KIM DAVIS: With Christmas just around the corner I'm on my last push to get the final holiday cookies baked with goodie bags and cookie platters assembled. When my granddaughters were young, extra cookies had to be baked for Santa and left on the fireplace hearth along with a glass of milk in a special Santa cup. My youngest granddaughter always insisted that these Candy Cane Snowball Cookies be given the place of honor along with some extras for the family to nibble on while waiting for Santa to arrive. (This on top of the regular platter of cookies I brought to our Christmas day gathering!) Now that they are young women, Candy Cane Snowball Cookies continue to be a favorite and extras are still requested.
Over the years I've made the cookies with crushed candy canes and with Andes Peppermint Crunch baking pieces, when I can find them at the market. The Andes candy pieces are easier to use (no unwrapping candy canes and crushing) and everyone seems to like them in the cookies equally as well. However, they are difficult to find so when I do, I stock up. May your little elves and helpers enjoy these cookies as much as mine have!
As a special treat just in time for Christmas, I'm offering an ebook copy of Frosted Yuletide Murder to one lucky winner - open worldwide. Contest ends 12/23/25 at 11:59pm PST. Scroll down for the details on how to enter.
Candy Cane Snowball Cookies
Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies, depending on size.
Ingredients
1-1/2
cups confectioners’ sugar
1-1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch baking pieces (or finely crushed peppermint candy
canes)
Granulated
sugar for rolling cookies
Instructions
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the
flour, baking powder, and sea salt together. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the powdered sugar and butter together until creamy, about 2 minutes.
Add the egg, peppermint extract, and
vanilla and beat until thoroughly combined.
Add the flour mixture and using low
speed, stir until well blended.
Add the peppermint candy and stir just
until combined.
Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Form the dough into 1-1/2 inch balls and
roll in granulated sugar.
Place on a parchment-lined baking
sheet, 12 cookies per sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The bottoms
of the cookies should just start to turn golden. Remove before the edges turn brown.
Allow the cookies to cool on the
baking sheet for 5 minutes then remove and cool completely.
💕 Click here for a free printable PDF of the recipe!💕
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CALLING ALL COOKIE LOVERS!
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COOKIE COLLECTION
And now for the giveaway:
To celebrate the Christmas holidays, I'm giving away an ebook copy of Frosted Yuletide Murder, open to everyone!
Readers, do you or have you left cookies for Santa?
If so, what is Santa's favorite flavor?
Comment below and include your email (yourname at yourserver dot com) for a chance to win Frosted Yuletide Murder. (Contest ends 11:59pm on Tuesday, December 23, 2025.)
🎄🎄🎄
If you're looking to purchase Frosted Yuletide Murder for yourself or for someone else as a gift, the book is on sale for the entire month of December! Click below for purchase links:
Missy and I wish each of you a joyous holiday!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYuletide Murder and other books 📚 look and sound like fantastic reads looking forward to reading books in print format
ReplyDeletedon.stewart@zoominternet.net
Thank you, Crystal, and Merry Christmas to you and yours!
DeleteThank you so much for the Candy Cane Snowball Cookies recipe! They sound heavenly.
ReplyDeleteOur daughter always wanted to put out some of the cut out sugar cookies she had decorated for Santa along with a special mug that was only brought out for this special occasion.
Not entering the contest, but whoever gets it will be in for an amazing read.
May you have a magnificent Monday to start off this most special week.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
How sweet to have a special mug just for Santa and of course your daughter's special decorated sugar cookies! I'm sure she has lovely memories of that tradition!
DeletePeppermint anything is always a hit here. Thanks for these, they look delicious and come with a Santa stamp of approval! What could be better!! Hope you. Missy and the rest of your family have a beautiful holiday season! makennedyinaz at hotmail dot com
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marcia! I hope your family enjoys these cookies as much as we have and Merry Christmas to you and yours!
DeleteLeaving cookies for Santa happened every year when my daughter was a child. We would leave the plates with various cookies including snowball cookies and frosted sugar cookies. Carter.karen@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteWhat a lucky Santa to get a variety of cookies to eat at your house! Merry Christmas!
DeleteThis cookie recipe is another keeper, dear Kim! We have several of your delicious cookies in our Christmas baking file, and we enjoy them yearly. Thank you for all the deliciousness you share with us, and for all your fun mysteries! I have them all, so I just hope that your generosity will make someone else a fan of your mystery series! Messy Christmas to you and to all my MLK friends, JOY!!! Luis at ole dot travel
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Luis, I am honored that some of my cookie recipes are a part of your annual baking! Wishing you and yours a delicious and Merry Christmas!
DeleteOh, wow! So festive. I haven't had any snow balls, for years But how to break the candy into small pieces. Food processor would turn it into a powder. And a hammer might break the kitchen counter.
ReplyDeleteThank you, John! I place the unwrapped candy canes in a sealed ziploc bag, then place the bag on a thick towel on top of the counter, and then whack them with the flat side of a meat mallet. And you're right about a food processor not working... I tried once and it was an enormous, powdery mess and I had to run out and buy more candy canes :)
DeleteSanta loves Chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodles in our neck of the woods. When my girls were little they each chose their favorite cookie to leave for Santa and spread reindeer food on the ground. Now my grandson has taken over and enjoys following the family traditio
ReplyDeleteSuch a lucky Santa to have such thoughtful girls leave them their favorite cookies and so sweet to have your grandson follow in the family tradition! We always had baby carrots for the reindeer :)
DeleteHmm, Santa has enjoyed both the fudge nut cookies and the caramel cookies I make.
ReplyDeleteIf I put on a Santa hat can I have a fudge nut cookie? Yum!
DeleteI don’t remember leaving cookies for Santa when I was a child. My sisters did it with their children and their husbands ate the cookies
ReplyDeleteWskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com
We didn't leave cookies for Santa either when I was a kid, but my stepdaughter and granddaughters fully embraced the tradition along with Elf on a Shelf :)
DeleteWe did leave cookies out for Santa when I was a kid. Love this series. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dianne, and Merry Christmas to you as well!
DeleteNope never have. cheetahthecat1982ATgmailDOTcom
ReplyDeleteMy family never did when we were kids either but my stepdaughter and granddaughters have fully embraced the tradition :)
DeleteThank you for the peppermint recipe I always left out cookies for Santa especially homemade pizzelles and even a carrot for Rudolph 😊😄
ReplyDeleteYou certainly know how to spoil Santa! And how lucky for Rudolph to be remembered too :)
DeleteI have left cookies for Santa since I was a little girl and my kids do too. But because my husband is from NOLA, they leave Cocoon Cookies (or Pecan Fingers) for Santa. Santa sure thinks those cookies are addicting. 🤣🤣
ReplyDeleteBy the way, my name is Angela but Blogger won't let me change it. 🙄
Who knew? They are say that carrots are not reindeer food. Straw is better.
ReplyDeleteThese sound like they are a no contest for Santa!
libbydodd at comcast dot net
karentopf22@gmail.com . We always leave out cookies and milk for Santa.
ReplyDelete