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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
Rich and crunchy with a hint of mint, these delicious cookies are the perfect addition to your snack trays this holiday season. Make extra to give away or freeze for later.
These cookies are perfect for your holiday dessert table, or for gifting. Try making a batch of Danish Butter Cookies to go along with these. Why not sip on a Peppermint Eggnog Martini or Homemade Skor (Toffee Bits) Hot Chocolate while you’re munching on cookies?
Reader Review
I made these cookies as had brought some candy canes and didn’t want them to go to waste, these were delicious so much so I had to make another batch to give as gifts with my homemade hot cocoa stirrers! Totally recommend these awesome cookies, easy to make and so tasty.
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: These cookies do require a bit of extra effort to get just right, but they’re worth it.
- Total Time: Making these cookies can take as little as 15 minutes, especially if you have some extra big cookie sheets on hand.
- Variations: Go ahead and try adding a bit of mint extract instead of vanilla, or using some fun flavoured candy canes instead of regular mint ones! Try adding some mini chocolate chips or some festive sprinkles.
- Tools Needed: For this recipe, you’ll need a few large cookie sheets, some parchment paper, a stand mixer or large bowl and hand mixer, a mixing spoon, and some measuring spoons. You may also want a rolling pin on hand for crushing your candy.
What You’ll Need For Ingredients
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Candy Canes: Have fun with this! Do you like standard, peppermint candy canes or something a bit more creative? Big or small, it doesn’t matter since you’ll be crushing them to add them to the cookie dough.
Butter: This recipe can be made with either salted or unsalted butter. Whichever you happen to have or are able to find is fine. If you choose to use salted butter, skip the salt in the recipe.
Vanilla: Take this opportunity to use some higher quality vanilla or even a bit of vanilla bean paste. Or, if you’d like to change things up a bit, try using mint extract instead.
How To Make Crispy Buttery Candy Cane Cookies
This is a brief overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Beat in flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix in crushed candy canes.
- Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and arrange them 8 per pan. Flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass.
- Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheets.
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for Making Crispy Buttery Candy Cane Cookies
Don’t Crowd Them: These cookies need plenty of space to spread or you’ll end up with one big bar on your pans. So make sure to only put 8 cookies on each pan, less if you’ve got smaller cookie sheets. You may be able to get away with more cookies per cookie sheet if you have full size sheet pans. Just give them a few inches of space, whatever size pan you use.
Change it Up: If you don’t mind these being a bit less crispy, you can try baking them without flattening them first. They won’t spread nearly as much that way, or get quite as crunchy, but they’ll still have all the same delectable flavours! Just pay attention to them as they bake, since you might need to add a minute or two to make sure the middles get cooked through.
Storage Instructions
Once these cookies are fully cooled, you can put them in a sealed container with layers of parchment or wax paper to keep them from sticking to each other. They’re full of butter so they may get stale faster than some other types of cookies. Keep them at room temperature or in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can freeze them for a few weeks or a few months.
More Delicious Christmas Cookie Recipes
Looking for easy and yummy cookie recipes to try out this holiday season?
Check out this Classic Snickerdoodle Recipe or maybe this Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.
Searching for minty things? Try some Peppermint Chocolate Coconut Macaroon Cookies or Peppermint Kiss Chocolate Cookies.
There you go, everyone. Another buttery and crispy cookie recipe to try this holiday season (or any time of year, really). Make a a batch for your next holiday party and let me know what you think.
Happy Baking!
Karlynn
Buttery Candy Cane Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 ¼ cups white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup crushed candy cane
Instructions
- Kick the tires and light the fires to 375 degrees F.
- Cream together your butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy.
- Add in the egg and vanilla, mixing thoroughly.
- Beat in the flour, baking soda and salt.
- When that is done, mix in the crushed candy cane.
- Prepare parchment paper lined cookie sheets.
- Roll a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough into a ball, 8 per cookie sheet.
- Take a glass and using the bottom, flatten out each cookie. If the cookie sticks, start wetting the bottom of the glass with water, they will come right off. Flatten each of them as much as you can. This is a dry dough -no sticky chewiness going on here- but it’s just wet enough to make perfect little flat cookie patties.
- Bake at 375 for 9-11 minutes, until golden brown.
- Cool on the sheets completely.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Olivia says
I followed the recipe exactly and had no issues, though I didn’t have parchment paper and just sprayed the pan. They turned out perfect and taste great!!!
Sue Bailey says
My cookie dough was very dry. Had a hard time making a ball. I didn’t use parchment paper because my cookie pans are made so you don’t need it
Laura says
Agree— this just spread into a giant sheet pan cookie. Wouldn’t make again
Liz says
I made these cookies as had brought some candy canes and didn’t want them to go to waste, these were delicious so much so I had to make another batch to give as gifts with my homemade hot cocoa stirrers! Totally recommend these awesome cookies, easy to make and so tasty.
Tracy Mae says
Okey I’m convinced these “not working out” are for people with more Humid Heat than where I am! These are working out Beautifully!!! They don’t even spread out that much, aslong as you put 8 on a Silicone mat they make the most delicious cookies
Unknown says
these cookies didn’t work for me, I tried so many things and they all ended up as one big pancake on my pan, not even thick. They just tasted like burnt butterscotch
delores alexander says
I made these and took heed of your thoughts. I checked other recipes for butter to flour ratio and altered the recipe by adding more flour. i added a 1’2 c extra . i shaped some of the dough with cookie cutters and did some round according to directions. they came out great. the cooking time was questionable but that could be my oven. I love candy cane so i could have a fuller taste but they are lovely.
Sacha says
Okay, so I can’t fault the taste of these but I am extremely disappointed by the fact they spread out in the oven to cover the whole sheet regardless of adjusting the over temperature and pre-freezing the dough after the mess of the first batch.
Kicking myself for not reading the comments and making adjustments to the sugar. If I ever have the gross misfortune to have a packet of candy canes (one of those cardboard boxes with about 10-12 in, I will be choosing another recipe and using the recommend sugar minus the candy cane dust amount.
So glad I didn’t choose to make these as gifts before Christmas as the wasted time in a very busy period would upset me doubly.
Fiona Krogh says
TIP: use your blender to crush the candy canes, much less mess than smashing them with the rolling pin.
I found 375 was a little too hot, so I reduced it to 350.
I also would recommend reducing the sugar a little, they are very chewy.
Monelle says
Uggh! Why didn’t I look at these comments before hand, mine melted all into each other even with just 8 on the cookie sheet…
Soo frustrating!
MIchelle says
My recipe worked fantastic with the following changes to original recipe
amend to the following :
1/2 cup sugar instead of 1 1/4 cups
1 tsp baking powder as well as the baking soda.
I used 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup white.
Roll into 1 inch balls, slightly flatten and bake for 10 minutes for perfect cookies.
Dana says
Can these cookies be named ahead and frozen till Christmas?? Wondering if it will ruin the texture???
MIchelle says
I solved the problem of the cookies spreading too much. Don’t put so much sugar. Most cookie recipes have double the sugar needed!!!!!!!
They still taste fantastic and are soft.
My recipe worked fantastic with the following changes to original recipe
amend to the following :
1/2 cup sugar instead of 1 1/4 cups
1 tsp baking powder as well as the baking soda.
I used 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup white.
Roll into 1 inch balls, slightly flatten and bake for 10 minutes for perfect cookies.
Suzanne says
Well, mine are kind of a mess, spread out but still cute. Once you taste them heaven! SO good!
I didn’t want to do all crushed candy cane so I added some white chocolate peppermint pieces and wow!
Thanks so much!
Stephanie Mazzullo says
Hey how long can this be stored in fridge for? Will it last in tin foil or plastic wrap? Thanks so much! These cookies are delicious
Karlynn Johnston says
I would freeze them, candy canes are prone to weeping and will make these softer not crispy!
Kylee says
Thank you so much! I baked these as a last-minute Christmas treat for my friends and they turned out delicious. Definitely one to keep for the family Christmas party!
Carolyn Peppernick says
I haven’t made these yet and am wondering if you could substitute an egg replacer for the egg in this recipe? I have a grandson who would love these but is allergic to eggs.
Thank You
Melody Ledesma says
I’m allergic to eggs and I substitute apple sauce or plain greek yogurt.
Sheena Carector says
Perfecto for the holidays
Rob Kate Wigmore says
I want to make these right away! I know butter and margarine are so different especially in taste, but will margarine do? And should I risk making these without parchment paper? Should I just follow the recipe? 😉
Karla Hennebold says
These are delicious!! I’ve put them in my permanent file — not many things make it there but these are that good 🙂
Karla Hennebold says
OMG – I just made these! They are so good!!! They ARE chewy & crispy…and buttery…and delicious 🙂
Kimberley Tremblay says
ohhh!! yummmmmmmmm!
Cynthia says
I’m eating these warm out of the oven right now. Delicious.
I made a half batch and used 10 mini candy canes, and it seemed like a good number. The kids loved smashing them to bits.
Karlynn Johnston says
Oh Lord. I buy them bulk at Bulk Barn already crushed! There’s one really close to you!
StephanieJohnson says
Can’t wait to try these. Do you recall how many candy canes makes 3/4 cup?