Christmas Candy Cane Cookies

I absolutely love these Candy Cane Cookies! With just a hint of peppermint, these sugar cookies make a great side to a nice cup of Hot Chocolate on a cold Christmas night. All you need is your favorite Sugar Cookie recipe, red food coloring, peppermint extract, sprinkles, and you can jazz up a plain old sugar cookie! I got this idea from the amazing Sandra Lee on the Food Network a few years ago, and I haven't missed a Christmas without making them. I will include Sandra Lee's original recipe in which she uses a packaged Sugar Cookie Mix. I know you will love these yummy Candy Cane Cookies, and the kids will eat them right up!


Candy Cane Cookies
By: Sandra Lee

1 Sugar Cookie Mix (Betty Crocker)
1/2 Stick butter (melt for 20 sec. in microwave)
1 egg
1/3 cup soft cream cheese
1/2 cup flour
Red Food Coloring
1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Combine first 5 ingredients in large mixing bowl until well blended. Split dough in half and place in seperate bowls. Add almost a whole container of red food coloring to one half of dough, and mix very well so that the die is spread throughout. Add the peppermint extract to the other half of the dough and mix well. For each cookie you will need about a 1-inch ball of peppermint dough and a 1-inch ball of red dough rolled into 1/4 inch wide ropes and about 4 inches long. Twist together and form a candy cane, (pictured above). Spinkle with Christmas sprinkles if desired. Bake at 325 degrees for 12 minutes.

***You can use any sugar cookie dough with these. I always use my favorite Sour Cream Sugar Cookie recipe found here: http://mysisterscucina.blogspot.com/2008/10/halloween-night-menu.html . (You will have to scroll to the bottom of the post).

Serve with some Hot Chocolate and snuggle up to a good Christmas movie! If you are looking for a great Christmas movie to snuggle up to, some of our favorites are: White Christmas, Holiday Inn, Smokey Mountain Christmas, Polar Express, and Once & Twice Upon A Christmas.

Merry Christmas!!!