These cut out sugar cookies are soft and buttery and filled with pieces of peppermint candy canes. Each glazed with a red and white swirled glaze, making them perfect holiday cookies that literally melt in your mouth.
Christmas is coming soon and everyone knows its not truely christmas with a classic cookie swap. Its tradition in my house to start baking christmas cookies the first week of December. each day we make a new cookie and by the end of the week we give out a tin of various cookies to all our friends and neighbors. And this year we are starting with with Peppermint Sugar Cookies! If you are looking for other Holiday Cookie Ideas check these out:
Pistachio Chocolate Mousse Cookies
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies
PEPPERMINT SUGAR COOKIES STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
COOKIES
- In a food processor add your candy canes and pulse on high until they are finely chopped. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat your butter until soft and airy. Add your sugar and beat until combined. Add your egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
- In a small bowl combine your flour, salt and baking powder. slowly add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix until combined. beat on high until your dough is a crumbly texture. It may look too dry to you but that is ok.
- fold your candy canes into your dough.
- Using your hands Knead your dough together into a ball. Then transfer ball onto a floured surface.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out your dough until it is about ½ inch thick. Then using your desired cookie cutter, cut out your cookies and transfer each cookie to a lined cookie sheet.
- Knead together your remaining scraps and repeat twice until you get about 18 cookies. any scraps after that can be discarded.
- Place cookies in the freezer for 30 minutes and let chill.
- Bake cookies at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.
- Take out and let cool.
GLAZE
- In a medium bowl, add you powdered sugar and milk and whisk until combined. Start by adding 1 drop of food coloring and use a knife to swirl it through the glaze. Dip each cookie into the glaze and pull straight up allowing excess glaze to drip off. Let cookies rest glaze side up.
- Let glaze harden, serve and enjoy!
dough crumbly texture roll out cut out
PEPPERMINT SUGAR COOKIES KEY INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
BUTTER. The butter makes these cookies so soft and littery melt in your mouth
SUGAR. The sugar makes these cookies sugar cookies!
FLOUR. Flour adds bulk and structure. I always use non bleached flour.
BAKING POWDER. For all cut out cookies, such as these, I use baking powder so that they rise up and not out, holding their shape.
VANILLA. Real and high quality vanilla extract is important for these cookies since they are simplistic in flavor.
CANDY CANES. Crushed up candy canes gives these cookies their peppermint flavor. I prefer to use this over peppermint extract because it is more mild of a flavor then peppermint extract. and it adds a pretty fun Christmas look to your cookies. But if you do not have any, you can replace it with peppermint extract. Use a little at a time because this can be very strong and over powering.
BAKING TIPS
- If you forget to soften your butter I have a trick. Place your stick in the microwave for 5 seconds. then repeat for the remaining 3 sides of the stick… flipping your stick each time. once done your stick should be perfectly soft throughout.
- Always use parchment paper or a silicon mat on your cookie sheet. I grew up thinking I was suppose to use butter spray on my cookie sheet when baking cookies… but this is WRONG. Do not do this! This causes burnt and flat cookies
- Always chill your cookie Dough before baking. Chilling your dough brings the temperature of your butter back down which will make for taller cookies. if you skip this step your cookies will almost melt in your oven and you will have super flat thin crisp cookies that run into each other and not hold their shape. SO DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!
FAQ
- Is my dough too dry? It may seem dry or crumbly but that is correct! knead and squeeze your dough together until just combined.
- why am I using Baking powder instead of Baking soda? Baking powder is used to rise up. baking soda is used to rise out. so a traditional cookie uses baking soda but cut out cookies like these use baking powder so the rise tall and keep their shape.
STORING AND FREEZING
The cookies should be stored in an air tight container for up to 3 days. If freezing the dough or cookies wrap it up in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Lastly, if you try out this recipe, be sure to leave a comment/rating on how it turned out. I love hearing from you guys and will try my best to reply to every comment! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!
Peppermint Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup salted butter (softened)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 6 Candy Canes
Glaze
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 1-3 drops red food coloring
Instructions
Cookies
- In a food processor add your candy canes and pulse on high until they are finely chopped. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat your butter until soft and airy. Add your sugar and beat until combined. Add your egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
- In a small bowl combine your flour, salt and baking powder. slowly add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix until combined. beat on high until your dough is a crumbly texture. It may look too dry to you but that is ok.
- fold your candy canes into your dough.
- Using your hands Knead your dough together into a ball. Then transfer ball onto a floured surface.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out your dough until it is about ½ inch thick. Then using your desired cookie cutter, cut out your cookies and transfer each cookie to a lined cookie sheet.
- Knead together your remaining scraps and repeat twice until you get about 18 cookies. any scraps after that can be discarded.
- Place cookies in the freezer for 30 minutes and let chill.
- Bake cookies at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.
- Take out and let cool.
Glaze
- In a medium bowl, add you powdered sugar and milk and whisk until combined. Start by adding 1 drop of food coloring and use a knife to swirl it through the glaze. Dip each cookie into the glaze and pull straight up allowing excess glaze to drip off. Let cookies rest glaze side up.
- Let glaze harden, serve and enjoy!
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