A holiday hangover holiday, in the best way
There is something delightful about the fact that National Candy Cane Day falls on December 26, the day after Christmas. By then, most of us have a tree half-covered in candy canes and a cupboard full of them, and this little holiday is a nudge to actually do something with them rather than let them fossilize until spring. The timing is also a bargain hunter’s dream, since peppermint canes hit clearance prices the moment the holiday ends.
The most useful candy on the tree
The candy cane’s peppermint-and-sugar formula makes it one of the most versatile treats in the whole holiday spread. The hook was practically designed to hang on a mug, so drop one into hot cocoa or a latte and let it melt into an instant peppermint mocha. Crushed, candy canes become a topping for brownies, a mix-in for homemade ice cream, or the crackling layer on peppermint bark. What looks like a one-note decoration is really a flexible flavoring waiting to be used.
Make peppermint bark before the season fades
If you make one thing today, make bark, because it is the highest reward for the least skill in all of candymaking. Spread a layer of melted dark chocolate on a lined sheet pan, top it with melted white chocolate, and press a generous handful of crushed candy canes into the surface before everything sets. Chill it until firm, then snap it into rough shards. It looks like it came from a fancy confectioner, and no one needs to know it took you fifteen minutes. For a twist, use all white chocolate and stir in a drop of peppermint extract, or simply scatter crushed canes over a tray of brownies before they cool.
The candy cane is proof that a shape can be as iconic as a flavor.
Beyond peppermint
While the red-and-white peppermint classic is the icon, candy canes now come in a sprawling range of flavors, from cherry and sour apple to genuinely strange novelty versions. Grabbing an assorted box on post-holiday discount makes for a fun, cheap taste test, especially with kids ranking them from best to worst. You can even repurpose the plainer canes as edible drink stirrers, ornament hooks, or a last bit of festive color for a New Year’s dessert table. However you spend December 26, treat it as a gentle deadline: use up the peppermint bounty while it is fresh, and stash a few sealed boxes in the cupboard, where hard candy will happily keep until next winter rolls around.
How to celebrate
- 1Put the leftovers to work
December 26 is perfectly timed to rescue all those post-Christmas candy canes. Crush them into peppermint bark, stir them into hot cocoa, or blitz them into ice cream. Do not let them languish until they go sticky.
- 2Make peppermint bark
Layer melted dark chocolate and white chocolate on a sheet pan, then press crushed candy canes into the top before it sets. Chill and break into shards. It is the easiest impressive candy you can make.
- 3Stir a candy cane into coffee
Drop a candy cane into a hot latte or cocoa and let it dissolve for an instant peppermint mocha. The hook makes a handy stirrer. It is the cheapest holiday drink upgrade there is.
- 4Try the beyond-peppermint flavors
Candy canes come in far more than peppermint now, from cherry and sour apple to wilder novelty flavors. Grab an assorted box on deep post-holiday discount. It is a fun, low-stakes taste test.
- 5Stock up for pennies
Landing the day after Christmas, this holiday is a clearance-sale dream. Buy peppermint canes at a steep markdown and store them airtight in a cool cupboard. Sealed hard candy keeps for many months.