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Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies

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Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies are festive red-and-white twisted sugar cookies flavored with peppermint and vanilla. Soft, buttery, and perfectly sweet, they’re as fun to make as they are to eat—ideal for holiday cookie trays, gifts, or baking with kids.

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons peppermint extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons liquid red food coloring

Optional Topping:

1 egg white + 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)

1 tablespoon granulated sugar or 2 tablespoons crushed candy canes

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, baking powder, salt, and egg until creamy and smooth.
  2. Add flour and mix just until combined to form a soft dough. Do not overmix.
  3. Divide dough in half. Wrap one half in plastic wrap as the white dough. Add red food coloring to the other half, mix until evenly colored, then wrap in plastic.
  4. Chill both doughs for at least 3 hours.
  5. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  6. Roll 1 tablespoon of each dough color into 4-inch logs (or 2 tablespoons each for larger cookies). Place one red and one white log side by side and twist gently to form a spiral. Bend the top to shape a candy cane.
  7. Place cookies on the prepared sheet, spacing them 1–2 inches apart. Chill shaped cookies for 10 minutes before baking.
  8. Brush each cookie lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar or crushed candy canes if desired.
  9. Bake for 6–8 minutes, until edges are just golden. Cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack.

Notes

Add a hint of almond extract for a sweet, nutty undertone.

Roll twisted dough in colored sugar before baking for extra sparkle.

Use green food coloring for a fun color variation.

Freeze unbaked shaped cookies for up to a month; bake straight from frozen.

Drizzle cooled cookies with melted white chocolate and extra crushed candy canes for decoration.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://chocolatecoveredamy.com/peppermint-candy-cane-cookies/