This Candy Cane Cookies recipe is a family-favorite cookie that creates sweet holiday memories. Always a favorite at Christmas parties and cookie exchanges.
In a large bowl, beat together butter, both sugars, both extracts, and egg on low, just until combined. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.
Divide dough in half, making sure you have 2 equal portions. Add red food coloring gel to half of the dough until the desired color is reached. Wrap each portion of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerated for 3-4 hours.
In a small bowl, combine peppermint candy and 2 tablespoons sugar. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
To make a candy cane cookie, take 1 level teaspoon of each dough. Roll each teaspoon into a 5″ rope (use a ruler, if necessary). Place one red and one white rope next to each other and begin twisting the two colors together, while pressing ends together so that they won’t unravel.
Place on an ungreased baking sheet, curving the top to one side to form the look of a candy cane. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately sprinkle cookies with the sugar/peppermint mixture. Movie cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Reviews
Tosh on 2016-12-02 (5 stars): I use to make these with my mom as a kid, some of the best childhood Christmas memory..on of my favorite Christmas cookies. Thanks for posting. I'll be making these this Christmas season especially for my mom, she can see to bake any more....Thank you! !!♡
Margo on 2016-12-21 (5 stars): Hi, these cookies are so good but mine came out flat and not round like yours look. what did I do wrong or how do you make them round?
Peggy Dewey on 2017-12-12 (5 stars): This was a tradition in our family,my mom made these every year.Still make them for my family every yr.I have passed this on to my daughters,it's not Christmas without them.
Monica @HappyandBlessedHome.com on 2017-12-14 (5 stars): Thank you for this awesome Christmas Cookie Recipe. Pinned - I've included it in a roundup of 20 Amazing Christmas Cookie Recipes at Family Fun Friday. I'd love it if you could PIN and share this awesome cookie round-up featuring your recipe. Together we can spread some Christmas Cheer! Happy Holidays!
Jenna on 2017-12-18 (5 stars): This looks great - haven’t made them yet... can you make the dough then refrigerate until the following day, before shaping and baking?
I’m planning on doing some Christmas baking with my toddler but the 3-4 hours in the fridge would make it a bit tight to get it done all in one day.
TIA
Nicole on 2017-12-24 (5 stars): Meant to say "peppermint extract" instead of "almond extract." Sorry.
Deanna on 2018-12-09 (5 stars): These were made by my grandmother & mother. I started when I was in middle school and every Christmas since then I have made them. My little ones love them! It’s a memory I will always treasure.
Miz Helen on 2018-12-09 (5 stars): Congratulations!
Your post is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. We have pinned it to our features board and thanks so much for sharing this great post with us!
Miz Helen
Amie on 2018-12-11 (3 stars): Mine came out very flat and didn't hold much shape of a candy cane. Any recommendations on how to prevent this? They taste delicious!!!
Susan Huff on 2018-12-12 (3 stars): I began my Christmas baking a few days ago and was unable to find my candy cane cookie recipe. "No candy cane cookies?" - I can hear the family complaining already. So I tried this one instead. Sadly, it wasn't the same. The cookies flattened during baking and did not have the tender/crisp texture of my recipe. Luckily I located my recipe and am making them now. The difference seems to be that mine are made with 1/2 shortening and 1/2 butter, no baking powder, all powdered sugar in the dough and bake at 375 for 9 minutes. Also, I roll mine in coarse sugar prior to baking. Not saying your recipe isn't worthy, it's just not the same.
Alexis on 2018-12-17 (5 stars): I can't wait to make these for my first Christmas gift baskets this year! I am curious if I can make the dough ahead of time and store in the freezer? Or should I prep and cook the same day?
Cat on 2018-12-19 (5 stars): I did it! I have tried for years to recreate my Grandmother's Candy Cane cookies, and failed with dry, chalky cookies that puffed up too much. These are perfect! Delicious and beautiful. Thank you so much.
Cavet Smith on 2018-12-19 (5 stars): In the fridge now. I’m sure they’ll be great!
Sandi Burgess on 2019-11-06 (3 stars): The dough tasted delicious however, two batches, chilling dough, chilling after twisting - came out flat both times. Making the pinwheel ones this time around. Your pics are great - but mine disaster.
Leenore on 2019-12-24 (3 stars): I used egg wash to add red sparkling/sanding sugar before baking and it worked well.
Suzan Tiffany on 2019-12-22 (3 stars): Very difficult to create an actual candy cane shape with two pieces of dough. I'm surprised only one other mentioned using a cutout instead of rolling dough. I did get it done. My six and eight year old girls didn't continue participating for long. Also I tried adding the crushed cane to dough before baking, not good! It melted to a hard neatly impossible to eat mess, also made removing the cookies from baking sheet. They look pretty😊
Leenore on 2019-12-24 (3 stars): The cookies have a wonderful taste and mine turned out rather crispy.
However, I had a hard time working with the dough. When I tried to roll individual red and white tubes/stripes, they cracked and broke during the twisting and shaping. So I made two slabs of dough, equal in size, one of each color. I stacked them on top of each other and refrigerated them. Then I cut them into strips. So I had strips of white and red. (I powdered my hands with powdered sugar while working with the dough to make it easier to manage.) These red/white strips I rolled into ropes. The colors stayed separate. Then I gently twisted the rope and shaped them into canes on a parchment paper on a cookie sheet. After shaping all my cookies I put the sheet into the freezer for 20 minutes to help them firm up. After that, I brushed with egg white wash and sprinkled some sanding sugar / sparkling sugar on top and baked. They still spread out a little but they ended up looking like beautiful candy canes.
Like I said, these cookies have a wonderful taste and my family loves them. They are not as soft as I hoped. I think substituting vegetable shortening for half of the butter would help them soften up and be easier to handle.
Rebecca on 2025-12-13 (5 stars): Delicious easy and a great hit with my family! ♥️
