Description
Delight in the festive spirit with these Candy Cane Sugar Cookies, featuring a perfect balance of peppermint and vanilla flavors. Soft, buttery, and beautifully twisted in classic red and white candy cane colors, these cookies are a holiday favorite sure to brighten any celebration.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons pure peppermint extract
- 1¼ teaspoons clear vanilla flavoring
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Coloring
- ½ teaspoon red squeeze gel color
Instructions
- Cream Butter: Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer on medium-high speed, cream the unsalted butter for 1½ to 2 minutes in a large bowl until smooth and fluffy.
- Add Sugar and Cream of Tartar: Reduce the mixing speed to low, add the granulated sugar, cream of tartar, and heavy cream. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is fluffy.
- Incorporate Egg: Lower the mixer speed to low, add the egg, and mix until fully incorporated and smooth.
- Add Flavorings: Mix in the peppermint extract and clear vanilla flavoring thoroughly.
- Add Dry Ingredients: At low speed, gradually add baking powder and flour in ½ cup increments, mixing just until the flour is fully incorporated and no streaks remain.
- Divide Dough: Split the dough into two equal balls. Cover one dough ball (for the white part) and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Color Red Dough: Add the ½ teaspoon red gel color to the remaining dough and mix at low speed until uniformly red with no white streaks. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Just before removing dough from the fridge, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Portion Dough: Cut both red and white dough in half, keeping halves refrigerated. Cover work surface with parchment paper to prevent staining.
- Form Dough Balls: Using a ½ tablespoon, scoop a portion from each color and roll into tight round balls. Chill these dough balls in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
- Roll Dough Ropes: Using cool hands, roll each dough ball into a 5-inch long rope, keeping the ropes rounded to avoid flattening.
- Twist Ropes: Lightly press the bottoms of the two ropes together, then carefully twist them, maintaining their rounded shape.
- Shape and Arrange: Place the twisted ropes on the baking sheet and gently curve the tops into candy cane shapes. Space cookies 2 inches apart.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 7 minutes until edges are set but centers remain soft.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat: Remove the remaining halves of dough from the refrigerator and repeat steps 10 through 14 to bake the rest.
Notes
- Keep hands cool while rolling the dough ropes to prevent the dough from becoming too soft and sticky.
- Use clear vanilla flavoring to avoid discoloring the white dough.
- Chilling the dough before baking helps maintain cookie shape and enhances flavor.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Gel food coloring is recommended for vibrant colors without altering the dough consistency.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 1 hour chilling time for each dough batch)
- Cook Time: 7 minutes per batch
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Candy Cane Sugar Cookies, peppermint sugar cookies, holiday cookies, Christmas cookies, festive dessert, peppermint extract cookies