White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies are a delightfully simple holiday cookie: soft, buttery, and studded with white chocolate chips and crunchy candy cane pieces.
This festive Christmas cookie recipe is a wonderful way to kick off the holiday baking season and makes a great contribution to cookie exchanges and seasonal gatherings.
Why You Must Make
- Once you try these, candy canes will take on a whole new life as a crunchy, minty cookie add-in.
- They are festive, colorful, and a standout choice for cookie swaps, holiday parties, and gift boxes.
- Soft and buttery with a chewy center, these cookies bake up consistently well and keep their texture.
I was inspired to create this white chocolate candy cane cookie by some cheerful holiday tea towels covered in minty swirls. I planned to tuck a towel into each cookie package, so I set out to make a cookie that matched the minty theme. I crushed candy canes and added them to my favorite cookie dough, then tossed in white chocolate chips for sweetness and balance. The result was a hit with taste testers and quickly earned a place on my holiday baking list.
Recipe Endorsement
From Lindsey after a food blogger cookie swap: These cookies were absolutely fantastic—soft, chewy, and perfectly minty. I shared a photo and soon a pastry chef I know even made them for a holiday menu. They’re a real crowd-pleaser.
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen staples: all-purpose flour, table salt, baking soda, sugar, butter (softened at room temperature), and large eggs (room temperature).
- Optional ingredients you may have: baking powder, dark brown sugar, white chocolate chips, and candy canes (crushed into bite-sized pieces; discard the fine dust so your cookies don’t become streaked or overly crunchy).
- Pro tip: baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable. Check your baking powder’s freshness before you start; if it bubbles vigorously in hot water, it’s still active. Fresh leavening gives you reliable cookie texture.
The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap
This recipe originated as part of a festive cookie swap among food bloggers. I baked and mailed boxes to several friends and received three delightful packages in return. The swap is a great way to try new recipes, share holiday cheer, and discover inventive takes on classic cookies.
- One box contained rich spicy chocolate sandwich cookies with cinnamon buttercream and caramel — a decadently layered treat that felt luxurious.
- Another included tender toffee butter cookies, which showcased how a little toffee can elevate a simple cookie into something special.
- The third box delivered lemon-basil almond sugar cookies: bright, citrusy, and subtly herbal, a surprising and refreshing contrast to the classic holiday flavors.
Beyond the baking and exchanging, the event also supports charity efforts, with participating bakers making small donations to help fund pediatric cancer research. It’s a warm-hearted way to combine holiday baking with meaningful giving.
The scent of these cookies baking—peppermint, butter, and warm white chocolate—will instantly bring you into the holiday spirit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Choose a reliable, tested recipe. Ingredients and baking technique influence softness: more brown sugar, an extra egg yolk, cake flour, or melted butter can all yield a softer cookie. Bake at a slightly higher temperature and remove cookies from the oven when the edges are set but the centers are still slightly soft; transfer to a cooling rack to finish setting without overbaking.
Press any add-ins like chips or candy onto the warm tops immediately after the cookies come out of the oven to create an attractive, professional look. While still warm, gently shape cookies into rounds with a spatula to correct imperfections. Presentation matters—packing in pretty boxes or wrapping with tissue enhances the bakery feel.
Yes. Use an equal amount of light brown sugar as a direct substitute. If you want the deeper molasses flavor of dark brown sugar, add a tablespoon of molasses to each cup of light brown sugar and mix thoroughly.
You May Also Like
- Thin Mint cheesecake brownie cake — a chocolate and mint layered dessert for mint lovers.
- Swirled peppermint bark — an easy peppermint chocolate treat for gifting and snacking.
- Grasshopper pie — a cool, minty pie that pairs well with holiday gatherings.
- Easy peppermint hot chocolate — a cozy, mint-infused hot cocoa for cold evenings.
- Peppermint bark snowflakes — festive chocolate decorations that double as treats.
If you try this recipe, please leave a rating and share a photo on social media. Tag the baker so others can find and enjoy the recipe too.
White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
15 minutes
10 minutes
25 minutes
3 dozen cookies
A chewy, buttery cookie loaded with white chocolate chips and crunchy candy cane pieces—perfect for holiday celebrations and cookie exchanges.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips
- 1 cup crushed candy canes, coarse pieces only (discard excess dust)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.
- In a mixer, cream the room-temperature butter with both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.
- Gently stir in the white chocolate chips and crushed candy cane pieces.
- Drop generous tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. A cookie scoop works well for even portions.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Slightly underbaking yields a chewier center.
- Remove from the oven, let the cookies rest on the sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Nutrition Information (per cookie)
Yield:
36
Serving Size:
1 cookie
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 129
Total Fat: 3g
Cholesterol: 12mg
Sodium: 92mg
Carbohydrates: 25g
Sugar: 16g
Protein: 2g