The best Peppermint Sugar Cookies! These Candy Cane Sugar Cookies are crispy on the outside and chewy in the center - absolutely delicious!
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my policy about affiliate links.
Peppermint Sugar Cookies are a festive recipe crafted with simplicity in mind with the simple ingredients seamlessly coming together in a single bowl, ensuring that the magic of holiday baking is accessible to beginner bakers and pros alike.
Imagine everything you love about sugar cookies: a crisp exterior and a chewy center, now, picture them adorned with the delightful crunch of candy canes that provide a burst of festive flavor that are the epitome of holiday nostalgia.
Fill your kitchen and home with the warmth and charm of the holidays this season with these delightful, easy cookies!
You'll love these Crushed Candy Cane Cookies
- Festive Flavors: The combination of classic sugar cookies with the added kick of peppermint creates a flavor profile that is a holiday delight.
- Easy to Make: From the straightforward instructions to the basic ingredients, these cookies are accessible for bakers of all skill levels whether you're a seasoned pro or a beginning baker.
- Eye-Catching Presentation: The sugar on the exterior of the cookies adds a touch of sparkle, making these cookies not only delicious but also perfect for festive gatherings, cookie exchanges, or as a homemade gift.
What You'll Need for making crushed Mint Sugar Cookies
To make these cookies you'll need:
- all purpose flour
- baking soda
- salt
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- egg
- peppermints or candy canes
How to make the perfect Peppermint Sugar Cookie
- Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Stir in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chopped peppermint pieces. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Scoop one tablespoon balls from the dough and roll in granulated sugar until coated. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet with about 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes until edges are set, but center is still soft. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Prepping and Storing this Peppermint Sugar Cookie Recipe ahead of time
Storing: You can store these peppermint sugar cookies for up to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Freezing: You can freeze baked peppermint cookies for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw completely before enjoying.
Freezing Cookie Dough: You can also freeze this sugar cookie dough. Scoop into balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or use these cookie dough freezing trays. Freeze without rolling in sugar.
When ready to bake, thaw for 20 minutes, roll in sugar and then bake. Check out this post for How to Freeze Cookie Dough for tips on saving cookie dough for later.
Substitutions for Peppermint Sugar Cookies:
All Purpose Flour: We don't recommend substituting the flour, but you can check out this article on Substitutions for All-Purpose Flour.
Baking Soda: Baking soda is essential for this recipe. Do not substitute with baking powder.
Butter: Butter is essential to this recipe. We haven't tried it with dairy free butter but it might work!
Sugar: We don't recommend substituting white sugar.
Eggs: We don't recommend substituting eggs, but you can read this article on Egg Substitutions for Baking if you need to substitute. Try it at your own risk!
Vanilla Extract: Is essential for the flavor of the cookies! You can add lemon extract and lemon zest or orange extract/orange zest to change the flavor of the cookies!
Short on time? Scoop the cookie dough and freeze in balls for 10 minutes on a parchment lined baking sheet rather than chilling the whole bowl for 30 minutes!
Crushed Candy Cane Sugar Cookie Tips
- Make sure to chill the batter! If you don't chill the batter the cookies will spread.
- Add ¼ cup mini chocolate chips to make these mint chocolate chip sugar cookies. Try milk, dark, or white chocolate!
How do you keep sugar cookies from turning into blobs?
Be sure to chill the batter for 30 minutes in the fridge to keep them from spreading.
This recipe is part of The Sweetest Season, an annual virtual cookie swap co-hosted by The Speckled Palate and Feast + West. Every year, food bloggers get together to share new holiday cookie recipes to make and give.
This year we are raising money for Cookies 4 Kids' Cancer, which is a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer.
Help us raise money for this important cause! Donate through our fundraising page.
Another exciting thing is that Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is in a matching window with their friends at OXO, meaning OXO will be matching every dollar raised through the end of 2023, up to $100,000. Whatever money we raise will automatically double on our fundraising page!
Other cookie recipes:
- Snowball Cookies With Pecans
- Chocolate Spritz Cookies
- Italian Chocolate Cookies
- Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
- Cut Out Sugar Cookie
- Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
Peppermint Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- ½ cup chopped peppermints or candy canes
For Rolling the Dough:
- ½ cup granulated sugar do not add to the batter! This is just for rolling the dough in.
Instructions
- Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
- Beat in egg and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Stir in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chopped peppermint pieces
- Cover bowl, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Once dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350º F and prepare a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and scoop dough into one tablespoon balls.
- Roll into balls, and roll balls in granulated sugar until coated.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet with about 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until edges are set, but center is still soft.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Susannah
These are so much fun! I cannot wait to try these pepperminty cookies. Thank you for being a part of The Sweetest Season this year, Liz.
Megan
I added the chocolate chips as suggested and they were just fantastic! Just the right amount of cooling peppermint flavor, too. Thanks!
Sam
The chewy center combined with the hit of peppermint really makes these one of my new favorites!
Eliza
These pretty cookies are positively addictive! Love the combination of chewy, buttery cookies with sweet, minty peppermint.
Erin
I am ob-sessed with peppermint this time of year, and this combination in a sugar cookie is just heavenly. Such the perfect cookie for this time of year. Thanks for sharing this one, Liz!
Nikki
Peppermint anything is my favorite, as are these cookies! We enjoyed baking this weekend and these were a hit!
Jenn
I love peppermint anything this time of year!
Ellen M Folkman
Such a perfect cookie for Christmas! They are delicious and look so pretty too.
Gaila
There are so good with hot cocoa! love them in my house!
Kathleen
You married my favorite flavors! Buttery sugar cookies with mint! Just finished the dough and the first batch is coming out of the oven. Gonna have to send them to my boys in college so I don't eat them all!
Sheila
This is the perfect Christmas cookie! So festive and so delicious!
Grace
These look right up my (peppermint) alley, and I love how simple the recipe is!
Shashi at Savory Spin
I love sugar cookies and sugar cookies with peppermint are going to be irresistible - such an awesome recipe and such an awesome cause!