Hey friends! Here’s another holiday cookie, so I hope you aren’t cookie’d out yet!

These peppermint snickerdoodles are my second seasonal spin on a classic recipe, and I used crushed candy canes to add some festive cheer and flavour.

Eggnog more your jam? Find my eggnog snickerdoodle cookies from last year HERE.

These cookies are simple to whip up, and are finished with a drizzle and a sprinkle of more crushed candy canes. Sometimes you need an easy win around the holidays, and these are pretty fuss free. They still have the traditional snickerdoodle tang from the cream of tartar, and are simply delicious.

peppermint snickerdoodle cookies

PRINT RECIPE HERE

recipe: Kelsey Siemens
yields: 8-10 regular cookies, or about 20 mini cookies

ingredients

1/2 cup (113 g) salted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup (132 g) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg**

1 2/3 cup (208 g) all purpose flour

1 tablespoon crushed candy canes

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon salt

sugar topping

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

drizzle

1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

dash of peppermint extract (optional)

**egg substitution - use 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed plus 3 tablespoons water in place of the egg if desired

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes on medium high speed until lightened in colour and fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract and the egg, and mix on high until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, crushed candy canes, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix on low until combined.

In a small bowl add the sugar for the topping. Roll the cookie dough into balls, and then roll in the sugar topping. Transfer the cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, and make sure they are at least 2 inches apart since they'll spread quite a bit! The bigger the cookie, the more room it will need.

Bake for about 13-14 minutes for regular sized cookies (approx 60g/each), or 8-10 minutes for mini cookies (approx 35g/each). The cookies will puff up quite a bit while baking resulting in a thick, soft cookie. If you prefer for them to have a flat top, use a solid flipper to gently flatten the tops of the cookies about 2/3s of the way through the bake time. This will result in a slightly chewier texture.

Let the cookies cool for 5-10 minutes on the pan before transferring them to a cooling rack.

To make the drizzle: in a small bowl combine the milk and powdered sugar. Add more milk or powdered sugar as needed until your desired consistency has been reached. Add a few drops of peppermint extract if you want an extra punch of flavour.Drizzle over the cookies and serve!

Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for several days, or store in the freezer to keep them the freshest!

tips:

Want more cookies? This recipe is on the small side, but you can double or triple it easily!
Cookies didn’t spread much? This may be caused by a bit too much flour - I always use a food scale to measure.
Don’t eat (or have) eggs? Replace the egg with: 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water - stir together and let sit for 5 minutes before adding to the dough
Freeze raw cookie dough in balls on a sheet pan, then transfer to an airtight container for longer term storage. Pull cookies out whenever you’d like, and bake from frozen. Add 1-2 minutes of bake time!