10 Fun Things To Do With Leftover Candy Canes

I don’t know about most people, but I always end up with a ton of leftover candy canes after the holidays.

This is usually because of the fact that I have lots of kids around during that time, and candy canes make a nice sweet treat for them. So I have a tendency to buy more than I actually need. That, and I like to decorate with candy canes.

Here are some fun things you can do with leftover candy canes…

1. 1. Leave them in their plastic wrappers and then pack them up to be used next year as decorations only. While candy canes will be edible for some time after purchase, I wouldn’t eat them after a year has passed. However, they do make great decorations!
   2. Stir your hot drinks with candy canes. There is nothing tastier than a hit of peppermint in your tea, coffee, or hot chocolate.
   3. Crush up leftover candy canes and use them as ice cream sprinkles or cake sprinkles.
   4. Make hearts for Valentines Day. Place 2 candy canes together to make a heart, and then put your candy cane hearts on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes until they just begin to melt. Take them out of the oven and let them cool off before removing them from the cookie sheet. You now have your own homemade Valentines Day candy!
   5. If you also have plain chocolate bars on hand, you can make mint chocolate bars. Simply melt them down and then put that chocolate on a piece of wax paper or foil. Before the chocolate hardens, add lightly crushed candy canes to it and then let it harden. Yum!  (Here’s a similar idea: chocolate candy canes.)
   6. Make peppermint smores. If you also have leftover chocolate, you can add that to the mix as well. Or you can just use melted candy canes and marshmallows. This makes a good holiday treat too!
   7. Donate your leftover Christmas candy to nursing homes, homeless shelters and other places where those less fortunate congregate. These facilities love getting sweets, and it can be a great way to brighten someone’s day.Make frozen peppermint cheesecake
   8. . As a cheesecake lover, I can say that I’m going to do this one for certain this year!
   9. Make homemade peppermint sugar cookies. This is another one that like because I love sugar cookies. And the idea of adding peppermint to sugar cookies just sounds yummy.
   10. Place candy canes in decorative clear glass jars. They look pretty, and they’ll give your home decor an old sweet shoppe look.
       These are only a fraction of the many different things you can do with leftover candy canes. All it takes is a bit of imagination. Oh, and you have to make sure your leftover candy canes don’t disappear into little mouths before you can do something fun with them!

Other Fun Ideas With Leftover Candy Canes

• 14 Creative Ways To Use Candy Canes
• How To Make A Candy Cane Vase
• Over 3 Dozen Creative Uses For Candy Canes
• How To Make Candy Cane Christmas Tree Ornaments
• 10 Ideas For Holiday Decorations Using Candy Canes
• How To Make A Candy Cane Puzzle Gag Gift
• 33 Uses For Leftover Candy Canes