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Why You’ll Love My Recipe

Nothing’s quite as festive as a cookie and a cup of hot cocoa, except for a cookie in the shape of a cute holiday treat! Festive baking is one of the best ways to get the family feeling the holly-jolly spirit, and with this recipe for candy cane cookies I know you’ll be feeling merry and bright in no time!

Every year Mike gets the kids into the kitchen with him and makes a batch of these classic Christmas Candy Cane Cookies. I bow out, since they’re my least favorite Christmas cookie, but the kids adore them!

I honestly think that these cookies should be a part of every child’s Christmas baking experience. Betty Crocker started the trend so very many years ago, and these cookies are just as popular today!

Karlynn’s Recipe Notes

Skill Level: This cookie recipe is easy to make and perfect for kids to join in on the festive fun!
Total Time: This is a great make-ahead recipe! You’ll want to let your cookie dough rest in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, but everything comes together in less than 30 minutes once you’re ready to bake!
Variations: Looking for a slightly less vibrant colour palette? You can always make these candy cane cookies in red and white by following the recipe for Retro Betty Crocker Candy Cane Cookies! For a little extra sparkle and peppermint flavor, you can always add crushed candy canes to the mix along with your other dry ingredients!
Tools for this Recipe: You will want an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to make mixing the dough easy and a large baking sheet for this recipe!

Christmas Candy Cane Cookies with Christmas ornaments

How to Make Candy Cane Cookies

This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.

Add butter, milk, vanilla, peppermint extract, and egg in a large bowl. Add flour, baking powder, and salt, and combine thoroughly.
Divide your dough in half. Mix red food coloring into one half and green into the other to reach your desired shade. Refrigerate your dough for a minimum of 4 hours, up to overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375°F. For each candy cane, shape one rounded teaspoon of dough of each color and roll into a 4 inch rope. Place one red and one green rope of dough side by side, press lightly together, and twist.
Shape each twist of dough into a cane shape and bake for 9-12 minutes until lightly browned and remove to a wire rack to cool.

close up Classic Christmas Candy Cane Cookies in glorious red and green stripes!

Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Candy Cane Cookies

Hue-tiful Color: If you’re not a fan of liquid food dye, consider using matcha powder or freeze dried strawberries that have been blitzed into a powder to get your holiday hues! You might even find that you enjoy the slight change to the taste of the sugar cookie dough!
Chill Out: Although it might sound like a lot to leave your dough to chill for four hours or more, chilling cookie dough is the best way to keep it from spreading while it bakes! If you skip this important step, you’ll end up with red and green puddles instead of cute candy-cane shapes!
Festive Sparkle: If you want to add a little extra special holiday cheer to these cookies, beat an egg into a simple egg wash and sprinkle some sparkling sugar (in a color of your choice) over them before you toss them in the oven! The egg wash will help make sure that the sugar sticks.

Christmas Candy Cane Cookies with Christmas ornaments in wooden background

Storage Instructions

I don’t suggest keeping baked goods like cookies in the refrigerator, as the cold, circulating air can dry them out and make them go stale faster. You can keep these cookies for 1 to 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.

Freezer: These cookies freeze well, either baked or unbaked! To freeze them before baking, shape your cookies and arrange them close together on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicon baking mat. Freeze them until solid, then transfer them to an airtight, freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. No need to thaw them out, just bake from frozen and add an extra minute or two to the suggested bake time. If you’d like to freeze them after they’re baked, let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container or zip top bag. They’ll keep for up to 2 months!

More Delicious Holiday Baking Recipes

If I have a choice between any cookie, treat, or dessert during the holidays, I’ll always chose my Whipped Shortbread! Definitely give it a try!
For a taste of a Canadian classic, give the Five Roses Cookbook Prize Butter Tarts recipe a try! It’s the only buter tart recipe I’ll ever use!
Love shortbread but want to go without the hassle of cutting out individual cookies? Check out my recipe for Shortbread Bites!
For a twist on your classic sugar cookie, give my recipe for Sour Cream Cookies a go! Though they’re rich, they have a tanginess that will leave you and your family wanting just one more!

There’s nothing quite like getting involved in arts and crafts projects to really get the family into a festive mood, and making these cookies is pretty much exactly like rolling play-dough!

Give this recipe a try with your kids this holiday season and let me know how it went for your family in the comments below!

Happy Baking and Happy Holidays!

Karlynn