Category: Christmas and Holiday Projects

Christmas and Holiday Projects. Holiday crafts, woodworking and design ideas

Candy Cane Cookies

Candy Cane Cookies
Candy Cane Cookies

I wanted to share some of my favorite Holiday cookie recipes and this Christmas candy cane cookies recipe is one of my favorites. My mother has been making these cookies since before I was born, and I have the original recipe to prove it 🙂

photo of old candy cane cookie recipe

I do change this recipe a bit, as I don’t use shortening, I substitute butter.

My mother is half Italian and she makes twenty different Christmas cookies, and stores them all in tins. Its been like this for as long as I can remember. I only make a few kinds, including these candy cane cookies, and give them as gifts around the holidays.

Candy Cane Cookies Recipe

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup confectioner sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • red food coloring

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and extracts. Hand mix in the flour and salt just until combined. Split the dough in half and add red food coloring.

making candy cane cookie dough
candy cane cookie dough

Take 1 teaspoon size balls of dough and roll into 6″ long ropes. You can use flour or confectioners sugar to stop the dough from sticking to your surface.

making candy cane cookie dough

Twist the red and white ropes and turn the tops down into the shape of a candy cane. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Baking Candy Cane Cookies
Candy Cane Cookies

Bake 9-10 minutes or until the edges just start to turn golden brown.

Candy Cane Cookies

Thanks for reading and check out some of my other recipes here.

DIY Wood Slice Ornaments

Tutorial

I have been making wood slice ornaments for a few years. They are solid, but something easy for kids to make and are nice decorations for the Christmas cookies we give out. This DIY wood slice ornament tutorial is super easy and also inexpensive if you have access to the logs and a saw. I have included links to the products I used and may earn a small commission if you make purchase at no additional expense to you.

Two winters ago damaged my birch trees and they were laying on my roof. Unfortunately, I had to cut them down, but bright side, I have birch logs to make these rounds from with my chop saw. I slice up 2″-3″ logs about 3/8″ thick. Don’t havea woodshop yet? Check out my article for 6 essential tools for your woodshop.

I used white and black chalk paint along with acrylic craft paint to make a first round of paint.

Next was time to put on the details. I would mark lightly in pencil my design or lettering. I’m not great at lettering, so I printed some samples from my computer, and used that to help free hand the outline of the letters on the wood slice. Then I used acrylic paint pens carefully over my design.

Aren’t they so cute?! All that is left is to drill holes in the top and tie them up. I centered the hole over the design and made sure there was enough space from the edge that they didn’t split.

I used a natural jute twine and threaded them this way so that they hang facing out when on the tree.

These DIY wood slice ornaments are a quick project and make really unique gifts and will also look great on your own Christmas Tree.