CANDY CANE FROSTING from author @CleoCoyle for Instant #Christmas Cheer

From Cleo Coyle: This easy candy cane frosting recipe, which was originally published in our 8th Coffeehouse Mystery Holiday Grind, will quickly dress up a plain pan of brownies, sugar cookies, cupcakes, or sheet cake, and instantly transform them into festive holiday treats.

Cleo Coyle writes two
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While this recipe is fairly simple (crushed candy canes in a standard buttercream), I've taken care to balance the flavors, keeping the peppermint extract to a minimum and crushing the candy canes finely enough to give the buttercream a gorgeous pink color along with a sweet and delicious flavor. 

This frosting is great on plain vanilla cakes and cookies, but it also perfectly complements chocolate, making it a terrific treat for mint-chocolate fans. Enjoy it on chocolate cakes, cupcakes, and brownies. 

Cheers, everyone, Marc and I hope you will all be eating with joy this holidays season! 

~ Cleo

Cleo Coyle’s

Candy Cane Frosting

Makes 1¾ cups frosting—enough for a thin frosting on a 9×13-inch pan of brownies or sheet cake. For a thicker frosting, simply double the recipe. Not just for the holidays. This frosting is festive and fun for birthday cakes, too!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, softened to room temperature

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. peppermint extract or 1 T. peppermint schnapps

1/4 cup finely crushed candy canes (*See my note below 🎅)

Directions: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the milk, sugar, and peppermint extract. Blend until the sugar is fully dissolved (about 1 minute). Add the crushed candy canes and beat until the frosting is light, fluffy, and turns a pretty shade of pink (about 1 minute more). If the frosting is too stiff, add a bit more milk. Frost your brownies (or cookies, cake, or cupcakes). For a pretty finish, rough chop a few more candy canes and garnish your cake, cupcakes, brownies, or cookies.

🎅*NOTE: To make finely crushed candy canes, simply place your store-bought candy canes in a plastic storage bag and bang away with a rolling pin or ladle. (An instant holiday stress reliever, too!) For a 1/4 cup, you’ll need about 10 small or 3 large candy canes.

To download this recipe in a PDF

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ONE LAST TIP FROM CLEO...

Keep the cheer going! Set aside some candy canes in your cupboard for the coming months. They're easy to find in stores now, and after the holidays are over, when the dreary months of January and February settle in, you can bring them out and make this beautifully festive Candy Cane Frosting to cheer you up again. Just looking at this frosting lifts the spirits and the taste is fantastic. Try it for birthday celebrations, Valentine's Day, baby and wedding showers, and pretty-in-pink spring parties.

The Origin of Candy Canes

In 1670, in Cologne, Germany, a choirmaster wanted to solve the problem of noise caused by children in his church during Christmas Eve services. He asked a local candy maker for some sweet sticks for them. In order to justify the practice of giving candy to children during worship services, he asked the candy maker to add a crook to the top of each stick, which would help children remember the shepherds who paid visit to the baby Jesus. From Germany, the candy canes spread to other parts of Europe. Around 1882, people began hanging them on Christmas trees and in the early 1920s, Chicago confectioners the Bunte Brothers filed the earliest patents for candy cane making machines. (Source: Wikipedia)

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Eat with Joy to the World!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author

of The Coffeehouse Mysteries and

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Cleo (Alice) with her husband Marc

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