Candy cane cookies
Prep time: 1 hr 10 minsTotal time: 
Candy cane cookies
Looking for a fun baking project? These cute cookies are the ideal way to keep little hands busy over the festive period. They have a traditional peppermint flavour, but if you or whoever you’re making them for isn’t a fan, switch to almond extract or just plain vanilla extract instead. Orange extract would also be a nice festive touch. Store the cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days
Prep time: 1 hr 10 minsTotal time: 
Nadine Brown
Nadine Brown
Ingredients
- 225g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 175g caster sugar
- 1½ tsp peppermint extract
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg, plus 1 egg white
- 400g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½-¾ tsp red food colouring
- ½-¾ tsp green food colouring
- edible silver shimmer spray (optional)
Step by step
Chilling the dough often helps keep it stable, so make sure there’s plenty of space in your fridge.
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In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, peppermint and vanilla extracts together with a pinch of salt until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg. Beat until combined. Sift in the flour and baking powder and beat until just combined and no traces of flour remain.
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Divide the dough, leaving one half in the bowl. Add ½ teaspoon of water and beat briefly to incorporate. Wrap in clingfilm, pat into a disc and transfer to the fridge. Divide the remaining dough and colour one half red and one half green. Wrap each half in clingfilm, pat into a disc and transfer to the fridge for 4 hours, ideally overnight.
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Line three baking trays with baking paper. Separate the plain dough into 20 pieces. Separate the coloured doughs into 10 pieces each. The dough will feel firm but should shape easily. If not, leave on your kitchen counter for a minute or two.
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Quickly roll each piece into a 17cm rope. Lay a plain piece of rope and a coloured piece of rope next to each other and gently roll the two together, twisting into one rope. Transfer to a baking tray and curve the top of the dough into a candy cane shape. Repeat with all the dough, spacing them apart on the trays. The dough will soften the longer you work with it so pop it back into the fridge for no more than 5 minutes if needed.
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Once the cookies are on the trays, transfer to the fridge for an hour, or if you have the space, the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Whisk the egg white with 1 teaspoon of water until foamy. Brush the cookies with the egg white and then bake for 8 minutes or until starting to go golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and leave on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Before serving, dust the cookies with the silver shimmer spray, if liked.
