Here is my first attempt at getting rid of leftover candy canes: candy cane brownies. I figured a chocolate brownie with chocolate chips and a chocolaty frosting would help mask a few candy canes. I did not want to put the candy canes in the actual brownie batter, as this may make the brownies unpleasantly crunchy and sticky, but rather just use them as a garnish on top. That way the candy canes may be picked off as well, if they are really unwanted (although that kind of defeats the purpose of the recipe and not wasting candy canes). I could have added a little mint extract to the brownie batter to make mint chocolate brownies to match the peppermint flavor on top, but I did not have any mint extract on hand. I think the brownies are tasty just as s though. And the candy canes do make them look nice, if not add to their flavor.
Candy Cane Brownies
1/3 cup butter or hard margarine, softened
1 cup granulated (white) sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
frosting
crushed candy canes
Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease an 8x8 inch square pan or line with with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add the eggs separately, beating well after each addition. Add the flour, cocoa, and salt, stir well. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread batter into prepared pan, as evenly as possible. Bake for exactly twenty minutes.
Frost with chocolate frosting. I frosted them right after they came out of the oven, for a glossy look, but this does not work well with all frostings. You can also use a vanilla frosting, or cream cheese, or peppermint, or whatever you would like. Before the icing dries, sprinkle the brownies with chopped up or crushed candy canes (make the pieces fairly small, or crush completely). Use as much or as little candy cane as you like.
This recipe looked and sounded good, but during the process I became a little skeptical. After adding the dry ingredients, the batter became very stiff. I mean, I have made cookies from dough that was less stiff than this. I thought the amount of butter was a little low, but I rolled with it, hoping the brownies would not turn out dry. Luckily, they didn't at all. The key is not to overbake them. The chocolate chips also softened into the batter,m rather than becoming hard as in some brownies, and added to the chocolatyness. These are especially good and fudgey when still slightly warm. They may not be as good as other brownie recipes I have made, but still good nonetheless.
Well Christmas is over, many of the decorations have been taken down, and life is returning back to normal. Except for the candy canes. There is still an overabundance of candy canes around the house. Somehow, we always end up with extra candy canes after Christmas time. Sure, during the holiday season, they look nice as decorations on the tree, or additions to the gingerbread house, or a choice in the candy dish, but by the end of Christmas, I am sick of them. It's not like I go through trouble to find them, or buy them, or request them, or even accept free ones, they just find me. They show up anyway somehow, no matter how much you try to avoid them. They are an inevitable part of the season. See, nobody really likes candy canes. Sure, the bring a bit of festive spirit, and you may eat one or two over the holidays, but nobody really devours them, or enjoys eating them in large quantities (no one I know anyway. If you know someone, I will gladly send them all of my candy canes next January). Candy companies have tried making them more appealing by coming out with outrageous flavors and colors; florescent pink, neon orange, gingerbread, chocolate cappuccino, buttered popcorn??? This is even worse because these candy canes certainly are not Christmasy and cannot be used in recipes either! So what to do with all of the leftovers? As annoying as they can be, it is sure a shame to let all of these candy canes go to waste, even if they are only sticks of sugar with a bit of mint flavoring.
There just aren't many recipes out there that use candy canes. I have looked. And most of them use candy canes simply as a garnish. Last year, I managed to track down a recipe for candy cane biscotti cookies, that I finally got around to making in February (see February 6th). They weren't bad, and did use up 2/3 cup of candy canes (though still not all of them). However, they were a little on the sticky side, and again, tasted like candy canes. People ate my cookies because they were cookies, not because they had candy canes. Last year, these cookies were something new and interesting, but I doubt I could pull off the same recipe this year and still get willing tasters. I need to come up with something new.
I have found a few more recipes using candy canes, all of them also using chocolate and if you smother something with enough chocolate it's got to be good, right? I will feature my first candy cane recipe tomorrow. I have two more up my sleeve, but I'm hoping only to have to resort to one to get rid of the rest of the candy canes. At least I got to it a bit earlier than last year. The worst part of it all is unwrapping the candy canes. They are wrapped so tight and hard to open, and break and crush so easily, and are soo sticky, and the plastic sticks to your hands and clothes and table and couch in a staticy mess. Last year, I almost cried. This year, my mother was kind enough to unwrap the majority of them for me. I think she may have been close to tears too. I don't know who i will be able to enlist next year, as I am sure there will be candy cane leftovers yet again. Oh well, I'll worry about that when the time comes.
PHOTO CREDIT:"Candy-Canes" http://candycane.ws/history/. Candycane.ws, n.d. Wednesday, January 9, 2013.
Since it is February, I decided I should finally use up all of the leftover Christmas candy once and for all. There were still some leftover candy canes lying around the house, and although they would probably still be good next year (they are only sugar), I don't want to have them around that long. I recalled stashing away a recipe in my huge binder of cooking things for candy cane biscotti, and sure enough, I found it.
Biscotti are Italian cookies meaning "twice baked". The dough, which is fairly dry compared to most cookie doughs, is formed into long logs and baked. Then after briefly cooling, the logs are cut diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices, arranged cut side up on a baking sheet, and baked again at a slightly lower oven temperature. Biscotti have a characteristic crunch, and their long shape and dry texture make them perfect for dipping in coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or milk.
Candy Cane Biscotti
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar
3 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose (white) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup crushed candy canes
Preheat oven to 350◦F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, mix well. Stir in the candy canes.
Divide dough into four equal pieces, shape each piece into a flattened log, about 9x1 inch. Place a few inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are cracked and the dough is set. Cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325◦F. Cut each log diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices (you should get about 10-12 slices per log, including the ends). Place ends, cut side up, on the baking sheet (if your parchment paper is full of sticky, melted candy cane mess like mine was, use a new sheet). Bake for another 12 to 15 minutes, until cookies are light golden and crisp. Cool completely on a wire rack.
If you want to dress up these biscotti, they are nice dipped in a little melted white (or semi-sweet) chocolate, and sprinkled with more crushed candy cane. These have a nice crisp exterior and minty flavor. Makes about 4 dozen.
If I had waited another week, these would have made a nice treat for Valentine's Day, as they are speckled with red, white, and pink candy cane pieces. Oh well, I'll be sure to make something else nice for Valentine's Day.
