Candy cane cookies

Photo: Spend With Pennies

Two ropes of peppermint butter dough, one red, twisted into canes. Holly's are the ones you remember from a grandmother's tin, and kids love helping roll them.

From Holly Nilsson at Spend With Pennies · @spendpennies

Peppermint butter dough split in two, half tinted red, rolled into thin ropes, twisted together and bent into canes.

You need

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp red food coloring (or a little red gel)

How to make it

1. Beat the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, peppermint and vanilla, then the flour and salt on low until a soft dough forms.
2. Split the dough in half and knead the red coloring into one half. Shape each into a disc, wrap and chill 2 hours.
3. Heat the oven to 350°F and line a sheet with parchment.
4. Roll 1 tsp of white dough into a 4-inch rope, and the same with red. If they crack, let the dough warm a few minutes.
5. Lay the ropes side by side, twist them together and roll gently to seal. Set on the sheet and bend the top into a hook. Space them 1 inch apart.
6. Bake 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges just barely color. Cool 2 minutes, then move carefully to a rack.

For a swap: A little fragile at the hooks. Pack flat, one layer.

Written in our own words from Holly Nilsson's recipe, with their quantities. The original: Candy cane cookies, Spend With Pennies.

More from the list