Last month on Instagram I mentioned that you might want to pick up some candy canes on clearance for a project I had coming up. I bet you thought I forgot, didn’t you? Well, I made sure to grab some because I had a fun idea I wanted to try out. Believe it or not, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. With that comes class parties and fun gatherings. This year I wanted to try something a little different for the classroom Valentines that my kids pass out. These sweet candy cane hearts were just the ticket and are the perfect way to use up leftover candy canes from Christmas!
candy cane hearts
You can use any type of candy cane for these sweet hearts. You’re basically making a candy bark in the shape of a a heart. As delicious as peppermint and chocolate are together, I knew my kiddos preferred fruity candy canes so I grabbed some of those. Pus, how cute are the red and pink candy canes? Aren’t they just perfect for Valentine’s Day?
Mini candy canes are fun for this project too. In fact, if you had to bring a dessert to a Valentine’s Day gathering some mini candy cane hearts would be perfect! We made both kinds and my kids had a blast picking out a variety of colors/flavors to make some mini candy cane hearts.
how to make them
Typically I prefer to melt my chocolate in the microwave using a good quality chocolate rather than melting wafers. As long as you follow the directions for melting on the bag you should be able to avoid burning the chocolate. Short periods of heat and a whole lot of stirring in between usually does the trick. I also think that the microwave method is easier than dealing with a double boiler on the stove.
Once your candy canes are laid out on wax paper and your chocolate is melted you can begin making your hearts! Just pour the melted chocolate inside the candy canes. My candy canes actually stayed together pretty well but you might need to push back together as your pouring the chocolate in. If you’re adding sprinkles be sure to add them on top of the chocolate right away! The chocolate will begin to firm up quickly and you want to make sure the sprinkles stick.
supplies and ingredients:
- candy canes in flavor of choice
- chocolate chips (white, milk, or dark)
- sprinkles (as an optional topping)
- parchment or wax paper
- microwave-safe bowl (I prefer glass)
