Description
Delight in the festive spirit with these charming Candy Cane Cookies, featuring a tender, buttery texture infused with refreshing peppermint and visually striking red-and-white spirals. These cookies are perfect for holiday gatherings or as a sweet seasonal gift.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted butter (1 cup), room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese (1/2 cup), room temperature
- 10 oz granulated sugar (1.33 cups)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 16 oz all-purpose flour (3.5 cups)
- Red gel food coloring (Americolor Super Red recommended)
Instructions
- Beat Butter: Place the room temperature butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat for about 30 seconds until creamy.
- Add Cream Cheese and Sugar: Mix in the cream cheese until combined, then add the granulated sugar and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds.
- Incorporate Egg Yolk and Flavorings: Add the egg yolk, peppermint extract, and salt, mixing until the mixture is cohesive.
- Add Flour: With the mixer running on low, gradually add the all-purpose flour in a steady stream and mix just until combined.
- Divide and Color Dough: Divide the dough in half (about 18 ounces each). Keep one half plain, and add red gel food coloring to the other half, mixing until evenly incorporated.
- Roll Out Dough: Roll each half between sheets of parchment paper into long rectangles approximately 1/4″ thick, 5″ wide, and 18″ long. Chill the dough rectangles in the refrigerator for 10 minutes if necessary to firm up.
- Stack and Meld Dough: Carefully stack the red dough rectangle on top of the white one, then gently roll with a rolling pin to meld them together into a two-toned rectangle about 1/2″ thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.
- Shape Cookies: Use a sharp knife to cut thin strips about 1/2″ wide and 5″ long. Roll each strip between your hands to round the edges, twist gently to create a spiral pattern, and curve one end to form a hooked candy cane shape. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Preheat Oven and Chill Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Place one baking sheet of shaped cookies in the freezer while the oven preheats to chill them without freezing.
- Bake Cookies: Bake chilled cookies for 12-14 minutes until they puff slightly and lose their raw shine, with light golden bottoms.
- Cool and Store: Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before removing. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- The dough can be soft but working between parchment paper helps shape it easily; brief refrigeration can help if it becomes too soft or hard to handle.
- Chilling the assembled dough rectangle helps make cutting and shaping easier and maintains the candy cane shape during baking.
- Using gel food coloring is recommended to achieve vibrant red shades without altering dough consistency.
- Freeze baking sheets with shaped cookies briefly before baking to help cookies hold their shape better.
- These cookies store well and can be frozen for longer storage without loss of texture or flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
