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Candy cane cookies with red and green swirls and crushed peppermint pieces on a ceramic plate

Candy Cane Cookies with Crushed Candy Canes

Candy Cane Cookies with Crushed Candy Canes are festive, crisp-edged treats with a buttery peppermint flavor and colorful candy cane finish. They are a fun and easy dessert for holiday gatherings or seasonal baking.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 130
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Red and green food coloring, optional
Decoration
  • Crushed candy canes for decoration

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.
  2. Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is smooth.
  3. Mix the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract into the butter mixture until combined.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  5. Add the dry mixture gradually to the wet ingredients, mixing just until the flour is incorporated.
  6. Split the dough into two equal portions.
  7. Tint one portion red and the other green with food coloring, if desired.
  8. Shape small pieces of each dough color into ropes of the same length.
  9. Twist one red rope with one green rope, then form the twisted dough into candy cane shapes.
  10. Arrange the shaped cookies on ungreased baking sheets.
Baking
  1. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden.
  2. Immediately scatter crushed candy canes over the warm cookies after they come out of the oven.
  3. Move the cookies to wire racks and allow them to cool completely before serving.

Notes

If the dough becomes too soft to shape into ropes, chill it briefly until it is easier to handle.