Name: Candy Cane Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 126 g butter; 125 g powdered sugar; 2 tsp sugar; 1 small egg; 1 tsp psyllium husk powder; 100 g white rice flour; 50 g millet flour; 60 g oat flour or quinoa flour; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 tsp nutmeg; 1/8 tsp salt; 3 to 4 drops red food colouring

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Candy cane sugar cookies with a twist – literally! Split the dough in half, colour one part red and twist it into a candy cane shape. They’re the perfect addition to your holiday baking and they are entirely gluten free. Whether you twist them into candy cane shapes or skip the food colouring and make traditionally shaped cookies. Plus, they’re simple to prepare with a few key gluten free ingredients. Which ever shape you decide to make them, you will love the taste and texture!

STEPS TO MAKING CANDY CANE SUGAR COOKIES

Make the dough:

In a medium bowl, mix the room temperature butter with powdered sugar until creamy. In a small bowl beat together the egg and psyllium husk powder with an immersion blender until well combined. Then add them to the butter and sugar mix. Gradually add the sifted flour and baking soda, spices and salt.

Add the Wet Ingredients into the Dry:

Gradually add the sifted flours, baking soda, spices and salt to the butter mixture. Start mixing with a spoon, then use your hands to form a smooth ball of dough.

Divide the Dough:

Divide the dough into two equal parts. To one half, add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and red food colouring.

Shape the Candy Cane Sugar Cookies:

Roll each portion of dough into small balls, approximately the size of half a walnut or about 9 grams each. Take one ball from each color and roll each into strips about 4 inches long.

Gently twist the two strips together to form a candy cane shape. If they tear a little, just pinch them back into shape.

Bake:

Place cookies on a baking tray and chill for about 30 minutes. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool completely before serving.

Tips and Tricks For These Candy Cane Sugar Cookies

Gluten Free Flour Blend for these cookies – Use my flour blend that combines rice flour, millet flour, oat flour, tapioca starch, icing sugar and psyllium husk powder for binding.

Don’t Overmix – Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix just until combined. Overmixing can cause tough cookies due to too much air incorporation.

Even sized dough – I weighed out each ball to 9 g for a consistent candy cane size, but you could just eye ball it as well.

Keep Surface Floured – Sprinkle your work surface with gluten-free flour to prevent sticking.

Test Bake One Or Two Cookies – Bake one cookie as a test to see if it spreads too much or has the right texture. Adjust dough (e.g., chill more or add a touch of flour) as needed.

Bake Time – Gluten free cookies can go from being nearly done to over baked very quickly. Bake at the recommended temperature and watch for lightly golden edges.

Chill the Dough – Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes after shaping to help prevent the cookies spreading, and losing their shape.

Cool Completely Before Handling – Gluten free sugar cookies are fragile right out of the oven. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adjust Sweetness if Needed – If using different sugars, like vanilla sugar, balance sweetness as needed. Too much can cause excessive spreading.

Work Quickly with Food Coloring – If you’re adding food coloring, work quickly to distribute it for

How To Measure The Ingredients

In my recipes I use measurements in grams because it is not only accurate, but it is quick and easy. Consequently, you need a kitchen scale to make this recipe. Using a kitchen scale allows for direct weighing of ingredients in one step. You just tare the scale and keep adding more ingredients. Here’s the link to the scale that I use, but there are many great options!