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Candy Cane Reindeer Pops

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Candy cane reindeer are a super fun Christmas food craft to make with your kids! You can make them into a candy pop or you can skip the stick and lay them flat. Either way they are sure to be a hit during the holiday season.  With just a few ingredients required, these reindeer candy canes would be perfect for a Christmas party on the dessert table or as a party favor. Also makes a cute classroom treat!

These no-bake Candy Cane Reindeer Pops are a fun holiday treat. They are easy and are a great homemade food gift that kids can help you make!

Whenever possible I love reusing the leftover ingredients for one recipe to make another. Last week I shared this super easy Peppermint Puppy Chow and I knew I could come up with something to make using the candy canes and peppermint M&M candies.  I’ve seen many people over the years make various treats using mini candy canes and chocolate including hearts and reindeer. One way I had never seen them served before was as a lollipop. So we set out to make these Candy Cane Reindeer Pops because doesn’t everything seem better on stick?

Candy Cane Reindeer Pops Supplies:

To make these reindeer candy canes, you’ll need the following supplies:

  • Cookie sticks (6 inch or 8 inch): You can also use lollipop sticks but I used 8 inch cookie sticks because it is what I had available.
  • mini candy canes: We like the Brach’s brand best but any mini candy can will work for this project.
  • candy eyes: Without the candy eyes, how will our reindeer see? If there are no eyes you’ve just made a candy cane heart which also works for the holidays and makes this food craft even more simple.
  • chocolate chips: I used Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips for our reindeer candy canes but you can use your favorite chocolate variety including semi-sweet or dark chocolate. Candy melts or almond bark also work if you prefer them.
  • peppermint M&M candies: I used Peppermint M&Ms to follow the flavor theme and also because they are larger. But can also use any red candy such as red DOTS, small red gum drop, cinnamon imperials (red hots) or another variety of red M&M candy. If you want the larger nose, a filled M&M would be best.

(Update: Peppermint M&M candies have unfortunately been discontinued. I recommend using one of my other suggestions above for the red nose.)

How to Make Reindeer Candy Canes:

To make these reindeer with candy canes, start by lining a large baking sheet with silicone baking sheet, parchment paper or foil. Lay candy canes in a heart shape around lollipop stick, with the stick coming up halfway into the bottom of the heart. Melt chocolate and and a small amount of oil (or shortening) in the microwave, just until melted and stirring often. Be careful to not overcook.  Add chocolate into a baggie and seal, then snipping off end. Fill candy cane hearts with chocolate, including the lollipop stick.These no-bake Candy Cane Reindeer Pops are a fun holiday treat. They are easy and are a great homemade food gift that kids can help you make!Let dry slightly. Add candy eyes to the middle of the heart and M&M candy to bottom of the heart. Let dry completely before removing. Place in an airtight container or cover each individually with a small treat bag. These no-bake Candy Cane Reindeer Pops are a fun holiday treat. They are easy and are a great homemade food gift that kids can help you make!

If you are planning to have your child fill the candy cane hearts with chocolate, a small ziploc bag filled with chocolate would be a great option. A child or adult with a steady hand can fill them with a spoon like we did but it is trickier. I highly recommend putting the chocolate in the center of the heart and gently pushing the chocolate out from the center.

These no-bake Candy Cane Reindeer Pops are a fun holiday treat. They are easy and are a great homemade food gift that kids can help you make!

While a cinnamon drop or regular red M&M candy would work great, I thought the extra large peppermint M&Ms would be best for Rudolph. Wesley really liked adding the candy eyes! I wanted the reindeer to be fairly secure so I had Wesley place the sticks halfway up the middle of the heart he created out of candy canes.

These no-bake Candy Cane Reindeer Pops are a fun holiday treat. They are easy and are a great homemade food gift that kids can help you make!

I love how cute these reindeer candy canes are! I considered adding pretzels for antlers but felt they looked so great without them.These no-bake Candy Cane Reindeer Pops are a fun holiday treat. They are easy and are a great homemade food gift that kids can help you make!

This makes for a great no-bake holiday treat. If you like to make homemade food gifts or just want something cute for guests to take home, some cellophane bags would be perfect to present these reindeer candy canes.

Candy Cane Recipes

There are so many ways to use mini candy canes beyond this cute reindeer candy cane project that are also super easy. Here are just a few:

These chocolate dipped candy canes with marshmallows are perfect for kids to make as homemade gifts. Pair them with mugs and cocoa for a tasty gift basket or present them on their own. Such a simple but fun holiday food gift.

Dipped candy canes use much of the same supplies. Just add some mallow bits.

These chocolate dipped candy canes with marshmallows are perfect for kids to make as homemade gifts. Pair them with mugs and cocoa for a tasty gift basket or present them on their own. Such a simple but fun holiday food gift.

They are so easy and delicious and look so cute paired with the candy cane reindeer craft as a food gift. Present them with a holiday mug and cocoa and you’ve got a thoughtful homemade food gift. These no-bake Candy Cane Reindeer Pops are a fun holiday treat. They are easy and are a great homemade food gift that kids can help you make!

These no-bake Candy Cane Reindeer Pops are a fun holiday treat. They are easy and are a great homemade food gift that kids can help you make!
5 from 4 votes
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Candy Cane Reindeer Pops

Course Dessert/Snack/Homemade Gift
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 16 mini candy canes
  • 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
  • 8 red peppermint M&M candies or your favorite variety of M&M
  • 16 candy eyes
  • lollipop sticks

Instructions

  1. Line large baking sheet with silicone baking sheet, parchment paper or foil.
  2. Lay candy canes in a heart shape around lollipop stick, with the stick coming up halfway into the bottom of the heart.
  3. Melt milk chocolate and oil in microwave, just until melted and stirring often.
  4. Add chocolate into a zipper baggie, snipping off end. Fill candy cane hearts with chocolate, including the lollipop stick.(You can also just use a small spoon instead if preferred).
  5. Let dry slightly. Add candy eyes to the middle of the heart and M&M candy to bottom of the heart.
  6. Let dry completely.
  7. Store in an airtight container.

Wesley loved eating his Candy Cane Reindeer Pop! If you don’t have sticks or just feel like skipping them, they still look great.

These no-bake Candy Cane Reindeer Pops are a fun holiday treat. They are easy and are a great homemade food gift that kids can help you make!

What have you been up to with your mini chefs this week?

I am hosting Mini Chef Mondays along with 5 fabulous bloggers, find out more about the Mini Chef Mondays Team!

Be sure to check out each of their Mini Chef posts as well.

These no-bake Candy Cane Reindeer Pops are a fun holiday treat. They are easy and are a great homemade food gift that kids can help you make!
These no-bake Candy Cane Reindeer Pops are a fun holiday treat. They are easy and a great homemade food gift that kids can help you make!

8 Comments

  1. Did you get white spots on the chocolate? I made a batch on Monday, let cool, then wrapped individually in plastic lollipop bags. Now on Wednesday they all seem to have white marks in places. Really hope they’re okay to eat still!

    1. So sorry that happened to you! No, I didn’t experience that at all when I made them. Sounds like sugar bloom. There are lot of reasons this can happen but most likely because of the chocolate’s exposed to too much moisture or fluctuating temperatures. You definitely want to store them in a cool, dry place. They are still safe to eat, they just won’t look as pretty.

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