Double Mint Chocolate Dipped Candy Canes are easy to make in less than an hour! Pretty and festive, they are great for stirring hot winter drinks, as gifts, to decorate holiday packages or for a snack!
It's just December 1st and I already feel like I'm behind for the holidays, do you?! Rolling off the lazy Thanksgiving break lands us smack into holiday planning. Between gifts and holiday traditions I have way too much on my plate.
We have a Countdown to Christmas box I found at a craft store when my kids were really little. It's a little wooden cabinet with doors on the front of it and little drawers, one for each day of December. What started as a purchase on a whim has turned into a very serious holiday tradition.
Each day my kids find a trinket or little note associated with an activity in the box. When the kids were little I would plan out the entire month of fun things to do, from like spontaneous night drives with hot cocoa to look at holiday lights to holiday movie binges. Now I'm lucky to stuff something in the box the night before!
These Double Mint Chocolate Dipped Candy Canes are perfect for a holiday surprise like our box (or if St. Nicholas visits your house on December 5th, you might suggest these to him to put in the shoes left out!). They are super easy and quick to make. They make great decoration on a gift, and are beautiful packaged together for snacking OR to use as stirring sticks in a favorite holiday drink (like this Arctic Peppermint Mocha Shake).
Candy canes are dipped or brushed with melted chocolate and rolled in smashed starlight peppermints or spearmints. Once the chocolate hardens they are done! Any type of mint candy cane will work so mixing colors is fun too. There is something so festive about them, isn't there?
I'm sure with all of your gift giving you'll think of people perfect for this homemade gift of Double Mint Chocolate Dipped Candy Canes! It definitely puts me in the holiday mood to make them too.
Recipe
Double Mint Chocolate Dipped Candy Canes
Ingredients
- 15 full size (6 inches tall, ¼ inch diameter) Candy Canes, unwrapped
- 4 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Approximately 35 striped candy mints (peppermint or spearmint depending on your preference)
Instructions
- To crush mint candies: Place unwrapped mints into a freezer zip plastic bag. If using multiple colored candies and wishing to keep them separate, use separate plastic bags for each color. Using a rolling pin, pound the candies to crush them into small pieces. Over pounding will reduce them to a fine dust which is not desirable. Remove candies and place them into a large, flat dinner plate or baking sheet which will allow the candy canes to be rolled in the crushed candy.
- 2-3 inches of water to boil over a small to medium saucepan. Place the chocolate chips in a metal bowl that sits on top the saucepan without going into the pan. Alternatively the chocolate chips can be melted in a microwave by placing them in a microwave safe bowl, melt on high/100% for one minute, stir and microwave in 10 second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted fully. Do not over heat in the microwave.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a dinner knife, dip the knife into the melted chocolate and cover the stem of the candy cane, starting directly across from the end of the curved end continuing to the end of the candy cane stem. The coating should be thick enough for the crushed candies to stick but not so much that is coats the crushed candies or drips from the cane.
- Gently place the chocolate coated candy cane in the crushed candies, pressing down to allow the candies to adhere to the chocolate. Roll or rotate the candy cane in the crushed candies until the chocolate is covered. Place on the parchment paper to harden.
- Repeat until all the candy canes are coated.
- For quicker hardening place the baking sheet with candy canes into the refrigerator until hardened (30 minutes-1 hour).
Nutrition
This delicious recipe was originally published in December 2013 and has been updated in 2016.
Theresa says
These looks so tasty! I can’t wait to make them with our girls then enjoy them when we watch The Polar Express this year!
Tara says
I really like this idea. I’m sure my daughter will gobble these right up too.
Stacie says
I love using candy canes in my hot chocolate. These are a great way to change it up a bit.
Krista E. says
Hi Toni! Thanks for your candor regarding the December Countdown (Advent Calendar). LOL! I started the same tradition with our kids when they were small. They are now almost 14 and 11 and they mentioned it at Thanksgiving. I, too struggle sometimes with things to do. As they’ve grown, the focus has turned to what we can do for others 😉 Happy Holidays!! p.s. Today was Gingerbread House decorating 😉
Toni Dash says
I love that idea! Our box showed up unannounced yesterday thanks to my son. Fortunately I’m good for a few days but then really want to think through something meaningful and fun. I loved it when they were little and we really could do so many fun and exciting things to celebrate. Now with homework, swim team, robotics, we’ll be good to even remember Christmas falls in this month!
Kathy says
That looks really good. I can’t believe I’ve never even thought about making them like this. Such a great idea.
Lisa Bristol says
I have never thought to do this before. It is a fantastic idea. So delicious and easy to make.
Ann Bacciaglia says
These candy canes are going to be perfect for my Holiday party. I can serve them with mugs of hot chocolate.
Oriana Romero says
My kids are going to love making these. Candy canes are a family favorite. Dipped in chocolate makes them even better.
Elizabeth Lampman says
These candy canes look so yummy. They will be perfect in hot chocolate. I will have to make some for the Holidays.
Dawn Nieves says
I love candy canes and chocolate so I know these have to be amazing. Plus they’re so pretty