Candy Cane Spritz Cookies. December 16, 2023.

Candy cane spritz cookies are a yummy piece of childhood nostalgia for me. Those pretty, red-and-cream-striped cookies with a peppermint essence were beloved and emblazoned in my memory. The very sight of them sang “Christmas is coming,” filling the air with Christmas spirit. And they are not exactly simple to put together.

I don’t remember where the original recipe came from, but I do know that spritz cookie dough and peppermint extract were involved. I also remember watching my mom assemble them, so I know the basic technique. This is a recipe that takes time and patience, so I made a cup of coffee and turned on The Nutcracker for a lovely afternoon of cookie-making!

You can use your own spritz cookie dough for this, but I’ve included the spritz dough recipe I used, from an old 2006 Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Someone gave us a Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook when we got married in 1994, and it was a lifesaver! That was the best wedding present! That trusty cookbook got me through my early years of learning to cook. And when that one wore out, I got another one. And I still love to use their recipes today! Here is their recipe for Spritz cookies. Good things stand the test of time.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter, salted (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1 tsp. baking powder
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
a few drops of red or pink food coloring (I used pink)
decorative sugar sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

Cream the butter and sugar.
Add the baking powder, extract, and egg, and combine.
Add the flour and mix until combined.
Divide the dough in half and add food coloring to one half.
Shape both pieces of dough into large balls, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Remove dough balls from refrigerator and cut each ball into 12 pieces (24 pieces of dough total).
Roll one section each of pink and white dough sections into ropes about 18 inches long.
Loosely twist them together.
Tighten the coil by twisting gently at the ends.
Cut rope of dough into 3 sections (about 6 inches each).
Shape into candy canes and put on baking sheet lined with parchment.
If desired, sprinkle with decorative sugar.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.
Let cool on sheet for a few minutes before removing to avoid breaking cookies.
Can be made ahead and frozen (carefully!)

Notes

Notes for best results:

Refrigerate your dough.
Roll the dough strip carefully, working from one end to the other to avoid breaking the rope.
Loosely intertwine both ropes first, as shown in the photo, and then twist at either end to tighten the rope.
If you break the dough, smoosh it back together and keep going.
Spritz dough is fragile, so work gently as you go!
Original spritz cookie recipe here.

Have a beautiful day!

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Candy Cane Spritz Cookies