White Chocolate Candy Cane Drop Cookies

Christmas would not be Christmas without these cookies. They are, quite simply, the most delicious, refreshing cookies you will ever eat. Yes, refreshing. Like skiing down the Alps, the powder flying in your face, sheer joy oozing from every pore. Exhilarating. Transcendent. Life-changing. O.K. I may be overselling these a bit, but not much. Try them. You’ll see.

You know how you always have way more candy canes than you know what to do with? There are only so many cups of hot cocoa you can stir with a candy cane, right? (Some of you may dispute that there is a limit on the number of cups of hot cocoa one may consume in the winter. That is your right as an American. Even if you are not an American, you can still have an opinion regarding the proper consumption of hot chocolate). My kids personally will not just eat a straight-up candy cane. Neither will I, to tell the truth. But we all LOVE, and I mean L.O.V.E. these cookies.

But let me warn you: once you make these cookies, you can never go back. You will be obligated to make them every Christmas for the rest of your life. But that’s not so bad 🙂

Cooking times will vary based on whether you’re using metal pans, stoneware, or Silpat. Watch the cookies carefully! As soon as they barely start to brown around the edges, take them out! You might think they aren’t done, but these overbake very quickly. They have a tendency to be crunchy rather than soft, but either way, they are amazing!

I LOVE to use silicone baking mats when making cookies! Check out these Silpat Perfect Cookie Baking Sheets. They even have cookie outlines so you can see where to put your cookies! The outlines are placed a little differently than you would commonly see, but they are spaced perfectly so that your cookies don’t bump into one another.

I do also adore my stoneware. I have a couple Pampered Chef pans, but you can buy this Wilton Perfect Ceramic Pizza Stone for much cheaper. I like to use pizza stones rather than baking pans with sides, because the pizza stones are so much easier to clean.

The cookies will look different depending on which type of pan you use (metal, stoneware, or metal covered with silicone baking sheets). I almost never use metal pans any more, but I do try one batch on both the stoneware and baking mats to see which produce the most beautiful cookies.

When you make these cookies, you will notice that the dough is very stiff. My hand mixer couldn’t handle it after the first two cups of flour, so I stirred in the rest by hand. You also have to stir in the crushed candy canes and chocolate chips by hand.

After I put the dough on the cookie sheets, I smash them just a little bit to help them spread while baking.

Warning! Don’t eat these straight out of the oven, because the melted candy cane can be really hot! I know it’s hard, but try to wait at least 20 minutes or more!

We give these to friends and neighbors every year for Christmas, and everyone RAVES over them. But if you don’t have time before Christmas, no worries. Just use up all those leftover candy canes AFTER Christmas and you will be golden.

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White Chocolate Candy Cane Drop Cookies

Author: Melissa Howell

Ingredients

• 8 oz. white chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar packed
• 1/2 c. butter softened
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 2/3 c. finely crushed candy canes

Instructions

1. Turn on your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugars, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally.
3. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
4. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. If it gets too tough, mix in the rest by hand. The dough should be very stiff.
5. Stir in the chopped candy canes and white chocolate chips.
6. Using a large cookie scoop, place the dough two inches apart onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
7. Bake 10-13 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Do not overbake! Let cool for about 10 minutes on pan before transferring to wire rack to cool.

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