Candy canes and sugar cookies make you think of Christmas so why not combine them and make Peppermint Sugar Cookies for Santa!?!
This recipe makes soft sugar cookies with perfect peppermint flavor. The peppermint cookies are then frosted with a peppermint cream cheese frosting and topped with crushed candy canes. Making the best peppermint sugar cookies
NOTE: These peppermint sugar cookies need to have one hour of chill time in the fridge before baking, so plan accordingly.
What ingredients are needed to make this Peppermint Sugar Cookie Recipe?
Ingredients for the peppermint sugar cookies:
- all-purpose flour
- white sugar
- butter (salted or unsalted)
- cream cheese
- one large egg
- baking soda
- baking powder
- vanilla extract
- peppermint extract
- candy canes (crushed to add to the top of the frosted cookies)
Frosting:
- cream cheese
- butter (salted or unsalted)
- powered sugar
- vanilla extract
- peppermint extract
- red food coloring
TIP: Make sure your cream cheese and butter for the cookies and frosting is at room temperature before starting to make this recipe.
Making the Peppermint Sugar Cookies
Making these sugar cookies with peppermint is so easy. You can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, a hand mixer or just mix the dough by hand. You will also need a separate bowl from your mixing bowl to add the dry ingredients together.
In a separate bowl from your mixing bowl, add your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and baking soda). Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside.
In your mixing bowl, add your softened butter, softened cream cheese, and white sugar. Cream the ingredients together, then add your egg and cream the ingredients again, until fully incorporated.
Next, add your vanilla and peppermint extract. Mix it into the creamed ingredients.
TIP: You can find peppermint extract on the baking aisle right by the vanilla extract.
Finally, slowly add your dry ingredients into the wet, creamed mixture. Mix the ingredients together until they are fully incorporated and a thick cookie dough is formed.
After you have made the dough place it on some plastic wrap and wrap it up tight. A gallon size ziplock bag works great too. Put the cookie dough in the fridge to chill for at least one hour.
Baking the Peppermint Cookies
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare cookie sheets (I use half sheet pans) for baking. Either spray the cookie/baking sheets with cooking spray or line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
After the peppermint cookie dough has chilled for an hour, take the dough out of the fridge and unwrap it.
Use a tablespoon or small cookie scoop to portion the dough into balls for baking. You will need to portion out a heaping tablespoon or heaping cookie scoop of dough. See the photo right below to see how big my dough portions are.
Line the cookie dough balls on the greased or parchment lined baking/cookie sheet. Make sure they are placed far enough apart they won’t bake into the other cookies while in the oven.
Repeat with all of the dough until it is all rolled into balls. If you only have one baking sheet, make/form the balls and place them on a plate so you can bake them in batches.
You should get about 3 dozen cookies, depending on the size of your cookie dough portions.
Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes. You will know they are done when the edges start to get barely light brown. Take the cookie out of the oven and let them cool before frosting them.
While the cookies are baking make your peppermint cream cheese frosting and crush the candy canes for the top of the candy cane cookies.
The Frosting and Candy Cane Topping for Peppermint Cookies
Use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or a hand mixer to make the cream cheese frosting. Make sure your butter and cream cheese is fully softened so the frosting isn’t lumpy.
Place the softened cream cheese and softened butter in your mixing bowl.
Mix the butter and cream cheese together until it is fully mixed together and has no lumps.
TIP: If you find the butter and cream cheese wasn’t quite softened enough and the frosting is a little lumpy, let the mixture sit for a little bit so it can soften a bit more. Then mix it together again. Alternately, if you have the cream cheese and butter in a microwave safe bowl, you can heat the mixture for 20-30 seconds or until the mixture softens enough to get rid of the lumps.
After the butter and cream cheese is mixed together and lump free, add the powdered sugar. Mix the powdered sugar in to the butter and cream cheese until it is fully mixed together.
NOTE: When you start adding the powdered sugar it will seem a bit dry. It will all end up mixing together just fine with the best consistency, so don’t panic.
Next, add the vanilla, peppermint extract and one drop of red food coloring (to make sure you don’t over-do the red color). I prefer my frosting color to be a light pink shade. Start out with one small drop and mix it in, then add more red food color to your liking, adding just a small bit at a time.
TIP: Start out with one drop of red food coloring. Do not add several drops until you know how red the food coloring will make the frosting. Every brand of food coloring will color foods a bit different. Some brands you need more drops to get your desired color and other brands you only need one small drop.
NOTE: You may think you have a lot of frosting, and while it makes a lot I promise it is the perfect amount to top each cookie with a generous amount of frosting (I like quite a bit on top) and not much will be leftover. They are so much better with a good amount of frosting on top!
You will also need to crush the candy canes for adding them to the top of the cookie. I do this while the cookies bake.
Unwrap the candy canes and place them in a zip top bag. Then using a meat mallet, a rolling pin or anything heavy, crush the candy canes into small bits and pieces, or whatever size you prefer.
Once the cookies are cooled, frost the cookies and add the crushed candy canes as you frost them.
I have found if you frost a few cookies then add the crushed canes, the candy cane pieces will stick to the frosting better before the frosting has time to set.
Cover the cookies to keep them fresh if you aren’t going to eat them all at once.
I do not put my cookies in the fridge even though the frosting has cream cheese in it, and they have never made me sick (just my experience, not medical advice). If you are worried about the cream cheese frosting and getting sick then you can store them in the fridge and take them out to soften and warm up a bit before enjoying – unless you like chilled cookies then eat them right out of the fridge!
If you liked this recipe please take the time to leave a comment and a star rating below! Also, don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram!
For some other delicious peppermint recipes try my: Peppermint Candy Cane Sauce, No Bake Peppermint Pie, Candy Cane Chocolate Fudge or my Easy Peppermint Candy Cane Dip.
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Peppermint Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with paddle attachment and whisk attachment *a hand mixer works well, or use your hands
- medium sized bowl *for mixing the dry ingredients separately
- measuring cups and spoons
- baking sheets/pans
- parchment paper or cooking spray *to line the baking sheets or grease the baking sheets
- meat mallet or something heavy *to crush candy canes for the cookie topping
- zip top bag *to be used for crushing the candy canes
- plastic wrap or zip top bag *for chilling the cookie dough
Ingredients
Peppermint Sugar Cookies
- 8 oz. cream cheese *do not use less fat or fat free
- 1 cup butter, softened *either salted or unsalted works great
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 5 Peppermint Candy Canes *you will crush them to be sprinkled on top of the frosted cookies-use more as needed or to your liking
Peppermint Frosting
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened *do not use fat free or less fat
- 1 cup butter, softened *either salted or unsalted will work
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 to 2 drops red food coloring *add more drops as needed to achieve your desired color – I prefer a very light pink shade
Instructions
Peppermint Sugar Cookies
- In a medium sized bowl add your dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and baking powder). Mix them well until they are fully incorporated. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, add the softened cream cheese and softened butter to the mixing bowl. Cream the butter and cream cheese together until it is mixed well and creamy with no lumps.
- Add the large egg to the creamy mixture and mix it well.
- Next add your vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Mix it well until they are fully incorporated.
- Finally add your dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix it fully. The cookie dough will be a stiff dough.
- Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap or put it in a zip top bag and chill the dough in the refrigerator for one hour.
- *You can make the frosting or crush the candy canes while you are letting the dough chill or while you are baking the cookies.
- When the dough is done chilling, preheat your oven to 350℉. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with cooking spray. Set them aside.
- Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, portion the cookie dough out in heaping tablespoons or heaping scoops and place the cookie dough balls on the greased or lined baking sheet. (See photos in blog post above for about the size I make my cookie dough balls).Make sure to place the cookie dough balls with enough space in between them so they don’t bake into each other. Repeat with the cookie dough until it is all portioned out and made cookie dough balls. If you only have one baking sheet, use a plate to put the dough balls on until you can bake them.
- Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookie start to turn light brown. (See the photos in the blog post above).Remove the cookies from the oven when they are done baking and continue to bake all of the cookies.
- Do not frost the cookies until they are cooled.
Peppermint Frosting
- In a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer or your hands) add the softened cream cheese and softened butter and mix them well together.
- Add the powdered sugar slowly, a little at a time to make sure it gets mixed in well. The frosting will seem very dry at first when adding the powdered sugar – dont panic – keep mixing until the powdered sugar is all mixed in and your frosting is thick and sweet. Add more powdered sugar if you want it more stiff and thick and more sweet.
- Finally add the vanilla extract, peppermint extract and one drop of red food coloring. Mix the ingredients until the food coloring is fully mixed.*Add more drops of red food coloring until you get the desired shade of pink for your frosting – I prefer mine light pink.
- Make your frosting and crush your candy canes while the cookies are baking if you haven’t already.
- Once the cookies have cooled, frost the cookies and sprinkle the crushed canes on top. I have found if you frost a few cookies at a time and then sprinkle the candy canes on top, the crushed canes will stick better.
- Enjoy the cookies and cover them tightly for storing. They will stay fresh and soft for about 4-5 days … if they last that long.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
