Me-Mom’s Candy Canes & Wreaths

Every Christmas, my Me-Mom would make 8 types of cookies.  As a mother in the 40’s and 50’s, she would set aside part of her ‘allowance’ throughout the year in order to have the ingredients to make all of them. I was lucky enough to learn each directly from her and my mom as a kid.  It’s simply not Christmas until these cookies are made.  Each year, I make all 8 types and take the majority of them to the office, family, and friends.

I make them not only because people specifically ask for them, but also because when I make them I feel like she is right there beside me again.  I’ve got such wonderful memories baking with her!

One of the recipes that I consistently get asked the recipe for is her Candy Canes and Wreaths.  These are almond flavor cookies that are so yummy and creative.  I’m pretty sure she started with the recipe for candy canes, and decided to add green along the way, hence the wreaths.

One of the secrets to success of this cookie recipe is to make the dough a day in advance, divide and color it, and put it in the refrigerator over night.  Since the dough is really sticky, this will reduce a lot of potential frustrations.

To color the dough, divide it in half and set that aside (that is your white).  Divide what is left in half again and dye one half red and the other half green.  I use gel food coloring in order to easily get nice deep shades of red and green.  The colors I used here are Wilton “Red-Red” and “Kelly Green”.

I recommend setting up your work area prior to taking the dough out of the refrigerator.  For me, this means turning on the oven, pulling out my rolling mat, getting out my cookie sheets, and grabbing 3 spoons (one for each color of dough).

Pull out the white and red dough, and begin!  Using a spoon, scoop out a small amount of white dough and roll it into a ball in your hands, once this is done, lay it on the mat and use your fingers to roll it into a ‘snake’.  Do the same with the red dough.  Lay both ‘snakes’ against one another, and use both hands to roll the dough in opposite directions, creating a twist.

Everything in you will want to use a bit of flour to work the dough. DON’T!  If you add flour, the white and red/green strips will not adhere, and you will have a candy cane fail. Been there, done that.

Don’t get frustrated here.  You will get into a rhythm with the amount of pressure and speed you need to create the perfect looking twist.  It may take a sheet of odd-looking cookies, but it gets better, I swear!

Once the dough is twisted together, transfer it to the cookie sheet and form it into a cane shape.  Congratulations!  You’ve done ONE cookie 🙂

To make the wreaths, follow the same steps above, but with with and green dough.  Once twisted, transfer to the cookie sheet and form it into a circle with the ends together at the top.  Take a tiny amount of red dough, roll it into a ball in your hands, and press it gently onto the top (where the ends of your dough meet).

Each sheet of cookies goes into a 375F oven for 7-9 minutes.  I usually set the timer for 7 minutes and check to see if the bottom edges are getting golden.  Other than that, they will not change color.

Save yourself some unnecessary expletives…when you aren’t using a bowl of dough, pop it back in the refrigerator!  Just that small amount of time does wonders.

Happy Holidays!