Goodbye, Pumpkin Spice. Hello, Peppermint!
Matt Armendariz, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Get ready for peppermint everything. With the pumpkin spice craze behind us, it’s time for a more festive flavor trend. And no food embodies the spirit of the winter holidays quite like a shiny red-striped candy cane. Here's our list of top peppermint-flavored treats to make this season.
Slow-Cooker Peppermint Hot Chocolate (pictured above)
This easy homemade recipe is thicker and more indulgent than your average hot chocolate. Stick a ladle directly in the pot, set up an add-ins bar with mini marshmallows, crushed peppermint candies and peppermint schnapps, then let guests serve themselves.
Lisa Shin , Lisa Shin Photography, Inc.
Peppermint bark — the kind layered with both white and dark chocolate — is always a hit this time of year. Instead of shopping for some to give away (or stash for your own consumption), make your own with Food Network Magazine’s copycat recipe.
Andrew Purcell
Instead of cookies, serve a supersized peppermint candy cake for your holiday party — bonus points if you wrap it in cellophane. A simple roll-out frosting makes those perfect red stripes easier to get than you might think. Find step-by-step instructions, plus a printable cake template, here.
Jon Paterson/Studio D
Take a break from all the baking. These cute no-bake cutouts come together in just 15 minutes.
Ryan Dausch
To dunk or not to dunk, that is the question. Crunchy biscotti are ideal dunking cookies and, like we said about the aforementioned hot cocoa, crushed peppermint candy melted in hot cocoa tastes amazing.
Upgrade store-bought vanilla ice cream with, you guessed it, peppermint extract and crushed peppermint candies. The ice cream is an easy holiday treat to have up your sleeve for any night of the week, but it tastes best as the recipe intends it to be — piled high on top of a light and airy Pavlova.
Don’t confuse these marshmallow and chocolate sandwich cookies for whoopie pies. They’re fudgier, chewier and — thanks to devil’s food cake mix — easier to make.
Matt Armendariz, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
The secret to this super-easy fudge is sweetened condensed milk, which Ree Drummond refers to as “the nectar of gods.”
Renee Comet, 2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
You don’t necessarily need a new recipe to add peppermint pizzazz to your party. Sometimes it’s as simple as folding chopped candy into your go-to marshmallow cereal bar. Find more tips for putting candy canes to good use here.
