How to Bake Candy Cane Cookies

One of the best parts of the holiday season is baking homemade cookies to share with friends and family. Candy cane cookies are cute and festive and fun to make too!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• 1 Cup of Sugar
• 1 Cup of Butter or Margarine, softened
• 1/2 Cup of Milk
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 Teaspoon Almond Extract
• 1 Egg
• 3 1/2 Cups of Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 2 Tablespoons of Finely Crushed Peppermint Candies (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar (optional)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Red Food Coloring
• prepared halves of colored and non-colored dough
• a lightly floured surface

Mixing the Dough

1. Beat sugar, butter, milk, vanilla and almond extracts until creamy.
2. Beat in egg until well mixed.
3. Add 3 1/2 cups of flour slowly. Add in baking powder as well. Stir together until dough is mixed well.
4. Divide dough into equal halves. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon of red food coloring into one half of the dough. Use more food coloring if you want your dough to be darker.

Making the Cookies

5. For each candy cane cookie, take one teaspoon of dough from each half of the dough (colored and non-colored) and roll each into a four-inch rope with your hands.
6. Lay the colored and non-colored ropes side by side. Lightly pinch the dough together as you twist one around the other. Curve the top end of the dough gently to form the candy cane.
7. Place cookies on un-greased cookie sheet.
8. Bake cookies 9-12 minutes or until very lightly browned.
9. Sprinkle mixture of sugar and crushed peppermint candies immediately over hot cookies, if desired.

Tips & Warnings

• You may want to refrigerate the dough for a half hour to an hour to make it easier to work with.