Skip to main content

Christmas Countdown 22 ... Candy Canes

A Christmas favourite food of  children - candy canes.
Next week ( the second week of December)  is allegedly the most popular time for candy cane sales... here are some other "facts" about candy canes
• National Candy Cane Day is celebrated in the United States on Dec. 26.
• Each year about 1.76 billion candy canes are made. 
• Ninety percent of candy canes are sold between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
• Candy canes are the number one selling non-chocolate confectionery in the month of December.  ( from candycanefacts.com) 
There are quite religious connections with candy canes and even simple poems have been written as a reminder of the significance of the colour and shape of candy canes. 

I like the story of the choir master in Cologne ( about 1670) who commissioned a confectioner to make some sweets for his restless young singers to eat during the long Christmas church service. It is said that they were white for the purity of Christ and shaped like a shepherd's crook so they were considered to be teaching tools in church rather than simply treats.  There is some doubt about the veracity of this story but to read more about this story and other historical links, please  see a blog post from last year's Christmas Countdown  - here's the link.  
I have never made candy canes but believe that getting the exact temperature with a sugar thermometer is  essential... 
Making candy canes involves boiling sugar, then pulling the warm sugar until it is stiff but pliable and forming it into shapes. Because it is a long, slightly tricky process that involves hot sugar, I recommend you read the recipe thoroughly ahead of time, make sure you have the right ingredients and tools, and give yourself plenty of time to make the candy canes.  

INGREDIENTS
·         21 oz (3 cups) granulated sugar
·         11 oz (1 cup) light corn syrup
·         2 oz (1/4 cup) water
·         1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
·         Red food colouring (gel colouring recommended)
·         White food colouring (optional, gel colouring recommended)
·         Food-safe plastic gloves
·         Candy thermometer
·         Prep Time: 75 minutes
·         Total Time: 75 minutes
·         Yield: 12-18 candy canes


purchased candy canes, fabric decoration by Liz Ferry and embroidery by Fay King 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks ....  The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and  message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or  my husband or from off cuts gifted to us  from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks.   Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt  or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...
3 comments
Read more

From my workshop page....

  Current Workshops  Offerings  Thinking of a workshop for your group in  2022?    Art Doll Workshops : -  Garden Thread Dolls  (one day workshop   -  WoW -(Woman of Wisdom)    - embellished stump doll with either cloth head or clay head.  This is an a rt doll workshop .... either offered as a series of workshops or  2 full days  days!   -  Message/Story  Stick doll  - doll made with found objects and upcycled cloth.  ( one day)    -  Elemental totems  - stick doll variation , with sculpture  ( one or two days, depending on surface decoration of fabric)  TEXTILE AND MIXED MEDIA WORKSHOPS    Temari - embroidered wrapped balls in traditional style.    - Dipping Into Tea  - tea and embroidery on canvas with photo transfer on fabric.  ( two days)  work by Judith Bee, workshop participant.  - Tea Bag sculpture : ...
Post a Comment
Read more

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

 Background Information:  Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start  with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound  silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap.  2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...
8 comments
Read more