Next, I whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl before folding them gently into the butter mixture. The dough begins to come together into a smooth, soft ball, and this is when I split it in half. One portion stays its natural buttery color, while the other gets divided and tinted with red and green gel coloring. I always like to add the coloring gradually because it’s easier to deepen the shade than to lighten it later.
Now comes my favorite part: shaping the twists. I take small pieces of each color of dough, roll them into thin ropes, and gently twist them together. It feels a bit like playing with edible clay, and if you have kids helping in the kitchen, this will likely be the moment they get excited. I place each twisted cookie on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle them generously with festive colored sugar so they sparkle after baking.
Finally, I bake them in a preheated oven at 350°F until the bottoms turn a very light golden shade. I’ve learned not to wait for the tops to brown—it’s the quickest way to overbake them. As soon as they come out, the cookies are incredibly soft, so I let them cool on the sheet for a moment before moving them to a wire rack. That first warm cookie is always irresistible.
Pro Tips for Best Results
After making these several times, I realized that chilling the dough for about 20 minutes before shaping it helps tremendously. It firms up the butter just enough to make rolling easier, especially if the kitchen is warm or if your hands tend to heat the dough quickly. When I skip this step, the ropes sometimes merge together too much while twisting.
I’ve also tested different sugars for coating the cookies. Colored sanding sugar works best because it sparkles beautifully and holds its color after baking. Regular granulated sugar is fine, but it won’t give that festive shimmer. Trust me—don’t skip the decorative sugar; it’s part of the charm.
Another helpful trick is to make the ropes roughly the same thickness. In my earlier batches, I rolled one rope thicker than the others, and the cookies baked unevenly. Matching thickness ensures the twists bake at the same rate and maintain that perfect candy-cane look.
Lastly, if you want your colors to stay bold and vibrant, avoid overworking the dough once the colors are added. Overmixing blends the shades together and softens the look. A few gentle kneads are all you need to distribute the coloring evenly.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The biggest mistake I made the first time I baked these was letting them stay in the oven until they looked done. These cookies do not brown on top, and waiting for that visual cue results in dry, crumbly cookies. Pull them out when the bottoms are just barely turning golden.
Another mistake is adding too much food coloring at once. Gel coloring is highly concentrated, and it’s easy to go from festive red to alarming neon pink in seconds. Start small, and add more only if needed.(See the next page below to continue…)