These festive candy cane swirl cookies are a delightful treat perfect for holiday baking. With their vibrant red and white colors and refreshing peppermint flavor, they are an ideal addition to your Christmas cookies collection.

This recipe is simple to follow and yields deliciously soft cookies that are sure to impress family and friends during the holiday season.

Easy Candy Cane Cookies Recipe

These peppermint cookies feature a beautiful red and white swirl pattern, making them not only tasty but also visually appealing. The recipe takes about 1 hour from start to finish and makes approximately 24 cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Red food coloring
• Crushed candy canes for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract.
3. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined.
4. Divide Dough: Divide the dough in half. Leave one half plain and add red food coloring to the other half, mixing until the color is evenly distributed.
5. Form Swirls: Take small portions of each colored dough and roll them into logs. Twist the two logs together to form a swirl shape. Cut the swirled dough into 1/4-inch thick slices and place them on the prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks.
7. Garnish: If desired, sprinkle crushed candy canes on top of the cookies while they are still warm.

Cook and Prep Times

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour

Nutrition Information

• Servings: 24 cookies
• Calories: 120kcal
• Fat: 6g
• Protein: 1g
• Carbohydrates: 16g