Candy Cane Cookies

May this Christmas fill your hearts with warmth, peace and joy! We Wish You and Your Loved Ones A Holy and a Blessed Christmas!

During Christmas season I try to bake at least one new cookie every year. This year I tried the Candy Cane Cookies for my little one's school Christmas party. It was a little more time consuming than I expected but it was fun. Hope all of you are ready with your Christmas menu and if you are looking for ideas please go through my Christmas special menu…

Candy Cane Cookies

Recipe from Joy of Baking

Makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup (120 grams) confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1/2 teaspoon red liquid food coloring or red paste food coloring

Method:

• In a bowl, whisk the flour with the salt.
• In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and almond extracts and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the flour mixture, in three additions, and beat until you have a smooth dough.
• Remove half of the dough from the mixing bowl. To the remaining half add the red food coloring and beat on low speed until well blended. If you find the dough too soft, cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
• Take a walnut sized piece of red dough and a walnut sized piece of white dough. Separately, roll each color on a lightly floured surface, into a 4-5 inch (10-12.5 cm) long rope. Place the two ropes side by side, gently press together, and twist the two ropes to form a spiral. Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Shape each cookie into a cane shape by bending one end into a hook shape. Place the baking sheet with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before baking.
• Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C and place rack in center of oven.
• Bake cookies for about 8 -10 minutes or until set and the edges of the cookies are just starting to brown. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and let cookies cool completely on baking sheet. Cover and store in an airtight container for about a week.