These festive Candy Cane Cookies are as cute as they are tasty! Vegan, but also buttery, pepperminty, and sparkly. Kids will love them!
I have to be honest, I’d not had a proper candy cane cookie before I made the first batch of these. At least, not that I can remember! So when a reader (and friend) asked me for a vegan version, I knew what they looked like, but checked them out a bit. Since they’re really just a shortbread cookie, that’s in my wheelhouse!
BUT, the first batch ended up blob-tastic. Not ideal, for sure, and thankfully they were still very much edible, so I gave them all to Corey. The next batch, with a little trouble-shooting, ended up great! I decided to add a little subtle flair to the adorable cookies with some colored sugar, and now they’re my new favorite holiday cookie? (No shade to the hazelnut thumbprints)
Now, the trickiest part of making these is rolling the two doughs together, while simultaneously having a good cookie texture/shape after baking. Too stiff of a dough and it cracks a lot when twisting, too soft and it’s easy to twist but you get a blob. That being said, I think I found a good balance with this recipe!
Substitutions & Tips:
- Flaxseed – this is for binding, like an egg, so if you’re out use some chia seeds instead.
- Vegan butter – If you don’t have any butter on hand, refined coconut oil or vegetable shortening will work.
- Peppermint extract – easily found at your local grocer and great in coffee or even fudge!
- Red food coloring – you can use a naturally-derived food coloring for this, but I feel the red ones are the colors that perform poorly. I used a gel food coloring for this, but no matter what you use, judge by how it looks!
- Colored sugar – now this I did buy naturally colored from Whole Foods, but pretty much any colored sugar should be vegan, and work. And really, you can leave it off, I just like the sparkle it adds!
- Chill time – do not neglect or skip this! The two brief chill times for the cookie dough both help the consistency of the dough and the shape of the cookie. Believe me, I hate waiting, but this gets you the best end-product!
In non-cookie-related news, I have a giveaway coming up for Christmas and y’all are going to love it! I’ll be sharing a poignant recipe from my first cookbook and giving a bundle of all three of my cookbooks to one lucky winner. Woohoo!
Vegan Candy Cane Cookies
These festive Candy Cane Cookies are as cute as they are tasty! Vegan, but also buttery, pepperminty, and sparkly. Kids will love them!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 ml) hot water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground flaxseed
- 7 tablespoons (109 g) unsalted vegan butter
- 1/2 cup (116 g) sugar
- 4 teaspoons (20 ml) non-dairy milk, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 1/2 cups (198 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring, or to preference
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) red colored sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine water and flaxseed, stir, and set aside to thicken. Place butter, sugar, 1 teaspoon non-dairy milk, vanilla, and peppermint extracts in a food processor equipped with s-blade, and puree until smooth and whipped. Add flax “egg” and process again until combined. Add flour, baking powder, and salt, pulsing until a large dough ball is formed.
- Divide dough in half (using a scale is helpful), placing 1/2 in a bowl with the food coloring. Use a spoon to incorporate the coloring into the dough, once mostly mixed I found it easier to use your hand to finish it. Place both doughs in bowls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- After chilling, clear your work surface, break a chunk of the “white” dough off and roll it into a rope shape, approximately 3/8-inch thick. Cut the rope into 4-inch segments and set them aside. Repeat with remaining dough, then do the same with the red dough. (better in this order as to not discolor the white dough).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and once all pieces are cut, you should have 20 pieces in each color. Pair them together, and to form a candy cane, pinch the ropes together side-by-side, while also gently twisting them. It’s okay if they crack a little. Do this down the length of the rope segment, then place on a flat surface and gently roll with hands to smooth it out. Coax it into a candy cane shape and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pairs of segments.
- Once done forming cookies, refrigerate them for 10 minutes, meanwhile preheating your oven to 400F (200C). Once chilled, bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. One at a time, brush the cookies (while a little warm) with remaining milk, and sprinkle sugar over the red stripes. Let cookies cool for 30 minutes and enjoy!
Notes
- Flaxseed - this is for binding, like an egg, so if you're out use some chia seeds instead.
- Vegan butter - If you don't have any butter on hand, refined coconut oil or vegetable shortening will work.
- Red food coloring - you can use a naturally-derived food coloring for this, but I feel the red ones are the colors that perform poorly. I used a gel food coloring for this, but no matter what you use, judge by how it looks!
- Chill time - do not neglect or skip this! The two brief chill times for the cookie dough both help the consistency of the dough and the shape of the cookie. Believe me, I hate waiting, but this gets you the best end-product!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
20Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 97Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 75mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 3g
The nutrition information is calculated by a plug-in, and isn't always accurate. Please calculate your own with the products that you use, as it will be different for everyone.
Making a cookie platter?
Here are a few other recipes that work great on a platter or in little boxes to give to friends! Some are cookies, and there are a couple of extra bites that are easy-to-make and sooo delicious.
- Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies
- Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- One-Bowl Vegan Chocolate Chai Cookies
- Vegan Peppermint S’mores Fudge
- Chocolate Biscoff Pinwheel Cookies
- Gluten-free Black Sesame Snickerdoodles
- Rocky Road Popcorn Clusters
- Peanut Butter Pretzel Puppy Chow
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Friday 23rd of February 2024
[…] Vegan Candy Cane Cookies […]
serena
Wednesday 21st of December 2022
hiya, I'm super excited to make these! do you think it's okay to make them today, 4 days before Christmas? I just want them to be at their best but would also like to prep ahead as much as possible. :-)
Jackie @ Vegan Yack Attack!
Friday 23rd of December 2022
Hi Serena! Sorry, just seeing this. Should be fine! Just keep them in an airtight container.
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Saturday 26th of November 2022
[…] Vegan Candy Cake Cookies by: Vegan Yack Attack […]
Sharon
Tuesday 11th of January 2022
NOT a vegan recipe! Sugar is not vegan.
Jackie @ Vegan Yack Attack
Tuesday 11th of January 2022
@Sharon, hi Sharon! There is plenty of sugar out there that is vegan and not processed with bone char.
Jessica
Sunday 12th of December 2021
What if...I don't have a food processor? Am I just out of luck?
Jackie @ Vegan Yack Attack
Monday 13th of December 2021
@Jessica, nope! You can use a stand or hand mixer for this as well. Of very vigorously whisk to cream the butter and sugar together.