Creative Candy Cane Recipes and DIY Ideas

Peppermint bark is a Christmas classic and one of the most-requested Christmas recipes! Who can resist dark chocolate, white chocolate, and crisp bites of minty candy canes? This delicious, easy peppermint bark makes a wonderful holiday gift.

Sure, you can buy all the candy canes you need, but there is something satisfying and rewarding about making your own. The process of boiling and pulling and twisting candy until it forms the familiar red and white stripes is magical.

In this recipe for Candy Cane Truffles, Crunchy candy cane bits are folded into a smooth, minty, ultra-dark chocolate ganache. The result is an indulgent Christmas candy perfect for the holidays.

These Christmas candies are chocolate-covered spoons sprinkled with crushed candy canes. They're delicious when used to stir coffee or hot cocoa and make a great holiday gift. 

If regular candy canes just won't do, make Candy Cane Shapes instead! By gently heating your candy canes, you can mold them into words, shapes, and more. These make a great gift — form them into holiday sayings, names of friends, or shapes to use as Christmas ornaments.

In this recipe for Swirled Peppermint Fudge, white chocolate fudge is infused with mint and swirled with red stripes to resemble a candy cane. This fudge can be left plain, or topped with chunks of crushed candy canes to add a little texture.

Striped Red and White Peppermint Fudge is as easy as it is beautiful! This holiday fudge can be made entirely in the microwave, and only takes about 5 minutes of "active" cooking time. Add this one to your holiday gift plates!

Candy Cane Popcorn is a cure for the Christmas munchies! Popcorn is coated in white chocolate and crushed candy canes for a sweet, minty treat that's a perfect party food or edible gift idea.

Peppermint Stick Marshmallows are an easy Christmas candy featuring marshmallows skewered with peppermint sticks and rolled in white chocolate and crushed candy canes. Try them in hot chocolate or coffee for a fun seasonal treat, or give them as a holiday gift!

Candy canes aren't just for eating — use them to make this beautiful candy cane vase! It just takes a few minutes to turn an ordinary vase into a perfect holiday decoration, complete with a ribbon bow.

Small candy canes are used to create a lovely red-and-white striped wreath. Enjoy the beauty of this long-lasting candy cane wreath all throughout the Christmas season.

This is a candy cane craft kids will love! Turn regular candy canes into googly-eyed, red-nosed reindeer with just a few dabs of glue and twists of pipe cleaner.