Candy Cane Spritz Cookies
This sweet version of the traditional spritz cookies is just right for the season! I highly recommend reading the notes below the recipe for best results as this is more advanced recipe. Yields approximately 3 dozen cookies give or take (this can vary a bit).
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 butter and sugar.
- Add baking powder, extract, and egg and combine.
- Add flour and mix till combined.
- Divide 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 dough strip carefully working from one end to the other to avoid breaking rope.
- Loosely intertwine both ropes first as shown in photo and then twist at either end to tighten the rope.
- If you break dough just smoosh it back together and keep going.
- Spritz dough is fragile, so work gently as you go!