Don't Let Candy Canes Go To Waste, Turn Them Into A Festive Latte
The first day of winter might change from year to year but you don't need a calendar to mark the true start to the season. All you need to do is watch for the first candy canes. These simple, striped goodies are the consummate symbol of the time, whether they're adorning Christmas trees or being given out at restaurants. But what do you do when you've filled up on them and still have leftovers?
You repurpose them, of course! Candy canes might seem like a one-trick pony, but they can be turned into a delightfully festive coffee drink with just a tiny bit of work. All you'll need are candy canes, milk, coffee, and whipped cream. Crumble the candy canes and simmer them in milk until they've dissolved and the milk has reached an incredible soft pink color. Then add to a cup with espresso and top with whipped cream. Voila, the perfect winter caffeine boost. This drink can easily be served over ice if you want a cold drink, and can be made dairy free by using oat milk and non-dairy whipped cream.
Candy canes can also be used to make a festive rim on a cup of hot chocolate or as an upgrade to store-bought ice cream, whether crushed up and sprinkled over the top or turned into a syrup. For another excellent espresso and candy cane combination, try using the syrup as a sweetener in an espresso martini.
How to make candy canes at home
For those who want to go entirely DIY in their candy cane latte preparation, making homemade candy canes is a fun home project that is more within reach than you might think. Water, sugar, corn syrup, peppermint extract, and red and white food coloring are the only ingredients you need to make candy canes from scratch.
Bring the water, sugar, and corn syrup up to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring until they combine and the sugar dissolves. Heat your oven to 200 degrees to keep half the mixture warm while you start creating one of the two colors. Add peppermint and food coloring once the molasses-like combination is cool enough to work with by hand, then mix everything together and pull and stretch until it becomes a putty-like log, and put into the oven while you do the same with the second color. Once both are done, just combine, twist, and cut into the proper length.
These homemade candy canes might not look exactly as cookie-cutter perfect as the ones from the store, but they are just as delicious and make for a fun stocking stuffer or post-dinner palate cleanser. You can also save some of the syrup and add in the peppermint and food coloring to skip having to crush and melt the candy when making your candy cane latte or espresso martini.