Candy Cane
intro
Crisp, refreshing peppermint-flavored striped hard candy canes, ideal for Christmas tree decor, gifting, or stirring into hot cocoa throughout the holiday season.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep Workstation and Tools
Lightly coat a heat-resistant silicone mat, metal bench scraper, and pair of heat-resistant kitchen gloves with 1 teaspoon of non-stick cooking spray. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan, ensuring the thermometer tip does not touch the pan base. Combine 400g granulated sugar, 120ml light corn syrup, and 120ml distilled water in the saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula until sugar fully dissolves, about 3-4 minutes.
Boil the Sugar Syrup
Once sugar is fully dissolved, stop stirring, increase heat to medium, and bring the syrup to a steady rolling boil. Do not stir the boiling syrup; if sugar crystals form on the pan sides, brush them down with a wet pastry brush to prevent grainy crystallization. Cook until the candy thermometer reads 150°C (300°F, hard crack stage), approximately 10-12 minutes. Immediately remove the pan from heat once the target temperature is reached.
Stir in Peppermint Extract
Let the hot syrup rest for 1 minute to allow surface bubbles to subside, then carefully stir in 5ml (1 teaspoon) of peppermint extract—note that the hot syrup may bubble up vigorously when the extract is added. Pour 3/4 of the clear peppermint syrup directly onto the greased silicone mat, then add 1/4 teaspoon red gel food coloring to the remaining 1/4 of syrup in the pan, stirring gently to mix into a uniform bright red.
Cool and Gather Clear Candy
Let both candy pools rest for 3-4 minutes, until the edges are cool enough to touch with gloved hands (around 70°C/160°F). Put on the greased heat-resistant gloves, gather the clear candy into a loose ball, and pull, stretch, and fold the candy repeatedly for 3-4 minutes, until it transforms from translucent to an opaque, glossy pearly white and is firm but still pliable. Form the white candy into a 30cm (12-inch) long log, and set it back on the silicone mat.
Shape and Place Red Ropes
While the white candy log rests, gather the red candy into a ball, pull and stretch it for about 1 minute into 4 thin, equal-length ropes each 30cm (12 inches) long. Lay the 4 red ropes evenly spaced along the length of the white candy log, pressing gently so they adhere firmly to the white base, creating 4 distinct red stripes running the full length of the log.
Stretch the Striped Candy Log
Work quickly within a 5-minute window before the candy becomes too brittle to shape: roll and stretch the striped log evenly from the center outwards until it reaches 1.8m (6 feet) long, with a consistent diameter of about 1.2cm (1/2 inch). Use the greased bench scraper to cut the stretched candy rope into 15cm (6-inch) long segments, cutting straight across at a slight angle.
Shape Candy Cane Hooks
Take each cut 6-inch segment, bend the top 2.5cm (1 inch) of the segment over to form the classic hooked candy cane shape. Set the shaped canes on the cool silicone mat with 2cm (1 inch) of space between each, and let them cool completely at room temperature for 1 hour until fully hard and crisp. Once cooled, wrap individually in clear cellophane for storage or gifting.
Tips
2.Prep all tools and grease your work surface, gloves, and scraper before you start heating the sugar: pulled sugar hardens in as little as 5 minutes at room temperature, so advance prep prevents the candy from setting before you can shape it.
3.Use gel food coloring instead of liquid food coloring for the red stripes: liquid coloring adds excess moisture to the hot candy, which causes grainy texture and prevents the canes from hardening to a crisp finish.
OMG these turned out SO good! I was nervous about pulling the sugar to get that classic white stripe but after the second try I got the hang of it. My kids went absolutely crazy for them, we even hung a bunch on our Christmas tree as edible ornaments. Total game changer for our annual holiday cookie swap!
Took me a little longer than 45 minutes because I had to redo the peppermint oil measurement (I accidentally poured way too much at first, whoops!) but the final product was chef’s kiss. Brought them to my office potluck and everyone was asking for the recipe.
Made these for my dorm floor holiday party and people thought I bought them from a fancy candy shop! Didn’t have a candy hook so I just pulled the sugar with buttered gloves on my kitchen counter, worked perfectly. 10/10 will make again every year.
I’ve been making candy canes for 50 years and this is the best classic recipe I’ve ever tried! The ratio of peppermint to sugar is perfect, not too overpowering, and the texture stays crisp for weeks if stored right. My grandkids fight over the red striped ones every year.
Tasted great but man this is trickier than I thought it would be! My first batch turned into a lumpy grainy mess because I stirred the sugar while it was boiling. Second batch was way better, just a little lopsided looking. Tastes better than store bought though!
Just pulled my first batch out and they are PERFECT. Used a little extra red food gel for brighter stripes and added a tiny pinch of salt to the sugar mix to cut the sweetness, chef’s kiss. Already got a text from my neighbor asking for a batch for her kid’s class party.
Made these for our neighborhood holiday potluck and they were the first thing gone! Only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is I wish the recipe noted how fast the sugar hardens once you take it off the heat – I had to move way quicker than I expected to shape them before they set.
My roommate and I made these as a lazy Sunday activity and we had so much fun! We did half classic peppermint and half added a little hot cocoa mix to the white portion for a chocolate peppermint twist. So fun to customize!
Used this recipe for my 4-H candy making demo last week and all the kids loved getting to help pull the sugar and twist the stripes. Super hands on, great for a group activity as long as you have an adult handling the hot sugar part. Everyone got to take a mini candy cane home!
I make these every year to tie onto Christmas presents for my coworkers and family, and this recipe is my new go-to. They have that perfect sharp peppermint kick just like the old fashioned candy canes I got as a kid, no weird artificial aftertaste.
Okay so I am NOT good at candy making but these actually came out edible?? My stripes are messy and they’re all different sizes but they taste exactly like the candy canes I get at the mall during Christmas. Win in my book!
Brought a big batch of these to the fire station for the crew over the holiday shift and everyone raved. Even the guys who say they don’t like peppermint snacks were sneaking second ones. Super easy to portion into mini sizes for quick treats.
So happy this recipe is naturally gluten free! I’ve been missing good candy canes since so many store bought ones have weird hidden gluten additives. These are crisp, perfectly minty, and safe for my whole family to eat at our holiday dinner.
Made these with my best friend after school today and we had a blast! We added a little edible glitter to the stripes and they look so fancy. Already posted them on my TikTok and people are asking for the link to the recipe!
Made these to give out to my former students when they stop by for holiday visits, and it’s been such a hit. The classic peppermint flavor is so nostalgic, it makes everyone smile when they get one. Worth every minute of the work!
Made a double batch of these on Sunday to have for holiday treats all month, and they held up great! The only heads up is don’t try to make them on a super humid day, I learned that the hard way my first go round when the whole batch stayed sticky.
I collect vintage candy recipes and this one tastes exactly like the homemade candy canes my grandma used to make in the 1960s. No weird corn syrup aftertaste, just smooth peppermint and that perfect crisp snap when you break them. 10/10.
Made these for my baby’s first Christmas photos to use as props, and they looked so cute! Only issue was I didn’t pull the sugar long enough so some of them were still clear instead of opaque white, but they still tasted great.
Just finished making these for our annual ski trip cabin snack stash and they’re perfect! Tossed a bunch in a bag to take up the mountain, they hold up great in the cold and that peppermint kick is perfect for warming you up after a run. So stoked to share these with the group!