Description
These Peppermint Candy Sugar Cookies combine the tender, buttery texture of classic sugar cookies with a festive peppermint-flavored royal icing decoration. Perfectly sized at 1.5 inches, these cookies are lightly crisp at the edges and beautifully adorned with a peppermint swirl design made from tinted royal icing, making them ideal for holiday gifting or seasonal celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Sugar Cookies
- 3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1.5 inch round cutter
Royal Icing
- 1/2 cup meringue powder
- 1 scant cup (almost full) water
- 2 pounds (32 ounces) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional)
- Super white gel icing color
- Pink, red, or green icing color
- Small squeeze bottles
- Toothpicks
- 3X4 Treat bags
- Twine or twist ties
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper to ensure cookies don’t stick and bake evenly.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder and set aside to maintain an even mixture when added to the wet ingredients.
- Cream butter and sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cold, cubed butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add egg and extracts: Beat in the egg, pure vanilla extract, and almond extract until combined and smooth.
- Incorporate flour mixture: Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture one cup at a time on low speed, mixing until just combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. The dough will become thick and crumbly after the last addition.
- Prepare to roll: Line your rolling surface with wax paper and dust both the surface and your rolling pin with flour to prevent sticking. Take a portion of dough and knead gently on the floured surface until smooth.
- Roll out dough: Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Frequently dip the 1.5-inch round cookie cutter in flour and cut out circles from the dough. Remove scraps, re-knead, and continue until all dough is used, remembering to keep the surface floured.
- Transfer and chill: Place the cut cookies on the prepared baking sheets. For easy handling, you can also roll dough directly on parchment paper, cut shapes, remove scraps, then transfer the paper to the baking sheet. Chill the cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking to help them hold their shape.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes until the edges are set but centers remain soft. Remove from oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. If desired, re-cut cookies to perfect size with the cookie cutter while still warm, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make royal icing: In a large bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine meringue powder, peppermint extract (if using), and water. Beat until foamy and well combined.
- Add powdered sugar and corn syrup: Sift in powdered sugar, add light corn syrup, and mix on low until incorporated. Scrape down bowl sides and beat for 5 minutes on medium-low speed, then increase to medium-high and continue beating just until the icing becomes glossy and forms stiff peaks.
- Tint royal icing: Divide and color a small portion of the royal icing pink using gel icing colors. Add a few drops of white gel color to the remaining icing to brighten it.
- Decorate cookies: Using a squeeze bottle, pipe a white outline around each cookie. Thin the white icing by adding small drops of water until it has a thick syrup-like flood consistency and fill the cookie centers. Using a separate squeeze bottle for the pink icing, pipe dots around the edge of the white icing and use a toothpick to drag the dots inward, creating a peppermint swirl design.
- Dry and store: Let the decorated cookies dry at room temperature for 24 hours to allow the royal icing to set fully. Store in treat bags tied with twine or twist ties for gifting or serving.
Notes
- Ensure butter and egg are cold before mixing to help dough maintain structure and ease rolling.
- If pink icing does not sink into white flood icing, thin both icings slightly more with water for smooth blending.
- Cookies can be trimmed with the cutter after baking for uniform size and shape.
- Store completely dried iced cookies in an airtight container to keep fresh for up to a week.
- For a stronger peppermint flavor, increase peppermint extract slightly in the royal icing, but use sparingly to avoid bitterness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 90
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 30mg
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
