Candy Cane Cookies Recipe

Baked red and white candy cane cookies sprinkled with crushed candy.

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These candy cane cookies are buttery, tender, and perfectly festive—without an overpowering peppermint flavor. Easy to shape and customize (peppermint optional!), they’re a classic Christmas cookie for holiday trays, cookie swaps, and gifting.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings cookies

Author Melissa Williams

Ingredients

1 cup (226 g) butter softened to room temp
1 cup (113 g) powdered sugar
1 large egg
1½ teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2½ cups (300 g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon (4 g) kosher salt
red food coloring
white sanding sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
To a large mixing bowl, add the butter, sugar, egg, almond extract, and vanilla. Use a hand mixer to cream together.
1 cup butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 large egg, 1½ teaspoon almond extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add in the flour and salt and mix until just combined.
2½ cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Divide the dough in half, placing half the dough into a small mixing bowl.
Use the hand mixer to blend red food coloring into half the dough until it reaches the shade you're after.
red food coloring
Lightly flour a board. Use a small cookie scoop to scoop 1 teaspoon of each dough. Roll each into a ball then use the palm of your hand to roll each ball into an approximately 2 inch rope.
Gently pinch the two ropes together and continue rolling with the palm of your hand until it reaches 4 inches in length.
Gently pinch one end while twisting the other so the colors form the candy cane stripes. Shape the end into a hook and lay onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until out of dough.
Pour white sanding sugar onto a plate and press each cookie into the sugar and then back onto the baking sheet.
white sanding sugar
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until very lightly brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for approximately 5 minutes.

Notes

I use salted butter but unsalted can be used.
How much food coloring you need will depend on which type and brand you use and how dark you want the red to be. I used approximately 1/2 teaspoon of red gel food coloring.
If you don't have white sanding sugar, granulated sugar can be used.
For a peppermint flavor, use 1 1/2 teaspoons of peppermint extract in place of almond extract.
We also used Wilton Peppermint Crunch sprinkles mixed with the white sanding sugar for half the batch.
Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Nutrition