White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

The irresistible aroma of buttery, freshly baked White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies fills your kitchen with holiday cheer while their crispy edges and chewy centers promise pure delight in every bite. These festive treats perfectly balance sweet white chocolate with refreshing peppermint, creating a cookie that’s both nostalgic and indulgent. Whether you’re preparing for a cookie exchange or creating holiday memories with family, these White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies will become your new December tradition. You’ll learn how to achieve the perfect texture, incorporate crushed candy canes without overwhelming the cookie, and create a showstopper that embodies the holiday spirit.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies are the ultimate holiday treat that combines convenience with wow-factor results. Unlike many holiday cookies that require complex decorating or specialized equipment, these cookies come together with minimal effort yet deliver maximum impact. The contrast between the buttery, vanilla-scented cookie base and the bright peppermint crunch creates a textural symphony that keeps you reaching for just one more.

The cookies offer a beautiful visual appeal with their snow-white chocolate chunks and ruby-red candy cane pieces scattered throughout, making them perfect for gifting or displaying at parties. The subtle balance of sweetness from the white chocolate with the cooling peppermint avoids the overpowering mintiness that turns many people away from peppermint desserts.

Best of all, these cookies maintain their perfect texture for days – staying soft in the center while the candy cane pieces develop a delightful chewiness that melts in your mouth. The recipe is forgiving enough for beginners but special enough to impress even the most discerning cookie connoisseurs.

Ingredients

For these festive White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies, you’ll need:

• 2¼ cups (280g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
• ¾ cup (150g) light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract (optional for more mint flavor)
• 1½ cups (255g) premium white chocolate chips or chunks
• 1 cup (120g) crushed candy canes (about 10-12 regular-sized candy canes)

The quality of your white chocolate makes a significant difference here – opt for real white chocolate containing cocoa butter rather than candy melts or white baking chips for the richest flavor. For the candy canes, traditional red and white varieties create the most festive appearance, but any peppermint candy canes will work. Pre-crushed peppermint candies are available during the holiday season if you prefer to skip the crushing step.

Pro Tips

Properly Crush Your Candy Canes: The secret to perfect peppermint candy cane cookies lies in the size of your candy cane pieces. Place unwrapped candy canes in a ziplock bag, cover with a kitchen towel, and use a rolling pin to create a mixture of small pieces and fine dust. The dust will flavor and slightly color the dough, while the larger pieces provide bursts of peppermint and visual appeal. Avoid using a food processor, which can pulverize the candy too finely.

Control the White Chocolate Melt: For picture-perfect cookies with visible white chocolate chunks, freeze your white chocolate chips or chunks for 15 minutes before folding them into the dough. This prevents them from completely melting and disappearing during baking, ensuring distinct pockets of creamy white chocolate throughout your cookies.

Perfect Your Timing: The critical moment for these White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies is removing them from the oven at precisely the right time. Pull them out when the edges are just set but the centers still look slightly underbaked – approximately 10-11 minutes for standard-sized cookies. They’ll continue cooking on the hot baking sheet, resulting in perfectly chewy centers rather than crunchy, overdone cookies.

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside this dry ingredient mixture while you prepare the wet ingredients.

Step 2

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar using an electric mixer on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. This creaming process isn’t just mixing—it’s incorporating air into your dough for the perfect texture, so don’t rush it! The mixture should become noticeably lighter in both color and consistency.

Step 3

Add the eggs one at a time to your butter-sugar mixture, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated. Then mix in the vanilla extract and peppermint extract (if using). The batter should now be smooth and somewhat fluffy.

Step 4

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed just until combined. Over-mixing at this stage will develop too much gluten, resulting in tough cookies rather than tender ones. When a few streaks of flour remain, stop the mixer.

Step 5

Gently fold in the white chocolate chips and about ¾ cup of the crushed candy canes, reserving the remaining ¼ cup for topping. The residual heat from mixing will begin melting the candy cane dust into beautiful pink swirls throughout your dough. For the most visually striking White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies, avoid overmixing once the candy canes are added.

Step 6

Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, portion the dough into 1½-inch balls and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Slightly flatten each ball with your palm and sprinkle the tops with the reserved crushed candy canes, gently pressing them in so they adhere.

Step 7

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. The cookies should have golden edges but still look slightly underdone in the centers. Allow them to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Variations

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Swirl Cookies: For chocolate lovers, transform these treats by substituting ¼ cup of flour with unsweetened cocoa powder. The rich chocolate base creates a striking contrast with the white chocolate and red candy cane pieces, reminiscent of peppermint bark in cookie form. The chocolate-mint combination offers a sophisticated flavor profile that appeals to adults while maintaining the festive appearance children love.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookie Bars: When holiday time is limited, convert this recipe into time-saving bar cookies. Press the dough into a parchment-lined 9×13-inch baking pan and bake at 350°F for 22-25 minutes until the edges are golden but the center is still slightly soft. After cooling, cut into squares for a quick holiday dessert that delivers all the flavor with a fraction of the effort.

Gluten-Free Peppermint Dream Cookies: Accommodate guests with dietary restrictions by substituting the all-purpose flour with your favorite cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend. Add ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum if your blend doesn’t already include it. The result is an inclusive holiday treat that doesn’t compromise on taste or texture, making everyone feel welcome at your celebration.

Storage and Serving

Store your White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Place parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking, especially important with these cookies as the candy cane pieces may become slightly tacky over time. For longer storage, freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container with parchment between layers.

Serve these festive cookies alongside a steaming mug of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream for the ultimate holiday treat. The contrast between the warm drink and cool peppermint creates a sensory experience that embodies winter comfort.

For an elegant dessert table presentation, stack these White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies on a tiered serving plate interspersed with fresh evergreen sprigs. Their red and white colors naturally complement holiday décor.

Create an unforgettable ice cream sandwich by placing a small scoop of vanilla or peppermint ice cream between two completely cooled cookies – this crowd-pleasing dessert elevates the humble cookie to spectacular status at holiday gatherings.

FAQs

Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time?
Yes! The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days in an airtight container. You can also form the dough balls and freeze them for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.

Why did my candy canes melt completely and create holes in my cookies?
This typically happens when the candy pieces are too small or powdery. Aim for a mixture of fine dust and small pieces, and make sure your oven isn’t running too hot. A slightly lower temperature of 325°F with a longer bake time can help prevent excessive melting.

Can I use different flavors of candy canes?
Absolutely! While traditional peppermint creates the classic flavor, experiment with flavored candy canes like cinnamon, cherry, or chocolate mint for creative variations of these White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies.

My cookies spread too much during baking. What went wrong?
Overly flat cookies usually result from butter that’s too warm or too little flour. Chill your dough for 30 minutes before baking if your kitchen is warm, or add 1-2 additional tablespoons of flour to the dough.

How do I know when the cookies are done baking?
The perfect White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookie will have golden edges but a center that looks slightly underbaked. They’ll continue cooking on the hot baking sheet after removal from the oven, resulting in the ideal chewy texture once cooled.

Conclusion

These White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies are comfort food at its finest — festive bites of holiday joy that balance buttery cookie dough with creamy white chocolate and refreshing peppermint crunch. They’re the kind of treat that creates traditions, whether passed around at family gatherings, packaged as heartfelt gifts, or left out for Santa on Christmas Eve. With their perfect balance of familiar flavors and special-occasion flair, these cookies capture the essence of holiday baking: creating something delicious that brings people together and makes memories that last long after the last crumb has been enjoyed.

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