Candy Candy Cane Planter Recipes

CANDY CANDY CANE PLANTER

Steps:

• 1. First pipe glue from the hot glue gun along the back of each candy cane. Make sure to leave on the wrappers. Then attach to the can so thehooks of the candy is at thetop & facing out.
• 2. Next repeat with the remaining candy canes to cover the whole can.
• 3. Then place in the center of the table or give out as a giftfor X-mas.

HOMEMADE CANDY CANES

Steps:

• Grease two baking sheets with butter; set aside. In a large saucepan, bring the sugar, water, corn syrup and cream of tartar to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 280° (soft-crack stage)., Remove from the heat; stir in extract and food coloring. Immediately pour onto prepared pans in eight 8-in. strips. Let stand just until cool enough to handle, about 1-2 minutes., Working quickly, roll each strip into a 10-in. log. Cut each into two 5-in. lengths. Curve the top of each to form the handle of a cane. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

HOMEMADE CANDY CANES

Steps:

• 1. In heavy-bottomed large saucepan or small pot, combine first 4 ingredients and stir until sugar dissolves. Cook, without stirring to hard-ball stage. (265 degrees.) Remove from heat and add peppermint extract. Divide into 2 portions, and add coloring to one part. Pour out onto buttered cookie sheets. (Pour half onto one sheet, then add coloring to the rest and then pour onto second sheet.) when it's cool enough to handle, start pulling each part seperately. (Best done with 2 people, but if doing alone, go back and forth pulling each.) When you feel like you just can't pull anymore, form into ropes and twist them together. Cut into 8" lengths, form into the shape of candy canes, and place on lightly buttered platter til fully hardened.

CANDY CANE HEART POPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 3 lollipop sticks on one of the baking sheets. Lay 2 candy canes in a heart shape around each stick, making sure the stick touches the inside of both candy canes at the top and bottom of the heart. Bake for 3 to 4 minutes, until the candy canes are slightly soft and malleable and very warm, but not hot to the touch.
• With your fingers, press the candy canes together, adhering them to the stick at the top and bottom. Gently bend the outer edges of the candy canes outwards to widen the heart shape. (If the candy canes harden too quickly, you may return to the oven for 30 seconds and try again.) Let cool completely on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining candy canes and sticks, using the other baking sheet and rotating the use of the sheets while the others cool.
• Once all of the hearts are formed and cooled, line them up on a piece of parchment placed on a work surface. Melt the white chocolate or candy melts in a bowl in the microwave on 50 percent power in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, 1 to 2 minutes total.
• Transfer the melted chocolate to a piping bag or resealable plastic bag with a corner snipped off and pipe it into the center of the hearts, spreading it to the edges with a small spoon or spatula. Sprinkle with the decorations of your choice. Let the pops harden completely at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
• Ornament Variation: Make the candy cane hearts without the lollipop sticks and let cool. Tie a decorative ribbon around the top of the heart, then fill with white chocolate and decorate.

CANDY CANES

Steps:

• Before you begin this recipe, please take a class from a professional on working with sugar. This is a skill that professional pastry chefs develop after years of experience. Working with sugar will burn your fingers so know before you start that your fingers will develop burn blisters. Place the sugar, vinegar and water in a saucepan over high heat. Insert a candy thermometer and cook until the sugar reaches 320 degrees F. Use a pastry brush to keep the inside of the saucepan clean as the sugar cooks or the sugar may recrystallize. To do this, dip a clean brush in cold water and brush the inside of the pan clean. Pour the cooked sugar onto 3 or 4 silicone baking mats. If you want to color and/or flavor the sugar with food colors and/or flavored oils, this is the time to do so. Add a few drops of color to the sugar. Mix with a wooden skewer. To get started, push the sugar from the sides toward the center. This process takes a little while. Try to keep the sugar divided by color. Use the mat to push the firm sugar around the edges toward the center. Use a folding motion to accomplish that task. The next step is to pick up the sugar with your hands. Place each color under the heat of the sugar lamp. Pull the sugar until it becomes glossy and the color is evenly distributed. You will need to pull the colors simultaneously. Keep them under the sugar lamp but keep an eye on them. The lamp can melt the sugar so it is important keep rotating it and folding it onto itself.
• Start with 2 pieces of colored sugar. I used red and green. Pull them into a rectangular shape that is about 1 1/2-inches wide by 3-inches long and 1/2-inch thick. Place the pieces side-to-side and let them stick together on the long side. Place a piece of white sugar that is about 1/2-inch wide by 3-inches long and 1/2-inch thick in the middle. Close the red and green around it. Roll it and twist it while pulling it. When it gets to the desired thickness, use a scissor to cut the length and shape into a cane. Allow to cool completely. The white is inside and will become apparent when eaten.
• Jacques? tips: Vinegar keeps the sugar from crystallizing. You will not taste the flavor. It serves as an acid in this recipe. Sometimes candy cane recipes contain corn syrup, which makes the sugar very dry and very hot. Adding corn syrup makes it more difficult to work with the sugar at home. Remember, the sugar is at 320 degrees F, and that will burn you. The ideal work surface is a silpat placed over cool marble or granite. If you do not have marble or stone, use wood. It is a good idea to use gloves to help protect your hands from the heat and to prevent burning.
• I use a special sugar box that includes a special heat source, If you don?t have one, you can work in front of the oven. Set the oven to 300 degrees F. Open the oven door and place the silpat on the oven door. It provides a similar effect to the sugar box heater.