Christmas Candy Canes
Submitted by kunigas
Twisted peppermint candy cane cookies with red and white dough, sprinkled with crushed candy while still warm. A festive holiday baking project that kids and adults both love shaping by hand.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
35 minCOOK
10 minREADY
45 minThese are the cookies that make a Christmas cookie platter look like a million bucks.
Two doughs, one plain and one tinted pink with food coloring, get rolled into ropes, twisted together, and curved into little candy cane shapes. Fresh from the oven, they get a shower of crushed peppermint candy mixed with sugar that sticks to the warm surface and adds sparkle and crunch.
Every bite is buttery, melt-in-your-mouth tender, with just enough peppermint to tingle without overpowering.
They’re a great project for baking with kids. Little hands love rolling and twisting the dough ropes.
Kitchen Tips
- Work with small amounts of dough at a time. If it gets too warm, the ropes won’t hold their shape. Pop it back in the fridge for a few minutes if needed.
- Sprinkle the candy mixture immediately when cookies come out of the oven. It won’t stick once they cool.
- Store between layers of waxed paper in a sealed container. The peppermint coating can get sticky in humid air.
- Make ahead and freeze the dough for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before shaping.
Ingredients
Directions
Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds.
Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃). Have ready two ungreased baking sheets.
In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the crushed candy; set aside.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat together the butter, shortening, confectioners’ sugar, egg, vanilla, and peppermint extract until light and fluffy, 2 or 3 minutes.
With the mixer at medium-low speed, gradually add the flour, beating just until blended.
Remove half of the dough from the bowl and set aside on a sheet of waxed paper.
To the dough remaining in the bowl, add the red food coloring and beat until evenly colored.
(At this point both of the doughs can be tightly wrapped separately in aluminum foil and refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to three months. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
For each candy cane, scoop 1 teaspoonful of the plain dough and the same amount of pink dough.
Roll each scoop between the palms of your hands to make a 4-inch rope.
Twist the ropes together and shape into a candy cane.
As they are made, arrange the canes on an ungreased baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
Bake for about 9 minutes until firm to the touch and barely golden.
Reverse the baking sheets on the racks and from front to back once during baking.
The moment the cookies come from the oven, sprinkle each one with the sugar-and-peppermint mixture.
With a wide turner, immediately transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Store in a tightly covered container, separating the layers with sheets of waxed paper.
Comments
i love using this for different resipes i am going to tell all my friends and we can have a christmas party maybe THANKS!