Melt in your mouth buttery thumbprint cookies with peppermint frosting and crushed candy canes! A must make holiday cookie!

Melt in your mouth buttery candy cane thumbprint cookie recipe from @bakedbyrachel

Saving the best for last. I’ve been making these for years. These babies are my favorite. I truly thought I was done sharing Christmas treats for the year. But then I remembered these. And remembered how I still hadn’t shared them yet. This one is the last Christmasy treat, promise. I meant to share them last year but ran out of time. I swear December is the shortest month of the entire year. No, it’s not February. The calendar lies. It was Thanksgiving last week. I have absolutely no idea how it is already Christmas! I’m not alone, right? Please tell me I’m not alone.

Even if you already have your dessert table planned, squeeze out an extra couple of hours and make these. You’ll be so glad you did. They’re a perfect addition to any winter dessert table. Even days later, stored properly of course, these are amazing. The cookies are so light and basically melt in your mouth. The peppermint frosting is insanely delicious. Best of all, they’re bite size! Seriously. They’re more of a two bite cookie for kids but for an adult they can absolutely be one biters. And who doesn’t love mini desserts?

They’re seasonally perfect with white fluffy frosting that looks like snow but flavored like peppermint, and of course the crushed peppermint candies. Which if you’re making this or this you’ll need crushed candy canes anyway! ;) See… I’ve got you covered.

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Candy Cane Thumbprints

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 24
Soft and fluffy homemade thumbprint cookies with peppermint buttercream frosting and crushed candy canes. A must make holiday cookie!

Ingredients
 

Cookie dough:

  • 2/3 C unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 C granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 C all purpose flour

Frosting:

  • 1/4 C unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
  • 1 1/2 C powdered sugar
  • 3-5 Tbsp milk
  • 2 Peppermint candy cane, crushed

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add salt, vanilla and egg. Mix on medium/low speed. Gradually add flour one spoonful at a time. Mix until fully incorporated. Transfer to a medium bowl. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
  • Preheat oven to 375°F. When dough is chilled and easy to handle. Form 1 inch balls. Place on an un-greased and unlined baking sheet 1-2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the bottom edge is just turning golden.
  • Remove tray from oven and immediately make an indentation with a measuring spoon (1/2 tsp size seems to work best). Let cookies rest for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.
  • When cookies are completely cooled prepare icing. In a medium bowl, cream butter. Add peppermint extract and gradually add powdered sugar until it has all been added. Mixture will be chunky and dry. Begin adding 1 tsp of milk at a time until you reach desired piping consistency.
  • Add icing to a piping bag fit with a small star tip (I used #22 Wilton). Carefully fill cookie cavity with icing. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.
  • Store in a single layer in a covered container.

Notes

*Recipe makes roughly 2 dozen cookies
An original recipe from Baked by Rachel

Nutrition

Calories: 140kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 29mg, Potassium: 16mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 230IU, Calcium: 7mg, Iron: 0.4mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most accurate data, use your preferred nutrition calculator with the actual ingredients you used to make this recipe.
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Snap a picture and tag @bakedbyrachel on Instagram!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keywords: Cookie