Candy Cane Cookies | Swanky Recipes (2024)

  • 3 Comments
  • Baking, Cookies, Desserts

Jump to Recipe Pin This Recipe

Candy Cane Cookies | Swanky Recipes (2)

When I was a little girl, I remember making this recipe with my grandma every year. It wasn’t until I was in college and on my own that I started baking cookies to bring home for the holidays. This was one of my first go to recipes that I would bake. This recipe is not like the updated version of these cookies that contain milk and just don’t taste like the very popular cookies from the 1980’s and 1990’s. This is the classic candy cane sugar cookies recipe that my grandma uses and that is hard to find now days. Candy cane sugar cookies are a very fitting dessert for the holidays. They make a beautiful presentations at the dessert table and are sure to bring back old memories!

Crush peppermint candy canes to garnish before baking.

Peppermint ExtractCandy Cane Cookies | Swanky Recipes (3)

Peppermint CandyCandy Cane Cookies | Swanky Recipes (4)

Candy Cane Cookies | Swanky Recipes (5)

Ingredients

1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

2 large egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1/2 teaspoon red liquid food coloring (can use Red Paste food coloringCandy Cane Cookies | Swanky Recipes (6))

Candy Cane Cookies | Swanky Recipes (7)

Directions

In a medium bowl fitted with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar just until creamy. Separate eggs and add the egg yolks. Add vanilla and almond extracts and beat until combined. Sift flour mixture then add the flour mixture, in three additions, and beat until you have a smooth dough.

Remove half of the dough from the mixing bowl. To the remaining half add the red food coloring and beat on low speed until well blended. If you find the dough too soft, cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Take a walnut sized piece of red dough and a walnut sized piece of white dough. Separately, roll each color on a lightly floured surface, into a 4-5 inch (10-12.5 cm) long rope. Place the two ropes side by side, gently press together, and twist the two ropes to form a spiral. Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Shape each cookie into a cane shape by bending one end into a hook shape. (If you find the cookies a little soft, place the baking sheet (with the unbaked cookies) in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before baking.)
Crush peppermint candy canes to garnish before baking. Optional***

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place rack in center of oven.

Bake cookies for about 8 -10 minutes or until set and the edges of the cookies are just starting to brown. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and let cookies cool completely on baking sheet.
Cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. May be kept in an airtight container in freezer for up to a month.

Candy Cane Cookies | Swanky Recipes (8)

Candy Cane Cookies

Favorite Recipe

When I was a little girl, I remember making this recipe with my grandma every year. It wasn't until I was in college and on my own that I started baking cookies to bring home for the holidays. This was one of my first go to recipes that I would bake. This recipe is not like the updated version of these cookies that contain milk and just don't taste like the very popular cookies from the 1980's and 1990's. This is the classic candy cane sugar cookies recipe that my grandma uses and that is hard to find now days. Candy cane sugar cookies are a very fitting dessert for the holidays. They make a beautiful presentations at the dessert table and are sure to bring back old memories!

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings 30

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon red liquid food coloring (can use red paste food coloring)

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl fitted with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar just until creamy. Separate eggs and add the egg yolks. Add vanilla and almond extracts and beat until combined. Sift flour mixture then add the flour mixture, in three additions, and beat until you have a smooth dough.

  • Remove half of the dough from the mixing bowl. To the remaining half add the red food coloring and beat on low speed until well blended. If you find the dough too soft, cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

  • Take a walnut sized piece of red dough and a walnut sized piece of white dough. Separately, roll each color on a lightly floured surface, into a 4-5 inch (10-12.5 cm) long rope. Place the two ropes side by side, gently press together, and twist the two ropes to form a spiral. Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Shape each cookie into a cane shape by bending one end into a hook shape. (If you find the cookies a little soft, place the baking sheet (with the unbaked cookies) in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before baking.)

  • Crush peppermint candy canes to garnish before baking. Optional***

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place rack in center of oven.

  • Bake cookies for about 8 -10 minutes or until set and the edges of the cookies are just starting to brown. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and let cookies cool completely on baking sheet.

  • Cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. May be kept in an airtight container in freezer for up to a month.

Notes

**Crush peppermint candy canes to garnish before baking.
***Cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. **May be kept in an airtight container in freezer for up to a month. *Peppermint extract may be used (1/2 - 1 teaspoon) to give it more taste. **Recipe can be doubled. ***Use red, green, brown food coloring for holidays.

Nutritional information is only an estimate and it's accuracy is not guaranteed to be exact.

Save This Recipe To Your Favorites

Create an account on our website and save your favorite recipes. You'll be able to access your favorite recipes on any device!

Favorite Recipe

for more on the recipe visit joyofbaking. Image from countryliving

You may also enjoy

25 Best Christmas Cookie Recipes

Candy Cane Cookies | Swanky Recipes (9)

40 Best Christmas Desserts

Candy Cane Cookies | Swanky Recipes (10)

20 Holiday Drink Recipes

Candy Cane Cookies | Swanky Recipes (11)

3 Responses

  1. I was just wondering how much of an almond flavor these have?

    Reply

    1. Ally, if using almond extract, they will have an almond taste. If you do not want to use or cannot, use 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or sub in a little peppermint extract. Hope this helps

      Reply

  2. I’ve been looking for the original version of these cookies everywhere, and here they are! Thanks for the great recipe, I remember making these with my mom long ago and now I will be able to make them with my kids this week!

    Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Candy Cane Cookies | Swanky Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why is my candy cane chewy? ›

If it clings, it probably isn't as fresh as it can be. >> Bite it: Before you stir it into your cocoa, try sinking your teeth into the cane. If it's weirdly soft and chewy, you might want to discard.

How do you make a giant candy cane? ›

  1. Step 1: Choose your PVC pipe. You will choose your length of PVC pipe depending on how tall you want your candy canes to be. ...
  2. Step 2: Create the arch. To create the arched part of the candy cane, I used 5 – 3 inch PVC DWV 45 degree street elbows. ...
  3. Step 3: Add the tinsel. To create the stripes, I used tinsel.

Can you eat a year old candy cane? ›

"Things like candy canes or ribbon candy are good for well over a year, up to five years possibly. The sugar creates a matrix that holds it all together," said Allured. This is as long as you store it in a cool, dry place: "Humidity is the enemy."

How do you break candy canes for baking? ›

Place the unwrapped candy canes in a ziplock bag. Seal the bag and place it on the cutting board. Use a rolling pin or the back of a spoon to crush the candy canes until they reach your desired consistency.

What can you turn a candy cane into? ›

These recipes do involve crushed candy canes, but they all add something to make the desser more than merely cookies with crushed candy canes on top.
  • Peppermint Candy Cane Brownies. ...
  • Peppermint Candy Cane Cake Balls. ...
  • White Chocolate Peppermint Marshmallow Fudge. ...
  • Candy Cane Marshmallows. ...
  • Candy Cane Meringues.

What is the shape of a candy cane called? ›

It's long been believed that the now-famous crook shape came about in 1670, when a German choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral bent the candy sugar sticks to make them look like shepherd's hooks.

What does cream of tartar do in candy canes? ›

Cream of tartar helps give the candy canes their more white color and softer texture so this ingredient isn't always used but is definitely preferred.

What does vinegar do to a candy cane? ›

Within 25 minutes or so, we had our results and we could determine if our predictions were correct/incorrect. The cup with the warm water was the first liquid to completely dissolve the candy cane, while the vinegar was the first liquid to remove all of the red from the candy cane.

How do you jazz up sugar cookies? ›

you can add extracts. for example peppermint or almond or you can add chocolate chips or dried fruit. Every time I make sugar cookies, regardless of the recipe, the dough always turns out way too crumbly to roll into a ball. I always end up adding a lot more butter than is called for.

What brings out the flavor in cookies? ›

Add Spices To Your Dough

Spices can add an amazing aroma and flavor to your cookies. I use spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves to bring out the flavor in many recipes.

How to jazz up sugar cookies? ›

Take plain sugar cookies up a notch with exciting mix-ins like chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, toasted chopped nuts, chopped dried fruit or M&M's. Add these after blending your butter and egg into the sugar cookie mix.

How do you know if candy canes have gone bad? ›

Expired candy canes will be sticky & taste off like old minty candy..

Why did my hard candy turn out chewy? ›

The simple answer is that there is too much moisture in your candy. One or more factors could be contributing to this problem.

What if my candy cane is soft? ›

Candy canes don't really go bad, as far as safety. They do become quite sticky, and sometimes a bit soft. We've eaten some several months after Christmas.

How do you make hard chewy candy soft? ›

To speed that process along, leave the candy in a loosely covered container with a damp paper towel. If the candy is not wrapped, place a double sheet of plastic wrap between the damp towel and the candy. Change the damp towel every two to three days. It will still probably take a month or so for the candy to soften.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Nathanael Baumbach

Last Updated:

Views: 6130

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (75 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Nathanael Baumbach

Birthday: 1998-12-02

Address: Apt. 829 751 Glover View, West Orlando, IN 22436

Phone: +901025288581

Job: Internal IT Coordinator

Hobby: Gunsmithing, Motor sports, Flying, Skiing, Hooping, Lego building, Ice skating

Introduction: My name is Nathanael Baumbach, I am a fantastic, nice, victorious, brave, healthy, cute, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.