Peppermint Candy

Ready for another ridiculously easy recipe for holiday treats? I came up with this idea last year, and it's sort of become a tradition around here. Pick up a bag of candy melts (craft store or back in the craft area at Wal-Mart; Michael's has these on sale quite frequently and it's just over a dollar for a 1 pound bag). Dump them into a microwave safe container, and nuke 'em until they're soft. Pour onto a cookie sheet (it's much easier if you put wax paper down first, trust me!) and sprinkle with broken candy canes. Allow to set, them break into little pieces. Package up and wow your friends.

I'm not really a big fan of peppermint flavor, but somehow when you mix it with the creamy vanilla candy, it's really good! And once again, the process is definitely kid friendly. D had a ball helping break candy canes and then dumping the packages (another hint: the little candy canes are the best to use for this; just whack the package once with a coffee mug and then snip the end off. Individually shrink wrapped canes are a pain!) Oh, and licking off the spatula is fun, too!

And while you're buying the candy melts, how about picking up some chocolate ones? They're generally cheaper than chocolate chips, plus they set up much better. They're great for dipping cookies, pretzels, and even marshmallows. You can put large marshmallows on wooden skewers, dip in chocolate, then roll in misc goodies (chopped nuts, crushed candy canes, colored jimmies, etc). You can make quite a nice little "bouquet" by arranging in a glass jar. Try it with large pretzel rods, too. Package them in a nice crinkly bag (look in the candy making section!) and they make a great gift for friends and neighbors.