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If you love candy canes and chocolate, you’ll LOVE these chocolate chip candy cane cookies! Made with peppermint extract, crushed candy canes, and white and dark chocolate chips… these cookies taste like peppermint bark! One of my favorite easy Christmas cookie recipes.
In my experience, you either love candy canes or you hate ’em. I know a lot of people who think candy canes – and all peppermint desserts – taste like toothpaste. I am not one of those people… and since you’re here reading this post about candy cane cookies, I’ll assume you’re not either.
I absolutely love candy canes! And thought adding crushed candy canes to cookie dough would taste better than making those twisted cookies that are in a candy cane shape. So I decided to experiment with both options and not to toot my own horn, but boy was I right!
Candy Cane Cookie Recipe
This recipe is quite similar to my classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, with a few twists!
- For starters, we skip browning the butter because the peppermint extract adds enough flavor.
- Secondly, we add peppermint extract, which adds just enough peppermint flavor without making these cookies taste like toothpaste.
- I don’t suggest subbing peppermint extract with almond extract or any other variety of extracts. If you don’t like peppermint extract, you may omit it and just add the crushed candy canes or crushed peppermint candies.
- You may reduce the vanilla extract to 2 teaspoons, but the cookies will have a less rich flavor.
- Instead of chocolate chips, we’ll use chopped up chunks of semi-sweet chocolate AND white chocolate. This gives the cookies a peppermint bark vibe.
- Finally, we’ll add crushed candy canes to the cookie dough. Crushed peppermint candies will also work great if you can’t find candy canes.
- I like the classic candy canes with red food coloring but the green and red candy canes will also work great.
Candy Cane Cookie Dough
- Bring your eggs and butter to room temperature at least 30 minutes before you begin baking. Cold ingredients don’t bond and will create a clumpy and uneven candy cane cookie dough.
- You’ll need a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer to make the candy cane cookie dough,
- Beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, this usually takes about 3 minutes.
- Once you add the flour, make sure you mix the cookie dough on low, and only until combined. Over mixed cookie dough will be tough and dry.
- You don’t need to chill this cookie dough before rolling the dough. But if it feels too sticky you can chill it for up to 4 hours.
- To bake, you’ll need two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Make sure to space the cookie dough balls at least 2-inches apart for spreading. If they’re too close side by side, they’ll bake into one large cookie.
You don’t need to cool completely, but I do suggest letting these cookies cool for at least 15 minutes on the baking sheet. Also, please keep in mind the baking time is just an estimate. Your baking time may be more or less depending on a number of factors.
Can I Freeze Candy Cane Cookies?
Yes, you can freeze these candy cane cookies for up to 2 months! You can freeze the cookie dough and bake later. Or you can freeze the baked cookies, then grab one out of the freezer anytime a craving strikes.
- To freeze the cookie dough, scoop the cookie dough onto a baking sheet and freeze until solid. The transfer the cookie dough balls into a freezer-safe bag, squeeze as much air out as possible, and seal. Freeze until needed, up to 2 months.
- When baking from frozen, I suggest thawing the cookie dough in the fridge for 4 hours or up to 48 hours. Then bake as directed. You may need to add a few minutes onto the baking time, depending on how cold the cookie dough is.
- To freeze baked cookies, simply let them cool completely, then place them in a freezer-safe bag. Squeeze as much air out as possible, seal the bag, and freeze for up to 2 months.
Avoid Pre-Crushed Candy Canes
Although crushing candy canes can be a bit messy and requires some elbow grease, I suggest it over pre-crushed candy canes. Pre-crushed candy canes are often too sticky, crushed too small, and don’t melt well in dessert recipes.
I did a side by side comparison of these cookies with hand crushed candy canes vs the store-bought crushed candy canes. The hand crushed candy canes melted beautifully into the cookies and tasted delicious. The pre-crushed candy canes tasted artificial and for some reason they leaked more red food coloring into the cookie dough. This gave them an unattractive color and overall look.
If you can’t find candy canes, feel free to use peppermint candies instead. To crush them, I usually use a small hammer, rolling pin, wine bottle, or my kids stainless steel water bottle.
You don’t need to be betty crocker to bake the BEST candy cane cookies! These are super easy, made with basic ingredients, and sure to be a huge hit with anyone who loves candy canes and cookies.
More Candy Cane Desserts
If you love candy canes and peppermint, check out these other fabulous holiday treats!
- Homemade Peppermint Patties (Such a great homemade holiday gift!)
- Candy Cane Crunch Peppermint Cheesecake Cannoli
- Double Chocolate Peppermint Fudge Cookies
- Easy Chocolate Peppermint Fudge
- Easy Peppermint Oreo Truffles
Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 and 3/4 cups (330g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (213g) dark brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup (99g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunks more for garnish, if desired
- 5 ounces white chocolate chunks more for garnish, if desired
- 3/4 cup crushed candy canes more for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, combine the butter and both sugars and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the vanilla and peppermint extracts.
- Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Mix in both chocolate chunks and crushed candy canes, mixing just until evenly combined.
- At this point you can bake right away – or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours (not longer or the dough will become too hard to scoop).
- Using a large spring-loaded cookie scoop, scoop heaping 3 tablespoon sized mounds (80 g) of cookie dough and roll it into a ball. Place the dough ball on the prepared sheet, with the side up that has the most chocolate chunks and candy cane pieces showing (this will create the prettiest cookie tops). Repeat with all dough, leaving 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 12 minutes to 13 minutes, or until golden at the edges but still soft in the middle.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and, using a spatula, carefully tuck in any edges that may have spread too much while baking, creating a perfectly round cookie.
- Press extra chocolate chunks on top of the cookies and sprinkle with crushed candy canes, if desired. Cool cookies on the baking sheet, placed on a wire rack, for 20 minutes before serving/moving.
Cookies spread way too much, and I think using the 80g scoop was too large.
I ended up using a smaller scoop and chilling the dough, cooking for a shorter time also.
They do taste good!