Easy Candy-Cane Cookie Recipe

‘Tis the Season for Cookie Baking!

by Alice Jane-Marie Massa

                In all of the hustle and bustle of this festive season, do you want to make Christmas cookies, but do not have the time for rolling out the dough and using a variety of cookie cutters?  Right here on WORDWALK, you will find an easier and quicker solution to your cookie-baking dilemma—my Aunt Lydia’s Sugar Cookie recipe which I have tweaked a little for the holiday season.  This tried-and-true recipe will make you “Ho!  Ho!  Ho!” happy in your kitchen and will bring forth a myriad of merry compliments.  Grab your holiday apron, put on some cheery Christmas music, and let the baking begin!

Christmas Candy-Cane Cookies

(A Holiday Variation of Aunt Lydia’s Sugar Cookies)

* No rolling pin required!  No cookie cutters are needed!  Do not grease cookie sheet!

1.  Preheat oven to 375 or 400 degrees Fahrenheit (depending on your oven and type of cookie sheet).

2.  Cream together one-fourth cup shortening, one-fourth cup softened margarine, and three-fourths cup sugar.

3.  Add one egg, one tablespoon milk, and one-half or one teaspoon vanilla to creamed mixture.  (Variations:  You may substitute almond extract, peppermint extract, anise extract, or other flavorings for the vanilla.)

4.  Gradually add one and three-fourths cups flour, three-fourths teaspoon cream of tartar, three-fourths teaspoon baking soda, and one-fourth teaspoon salt.

5.  Using a slightly rounded tablespoon of dough, roll dough into a log-shape of approximately five inches in length.  As you place the log of dough onto the ungreased cookie sheet, shape the log into a candy cane.   

6.  Allow one inch or more between candy canes of dough because the cookie dough will spread out a little while baking.

7.  With a pastry brush, brush each candy cane of dough very lightly with milk; then, carefully top each candy cane with red sprinkles. 

8.  Bake at 375 to 400 degrees for eight to ten minutes (until edges are slightly browned).  HINT:  After removing the cookie sheet from the oven, when lightly tapped, a properly done candy cane will feel fairly firm to the touch.

9.  After removing the cookie sheet from the oven, let the cookies stand on the baking sheet for one to two minutes; then, with a cookie spatula, gently move the cookies to a flat tray.  Enjoy!

10.  These candy-cane cookies store well in a cookie tin (if you prefer a crispy cookie) or in a plastic container (if you prefer a softer cookie).

FAMILY NOTE:  Many wonderful cooks and bakers adorn my family tree.  My Aunt Lydia (August 9, 1912-March 2, 2006) was one of three siblings of my mother; all of these three sisters and one brother were brought up in and Italian bakery and grocery store.  The holiday season is a perfect time for gathering, collecting, and sharing  family recipes—and, of course, any stories attached to these special recipes.  I am blessed with many happy memories of baking these candy-cane cookies and other Christmas cut-out cookies, as well as a variety of other holiday treats, in the warm and loving atmosphere of the kitchen of my family’s Indiana home.  Buon Natale!

Happy holiday baking!

Alice and Leader Dog Willow

December 14, 2022, Wednesday

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