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–+ servings
Candy cane twist cookies arranged on a round plate.
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5 from 2 votes

Candy Cane Twist Cookies

You will need one batch of red and one batch of white dough to make these candy cane twist cookies.
Prep Time1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Resting Time4 hours
Total Time5 hours 35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Servings: 16 cookies

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 large egg (use only egg white for white dough) room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons peppermint emulsion or extract
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • *red food coloring for red dough, liquid whitener for white dough
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Whisk flour and cornstarch 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, extracts, and red food coloring* (red for red dough, whitener for white dough) 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 dough and cut each batch into 16 equal pieces. Roll one piece of red and one piece of white into ~4" ropes, twist ropes together, roll again, shape into candy cane shape and place on baking sheet.
  • Place shaped cookies back in fridge or freezer until firm to the touch.
  • 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 before handling.

Notes

  • When rolling out dough ropes to form candy cane, try to avoid using flour so that the 2 ropes stick together.
  • The reason for adding 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch to your dough is to prevent your cookies from shrinking or spreading during baking.
  • This recipe makes 16 fairly large 5" candy cane cookies. You can also divide each batch of dough into 32 pieces to make mini candy cane cookies.