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Home » Blog » Recipes

Chocolate Candy Cane Shortbread Sugar Cookies

Tyler April Townley — Leave a Comment

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Chocolate candy cane shortbread sugar cookies on a cookie sheet.

If you’re a fan of Peppermint Bark Oreos or Candy Cane Joe Joe’s, these cookies are for you. With the perfect balance of refreshing peppermint, and rich dark chocolate, it’s Christmas in a cookie!

A stack of chocolate candy cane shortbread sugar cookies with a red bow on top.

Make sure to use the best cocoa powder you can find, and if you can find Valrhona, use that. It’ll cost you a little more than the stuff you can find in the grocery store, but it is worth it.

A candy cane shortbread sugar cookie decorated to look like a candy cane.

Add-ins

Always chop by hand or grind add-ins (chocolate chips, candy, nuts, cookies, or dried fruit) in a food processor to the consistency of coarse sand. Large add-ins will leave you with jagged edges when you cut out your cookies.

4 small bowls of ground chocolate chips, almonds, candy cane, and cookies.
From left to right: ground chocolate, nuts, candy cane, and biscoff cookies.

If you don’t have a food processor, you can also place candy canes in a freezer bag and roll over them with a rolling pin to crush them. I used mini candy canes, and it took about 10-12 of them to get ¼ cup.

Are these technically shortbread or sugar cookies?

They’re kind of both. It’s fine to call these either “decorated sugar cookies” or “decorated shortbread cookies.” But I’m going to refer to any of my cookie recipes that can used as a base for cookie decorating as “shortbread sugar cookies.”

Shortbread Cookies

  • 2 parts flour to 1 part fat
  • No eggs
  • No leavening agent
  • Dense and crispy

Sugar Cookies

  • 3 parts flour to 2 parts fat
  • Contains eggs
  • Contains a leavening agent
  • Light and Chewy

All of my shortbread sugar cookie recipes don’t rise or spread, can be used for cookie decorating, have egg, but no leavening agent, and have a 2 ¼ parts flour to 1 part fat. Which makes them fall somewhere between a shortbread and a sugar cookie. They’re both shortbread and sugar cookies, and neither shortbread or sugar cookies, at the same time. They’re Shrodinger’s cookies!

All of my shortbread sugar cookie recipes can be used for slice-and-bake cookies as well!

If you would like more info on my preferred ingredient brands, tips and tricks, FAQs, and a little cookie science, I cover all of that in my No-Spread Lemon Shortbread Sugar Cookie Recipe.

Overhead view of ingredients for chocolate candy cane shortbread sugar cookies.
Vanilla extract, peppermint emulsion, butter, egg, crushed candy cane and cocoa powder, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and all-purpose flour.

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Chocolate Candy Cane Shortbread Sugar Cookies

No-spread chocolate peppermint cookies that can be used for cut-out decorated cookies, or slice-and-bake cookies.
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate candy cane cookies, chocolate candy cane shortbread, chocolate peppermint, cookies, cut out cookies, decorated cookies, roll and cut cookies, shortbread, slice-and-bake, sugar cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Resting Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 15 cookies
Calories: 232kcal

Equipment

  • measuring cups and spoons
  • mixing bowls
  • whisk
  • spatula
  • food processor
  • cling wrap
  • stand mixer with paddle attachment
  • cookie cutters
  • silicone baking mats
  • cookie sheets
  • rolling pin
  • large knife

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric
  • 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons peppermint emulsion or extract
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup good cocoa powder Valrhona if available
  • ¼ cup crushed candy cane
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

  • Crush candy cane in large ziploc bag with a rolling pin, or pulse in food processor, until the texture of coarse sand.
  • Whisk dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and crushed candy cane) together and set aside.
  • Cream butter and sugars with paddle attachment, on medium-low speed, until fluffy and pale in color (about 5 minutes).
  • Add egg and extracts and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the paddle with a spatula, and then continue to mix on low speed for another 30 seconds to ensure everything is fully incorporated.
  • Add dry ingredients, all at once, and mix on low speed just until dough starts to come together and no dry bits remain. Do not overmix.
  • Turn dough out onto cling wrap, tightly wrap, and refrigerate overnight (or for at least 4 hours).
  • Knead, roll, cut out cookies, and return to fridge or freezer until firm. Leave a couple inches between cookies.
  • Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, rotate pan, and bake for another 1-5 minutes until edges are starting to darken.
  • Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool on cookie sheet.

Notes

  • Whenever you are baking with mint, be careful when you open the oven door, so you don’t get a face full of steamy mint extract!
  • Chocolate cookies are a little harder to tell when the edges are darkening, so you can quickly and gently press on the center of a cookie, and if they feel firm, they’re done. If you leave a dent, or they feel squishy, let them bake for a little longer.
  • The reason for adding 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch to your dough is to prevent your cookies from shrinking or spreading during baking.
  • You want to grind all add-ins (candy cane) as fine as possible, comparable to the texture of almond meal or coarse sand. Larger pieces will leave you with jagged cookie edges.
  • If making slice-and-bake cookies, split dough in half, roll into logs, wrap tightly in cling wrap or parchment paper, and refrigerate before slicing and baking.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 396IU | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to hear how it went! Rate & comment below!

Categories: Cookies, Recipes, Shortbread Sugar Cookies

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Tyler April Townley

Hi, I’m Tyler!

A professional pastry chef turned teacher of all things cookie decorating & more. I’ve made thousands of decorated cookies, cakes, & treats for happy clients over the years. Now I’m sharing my knowledge so you too can bake & decorate like a pro.

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Tyler April Townley

Hi, I’m Tyler!

A professional pastry chef turned teacher of all things cookie decorating & more. I’ve made thousands of decorated cookies, cakes, & treats for happy clients over the years. Now I’m sharing my knowledge so you too can bake & decorate like a pro.

Instagram Pinterest Facebook Twitter YouTube
About · Blog · Shop · Subscribe

Subscribe for Updates

Never miss a recipe or new online!

You can also follow on Instagram & Facebook!

Learn to Decorate Today!

  • Online Cookie Decorating Masterclass
    Online Cookie Decorating Masterclass
  • Products included in my Cookie Decorating Starter Kit
    Cookie Decorating Supply Starter Kit

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