Homemade Candy Cane Syrup Recipe
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Even when Christmas is over, some of the remnants tend to still lurk around your home. One thing that tends to stick around our house for weeks after Christmas is candy canes. They are so festive and inexpensive that we always buy too many to eat, but then what do you do with them after Christmas? Well, I like to make candy cane syrup out of them!
This is such an easy recipe and the result is a decadent and sweet syrup that's wonderful for flavoring hot chocolate or drizzling over ice cream. And the ingredients are so simple!
Candy Cane Syrup Recipe
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 6 to 8 peppermint-flavored candy canes
Stir sugar and water in a saucepan and heat on medium. Meanwhile, unwrap the candy canes and break into 2-3" long pieces. Add candy canes to pan and continue stirring frequently as the mixture heats up to a boil. As the candy dissolves, the syrup will turn a creamy pink color, but after 2-3 minutes of boiling, it will turn to a clear, deep pink color. When the opaqueness is gone, remove from heat and allow to cool before serving.
Start by pouring the sugar and water into a saucepan.
Give it a good stir and turn the stove on medium heat.
Meanwhile, unwrap the candy canes.
Break the candy canes into pieces, and add to the pan. Continue stirring frequently as the mixture heats up.
The candy canes will start dissolving, and the syrup will begin to turn a creamy pink color. If there are a few chunks that refuse to dissolve, you can discard them.
Continue cooking until the syrup comes to a boil. Let it boil for about 2-3 minutes and then turn off the heat. It will turn clear and take on a deep pink color. Be patient while waiting for the milky pink syrup to turn clear. It will be opaque for a long time, but after it boils a few minutes it will suddenly turn clear, almost as if by magic!
When it's cooled, pour the syrup into a decorative bottles or jars for storage. This syrup makes a lovely gift if you dress it up a little with a ribbon and a candy cane.
This is a great recipe to make with the kids, who will love unwrapping the candy canes and seeing what you can make from them. And of course if you let them drizzle the results in hot chocolate or over vanilla ice cream (my personal favorite), they'll love it even more!
62 comments so far:
Chica and Jo,
What a fab idea!!! I have already saved it...
I love all your stuff and subscribe via email!! Thanks for all the great stuff you guys post here! V useful :D
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Omgomgomgomgomg :3
That look so totaly yummy. i still have some canes and if I have time for it; I will definately try this out. I love things like this. The more sugar, the better xD
Nomnomnom
Recipe works great but you should add 2 cups of water rather than 1 cup. If you use 1 cup water to 2 cups sugar it ends up WAY too thick, can't even pour it.
CaneMan, thanks for the feedback! If your syrup ended up too thick, I suspect it's because you boiled it too long. Sugar changes a lot the longer you boil it (and the higher the temp gets), as I've learned with my experiments in making hard candy. Be sure to only let your syrup boil for 2-3 minutes.
aweeesome :)
And very tasty, too! I need to remember this year to buy candy canes as soon as I see them in stores (which ought to be any day now) so I can make some syrup to have throughout the holidays.
This sounds so good, and my kids will love it. Do you think you could put it on pancakes?
I think that would be a pretty interesting pancake topping, Jenah! I'm a huge fan of maple myself, so I'm not sure I could veer away, but I do love the syrup on ice cream :)
Love this! About how long will it keep? And does it need to be stored in the fridge?
Vita, I'm no food safety expert, so I can't give you exact specs on storage of this syrup. However, my gut tells me that since it's just made of sugar and water, it's just as shelf-stable as a candy cane would be, so it should last for quite a long time without refrigeration.
This looks sooo Good : )
Thanks for Sharing ...can't wait to try this !!!
Wonder how this would taste if you used peppermint sticks instead of candy canes?
How much will the recipe make?
Becky, I don’t remember for sure how much it makes, but judging by the ingredients and the jars I was able to fill, I’d say between 2 and 3 cups.
I think I will make this and then I will can the syrup in my water bath canner. When the syrup is still hot, put it into sanitized canning jars. Wipe the top of the jar clean, set the lid and finger tighten the ring. Place in the boiling water canning bath. Process for ten minutes. Take out and cool. This should allow an easy year shelf life for the syrup.
I have never made candy before... I just made my first batch and it is cooling and looks and smells delicious! I am going to use it as thank you gifts for the kids' activity instructors so I need quite a bit. Can I double or even triple this recipe or is that a no no in candy making? Thanks!
Diane, congrats on a successful batch of candy cane syrup! I don't see why you can't double or triple this recipe.
I'm back... it was not so successful after all. I poured it into a plastic tub until I can get lids for my jars and when I glanced at it an hour later it had crystallized. :( I have read a bit online and adding cream of tartar is mentioned but never an amount. Good idea? Bad idea? Other ideas?
Diane, I'm sorry you had bad results. Unfortunately, I have no idea what would cause it to crystallize, and no advice to give on use of cream of tarter :(
Added a few pinches of cream of tartar, reboiled, let it cool, poured it into glass containers and it's been 12 hours and it still looks beautiful! Woohoo! Now I can do the rest tomorrow and I'll be set! It is just so pretty!
Diane, I'm so glad you rescued your syrup, and thanks for sharing that great tip with us!
Using an electric stove set on Low/Medium... it started to boil before everything was melted, so I turned it down to Low. Some of the candy canes didn't melt all the way down even after it turned clear/pink and boiled a few minutes.. still waiting for it to cool to get the results on that.
New to making syrup but not new to scrubbing pans. How hard is the clean up? Should a certain type of cookware be used? Thanks
This is cool. This is highly cool. Very kumbaya hippie type material here. I don't do sugar myself but many people do, and this would be an awesome way to express a gift. I can imagine the peppermint sugar aroma! Thanks for writing this article, whoever you are.
I can't wait to make it. How long can it be stored for?
Frank, the easiest way to clean anything related to cooked sugar is to just soak it in water. The syrup will dissolve away, making it a breeze to clean up! As for the cookware to use, anything with a thick, heavy bottom will help keep the heat even and reduce the chance of scorching.
Angie, I'm not sure how long this syrup will last -- we usually eat it up pretty fast. All of the ingredients going into it are shelf-stable, though, so my guess would be that it would last a very long time :)
I have small candy canes (100 of them!) how many candy canes do you think I should use? 3 small canes to 1 large ? And, if I had a few too many canes.. how do you think that would change the results?
chedges9090, the mini candy canes can vary in size, so I can't really tell you exactly how many it will take. Three or four sounds about right, though. The recipe is pretty forgiving, so I think you've got some wiggle room.
What about some of the flavored candy canes, like Warheads or the chocolate mint? Think it would work and should we change the sugar or add anything for the sour version?
Brett, you can use any flavor of candy canes you like, you'll just get a different flavor of syrup when you're done. For me, it was the true peppermint candy cane taste I was looking for, and which is so recognizable when you eat it!
Chica- So, I must have boiled mine too long. It is too think and not clear. Ideas on how to correct that? or should I toss out and re-try.
If your cooled syrup is too thick to pour easily, then you definitely boiled it too long. Two or three minutes of boiling is plenty, and it should be about the consistency of pancake syrup.
Hi, I tried twice and it came out great both times except the color is not a clear red like in your pics but more a clear reddish brown like dark beer or honey. Any ideas why? Thanks for the idea,
James, it sounds like maybe your syrup cooked too much and started to caramelize. Or maybe it was some coloring in the candy cane itself. I'm glad it tasted great though!
I make something very similar using a cup of sugar, a cup of water and a cup of red hots candies. Really great on vanilla icecream or apple crisp. I never thought to use any other candies...I have to try this.
Now my wheels are spinning...thik of all the possibilities...rootbeer barrels, butterscotches...this could be addicting!
Lori, I like the way your mind works!
Thanks for this idea and after scrolling through your comments, I wondered if Susan ever said how the canning process went for it?? I have some leftover syrup from making Red Hot Cinnamon Pickles and remembered seeing your post, thinking I could can the leftover cinnamon syrup. Thanks!
crystals usually form on the sides of the pan - be sure you dont stir that into the syrup if you only cook it for the time listed you shouldn't have to worry about crystals.
Does anyone else think that this syrup might be similar to what they put in the Peppermint Mocha Twists that they serve at Starbucks during the holidays?
I've been sitting here for over 30 minutes stirring my concoction and have a cloudy, white mixture that boils the minute I stop stirring. Have no idea what I've done wrong, but can someone please tell me how long this should actually take?
Jean, I have no idea what could cause the problem you're having. I only let my syrup boil for 2-3 minutes. You need to be careful not to let the sugar boil too long, or it may reach "hard crack" stage and harden when cool.
How long can it be stored?
Amy, I'm no food safety expert, so I can’t give you exact specs on storage of this syrup. However, my gut tells me that since it's just made of sugar and water, it's just as shelf-stable as a candy cane would be, so it should last for quite a long time without refrigeration.
Hi I just made 1 batch and it didn't turn clear before it boiled and it's still a creamy pink color. How come?
Hi Katie. I'm guessing your results are based on the type of candy canes you used. Perhaps some have more white coloring in them than others.
does sugar have to be added? Or is the sugar a necessity to keep it syrupy?
Erika, the sugar is required in order to make a nice syrup.
I LOVE this idea! This will make great gifts for my co workers!
I just made this for neighborhood gifts and have been receiving rave reviews. I found that if I put the candy canes in the water overnight (no sugar yet), they were totally melted in the morning and I didn't have to stand around and babysit them! Then I just added the sugar and brought it to a boil. Thank you for this recipe and the great instructions. So easy!
Dana, we're so glad your gifts are being enjoyed. Thanks for the tip about "melting" the candy canes in water!
What a great idea! Do you think it can be used on chocolate chip pancakes as well?
Could you make this in a microwave? If so, what temperature and for how long?
Erica, you can use this on anything you think would taste good with peppermint!
Barb, we have not tried making this in a microwave. If you try it out, we'd love to hear the results!
We made chocolate chip pancakes and used the syrup for football Sunday breakfast...huge hit! Sorry to say while keeping warm stove got turned up causing reboil so when cooled it hardened to candy but served its purpose yummmy!!
Can you use melted candy cane water in a hummingbird feeder?
We are not sure about that. I would suggest contacting your local wild bird store.
WOW THANKS FOR SHARING NOW I KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ALL MY CANDY CANES I AM GOING TO MAKE THE SYRUP AND GIVE MY FAMILY MEMBERS - JUST NEED TO GO TO DOLLAR STORE TO BUY THOSE BEAUTIFUL BOTTLES
Can mine be saved? I think I boiled it too long and now it’s way too thick and white. Ugh help please.
Laura, I don't think it can be saved. You could try adding water to thin it down, but I don't know if it will work.