Mix the butter with sugar until it's all incporated together.

Add the vanilla essence and mix again.

Then add the flour little by little and mix it to form the dough. Don't knead. Just bring the dough together.

Seperate into two portions.

Wrap half the portions in a clear wrap and place in the refrigeator for 1 hour. You can place it in the refrigerator for 3 days and 3 months in the freezer.

Add red food color to the second half of the cookie dough and mix it around to incorporate the color evenly. Wrap in clear wrap and place it in the refrigerator.

When ready to shape the candy cane cookies, divide the white dough into equal small portions of 15 g each. Repeat the same with the red cookie dough. (** you will need extra doigh to sprinkle every now and then to make it easy to shape)

Take one portion of the white dough and roll into a rope of 5 inch long. Do the same with the red dough.

Then place them next to each other and twist. Place in the cookie sheet and curve the top a little to form the cane shape.

If you find it difficult to twist, just grab both the different color small portion of the dough and put it together. The color will stay seperated.

Then roll into a rope, place on the cookie sheet and curve the top a little to form the cane shape.

Place the shaped cookies back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Then preheat heat the oven to 375 F

Bake the cookies for 10 to 15 minutes depending on how small or big you shape the cookies.

Leave the hot cookies on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Then place on the wire rack to completely cool the cookies, before storing in air tght container.