Classic Candy Cane Butter Cookies

Total Time

Prep: 45 min. + chilling Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling

Makes

about 3 dozen

Updated: Apr. 19, 2023
To make cookies that look like candy canes, we color half the dough in classic red and twist away. They're fun to hang on the side of a coffee mug, or you can devour them on their own. —Shannon Roum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Classic Candy Cane Butter Cookies Recipe photo by Taste of Home
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • Red paste food coloring

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla; gradually beat in flour. Divide dough in half; mix food coloring into 1 half. Roll each dough portion into a 6-in. square. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut each dough into 36 squares. Working with a quarter of the dough at a time, keep remaining dough refrigerated. Roll 1 piece of plain dough into a 6-in. rope; roll 1 piece of red dough into a 6-in. rope. Place ropes side by side. Lift left rope over the right; repeat to form a twist. Repeat with remaining dough. Curving top of each twist to form hook of cane, place 1 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
  3. Bake 7-9 minutes or until set. Cool on pans 3 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Nutrition Facts

1 cookie: 90 calories, 5g fat (3g saturated fat), 19mg cholesterol, 57mg sodium, 10g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.

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