These white chocolate candy cane cookies are the perfect holiday chocolate chip cookie recipe. They’re soft, chewy, filled with Christmas cheer & super pretty! 
I don’t think you can ever have enough Christmas cookie recipes – so today I’m sharing these white chocolate candy cane cookies. They’re a spin on your classic chocolate chip cookies and have a delicious peppermint flavor with so many melty chocolate chips.
If you’re new to the whole white chocolate and peppermint thing – let me introduce you to your new favorite holiday flavor. The sweet white chocolate goes perfectly with the mintiness of the candy canes. And the red and white color combo makes it feel extra festive.
These white chocolate candy cane cookies also have the perfect cookie texture. They’re soft, chewy and slightly crisp on the edges. Then the candy cane pieces add a delicious crunch that’s serious addictive, and there are pools of melted white chocolate (just in case you weren’t sold yet).
I also wanted these peppermint cookies to be a super easy recipe too. They’re just as easy as making your favorite chocolate chip cookies and you don’t have to chill the dough.
For this recipe – we start by beating together the butter, shortening, brown sugar & white sugar. I decided to use a combo of butter and shortening because the butter adds flavor and the shortening keeps the cookies extra soft. I like to use brown sugar and white sugar in (most) of my cookie recipes because brown sugar adds chewiness.
Then we mix in the eggs, vanilla extract and peppermint extract. If you want to leave out the peppermint extract and just use chopped candy canes for the peppermint flavor – that totally works too. But I wanted mine to be extra minty 😉
Then mix in the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and a little salt. It’s important to measure the flour correctly. Give it a whisk first, then spoon it into a dry measuring cup, and level off the top. Too much flour and the cookies can get dry. Not enough flour and they’re spread too thin or taste greasy. 
Last but not least – mix in the crushed candy canes and white chocolate chips. I like to use a cookie scoop to form the dough into balls because it keeps them all the same prize. I used a medium cookie scoop to form cookies about 1 tablespoon in size, but a large cookie scoop works well too if you want large cookies. If you’re using a large cookie scoop (or just making extra large cookies)- make sure to roll the dough into balls that are taller than they are wide to prevent the cookies from spreading too thin.
Then place then on a lined cookie sheet, and you’re ready to bake. I always add a few extra chocolate chips on top of each cookie after they come out of the oven for that “eat-me”/”bakery-style” look. 
These white chocolate candy cane cookies also freeze well – so they’re also great for making ahead of time. You can either make the dough, form it into balls and then freeze it. Then bake the cookies from frozen (they’ll take an extra minute or 2). Or make the cookies and let them cool fully, then freeze.
These candy cane cookies are a great addition to your holiday baking, and also go quickly! And with white chocolate & peppermint – what’s not to love? 
Love candy canes? Try these other favorite holiday treats!
- White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge
- Candy Cane Brownies
- Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake
- Candy Cane Chocolate Cupcakes
White Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 cup white sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup crushed candy canes
- 1 cup white chocolate chips plus more for dotting on the tops
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl beat together the butter, shortening, white sugar & brown sugar until fluffy (about 2 minutes).
- Add in the vanilla extract & peppermint extract, then mix in the eggs 1 at a time.
- Turn the mixer down to low speed and mix in the flour, baking soda & salt. If the dough sticks to your fingers when you squeeze it between them - add in a little more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Mix in the crushed candy canes & white chocolate chips.
- Form the dough into balls about 1 - 1.5 tablespoons in size* and place 2 inches apart on the lined cookie sheets.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops look just set. Remove from the oven and place a few white chocolate chips on the top of each cookie (optional).
- Cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes, then continue cooling on a wire rack.
These are THE BEST cookies I have EVER had! I made them last year for Christmas and lost the recipe ): luckily, though, I was able to find this recipe again on TikTok! Thank goodness, I can’t wait to make them again! Best cookies ever!!!
Hello can I bake these cookies and then freeze them?
Definitely – just make sure they’re fully cooled first. I typically like to place a piece of wax paper in between layers of cookies to avoid them sticking together. I hope this helps!
Can the dough be made ahead of time and refrigerated for like a day or two? (Bake on 3rd day.)
You can keep the dough in the fridge for up to 48 hours as long as the bowl is tightly wrapped. You can also freeze the dough balls (make sure to form them into balls before freezing), then bake the dough balls from frozen. They’ll need 1-2 minutes extra if the balls are frozen.
My neighbor made these and brought some over. One bite in I sent her a text for the recipe. They are the best cookies I’ve ever had!! These will be a regular for us now.
Thank you so much, Brooke! Sounds like you have great neighbors
When you say white sugar, it does mean granulated sugar and not powdered, correct? Looking forward to making these as a gift this Christmas, but just wanted to be clear. Lol. Thanks!
Sorry for the confusion! Yes, when it says granulated sugar it means white sugar. Happy baking!
Hello, these look delicious! When you say brown sugar so you mean light brown or dark brown sugar?
Either will work in this recipe!
Can you use oil instead of shortening?
I wouldn’t sub oil as it is a liquid at room temperature instead of a solid. It could definitely lead to the cookies spreading too thin. A better substitute would be to use more butter and add in 1-2 extra tablespoons of flour.