3 Cool Things To Do With Candy Canes This Holiday Season

The candy cane has been a beloved peppermint treat for hundreds of years in America. The iconic Christmas treat was brought over to America in 1847 by a German-Swedish immigrant named August Imgard. While candy canes currently are known for being red and white, they used to only be white sticks. Today, around 1.76 billion candy canes are produced annually, with 90 percent of their sales occurring between Thanksgiving and Christmas!  Celebrate National Candy Cane Day on December 26 with these awesome candy cane ideas.

Candy Cane Martini

Serving a candy cane cocktail is just the thing to get your guests in the Christmas spirit. This martini incorporates peppermint schnapps to really give it that flavor you look for in candy canes. It's bright red and is garnished with a candy cane, making it the perfect signature cocktail to serve at your Christmas party.

Click here for the Candy Cane Martini Recipe.

Candy Cane Reindeer

Simply take a candy cane and wrap two brown pipe cleaners around the hook of the candy cane and curl them for the reindeer horns. Use a little red ball for the nose and googly eyes for the face. Next, tie red and white ribbons in a bow around the base of the canes — and you've got adorable party favors.

Peppermint Bark Candy Cane Hearts

Lay pairs of candy canes facing each other so they make heart shapes, then put them in the oven for a few minutes until they are flexible and fuse together. Melt white or milk chocolate in your microwave. Pour this filling into your fused candy cane hearts and sprinkle crushed candy cane pieces on top. You're left with a simple, beautiful peppermint bark to serve at your holiday party.