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Festive cookies for the holiday season! Soft & buttery sweet candy cane cookies with a gorgeous red and white twist. Fun for kids to make!

Christmas is the season for all things cookies. Candy cane cookies are nostalgic. Although I don’t remember having them on our Christmas cookie plates every year, they did show up every once in awhile. Did you ever have them?

Candy cane cookies really brighten cookie plates so they are perfect for cookie exchanges and gift giving. Plus, it is a great way to get kids involved in cooking.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

simple buttery sweet dough
rich sugar cookie flavor
cute festive candy cane shapes
freeze well

What do candy cane cookies taste like?

I love sugar cookies and that is one reason why these cookies are so good to me. They taste just like sugar cookies! Although you may think they’d be peppermint, I went traditional and used vanilla extract. You can definitely use peppermint extract if you’d like.

How to Make Candy Cane Cookies

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the shortening, butter and sugar until well mixed. Add in the eggs and vanilla. Mix well, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add in the flour and salt and mix again, scraping the sides of the bowl, until the mixture is smooth.
Divide the dough into two dough balls.

Leave one dough ball white and wrap in plastic wrap.
Place the other dough ball back into the mixer and add the red food coloring. Mix until the coloring is completely mixed in. Wrap this dough in plastic wrap also.
Chill both doughs for at least one hour.
Roll about 1 tablespoon of each color dough into balls.

Take each ball and roll into a 4-5″ rope. Take a white rope and a red rope and place them together. Press lightly to press them together. Then twist the dough like a rope.

red and white cookie dough ropes put together

Place onto a parchment paper lined baking mat (or use a silicone baking mat).

Turn the top of the dough down to form a candy cane. Sprinkle with sprinkles.
Place the cookies back into the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them.
Preheat the oven to 325º Fahrenheit. Bake for 12-15 minutes. The time will depend on how big you’ve made the candy canes. Don’t let them get brown, but they should be fully cooked.

How to Store Candy Cane Cookies

These cookies are safe to store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

They also freeze well! Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Candy Cane Cookies

4.29 from 7 votes

Festive cookies for the holiday season! Soft & buttery sweet candy cane cookies with a gorgeous red and white twist. Fun for kids to make!

Servings 24

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Chill Time 1

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Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup salted butter (at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1 large egg (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red food coloring
sprinkles, if desired

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the shortening, butter and sugar until well mixed.
Add in the eggs and vanilla. Mix well, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add in the flour and salt and mix again, scraping the sides of the bowl, until the mixture is smooth.
Divide the dough into two dough balls.
Leave one dough ball white and wrap in plastic wrap.
Place the other dough ball back into the mixer and add the red food coloring. Mix until the coloring is completely mixed in.
Wrap this dough in plastic wrap also.
Chill both doughs for at least one hour.
Roll about 1 tablespoon of each color dough into balls.
Take each ball and roll into a 4-5" rope.
Take a white rope and a red rope and place them together. Press lightly to press them together.
Then twist the dough like a rope.
Place onto a parchment paper lined baking mat (or use a silicone baking mat).
Turn the top of the dough down to form a candy cane. Sprinkle with sprinkles.
Place the cookies back into the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them.
Preheat the oven to 325º Fahrenheit. Bake for 12-15 minutes. The time will depend on how big you've made the candy canes. Don't let them get brown, but they should be fully cooked.
Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

The calories shown are based on the recipe making 24 cookies, with 1 serving being 1 cookie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**