‘Tis the season for hot chocolate! Whether you are building the perfect hot chocolate bar to share with others or just enjoy a piping hot mug yourself hot chocolate is the perfect drink for the season. And there are so many ways to enjoy it, just plain, with an avalanche of marshmallows, a mound of whipped cream, or as I prefer it, peppermint flavored. And while you can get peppermint flavor using a syrup or stirring it with a candy cane another fun and creative way to do so is by making peppermint spoons.
First things first, you are going to need a silicone spoon mold. I recently purchased this one from JoAnn’s. They are also available at different craft stores (i.e Michael’s & Hobby Lobby) and they all seem to be the same size and have 8 cavities.
Now, I opted to use candy canes, but you could also use starlight mints. This time of the year I find that candy canes are just easier to find. After unwrapping them I broken them into a few pieces and added them to the bowl of my food processor and processed them until they were about crumb-size. While I normally just crush things by using a rolling pin, I really wanted the pieces of candy to be small and the same size to make it easier to fill the cavities of the mold.
Next, I spooned the crushed candy into the cavities of the mold. I made sure to fill each cavity to the top since the candy would settle considerably as it melted. To make maneuvering my mold in and out of the oven easier and give it more stability, I placed it on a baking sheet.
To melt the candy, I baked it in a 300F preheated oven for about 15 minutes. After removing it from the oven the cavities were only about half-way filled with the melted candy.
I refilled each cavity with the remaining candy and returned it to the oven for an additional 5 minutes. I made sure to add extra candy where the spoons seemed to be on the thinner side. Doing so help to prevent the spoons from breaking when removing them from the molds.
After the second bake the spoons were thicker. I let them cool completely in the mold before removing them.
Now these spoons are perfect to use as is, but, if you are planning on gifting them you can jazz them up a little by dipping them in white chocolate (or milk chocolate) and adding some sanding sugar or sprinkles. Next, place each one in a baggie – I used pretzel bags that you can get in the baking aisle of your local craft store – along with some mini marshmallows. Add a good mix of hot chocolate and you have the perfect gift for a neighbor, teacher, or anyone else on your list.
Peppermint Spoons
10 large candy canes or 40 starlight mints
Silicone spoon mold
Baking Sheet
Preheat the oven to 300F and place the silicone mold on the baking sheet.
Crush the candy. If you have a food processor, I recommend crushing them in there so the pieces are all the same size. If not, you can place the candy in a resealable bag and crush them using either a rolling pin or kitchen mallet.
Spoon the crushed candy into the cavities of the mold. Fill them all the way to the top as the candy will settle as it begins to melt. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the candy is completely melted.
Remove the pan from the oven and fill the cavities with the remaining crushed candy. You want to make sure that there are no thin spots in the spoons as this will cause them to break when you remove them from the mold. Return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes.
Allow the spoons to cool completely before carefully removing them from the molds. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Bead Yarn & Spatula 