Candy Cane Creations
We have a box with a bazillion miniature candy canes that my cousin gave us, which also happen to be a few years old. I’m sure they are perfectly fine to eat (and we have had a few), but I was trying to think of ways we could use them up that didn’t involve digesting them.
I’m just gonna warn you upfront on this one…it was completely trial-and-error. Because of this, only one out of four of our candy cane creations turned out. Perhaps you’ll have better luck…or perhaps you won’t. It’s all about the process, right?!?!
First, I put a bunch of candy canes in a gallon-size bag and let the boys have at it…using a wooden spoon for a mallet.
Next, we used some metal cookie cutters and laid them on a piece of parchment paper. We scooped our candy cane smithereens inside.
We put them in the oven (at 350 degrees) for 3-4 minutes. You’ll want to keep an eye on them and take them out before they start bubbling!
Let it cool and then use a knife to carefully remove the candy cane from the edges of the cookie cutter. This was our winner.
And these were the losers… :(
There you have it…your very own candy cane creation. Give it as a treat or use it as an ornament!
So cute and fun. Thanks for sharing!
SO cute! We have so many candy canes that I grabbed when they were for free at CVS. This is a great idea!
Thanks!
Cari
twosasters.com
Great idea! Most people have a fair share of candy canes left after the holidays. And how pretty will all the colored ones turn out?! We shall see. Thanks again for another fun idea! Merry Christmas to you and yours, Debra
Love this. I just saw something similar last week and love it then… and love yours too.
Now I really need to actually make them! Thanks for the inspiration!
Next time try greasing the cookie cutters and remove them promptly from the creations as they exit the oven. Great idea though!
I was going to suggest greasing the cutters too, although I don’t know if you want to remove the cutters as soon as they are pulled from the oven because I would think they would lose their shape since the candy canes would still be hot and would probably spread and deform. Maybe after they cool, heat the tip of the knife over a flame (parent and not child) and use it between the edge of the candy cane and the cookie cutter. If you try that, I would suggest either wearing a pot holder to hold the knife if it’s a butter knife or use a steak knife with a plastic handle so you don’t burn your hand through heat transfer. Neat idea, though!
I have done this with Jolly Ranchers before. I put a cake decorating tip toward the top of the cookie cutter. After candy is cooled, remove tip and put curling ribbon through hole for an edible ornament. Cute and yummy!