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Sometimes I have trouble sleeping at this time of the year. As I lay awake (praying I'll be sprinkled with sleep-dust!), I'm often reminded of an age-old holiday story. Can you guess which one?
If your hunch was "Twas the Night Before Christmas", you win the prize!
Twas the night before Christmas
When all through the house
Not a creature was stirring
Not even a mouse
The stockings all hung
By the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas
Soon would be there
The children were nestled
All snug in their beds
With visions of sugarplums
Dancing in their heads
That's me! I've been having "visions of sugar plums dancing in my head" lately when I'm supposed to be sleeping. Except, I'm not a child. Actually, far from it, and to be honest, I'm not even sure what "sugar plums"are!
But I do lay awake some nights with a zillion sweet ideas for the upcoming holidays flooding my mind. That's how my Candy Cane Shortbread Cookies came into being. I saw these delightful Dark Chocolate Peppermint Patty Thumbprints on Pinterest the day before and thought they were just too fun and pretty for words. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning, thinking about them (I know, crazy, right?) and started dreaming up my own variation.
I decided to go a little different route and, instead of a chocolate base, I used an old faithful, never-fail shortbread recipe. It's from Land O Lakes and I've made it untold times over the years. It's always a hit, and the simplest recipe ever. It comes together with four basic ingredients: butter, sugar, flour and vanilla. In the original recipe, the dough is rolled into little balls, the center is indented and a little scoop of jam is added before baking. The result is an irresistible, melt-in-your-mouth thumbprint cookie with a jewel-like center. I've had fun adapting this recipe lots of different ways; including these Raspberry Peach Thumbprint Cookies.
This time, I simply formed the same dough into small balls then rolled each one in Christmas-hued sprinkles before baking. As soon as the colorful, whimsical little cookies rolled out of the oven, I nestled a Hershey's Candy Cane Kiss right in the center of each and could hardly wait for them to cool enough to try one.
Delish! The wonderful, buttery shortbread pairs beautifully with the white chocolate mint kisses, and makes a fun, super pretty presentation with the multi-hued sprinkles and candy cane striped kisses. I honestly wasn't sure if I'd like a cookie with all those sprinkles but, if you use the tiny ones called non-pareils*, it's similar to a sugar coating and adds a nice little crunch to each bite.
Need a fun holiday project to do with your kids? How about a sweet treat that will bring oohs and aahs at the cookie exchange? A fun gift for a friend, neighbor, co-worker, teacher, etc? Perhaps an easy, festive, make-ahead dessert to serve with a bowl of good vanilla ice cream? Gotcha covered! And while I can't promise they'll elicit "visions of sugar plums", I'm quite certain these Candy Cane Shortbread Cookies will be sure to please children of all ages!
P. S. * If you're looking for the exact sprinkle colors in my cookies, I used the kind on the far right in this variety package of sprinkles.
Oh, and if you're in a cookie baking mood, here's another holiday cookie we love to make this time of year. It seems to be going crazy over on Pinterest right now! Just click on the picture or link below for the recipe.
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- 1 cup salted butter softened
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup color nonpareil sprinkles
- 1 10- ounce bag Hershey's Holiday Candy Cane Kisses
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Heat oven to 350°F. Pour sprinkles into shallow bowl. Unwrap Candy Cane Kisses
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Combine butter, sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract in bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy.
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Add flour; beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.
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Shape dough into small 1-inch balls (I use a small ice cream scoop).
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Roll balls of dough in sprinkles, patting sprinkles gently onto any areas where sprinkles have not adhered. You want to have the little balls covered with sprinkles.
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Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
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Bake 14-18 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove from oven and quickly place a kiss in the center of each cookie, pressing down barely (about ¼ inch or less!) into the cookie. Don't be tempted to press the kiss too deeply into the cookies as they will crack at the edges. If you do have any cracking, gently push the crack back together while the cookies are still warm.
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Let the cookies stand 5 minutes on sheet pan, then carefully remove to cooling rack. Cool completely before moving or touching. The kisses will take a while to firm up. If you try to move them too soon the kisses will collapse or distort in shape.
Emilu says
The kisses melted. I’m sad to see my ingredients go to waste. 😢
Chris Scheuer says
So sorry you had trouble with these melting, Emilu!
Kkirby5 says
Mine spread out and the kisses melted too much. They were a fail for me 😔
Chris Scheuer says
Hi K, so sorry these did not work out for you. It's difficult to say what went wrong.
Daphne Lynn Davis says
They tasked good, and didn't crack and most of the candies kept their shape, but the nonpareils would not stick!
1
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Daphne, you do have to roll the little balls fairly firmly in the sprinkles and then pat them on in any areas where they didn't stick.
Jessica says
Mine are just spreading out! I decided to then refrigerate the dough and the same thing happened.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jessica,
I'm so sorry you had trouble with these cookies. It's difficult to say what went wrong without having been right there in the kitchen with you. Moisture content of butter and flour can vary. Perhaps, it might be good next time to try a test cookie and, if it spreads, add a bit more flour to the dough and then do another test.
I do a lot of testing with recipes to ensure success but there are some variables that I don't have any control over.
Amy H. says
These were great and fairly easy for me and my twin 6-year-old girls to make! They loved taking turns using the scoop to make the balls of dough while the other rolled in the sprinkles.(we didn't have 1/2 cup non pareils, so it was more like 40% non pareils 10% long chocolate sprinkles) We also did some variations. I split the dough in half and added 1/3 cocoa powder to half to make chocolate shortbread. We used peppermint kisses, regular chocolate ones, and cookies & cream ones. They turned out great! Only had 1 that collapsed as I tried to move it from pan to rack to cool, but my daughter still ate it. Other daughter ate one and hubby already had two! Now I need to go try! Would love to post pics, but I'll do it on the Pinterest pin I found this recipe from! Thank you for an easy fun recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
How fun that you did this with your daughters, Amy! You're creating wonderful memories. Thanks for sharing your results and adventure!
Mary Brotz says
Made these and the kisses melted over the cookie - didn’t move them as was in a previous response- still tasted awesome. Next batch I cooled them in the fridge and only a few melted down. So pretty on my trays!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your review, Mary!
deolinda rhoads says
i had to try these cookies as they are perfect for Christmas, love how they look. i didn't get them made before Christmas, however i had to make them, so they are baking as i type. So easy , i love the way the batter is soft. thank you so much for sharing this recipe . They will definitely be on my baking list for Christmas and i think i will make them for Valentines and just use pink, red and white sprinkles. one of the reasons they didn't get made for Christmas all the color sprinkles were sold out.
thanks again for sharing, Happy New Year
Deolinda
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Deolinda, for sharing your review. So happy you got to try them!
Barbara Halstead says
I make peanutbutter blossoms and that batter calls for an egg...
There is no egg in you mix. Have you tried it? I wonder if the would keep the mix together?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Barbara, you could try it. This recipe does not include egg as it is a classic shortbread recipe.
Shebs says
These are delicious and very festive! Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Shebs! So happy you enjoyed them!
Patricia says
Made these today and their so pretty on my Christmas cookie platter. They took 16 minutes. Thanks for great recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
You are speedy! Thanks so much for sharing your results, Patricia!
Rachel says
Came out so pretty and so easy to make
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! So happy you had great results Rachel!
Dawn says
I just made these and they came out great! I made no changes except to use unsalted butter (because that's what I had) and added a half teaspoon of salt. I am at altitude and just baked them for 5 minutes longer without raising the temp of the oven. I couldn't wait to try one and it was delicious. I'm adding these to my cookie gifts that I give to neighbors!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for sharing your results, Dawn! Merry Christmas!
Susan Houston says
These were a greasy mess! I am an excellent baker but these just spread all over creation!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Susan, not sure what could have gone wrong. I've never had an issue with these. I hate wasting good ingredients.
Becky says
These cookies are great and so cute! I’m waiting for the kisses to firm up and it’s taking forever. How long should i allow?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Becky, I usually let them sit overnight.
Whimsy says
While there were similar recipes, yours was very simple (no milk etc) which is much appreciated! Like some other commenters said, I had a bit of trouble getting the sprinkles to stick, so I ended up having to add more butter to the mix and then no issues.
I made these for a bake exchange and they were a BIG hit! Stored the leftovers in the freezer and am constantly popping them out to snack (I think they might be EVEN BETTER frozen!) Thank you! xo
Dale says
Did you freeze after baking and adding the kisses.
Sheri says
These cookies are so pretty but I couldn't get the nonpareils to stick to the dough very well. I tried wetting my fingers a little but then the red nonpareils started to bleed into the white making the white nonpareils pink-ish. I might try again without using white nonpareils - maybe just red and green. Also I might try to refrigerate the dough on the cookie sheets before putting in the oven. My dough spread while in the oven and did not retain it's shape.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Sheri, you do have to roll the little balls fairly firmly in the sprinkles and then pat them on in any areas where they didn't stick. I could see how wetting your hands could cause a mess. Sorry you had this problem. Yes, if your cookies are spreading too much, it would help to refrigerate before baking.
Patricia says
How many dozen does this recipe make?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Patricia, 3 dozen.
Stephanie says
Made these tonight and the dough seemed very dry. The non-pareils would not adhere to dough. Suggestions?
Chris Scheuer says
Hmmm, not sure Stephanie, I've never had that problem. Sometimes butter can have more or less moisture, might be that.
DANA SKELTON says
I did the same thing! Then I realized that one stick of butter is 1/2 cup. Ha ha! So I softened one in the microwave added it to the dough mixture and Ta-Da!
Lorrie says
So you think I could mix in food processor or just use hand mic?
Jen says
These came out great except that my kisses melted. I pressed them in fast and put the tray in the freezer for 5 mins. The kisses sunk and my cookies look foolish. Any suggestions?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jen, I'm sorry this happened. One little trick to keep in mind is to add the kisses and then leave the cookies right where they are. If you move them, the kisses are prone to collapsing.😬