Easy Peppermint Twist Cookies
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These Quick and Easy Peppermint Twist Cookies are a snap to make! They are a perfect Christmas Cookie Recipe for your next holiday gathering or cookie exchange. The yummy combination of sugar cookie and peppermint is impossible to resist! (Scroll to the bottom for the printable recipe.)
Easy Peppermint Twist Cookie Recipe
It’s almost time for one of my favorite activities of the year!
Cookie Exchanges!
What’s better than spending a couple of hours socializing with friends? Socializing with friends and THEN going home with a couple of dozen different cookies!
After a decade or so of attending cookie exchanges, I’ve learned two important lessons:
1. Always bring a couple of extra seal-able storage bags to separate the peanut butter cookies from the other cookies. (Otherwise, all the cookies will taste like peanut butter, lol.)
2. I’ve found the simplest, traditional cookie or fudge recipe (or a traditional cookie recipe with a twist,) are usually the most popular and successful at a cookie exchange.
We still have another month, before the big cookie exchange this year, but I’ve already decided to make these delicious and so Easy Peppermint Twist Cookies.
What I love about this cookie recipe is that it’s such a fun twist on a regular sugar cookie recipe.
This Hershey’s Kiss Cookie recipe doesn’t take that much longer to make and the addition of the peppermint extract and yummy white chocolate and peppermint Hershey’s Kiss on top make such a festive looking cookie and they taste amazing too!
How to Make Peppermint Twist Cookies
My secret to making these as quick and easy as possible is to use a pre-packaged Sugar Cookie Mix.
I love being able to toss the already mixed cookie mix, butter and egg into the mixer. Saves time in this recipe since there is the additional step of separating and coloring the dough, twisting it and letting it rest in the refrigerator.
Of course, if you are someone who likes to make sugar cookies from scratch, the basic idea of coloring and twisting the dough works fine too.
The way these Peppermint Twist Cookies are made is by dividing the dough in half and tinting half red and leaving the other half natural.
You then divide the dough into sections and roll the two colors into 9 to 10-inch logs. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill before slicing the logs into cookies. (Keep scrolling for the full printable recipe.)
Can You Freeze Peppermint Twist Cookies?
Yes, the Peppermint Twist Cookies can be frozen.
You have 2 options for freezing the cookies.
1. You can make the dough, color it, and assemble into logs ahead of time and then freeze the individual logs of dough. Then when you are ready to bake the cookies, allow the dough logs to defrost just a bit so they are sliceable and then bake as normal.
2. Or you can bake the Peppermint Twist Cookies, let them cool completely and freeze them for later. The cookies should be frozen individually (I recommend placing them on a baking sheet or cutting board, not touching, until frozen solid. Then you can place them into an airtight container or freezer safe baggie for up to 3 months.
Other Christmas Cookie recipes you might enjoy:
- Santa’s Whisker’s Recipe
- White Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Sugar Cookies
- Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheel Cookies
- Easy Peppermint Twist Cookies
- Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Sugar Cookies with Eggnog Frosting
Need a blank recipe card to go with your cookies? Grab my holiday cookie recipe card here.
PrintEasy Peppermint Twist Cookies
Description
These Quick and Easy Peppermint Twist Cookies are a snap to make! They are a perfect Christmas Cookie Recipe for your next holiday gathering or cookie exchange. The yummy combination of sugar cookie and peppermint is impossible to resist!
Ingredients
- 1 package of pre-packaged Sugar Cookie Mix
- 1 stick of butter softened, (not melted)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- red food coloring
- 1 package of Hershey’s Candy Cane Mint Kisses
- plastic wrap
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Place Hershey Kisses into freezer. (You can unwrap them beforehand or in between batches.)
- Follow package directions to prepare cookie dough.
- Separate dough into halves, add red food coloring a few drops at a time, kneading the color in as you go, to reach desired shade of red.
- Divide red and white dough into 3 equal amounts.
- Roll each section into about a 9 to 10-inch log. Gently twist 2 colors together and wrap with plastic wrap. (Once you have put the plastic wrap around the dough, you can roll it a bit more to smooth out the twists.)
- Place wrapped cookie dough in freezer for about 10 minutes to chill.
- Unwrap cookie dough and slice into about 11 equal pieces. (Slice into more/smaller pieces for a smaller cookie.) Gently form dough into a ball and place on an ungreased cookie sheet, slightly flattening ball.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cookie edges start to brown. Remove from oven and immediately press white chocolate peppermint candy into center of cookie.
- Remove cookie from pan to cool.
Enjoy the cookie while the candy is still hot and melty or allow candy to cool and reharden! (once candy has rehardened you can stack cookies for transport.)
It’s your turn! I would love to know -what is your favorite cookie to take to a cookie exchange? Leave a comment below.