Candy Cane Creations
Word of the Week
Malleable (mal-ee-uh-bull): When something is able to be pressed permanently out of shape, without breaking. It comes from Old French, meaning "able to be hammered."
Bonjour!
Hot chocolate, gum drops, peppermint bark, candy canes. 'Tis the season . . .
Did you know that candy canes were originally all white?! I started wondering . . . how exactly did candy canes come to be? Legend has it that back in 1670, a German choirmaster bent sugar sticks into the shape of shepherd's hooks and gave them to the children in attendance. This quickly spread to church ceremonies in Europe and America.
Later, in 1847, a German-Swedish immigrant named August Imgard decorated a Christmas tree with this delicious treat. It's unclear exactly why or how, but in the early 1900s, the famous peppermint flavor and red stripes were added, giving us this wonderful holiday treat!
Looking for a way to decorate with this classic candy? I've got a fun twist for you! Let's go back to the word of the week.
Malleable. Can you think of a few things that fit the description? Gold, copper, iron, and aluminum are good examples. What about candy canes? Turns out that when candy canes are slightly heated, they become malleable.
I loved the idea of turning mine into hearts, but you can create anything you like. I tried mini candy canes, which resulted in adorable mini hearts.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Unwrap your candy canes and place them on the lined sheet. Candy canes can be placed individually or you can place two facing each other to create a heart shape.
Remove the candy canes after ten minutes and use something like chopsticks to shape them quickly, before they cool and harden. That's it!
I played around with mine and found that if you allow the candy canes to bake a bit longer, they can melt together without much manipulation at all. Warning: once your creations are complete, they will very likely shatter if they hit the ground, so be careful!
Happy creating this holiday season!
Stay kind . . .
Gram