Candy Cane Peppermint Snowballs

Peppermint just might be one of the most sought-after flavours at Christmastime, so with that in mind, I’m sharing my Candy Cane Peppermint Snowballs recipe! These soft, moist, and sweet cookies are prepared with ricotta and crushed candy canes. Topped with powdered sugar, these just scream Christmas!

Every Christmas I try to find a new recipe with candy canes as one of the main flavours or ingredients.  And, to be completely honest, I’m not a big fan of candy canes at all, but when they’re baked into a cookie, the taste seems to transform into something magically Christmas. Just look at these beautiful Candy Cane Peppermint Snowballs – who could resist?

I remember back to when I was a kid, candy canes were a very popular Christmastime treat for us kids.  Growing up in a small town, I remember our annual Santa Claus parade, which was very small and unique in comparison to the large, multi-block, sidewalk-lined parades you see in cities today. Our Santa Claus parade used to consist of a few cars or pick-up trucks which were donned with leftover ornaments and tinsel.  There may have been a few vehicles with a hand-painted banner tied to it as well.  And, oftentimes, there was an ATV or two in the parade as well.

The best part though, was the last vehicle, which was usually a pick-up truck.  Santa would be in the back with a few of his helpers.  The driver would have his windows rolled all the way down, and festive Christmas music would be blaring from the cassette or eight-track deck.  (I’m aging myself!)  And, Santa would toss out those little individually wrapped candy canes to all of us kids. I remember it well; all of us would stand knee-deep in the snow banks that had been piled up on the sides of the road.  Newfoundland is most certainly known for lots of snow, so you can bet that by the time the Santa Claus parade was scheduled in mid-December, the snow was piled high!

I could talk about those memories forever if I had the time. Things are most certainly not like they used to be!  Christmas now is fast and hurried.  It’s expensive and we all forget to slow down and enjoy the time with our family and friends.  We start Christmas early because we love it.  And, I strive to have all of my Christmas shopping done by the end of November, so that I don’t have any of that last-minute December shopping stress. Baking – well, that’s not stressful at all.  I love it!  If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that I bake at least two or three times each week as soon as October rolls around.  And, in December, I probably bake even more.  Baking is my stress reliever, and it can be yours too – especially if you have candy!

I’m going to tell you all about this cookie recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the cookie recipes! Before I get into today’s recipe, let me make mention of the three previous holiday confection countdowns that I just finished up this year.

Back in October, I kicked off the holiday season with a holiday recipe series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifle Series and followed that up with a second series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Breads and Loaves. Next was my 12 Squares and Bars Series, which was Volume 2 of that particular series.  

And now, I’m starting on this new series, which is the seventh annual instalment! I cannot believe that this is the seventh year in a row that I’ve shared Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas! But, before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for today’s recipe, let me tell you about this series and more!

LORD BYRON’S 24 COOKIES OF CHRISTMAS SERIES

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the fourth of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! This one is called Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas – Volume 7! I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy, just like in previous years. Even if a recipe looks complex, I promise you that it is not! My goal, as always, is to share recipes with you that are not too complex to whip up as a holiday treat for your family.

Like every other holiday series I’ve shared over the years, this series will share a new recipe every day for the next 24 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series! Even though this is the fourth series for this holiday season, you can always look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – Make sure your butter is softened and at room temperature.
• Sugar – Sugar will caramelize when baked, which will help to brown cookies and cakes.  In cookies, the sugar will help the dough to spread, and will create a crispness to the bottom of the cookie.
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Ricotta – This is the key to this cookie recipe. Not only does it add flavour, but it keeps these cookies soft and pillow-y.
• Peppermint Extract
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Baking Soda
• Crushed Candy Canes
• Confectioner’s Sugar – This superfine sugar is sometimes called powdered sugar. 
• Pink Food Colouring – Optional.

HOW TO MAKE CANDY CANE PEPPERMINT SNOWBALLS

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter for 2-3 minutes until the colour has lightened. Add the sugar and beat for another 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg. Next, add the ricotta and peppermint extract. Beat until combined. (Beat in the pink food colouring now as well if using.)

Add the flour, baking soda, and crushed candy canes to the mixing bowl. Beat until just incorporated. Portion the dough into one-tablespoon amounts. Roll the dough into balls and place on the baking sheets, leaving two inches between each ball. Bake for 13 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Once the cookies are on the cooling rack, dust the tops liberally with confectioner’s sugar. Allow the cookies to finish cooling before packaging or storing.

MAKING YOUR OWN CRUSHED CANDY CANES

If you don’t want to use the red and white crushed candy canes that you can find just about anywhere this time of year, you can crush your own candy canes by placing unwrapped, broken candy canes into a sturdy bag and firmly rolling over them with a wooden rolling pin.

Either way you look at it, the candy canes should not be crushed too finely. Many times, you’ll find they have too much powder, meaning that they have been crushed too much. You want chunky pieces in order to get the red and white speckled pattern.

I’ve tried crushing them myself and have crushed them a little too much. Even the type you buy in the store can sometimes have too much candy cane dust. You can easily fix it by filtering out the dust. Working in small amounts, place a heaping spoonful of the crushed candy canes into a colander. Sift out the dust so that you are left with nice little pieces.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for a long time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Candy Cane Peppermint Snowballs, you certainly can! Pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer-friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!