What’s your favorite Christmas cookie? There’s so many new and old cookie varieties, I’m not sure I could ever pick a favorite. These Twisted Candy Cane Cookies need to be added to your cookie exchange lineup. Soft, chewy, almond flavored sugar cookies twisted into a festive candy cane.
Have you ever had spritz cookies? It’s a butter sugar cookie and the dough is pressed through a gun to make all sorts of fun shapes. They are the perfect cookies falling somewhere between chewy and crispy. And they have just a subtle hint of almond extract. But my favorite thing about spritz cookies are the shapes and textures.
That’s why I couldn’t wait to try these Twisted Candy Cane Cookies: the texture. Something about the formed dough tastes so much better than just regular drop cookies. I portioned all my dough out first, so then I just twisted all the cookies and they were ready in under 10 minutes. Taste wise, these cookies remind me of the spritz cookies but less time consuming (and less clean up) than the spritz cookies.
Usually I’m a lover of chocolate cookies, but these are a nice break from the decadent chocolate cookies. These cookies would be great for sending in the mail. If you happen to be sending these somewhere warm, there’s no need to worry about any chocolate melting!
When I was comparing different versions of the candy cane cookies, some called for adding peppermint extract. I prefer only having mint in candy or chocolate things, but if you like the flavor, go ahead and add it.
As with regular sugar cookie dough, there’s the debate on refrigerating your dough before cutting the shapes. I think the dough gets too stiff to work with, so I just put them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes after shaping and they keep their shape while baking.
Twisted Candy Cane Cookies
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| Yield: about 30 cookies |
Soft, chewy, almond flavored sugar cookies twisted into a festive candy cane.
You'll Need...
- 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups flour
- pinch of salt
- red food coloring
- red sprinkles
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar.
- Add eggs and almond extract, beat 1 minute.
- Add flour and salt, beat until combined.
- Split the dough in half, knead a few drops of red food coloring into half of the dough.
- Roll the dough in 1 tablespoon sized balls. Roll into skinny logs. Place a red and white log together and twist into candy canes.
- Sprinkle with red sprinkles, if desired. Place cookies in freezer for 15 minutes (to prevent spreading).
- Bake 7 - 12 minutes on an ungreased cookies sheet. Cool for 5 minutes.
Additional Notes
images & text © North Coast Eats
adapted from Lovely Little Kitchen
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