Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies

The Christmas season is here and these Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies look as well as taste like the real thing..!! This recipe is really simple and so yummyyyy. All you need is a little bit of patience.

Preparation time: 2 ½ hours Baking Time: 10 – 15 mins Serves: about 25

All you need:

All Purpose Flour – 2 ¼ cups
Salt – ½ tsp
Unsalted Butter – 2 cups (softened at room temperature)
Granulated Sugar – ¾ cup + ½ cup for rolling the candy canes
Confectioners’ Sugar – ½ cup
Egg Yolks – 2
Peppermint Extract – 2 tsp
Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
Red Food Coloring – 10 to 12 drops

A Few Tips:

You could replace peppermint extract with almond extract. It would not taste the same but it is replacable.
You could use a coarser sugar for rolling candy canes.
If you do not have a stand or hand mixer, a spatula could be used for binding the dough together.

Method:

PART 1- MAKING THE DOUGH

In a bowl, whisk flour and salt together. Using a hand/ stand mixer beat butter until smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add ¾ cup granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 to 6 minutes.
Add egg yolks & extracts and beat until combined.
At low speed, slowly add flour and salt mixture in parts. Mix until combined.
Place two plastic wraps to wrap the dough.
Once combined, set aside half the dough on one of the plastic wraps.
Add the food coloring to the remaining dough and mix until fully incorporated. Place the dough on the other plastic wrap.
Roll both the dough into 5-inch square. Wrap squares in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

PART 2- ROLLING THE DOUGH

Prepare to baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll each square into a 9-inch square on a piece of parchment paper. Flour the rolling pin a little bit and you could even flour the parchment paper.
Place one dough on top of the other and roll very gently, just to adhere.
Cut the square into half. Place them back in the refrigerator until firm (about 15 minutes).
After 15 minutes, take out one half & cut into about 4 ½ by ¼ inch strips.
Gently twist each strips into spirals and roll to smooth edges.
Roll spirals in sugar and shape them into candy canes.
Place them in the baking sheets, 1-inch apart from each other.

PART 3- BAKING THE CANDY CANES

Place the prepared candy canes in the refrigerator or could be placed in the freezer for about 15 – 20 mins.
Side by side, pre-heat the oven to 350°F, placing the racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle positions.
Once the oven is pre-heated, place the baking sheets in the oven for about 13 – 15 minutes or until the edges are very lightly brown.
Switch and rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking.
Once the cookies are baked, let them cool down on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
Transfer on a wire rack and let them cool down completely.
Store them in an air tight container.
Repeat the same process with the remaining dough.

These cookies are different and simply amazing. Do try this recipe. You could serve them to your guests or make them for gifting someone on christams.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS..!!