Cheap Chic Home: Candy Cane Christmas Pops

Ho, ho, ho! Ho, ho, hum! My Christmas decor was b-a-c-k-b-u-r-n-e-r-e-d with everything else going on over here. Today I have lots to do that includes getting ready to leave for a 7:30a flight in the morning.

Fortunately, I had previously purchased all of the goodies to make these and share them with you. It's another fun, easy confection, that I think you'll love.

I first saw this idea used for Valentine's Day using standard-sized candy canes at Not So Idle Hands blog via Pinterest. I knew I wanted to make these pops using minis and I happened to find them at The Idea Room. I also wanted to make them for Christmas.

If you would like to make some of these cuties, here's what you'll need (I only needed to buy the candy canes, I had everything else):

Candy canes
sucker sticks
candy melts (I only used maybe 3 oz. total for 14 pops)
sprinkles

Heat oven to 350^o. Place unwrapped candy canes facing one another on a cookie sheet, using a silicone mat or parchment paper, with a sucker stick in between having the top of the canes touching the top of the stick. Place in oven for 3-5 minutes. I put mine in for two minutes, they didn't look like they had softened, so I added one more minute and it was really too much. I would suggest you put a couple test pops in first, so you don't accidentally puddle down your candy canes.

Gently push the candy together with your fingers or toothpicks. Cool. Melt your candy melts and carefully spoon into the open hearts. Add sprinkles. At this point, I tapped the cookie sheet on the counter to get the chocolate to even out in the hearts. Place in refrigerator till hardened. Store in air tight container in or out of the 'frig (they get a bit tacky out of the 'frig).

I put some styrofoam in a basket to display my pops. The other bloggers wrapped theirs individually, I'm sure it will depend on how you want to serve them. They would be just darling individually wrapped in cellophane bag with a ribbon as an individual gift.

Rating: You know how sometimes you make something, but don't know if you'd want to go to the trouble to do it again? Well, I would give these a "5-star" rating, because they are so easy, the "ingredients" are so easy to come by and they're fun and cute. They'd be pretty easy to make with children, too.