Candy Cane Thumbprint Cookies
My husband loves thumbprint cookies, so I knew these Candy Cane Thumbprint Cookies would be the perfect treat to surprise him with for the holidays.
I hope you have as much fun putting these together as we did!
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Why You’ll Love These Candy Cane Thumbprint Cookies!
- They’re delicious! – I love that these candy cane cookies have just the right amount of peppermint flavor, without going overboard. The cookie itself is chewy and sweet, and the candy center gives it that holiday taste.
- They’re festive! – With the red-and-white striped peppermint kisses and the colorful sprinkles, these candy cane cookies might just be the most festive cookies on the entire cookie tray.
- They’re easy to put together! – Let’s face it, we’re all busy during the holiday season. It’s nice to have delicious cookie recipes that don’t take hours in the kitchen. Not only to these perfect cookies come together quickly, but they’re also a favorite for kids to make.
- They’re a hit at gatherings! – With so many Christmas cookie options at many holiday gatherings, it can be a little overwhelming. Often, people tend to reach for what looks familiar. Because these candy cane thumbprint cookies look like a mix of peanut butter blossom cookies and classic thumbprint cookies, people like to try them. Once they’ve eaten one, you can guarantee they’ll be back for more.
Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Candy Cane Cookies
With the exception of the peppermint kisses, you’ll be able to make this recipe with the standard baking ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
- 24 Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses – These holiday candies give this cookie its hint of peppermint flavor. You can find them in most grocery stores during the holiday season.
- 1/2 Cup of Butter – One stick of butter is what you’ll need. Use unsalted butter, and be sure that it is softened and brought up to room temperature before starting in on this recipe. If all you have on hand is salted butter, no big deal! Simply skip adding salt as a separate ingredient later.
- 1 Cup of Sugar – Use white granulated sugar for this recipe. If you’d like a rich, molasses flavor, then feel free to swap as much as 1/2 a cup of white sugar for packed brown sugar.
- 1 Egg – If you let your large eggs sit out on the counter and come up to room temperature, they’ll incorporate much more evenly with the creamed butter and sugar. If you forget, just place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
- 2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract – Any cookie worth its salt has a good splash of vanilla in it.
- 2 Cups of Flour – All-purpose flour works great for these chewy chocolate cookies. If you need to avoid gluten, you can swap for almond flour. Because almond flour soaks up more moisture than all-purpose flour, you’ll need to reduce the amount of flour you use by about 1/4 of a cup.
- 1/4 Teaspoon of Baking Soda – Be sure that your baking soda isn’t expired! You’d be amazed at how quickly baking soda loses it’s “oomph” once the box is opened.
- 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt – If you’re using salted butter, you can skip this ingredient.
- 2 Tablespoons of Milk – Feel free to use almond milk or soy milk if one of those options works best for your family.
- Sprinkles – What’s Christmas cookies without a little festivity! Rolling the cookie dough balls in holiday sprinkles or red and green sugar gives them that holly jolly look.
How To Make This Delicious Holiday Treat
This is a great recipe to do if children are joining you in the kitchen for some Christmas baking fun.
They can help:
- measure out the ingredients
- operate the hand mixer
- scoop the dough out into balls
- roll them in sprinkles
- add the peppermint kisses.
They can be with you every step of the way.
What a fun holiday activity!
- Preheat your oven, and prep your cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed. Once the butter and sugar are light and fluffy, add the eggs and vanilla. Then continue mixing until you reach a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Slowly add your dry ingredients to the electric mixer, and beat until well combined.
- Add in the milk a little bit at a time until the dough forms into a ball around the paddle attachment.
- Using a cookie scoop or melon baller, shape the cookie dough into one-inch balls. Coat each ball in sprinkles! This is easiest managed if you pour out the sprinkles into a small bowl and roll the dough balls in it.
- Place the festive balls of dough on the baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the center of each cookie has just set.
- After removing the cookies, immediately place an unwrapped peppermint kiss into the center of the cookie.
- Transfer cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely, and enjoy!
Twists To Try On These Candy Cane Thumbprint Cookies
- Are you all about peppermint? You can boost this flavor in many ways! Try rolling the cookie dough balls in crushed candy canes instead of sprinkles, or adding a teaspoon peppermint extract to the dough. Just swap out half of the vanilla extract for the peppermint extract.
- Peppermint and chocolate go super well together. To turn this into a recipe for chocolate peppermint thumbprint cookies, simply add a quarter cup of cocoa powder to the dough. You’ll need to either add more milk or less flour.
How To Store Leftover Candy Cane Cookies
These candy cane thumbprint cookies are perfect for Christmas cookie exchanges, or to give as gifts in a holiday cookie box!
As long as they are stored in an airtight container, they will taste fresh and soft for up to a week.
Making Candy Cane Thumbprint Cookies To Freeze
Do you need your cookies to last longer than a week?
After rolling the small balls in the sprinkles, set them on an ungreased cookie sheet and place them in the freezer.
Once they are frozen, you can take them off of the baking sheet and put them in a plastic freezer bag.
They’ll stay fresh in the freezer for three months!
Then all you need to do to add the candy cane cookies to your Christmas cookie rotation is to pull them out, let them thaw, and bake.
Candy Cane Thumbprint Christmas Cookies
My husband loves thumbprint cookies, so I knew these Candy Cane Thumbprint Cookies would be the perfect treat for him at the holidays. I hope you enjoy them as much as we have!
Equipment
- Parchment Paper or Non-Stick Baking Mat
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 24 Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses
- 1/2 Cup Butter
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 2 Cups Flour
- 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Milk
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven, and prep your cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed. Once the butter and sugar are light and fluffy, add the eggs and vanilla. Then continue mixing until you reach a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Slowly add your dry ingredients to the electric mixer, and beat until well combined.
- Add in the milk a little bit at a time until the dough forms into a ball around the paddle attachment.
- Using a cookie scoop or melon baller, shape the cookie dough into one-inch balls. Coat each ball in sprinkles! This is easiest managed if you pour out the sprinkles into a small bowl and roll the dough balls in it.
- Place the festive balls of dough on the baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the center of each cookie has just set.
- After removing the cookies, immediately place an unwrapped peppermint kiss into the center of the cookie.
- Transfer cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely, and enjoy!
More Yummy Cookie Recipes
- Red and Green M & M Christmas Cookies
- Hot Chocolate Cookies
- Molten Lava Cookies
- Christmas Cake Mix Cookies
