Name: Candy Cane Bow Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Cuisine: Cookies
Ingredients: 3/4 cups plant based butter (or real butter softened); 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 egg; 1 tsp vanilla; 1/4 tsp quality peppermint extract; 2 1/2 cups flour (+ extra, for rolling); 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp kosher salt; Edible glitter and silver leaf (optional); Powdered sugar; Red gel food coloring

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New Candy Cane Bow Sugar Cookies for the holiday season! These easy to make and adorable bow cookies are inspired by the candy cane bow trend, made with two tone classic sugar cookie dough that’s infused with peppermint. The dough is then colored, divided, shaped into cookie candy canes, and then formed into adorable bows, referencing the candy cane shaping process for the cookie design. Once baked they are sure to be the cutest addition to Christmas cookie boxes, homemade gifts and festive party trays. Dust with a little powdered sugar and glitter, for an elevated finishing touch!

Candy Cane Bow Sugar Cookies

Cute and trendy candy cane sugar cookies, twisted into easy bows. An adorable cookie option for gifting and for holiday cookie boxes and parties!

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Candy Cane Bow Cookie Inspiration

Every year around the holidays I look forward to coming up with new cookie designs for home bakers, that are easy on a baking scale, and require minimal decorations, yet are still beautiful. Drawing inspiration from the trendy candy cane bows, this new sugar cookie design is perfect for the holidays and focuses on the multi colored dough, peppermint infusion and twisted bow shape. No additional decorations are necessary, making these cute holiday cookies the perfect bake for the season!

Although simple, they are a bit time consuming to make, but will certainly be worth the effort, as the cutely shaped bow cookies are sure to make a statement on cookie trays or when packaged and gifted to friends and family!

Check out last years, Peppermint Tree Sugar Cookies for more cookie baking inspiration!

How the cookies taste

The candy cane sugar cookies are delicious with classic sugar cookie flavor and hints of vanilla and peppermint throughout. Since they have no icing, the cookies are just lightly sweetened with a dusting of powdered sugar and would be wonderful paired with festive tea, coffee or hot cocoa!

Ingredients & Supplies

Below is a list of ingredients and supplies necessary to make these cookies at home.

Ingredients:

Butter of choice, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, kosher salt, all purpose flour.

Supplies:

Baking sheets, parchment paper, red gel food coloring, paring knife, edible glitter (optional), powdered sugar.

Plant Based Butter

The cookies can really be made with any butter of choice. I discovered that the dough is a bit easier to roll when made with dairy butter, but may require a few extra tablespoons of flour during the mixing process since plant based butter and dairy butter are a slightly different consistency.

How to make the Peppermint Sugar Cookies?

Making these cookies is an easy process, but a bit time consuming to roll and twist the dough. The design is completed the same way as candy cane bows are made.

This would be a fun baking activity to complete with children or at cookie decorating parties because the dough goes a long way and can be divided into small portions.

Mixing the dough

In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) cream the butter (of choice) and sugar together until light and fluffy, then stir in the eggs, vanilla and quality peppermint extract. Next mix the flour, baking powder and salt into the egg, sugar and butter, mixing until well combined. You’ll know the dough is ready when the mixing bowl is clean and the dough attaches to the paddle. Remove half of the dough (does not have to be perfect) and cover with plastic wrap. Then color the remaining dough with a few drops of red gel colors, mixing until incorporated and the desired hue is achieved.

Shaping the candy canes and bows

Next scoop about 1 tablespoon sized amount of each color of dough onto a parchment lined surface. Roll each of the colors of dough with your fingers, out into a thin log, about 1/2″ thick.

Then twist the rolled and colored dough together and continue rolling to create the candy cane design.

Roll the candy cane log to about 8″ and then cut in half.

Then form each of the cut halves into a hooked candy cane shape.

Connect the two candy canes to form a heart.

Then cross the bottoms of each candy cane so that they overlap each other. Push the top center of the candy cane heart down towards the overlapped pieces to form the bow shape.

Lastly, roll a small separate piece of dough to a thin log (about 2″ long). Place vertically in the center of bow shaped cookie, pressing firmly to attach to complete the bow design.