Candy Canes: History, Lore, Recipes, and More!

Imagine a Christmas without candy canes. Hard to visualize, right? These peppermint delights have become a Christmas staple, but ever wondered about their origins and the connection to the festive season? Let’s take a sleigh ride through history to find out.

Unwrapping the Mysteries: The Sweet Journey of Candy Canes!

The origin of candy canes has many intriguing tales. You might hear that the design is a tribute to the letter ‘J’ for “Jesus,” or the white symbolizes purity while the red stripes signify Christ’s suffering before his crucifixion. Some believe the hardness is a nod to the enduring foundation of the church, or perhaps the peppermint flavor is a callback to hyssop, a sacred herb in the Old Testament. While all these interpretations add depth to the candy, the actual story is delightfully simple.

The Real Story of Candy Canes

Fast forward to the 17th Century when sugar started to gain popularity, thanks to trade routes opening up with the “New World.” European sweet-makers began crafting hard candy sticks. Back then, sugar was still a luxury, relished mainly during special events (like Christmas). To keep children quiet during advent services, parishes handed out these candy sticks, which were curved at one end to imitate a shepherd’s staff, and by association, a bishop’s crosier.

The initial candy canes were unflavored, made from pure sugar. As Christmas trees grew popular in certain nations, people discovered that candy canes were the perfect edible ornament. The hook at the top conveniently secured them on the tree branches. For a significant part of their history, candy canes were plain white and flavorless, until the early 20th Century when the iconic red stripes and peppermint flavor were introduced.

In the present-day, candy canes come in a medley of colors and flavors, from the classic peppermint to fruity, chocolate, and beyond. Below is a recipe to create your own candy canes at home, along with a few other recipes featuring these festive treats:

Make Your Own Candy Canes

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Equipment

• Candy thermometer
• Bench scraper or metal spatula
• heat resistant gloves

Ingredients

  

• 3 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract
• A few drops red food coloring
• A few drops of white food coloring
• cooking spray

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
• Place sugar, water, and corn syrup into a saucepan and bring to a boil. This is when to add the candy thermometer. Without stirring allow it to reach the "soft crack stage" (285°F). Remove from heat. When the bubbles subside, stir in the peppermint extract.
• Divide the candy into two parts, pouring out half of the candy onto a baking sheet that's been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. To the remaining part left in the saucepan, add a few drops red food coloring. Mix and pour onto another baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Place it in a 200 degree F oven to keep it warm.
• When a skin forms on the red candy, use a metal spatula to knead and fold the candy over itself. Do this for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is cool enough to handle.
• Using heat-resistant gloves, pull the red candy into a long rope, fold it in half, doing this a few times until it starts becoming difficult to work with. Finally, twist it together until it's about a 2-inch-wide rope. Place it back on the baking sheet and into the warm oven while you work on the other half of the candy (which you'll add white food coloring to) and repeat the process, creating a white rope.
• Cut a 3" section of each rope and press them together. Then pull and twist together, and bend a shepherd's crook—these are your candy canes! Let them fully harden. Store in an airtight container.

Keyword candy cane sweets, Make Your Own Candy Canes

Candy Cane Fudge

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• 2 10-oz  packages vanilla baking chips
• 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 1/2 cups crushed candy canes

Instructions

 

• Line a square, 8” baking pan with greased aluminum foil.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the vanilla chips and sweetened condensed milk, stirring frequently.
• When almost melted, remove from heat and continue to stir until smooth.
• Stir in the peppermint extract and candy canes.
• Spread evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan and chill for at least two hours.
• Cut into squares and serve.

Keyword Candy Cane Fudge

Candy Cane Whoopie Pies

Candy Cane Whoopie Pies

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup+ 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2  cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 12 large candy canes, crushed

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350° F.
• In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a measuring cup, stir together 3/4 cup milk, and the vanilla. Set aside.
• Using an electric mixer, cream together the brown sugar and 1/4 cup of the butter. Add the egg and reduce speed to low. Add about a quarter of the combined dry ingredients and a third of milk mixture and beat together. Repeat until all ingredients have been thoroughly and a smooth batter forms.
• Using a tablespoon, portion out mounds of batter, spaced about 2” apart, on parchment-lined cookie sheets.
• Bake for 11 min. Transfer the baked shells to a wire rack to cool.
• Using a mixer, whip together 1/2 cup of butter, until fluffy. Add mint extract and 2 tablespoons milk. With the mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar. Beat until fluffy. Fold 1/4 cup crushed candy canes into the filling.
• Using level tablespoons, top half of the shells with icing, then add a second shell to create a sandwich. Be sure to spread the filling to the edges of each.
• Roll the edges of each whoopie pie in the remaining crushed candy canes, and serve.

Keyword Candy Cane Whoopie, Candy Cane Whoopie Pies

Jaime McLeod

Jaime McLeod is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, growing and eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.

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