Add butter and sugar into bowl and cream together either by stand or hand mixer. The butter and sugar should be smooth and creamy.
Add in vanilla and salt and mix in well.
Sift in cocoa powder and mix into the butter mixture.
Sift in the flour and mix on low until the dough just starts to come together and look crumbly, Switch to a spatula to finish mixing the dough together.
Transfer dough to parchment paper or plastic cling wrap, shape into disk (if rolling out and using cookie cutters) or a log (if slicing and baking) and refrigerate for about an hour. Dough can be chilled for longer, however it will need to sit out for about 10 minutes before rolling out.
For rolling out: After dough has chilled, place either on a lightly floured countertop or between parchment sheets and roll out to ¼ inch thickness. Cookies can be rolled out thicker but it will affect bake time.
Use a cookie cutter (I used a round 2½ inch) and cut out your cookies. Gather and reroll out scraps to use up dough. If dough gets too warm, place back in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
For slice and bake: Slice the dough into cookies that are about ¼ inch thick.
Preheat oven to 350°F
Place all cookies on a parchment lined sheet and chill in the fridge or freezer while your oven preheats.
Bake cookies on center rack for about 12 minutes. Cookies will still be soft in center. Leave on cookie sheet for 5 minutes after baking then transfer to a wire rack.
Once cookies have cooled, melt white chocolate either over a double boiler or in the microwave. If using the microwave, use 20 second increments and stir in between to make sure the chocolate doesn't seize.
Either dip the entire top of cookie into the white chocolate or use an offset spatula or knife to spread over half/all of the cookie. Sprinkle candy cane over chocolate while it's still warm.
Store cookies in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Enjoy!
