Perhaps, the Christmas season is incomplete without the delightful red and white alternating stripes of candy cane. But, did you know that you can make it extra special with our Gluten-Free Candy Cane Cookies Recipe?
Indeed! This is not that regular candy cane. We naturally dye our doughs and twist them together to look like the confection resembling a shepherd’s staff. The softness and chewiness of the cookies, plus the classic holiday peppermint taste, brings out holiday cheers.
For over a century, candy canes are attractive to children and draw adults into the Christmas spirit. There is no need to compromise on clean eating for the sake of this holiday flavor staple. Let this be a wholesome delightful treat, as we make it with the good sugars and gluten-free ingredients!
Beetroot puree will work as our dye, not the artificial coloring. Not to mention that beets can also provide essential nutrients like fiber, folate, manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C. It’s mainly good for blood flow. It’s indeed the treat without the guilt!
Plus, you can put a transparent wrap over these goodies to share and hang it as a temporary ornament in your Christmas tree as the party goes on. It also makes the perfect gift to everyone, most especially the children. We can assure parents or guardians that this has all the good stuff; not bad for the teeth and the gut!
Gluten-Free Candy Cane Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Sheet (Rimmed)
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon xanthan gum remove if your flour blend already has it
- 1 ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup sugar-free confectioners’ sugar
- 6 ounces or 1 ½ stick unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 medium eggs beaten
- ½ teaspoon pure, gluten-free vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pure, gluten-free peppermint extract
- ⅛ teaspoon beetroot purée or as needed for red color
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare 2 to 3 rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, and sugars. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, making sure that the mixture is well-blended before adding the next one. Once all the eggs are in, add butter, eggs, and extracts, and whisk until homogenous, thick, and smooth.
- Divide the cookie dough into two. Wrap one piece in plastic wrap and set aside. Put the other piece in parchment paper (or another plastic wrap), add about ⅛ teaspoon of the beetroot puree, and knead the dough until the desired red color has been evenly formed.
- Divide both doughs into a teaspoon-sized or 10-gram pieces, then roll each one into a small, 4-inches long log. Cover the balls with plastic wrap as you shape the other ones to make sure that they don’t dry out.
- Take one uncolored and one colored log, pair them together, and twist them in opposite directions to twirl. About 3 or 4 turns should do, so be careful not to overtwist them as the dough may crack or break. Once your shaped cookie dough looks like a rope, bend one end into a hook so that it resembles a candy cane. Do the same process with the remaining dough and place the done ones, about 1-inch apart from one another, onto the prepared baking sheets. You should end up with around 40 candy cane cookies.
- Bake the dough, turning halfway, for about 9 minutes in total or until the cookies are puffed and the edges are starting to brown. Remove from the oven and cool down to room temperature before handling or packaging. Enjoy!
Notes
- For the vegan version, replace the egg with a vegan egg replacer such as Ener-G Egg Replacer, and use vegan or coconut butter instead of regular unsalted butter.
- If you prefer a deeper red color, boil the beets and simmer to reduce them until they reach the desired color. Cool them down to room temperature before applying as a food color.
Nutrition
Did you do this recipe? Let us know your thoughts through the comments section down below!
