.
• Go easy on peppermint extract; too much can taste harsh.
• Work with half the dough at a time and keep the rest chilled so it stays easy to shape.
• Let cookies cool fully before stacking to prevent sticking.

Variations I've Tried

• Chocolate swirl: Replace 2 tablespoons flour in the red dough with 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa for a peppermint-chocolate twist.
• Almond sugar cane: Swap peppermint for 1 teaspoon almond extract and dust warm cookies with powdered sugar.
• Peppermint mocha: Add 1 teaspoon espresso powder to the plain dough and keep peppermint in the red dough.
• White chocolate dip: Dip the hook ends in melted white chocolate and sprinkle crushed candy canes.
• Gluten-free test: Use a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend and add 1 tablespoon milk if the dough feels dry.

How to Serve

Set these candy cane cookies on a platter with hot cocoa, coffee, or cold milk. Pair them with chocolate bark or a simple vanilla pudding for a sweet contrast. Tuck a few into gift boxes with parchment between layers so the red stripes stay neat. Crumble the extras over peppermint or vanilla ice cream for an easy sundae.

Make-Ahead and Storage

• Chill the wrapped dough disks up to 3 days in the fridge. Let them sit 10 minutes at room temp before shaping if they feel too firm.
• Freeze wrapped dough up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then shape and bake.
• Store baked cookies in an airtight tin at room temp for 5 to 6 days with parchment between layers.
• Freeze baked cookies up to 2 months. Thaw uncovered at room temp so condensation does not soften the tops.
• Refresh cookies in a 300°F or 150°C oven for 3 to 4 minutes if they lose a little snap.

Ally Sanders

Candy Cane Cookies Recipe

Candy Cane Cookies Recipe delivers buttery peppermint sugar cookies with crisp edges, a soft center, and that classic red-and-white twist.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 32

Course: Dessert

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red gel food coloring
• 2 tablespoons crushed candy canes or coarse sanding sugar

• 2 pounds store-bought sugar cookie dough
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/2 teaspoon red gel food coloring

Instructions

 

1. Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
2. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Beat for about 30 seconds until smooth and well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt.
4. Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together and no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.

1. Divide the dough into two equal portions by weight if possible.
2. Tint one portion with the red gel food coloring, kneading with a spatula or your hands until the color is evenly distributed.
3. Shape each portion into a flat disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for about 30 minutes to make shaping easier.

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. Pinch off about 1 tablespoon of dough from each color. Roll each piece into a 6-inch rope on a lightly floured surface.
3. Place one red rope and one plain rope side by side, pinch the tops together, and gently twist to form a spiral. Curve the top to create a cane shape and place on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Repeat with the remaining dough, keeping the canes similar in size so they bake evenly.
5. Chill the shaped candy canes on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes to help them keep clean lines while baking.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Bake one sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the bottoms look set and the tops look dry but are still pale and not browned.
3. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
4. While the cookies are still warm, sprinkle with crushed candy canes or sanding sugar if using.
5. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely before stacking or storing.

1. If using store-bought sugar cookie dough, mix 2 pounds of dough with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract until evenly combined.
2. Divide the dough in half and tint one half with red gel food coloring.
3. Chill briefly, then shape and bake following the same method and baking times as above.

Notes

Nutrition Information
Approximate per cookie (1 of 32): 120 calories; fat 6 g; saturated fat 4 g; carbohydrates 15 g; fiber 0 g; sugars 8 g; protein 2 g; sodium 70 mg. Values are estimates and will vary based on exact ingredients, decorations, and portion size.