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.
Servings: 15 cookies
Calories: 232kcal
Equipment
- measuring cups and spoons
- mixing bowls
- whisk
- spatula
- cling wrap
- cookie cutters
- large knife
Ingredients
- 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