Every Christmas has to include The Three Big Christmas Flavors: Egg Nog, Gingerbread, and Candy Cane! Here is a sugar cookie made with crushed candy canes—it’s delicious! The candy cane flavor is not overpowering, it’s just right, and the cookie is slightly chewy from the crushed candy canes. And yes, the cookie is very sparkle-y from the sugar 🙂

Candy Cane Sparkle Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon mint extract
• 1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup crushed candy canes or peppermint candies (about 7 full sized candy canes or a 6 oz box of mini candy canes)—divided use

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line cookie trays with parchment paper.
2. Crush candy canes (I place in a Ziploc bag and whack with a rolling pin, effective, but not very environmentally friendly. I have to find a better way)
3. Combine sugar and butter in bowl of electric mixer and mix well, for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
4. Add egg, vanilla and mint extracts to butter and sugar mixture. Mix well to combine.
5. In a different bowl whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
6. Slowly add flour mixture to butter-sugar mixture, combine well, on low speed of the electric mixer.
7. Slowly add ¼ cup crushed candy canes to cookie mixture. Stir only until combined.
8. In another bowl combine ¼ cup sugar and remaining ¼ cup crushed candy canes.
9. Shape dough into ¾” balls (I use a small cookie scoop) and roll in the sugar-candy cane mixture.
10. Place balls on parchment-lined cookie sheet, about 2″ apart. Press down lightly on each cookie to flatten slightly. Sprinkle each cookie with a few of the remaining, larger pieces of the crushed candy canes.
11. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes at 350°. Cookies should look cooked but not browned when removing them from oven.
12. Let cookies cool for a minute or two on cookie sheet, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Enjoy! And thanks for stopping by today!