Peppermint Candy Cookies

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Soft and sweet peppermint flavored sugar cookie cut outs look like old fashioned peppermint candies and are decorated with the classic red and white swirl.

For years I’ve been making and decorating sugar cookies. Before I had my son I actually baked and sold many of my decorated creations. I enjoyed making them but they do take time and practice, especially making the royal icing.

My favorite decorated sugar cookies are this fun Alice in Wonderland cookie set. It was very popular for parties and bridal showers. I personally love the Gluten Free Lego Sugar Cookies and they’ve come in handy since my son is a huge Lego fan.  When Halloween comes around I’m all about the Jack Skellington cookies. 

I haven’t done decorated sugar cookies for Christmas in a long time so I decided it was time to change that.  I had made these sweet peppermint candy cookies in the past but I never made a post about them.

I use my favorite sugar cookie dough and add just a touch of peppermint extract to give them a bit of mint flavor.   You can choose to leave the dough vanilla flavored and just add the peppermint extract to the icing as well.

Ingredients:

• all purpose flour
• baking powder
• salt
• butter (I use salted but you can use unsalted)
• granulated sugar
• egg (or you can use two egg whites but I find the single egg works best)
• peppermint extract (or vanilla extract if you prefer)
• powdered sugar
• light corn syrup (I find this makes for a better finish on the frosted cookie)
• red food coloring (I always use AmeriColor Gel food coloring)

You do have to chill this dough before making the cookies so make sure you make the dough ahead of time so you can refrigerate it for at least 1 hour.  You can also refrigerate it over night or for up to 3 days if needed. 

do I have to chill the dough?

The short answer is yes.   The dough has to be chilled or else it will not hold its shape when it is baked.  Chill the dough for at least one hour or overnight.  I tend to make the dough the day before I need it so that it can chill during the night and is ready whenever I want to bake it.

To make the dough cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg and peppermint extract. Then mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt and knead until the dough comes together.

Combine the dough into a ball and then flatten.   Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator to chill.

Can I make a chocolate sugar cookie?

Yes.  In this case making a chocolate sugar cookie will result in a chocolate peppermint cookie which is delicious at the holidays.  All you have to do is remove 1/4 cup of the flour and replace it with 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder.   This will give you a nice cocoa flavor and the cookies will still bake and hold their shape.

After the dough chills sprinkle flour on a smooth surface. Knead the dough a little so it is workable then divide in half.  Roll half of the dough out to 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thickness. You don’t want it any thicker or thinner than that.

You will need a wrapped candy cookie cutter to cut out the shape of the peppermint candies.  Don’t try to free hand these cookies as there are too many little details and it won’t turn out well.

Cut out the cookies using the cookie cutter then place the cookies on a baking sheet.  Place them in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until they are just set. You don’t want these cookies to brown or else they won’t be soft when you eat them.

Can I freeze these cookies?

Yes!   After you bake them you can absolutely freeze them.   Do not put icing on them before freezing.  Simply wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in a freezer bag.   You can also layer them in an air tight container with layers of parchment paper in between the layers.  These cookies can be frozen for up to 6 months.

After the cookies have cooled it’s time to make the royal icing. Royal icing can be difficult because you have to find the right consistency. There are plenty of great tutorials on how to make the icing and get the right consistency.   One of my favorites is from my friend Lynn at Fresh April Flours.

In a bowl mix together the powdered sugar, corn syrup, peppermint extract, and the water. Mix well until combined.  Use white food coloring to make the icing brighter.

Pipe an outline of the peppermint candy in white.   You can fill in the two candy wrapper sides but do not do the middle until you’ve dyed part of the icing red for the peppermint.

Fill in two or three cookies with the white.   Pipe a line down, a line across, and two diagonal lines in red in the middle of the cookie.  

Quickly use a toothpick and drag it through the icing in 3 circles, all going the same way.  This will make the candy design. 

Allow the cookies to sit for at least 12 hours before packaging or storing.  Decorated cookies will last 2-3 weeks. 

How do you store decorated sugar cookies?

You can store them in an air tight container with a piece of parchment paper in between the layers.  If you are going to ship them or give them as gifts package them in little bags and tie them shut with a ribbon.

These cookies are so cute and perfect for the holidays.  Adding the peppermint flavoring to the icing gives it a peppermint candy feel.

The cookies are great when added to a cookie tray or wrapped individually and given as gifts.  I love how soft the cookies stay and they have the perfect amount of sweetness!

Peppermint Candy Sugar Cookies

Soft and sweet peppermint flavored sugar cookie cut outs look like old fashioned peppermint candies and are decorated with the classic red and white swirl.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Total Time: 38 minutes minutes

Servings: 30 cookies

Author: Hezzi-D

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks butter softened
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract

For the royal icing:

• 4 c. powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
• 4-6 Tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract optional
• white and red food coloring

Instructions

• In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter until smooth. Gradually add in the sugar and continue mixing on medium until fluffy.
• Add in the egg and peppermint extract and beat until mixed well.
• Place the mixer on low and add in the flour mixture, mixing until just blended.
• Knead the dough into a ball and flatten into a disc shape. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• On a lightly floured surface roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out 30 peppermint candy shapes. Place the cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until they no longer look wet on top.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely.
• To make the royal icing put the powdered sugar and corn syrup in a bowl. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring well after each addition, until desired consistency is reached. Add in peppermint if desired and mix well.
• Put 3/4 of the frosting in one bowl and tint it super white. Tint the remaining 1/4 of the frosting red.
• Pipe a white outline around the outside of the cookies and around the middle circle. Thin the remaining
  icing and flood the inside of the cookies with white icing doing 3 or 4 at a time.
• Quickly pipe the red icing on the middle circle by going top to bottom, side to side, and then two diagonal lines.
• Using a toothpick drag the toothpick through the red icing in three circles each going the same way to make the peppermint candy.
• Repeat with the remaining cookies.
• Allow to dry for 12 hours or overnight before storing.

Notes

A Hezzi-D original recipe