Candy Cane Cookies
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These chocolate chip candy cane cookies are perfect for your Christmas cookie plate! You’ll love that they have double chocolate, both semi-sweet and white chocolate, and candy cane chunks.
It’s that time of year again! The snow is falling, houses are adorned with sparkling trees, and Santa Claus is making his rounds.
These chocolate chip candy cane cookies epitomize the festive holiday spirit and are perfect for any family holiday gathering or cookie exchange event.
In addition to being delicious, they also make great gifts when wrapped up nicely in cellophane bags tied with ribbon or twine.
This recipe is dedicated to Merry Christmases.
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Tips + Tricks
No. 1 –> This is a large batch cookie recipe. I like to make large batches and then freeze my dough for fresh-baked goodness later, you can see my directions below, or if you want to do a smaller batch, simply halve the ingredients.
No. 2 –> When measuring your flour, use the “scoop + level” method. Stir the flour in your flour bag or container vigorously, then spoon from the bag into a measuring cup, scrape the top of your measuring cup with the back of a knife or something flat. This will ensure you’re not packing the flour into the cup.
No. 3 –> For an irresistible looking crushed candy cane cookie, reserve some of the candy cane pieces and press them into the top of your cookie dough balls before baking. That’s how the ones photographed in this post were made, but they are just as tasty without the extra step!
Key Ingredients:
This truly is a Christmas cookie. Don’t look at the ingredient list or the nutrition info. Just make them, eat them and be merry <3
Crushed Candy Canes: Candy canes do some major heavy lifting in this recipe! They add a great crunch while also giving the perfect amount of Christmasy peppermint flavor.
Chocolate Chips: This recipe uses both semi sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. When purchasing your chips, ensure that you’re grabbing white chocolate chips vs white baking chips – white chocolate is smooth and creamy while baking chips can be snappy.
How To Crush Candy Canes:
There may be an easy way to crush candy canes with a heavy rolling pin, which is a totally awesome option, but I wanted to do candy cane chunks!
Leave the candy canes in their wrappers, as it can get pretty sticky, then break them into approximately 1/4 – 1/3″ sections. Unwrap the candy canes, and pour the chunks and the crushed remainders into a measuring cup. I find it takes between 14 and 16 full sized candy canes to yield 1 cup.
How To Make Crushed Candy Cane Cookies
Make the cookie dough:
- Preheat oven to 375f, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Meanwhile, crush all the candy canes.
- Combine 1 1/3 cup melted butter and 4 cups brown sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat together until smooth.
- Add in 4 large eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Then add 4 tablespoons of hot water and beat well.
- Combine 5 cups of all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until combined.
- Add in 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup white chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed.
- Add in 1 cup broken candy cane pieces and fold in by hand.
Scoop + Bake:
- Once the candy canes have been folded in, scoop the cookie balls onto prepared baking sheet using a cookie dough scooper. I use the 40mm size.
- Bake at 375f for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops edges are golden brown. Under bake slightly for a chewier cookie.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 or so minutes before transferring to a wire mesh cooling rack.
Batch + Storage
Batch:
This is a LARGE cookie recipe. It’s perfect for the season when your heart and home are full!
This recipe makes about ~84 cookies using a size 40 cookie scoop.
Feel free to halve this recipe if desired, but check out the section below regarding freezing the dough, it’s an awesome option for these cookies!
Storage:
These chocolate chip candy cane cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days in an air-tight container, they can also be frozen for up to 3 months. See the make ahead section below for freezing directions.
Make Ahead?
Wondering if you can make these cookies ahead? If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I’m 100% here for “make the mess once and eat 10 times”!
You can definitely make these candy cane cookies in advance! Here are your 2 options, and both make sense depending on which situation you’re in!
Option 1: Freeze the dough
Start by making the cookie dough. Sample it to see how delicious. Sample it again, just to be sure.
Then, using your cookie scoop, scoop all your dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, no need to space them too much. Place the cookie sheet(s) in the freezer until frozen solid. Transfer the frozen balls to a freezer-friendly container. I usually use ziplock-style freezer bags to store my cookie balls – they store easily and are easy to get to when you’ve got a late-night cookie craving!
When ready to bake, remove the cookie balls from the freezer, and place them on a baking sheet to thaw while the oven preheats. Bake per the recipe!
Option 2: Freeze the Cookies
Bake the cookies as per the recipe, and transfer them to a wire rack to completely cool. Then place the cookies on a cookie sheet, place them in the freezer until completely frozen, then transfer them to a freezer-friendly container.
When ready to serve, remove the cookies from the freezer, and allow them to thaw for 20-30 minutes before serving.
More Yummy Cookie Recipes
Recommended Equipment
STAND MIXER – I love my Kitchen-aid stand mixer – it gets a major workout, and never stops performing!
PARCHMENT PAPER – I find parchment paper to be a better solution than silicone mats for most cookies, and as an added bonus, you can wipe the crumbs off, fold it up and use it again next time you bake cookies!
If you love this recipe, please give it a star rating or leave a comment below! This helps me to create more content you enjoy!
๐ Printable Recipe
Double Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 โ cups melted unsalted butter
- 4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons hot water
- 5 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ยผ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup crushed peppermint candy canes approximately 14 full sized candy canes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375f and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Leave the candy canes in the wrapper and using your hands, break them into 1/4 – 1/3" chunks. Unwrap, then pour the contents into a measuring cup until you hit 1 cup, set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat 1 1/3 cup melted butter and 4 cups brown sugar together until smooth. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating in between. Add 4 tablespoons hot water, and mix well.
- In a large bowl, whisk 5 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and ยฝ teaspoon salt, then slowly add to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until completely combined.
- Add 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup white chocolate chips to the bowl and mix on low until evenly distributed. Fold in the candy cane pieces by hand.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop cookies onto prepared baking sheet. Bake at 375f for 8-10 minutes – until the bottoms and edges are golden brown. Under bake slightly for a chewier cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 5-10 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire mesh cooling rack – this will allow the melted candy cane to harden a bit and be easier to remove.
These were PERFECT for my cookie exchange. Will make again.