Candy Cane Cookies (Elf Favorite!)
Today Christy’s mama shares her recipe for Candy Cane Cookies!
A Memorable Way to Crush The Candy Canes!
These are the cookies that Christy remembers us making from her childhood. I think what she remembers most is the way that I crushed the peppermint candy cane. Usually I bought one of the large peppermint sticks, put it into a double layered plastic bag, went out in the driveway, and ran over it with the car. I still remember them all standing on the porch watching to let me know if I had hit it or not. Each time I would run over it backwards and forwards and then get out to check it. If it needed a little more crushing, I’d keep doing that until it was a fine powder. Now I realize that I could have just hit it with a hammer but the kids enjoyed it more with the car method.
Now let’s make these cookies. This is a classic recipe that has stood the test of time and you may be surprised to find that these cookies are a special favorite of Santa’s elves! See the bottom of my post for proof :).
The ingredients for these Cookies are:
Butter
- Shortening or Coconut Oil (Refined has very little coconut flavor, but if you like coconut, get unrefined as it has lots of coconut flavor)
- Sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla
- Peppermint Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Salt
- Candy Canes
- Red Food Coloring or a healthier option Beet Root powder
How To Make Candy Cane Cookies
Cream butter, shortening and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy.
Add egg, vanilla and peppermint extract. Mix.
Stir flour and salt into batter mixture and combine well.
Divide in dough in half into two bowls.
Stir red food coloring or beet root powder into dough in one of the bowls.
Scoop dough into one teaspoon portions.
Instructions on Making Candy Cane Shapes
- Roll dough into ropes about 4 inches long.
- Place two ropes side by side, press lightly together and twist into candy cane shape with curved top.
- Place onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until very lightly browned.
- While still warm, sprinkle with crushed candy cane and sugar mixture.
Elves LOVE These Cookies
If you have any elves in your house this holiday season, you’ll probably notice these cookies disappearing faster than you had expected. I bake countless varieties of cookies all year around but especially during the Christmas season. I’ve never known any cookies to be as irresistible to elves as these are. I can make a batch of these, each of us only have one or two, and wake to find the jar empty the next day with my elves bellies looking slightly plumper than the night before.
Just to prove it, I posed this little guy here for a picture and when I turned my back for one second…
Clearly, these are a favorite among Santa’s helpers, and Santa, too!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup shortening or Coconut oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 and 1/2 cups unsifted all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon red food coloring or beet root powder
- Topping
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy cane
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening, and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg, vanilla and peppermint extract.
- Stir flour and salt into butter mixture and beat until well combined.
- Divide dough in half.
- Stir red food coloring/beet root powder into one half of dough until well blended.
- Roll 1 teaspoonful of each color dough into four inch rope.
- Place 2 ropes side by side, press lightly together and twist.
- Place on ungreased cookie sheets and curve top for the handle of the candy cane.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
- While cookies are baking, crush candy canes to equal 1/2 cup mixture and add 1/2 cup sugar.
- While still warm, sprinkle with topping mixture. The warm cookie will cause the topping to slightly melt enough to adhere to candy cane.
- Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Nutrition
You may also enjoy this recipe!
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
My Must Make Christmas Cookies
“Gratitude turns what you have into enough.”
~Unknown
That was priceless! Crushing candy canes with the car! Why haven’t I thought of that? I know my 3 yr old grandson would be tickled to pieces if I were to try that! Love your humor and your outlook on life….and the recipes aren’t too bad either! Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Our favorite! I started making these 40 years ago from my old Betty Crocker Cookbook. I never use peppermint extract. However, I always make the peppermint sugar to sprinkle on. Fun! I like your idea of a 1 tsp scooper. I finally gave up on the one teaspoon idea and just made long ropes about the thickness you would get from the 1 tsp of dough then cut them to size.
Great idea Kathy!!