I just made these candy cane sugar cookies for a Christmas Party earlier this week and loved how cute they turned out. They were pretty easy to make and I liked how fun and festive they were.
I saw the idea over at Martha Stewart but decided to use a different recipe as I am not a big fan of Martha’s recipes sometimes. Does anyone else feel that way? Don’t get me wrong…I LOVE Martha and her creativity, but I just personally have a hard time getting some of her recipes to turn out right. So…anyways, I used this sugar cookie recipe from Country Living.
Honestly, the cookies looked great, but they tasted just okay. So, I am tempted to make them again with a different sugar cookie recipe. The trick is to get a sugar cookie dough that is fairly stiff so that the cookies keep their nice candy cane shape and don’t flatten out [and to pop them in the fridge for 20 minutes after they are in the candy cane shape but before you bake them}. Any one have a recipe they think would fit the bill?
With the left over cookie dough, I rolled the white into a thick log and wrapped the thinner layer of red around it to make the two tone circle cookies and added a Hershey’s candy cane kiss to the top immediately after they came out of the oven. Be sure to pop the cookies into the fridge or freezer right away, or the kisses might end up looking a bit like this:
Not too pretty! Have you tried these candy cane kisses? Two words…Yum-O!
We have another Christmas party and I think I will make these from Recipe Girl…which by the way…if you haven’t seen her site, you need to check it out like now!
{image from Recipe Girl}
Don’t they look amazing??
★Amy
Those look so good! I love baking this time of year.
so fun to meet you yesterday!
I made those candy cane cookies last year (along with some wreaths), with that play-dough recipe you posted a link to forever ago. They were so fun!
I actually have a recipe for cookies like that, they are peppermint swirl cookies and they are pretty good! Let me know if you're interested, I'd be happy to e-mail it to you. We make them either like your candy canes, or we make three colors (white, green and red), roll them into logs and then slice them up so they are "swirled".
xoxo,
Amy
Candy cane cookies are my all time favorite Christmas cookie. I have never been able to duplicate my uncle's (he's a baker and his are ridiculous), but I've come close. I'll have to find my recipe and email it to you!
Mmmmmmm…. going to give these a try!!
these look yummy! Nice to chat with you last night!
Amanda
todaystoptwenty.blogspot.com
I've made the Candycane cookies before and I think the issue comes from overworking the dough. I'm not sure how you did them but I would make 1/2 batch normal and then make another 1/2 batch, adding the coloring in with your butter. Here is my favorite sugar cookie recipe http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/12/sugar-cookies.html
When we make the candy cane cookies, we crush actual candy canes & mix that with sugar and sprinkle the mixture on top of the cookies. Mmmmmm.
I featured you on my blog!! If you have the chance, stop by. I have a 'featured' button you can grab and also a link up for other craft ideas.
http://lebedafamily.blogspot.com/2010/12/craftify-it-thursday-kids-christmas.html
Jennifer @ Life with the Lebedas
I feel the same way, Martha always tries to make the recipes as hard as possible too, even when there is an easier way to make them.
Those look so yummy!!! Wish I would've seen this yesterday!! I'm making cookies for a work party tomorrow… Have to try it next week maybe…
I'll try to post my candy cane cookie recipeto my blog today. The key ingredient is peppermint extract.
I totally agree with you on Martha Stewart recipes. Her recipes are just not practical. Half of her recipes have things in them that I have never heard of. It is sad when I get her magazine and the only recipes I take out are advertisement recipes. LOL
Yum! I love how festive they look.
Amy….candy cane cookies have been a staple in my family's Christmas for over 20 years. Betty Crocker put a recipe in her 1974 cookbook for them and I found an online version of the recipe at http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/candy-cane-cookies/93832e29-3b4f-4977-ae5a-9820053b254c
They are fabulous and the recipe is totally worth trying!
Your candy cane cookies are adorable! I just wrote on my blog about how horribly mine turned out! Way too dry! I used the Betty Crocker recipe…don't use it! No flavor and dry. The dough wouldn't roll out easily either. Now, I am going to use the Martha Stewart sugar cookie recipe to make sugar cookies. I really hope they turn out well after reading your blog. I too find difficulty with Ms. Stewart…not just in cooking either. Great job on your cookies!!!!
We make these from the Better Homes and Gardens cookie book, they have crushed peppermint sprinkled on top and they are yummy!
Candy Cane Cookies
1 Cube butter
½ C shortening
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 ½ C flour
1 C powdered sugar
1 ½ tsp almond extract
1 tsp salt
1 T crushed peppermint candy (reserved for after baking)
powdered sugar for dusting
Divide dough in half. Use ½ tsp food coloring in half. Make a big white rope and red rope and twist together and cut into individual portions and form in the shape of candy cane.
Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned around edges.
When out of the oven, sprinkle with powdered sugar and crushed peppermint candies.
I just made sugar cookies for my son's kinder class on Wednesday. I got the recipe from http://www.joyofbaking.com.They turned out so good. Hope this helps.
Ooh! Those look soooo yummy! We're planning a big baking day on Saturday and I can't wait. What's Christmas without cookies?
The candy cane cookies are so cute! My daughter saw them on the computer screen, and she is pretending to make them in her little kitchen right now!
Here you go – the recipe my family has been using for years. Candy Cane Cookies
My mom used to make those candy cane cookies but I don't make them as I think they are too time consuming. Maybe I should dust off her recipe this year. She made green ones too. ;)
I did score some of the Kisses but have yet to bake anything with them. Thanks for the link.
We tried making those last year and they turned out disastrous. Yours are too cute. Ours were GINORMOUS! You've got more talent for sure!
I feel the same about her recipes. And I am on my 2nd bag of candy cane kisses this season!! mmmm
I'm with you on Martha's recipes. Some are great, but others have been huge disappointments.
I've tried a few recipes for these candy canes, and I haven't found one yet that we love. Maybe we'll have to try the one that Lori left in the comments. :)
I loved this so much, that I decided to go right out and get everything to make it. I went to 3 different stores before I found the pepermint kisses! Then, when I made the candy cane cookies my oven rack was put in crooked (thanks hubby) and all my cookies fell to one side of the pan making a huge mound of candy canes. I posted it on our blog. You'd get a kick out of it!
ASprinkleofThis.blogspot.com
Thanks for the idea!
My family has been making these for over 20 years, and the key is definitely to keep the dough from getting too stiff and dry. We flavor ours with almond extract (for the white dough) and peppermint extract (for the red dough) and sprinkle them with crushed candy canes on top, and they're delicious.