Description
TWISTED CANDY CANE COOKIE STICKS are a festive treat perfect for the holiday season, combining buttery cookie dough with vibrant colors and flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract (optional)
- 2 ½ cups (320g) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- Red gel food coloring
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract (optional)
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp milk (if dough becomes too dry)
- Coarse sugar or sanding sugar for decoration
- Optional: dip ends in chocolate
Instructions
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes).
- Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix well.
- In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add dry mixture to wet and mix until dough forms.
- Split the dough into two equal portions.
- For Red Peppermint Dough, add red gel coloring and peppermint extract, knead until evenly colored.
- For Chocolate Dough, add cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon milk if needed, knead until smooth.
- Take a small piece of white dough and roll it into a rope (~5–6 inches). Do the same with the colored dough.
- Press the ends gently together and twist the two ropes into a spiral, curving the top to form a candy cane shape.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar.
- Refrigerate shaped cookies for 15–20 minutes.
- Bake at 350°F / 180°C for 8–10 minutes, just until edges are set but not browned.
- Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then move to a rack.
Notes
- Chilling the cookies helps them hold their shape while baking.
- Feel free to customize the colors and flavors to your liking.
- These cookies can be dipped in chocolate for an extra treat.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 50mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 30mg