You know what a gingerbread man uses when he has trouble walking? A candy cane! HAHAHA. I know, I’m hilarious, especially to the 5-year-old set. But if you’re a hit with them, you’re golden. They’re the best audience to gain favor with! They’ve got all the fun toys and candy.

Speaking of candy.. er, candy canes:

A candy cane is a hard cane-shaped candy stick. It is traditionally white with red stripes and flavored with peppermint or cinnamon (also known respectively as a peppermint stick or cinnamon stick);^{[citation needed]} however, it is also made in a variety of other flavors and may be decorated with stripes of different colors and thicknesses. The candy cane is available year-round, but traditionally surrounds the Christmas holiday, particularly in the Western world.

In its early form, the candy cane began as a simple white stick of sugar for children to enjoy – there was no “cane” shape or stripes to speak of. While it is uncertain where the first canes originated, it is clear that by the mid-17th century, if not earlier, its use had already become widespread across Europe.^[1] These were made by confectioners who had to pull, cut, twist, and (in later years) bend the sugar sticks by hand, making it a time-intensive process. Candy cane production had to be done locally, since they were easily damaged and vulnerable to moisture.^[3] The labour required, and difficulty of storage, combined to make these candies relatively hard to get, although popular.^[4]

The distinctive “hook” shape associated with candy canes is traditionally credited to a choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral in Germany, who, legend has it, in 1670 bent straight candy sticks into canes to represent a shepherd‘s crook, and gave them to children at church services.^[5] The shepherd’s staff is often used in Christianity as a metaphor for The Good Shepherd Jesus Christ. It is also possible that, as people decorated their Yule trees with food, the bent candy cane was invented as a functional solution.^[6]

The stripes are made similar in fashion to a barber’s pole, with the red stripes twisting around the white stick of sugar.^[9] These signature stripes did not become part of the candy cane until the 20th century.^[10][11] It is uncertain who first started using the stripes, but evidence of their use only appears after the turn of the century. At around this time, candy makers began using peppermint as a flavor.^[12]

Nowadays, candy canes come in just about every color and flavor you can imagine. I’m still a big fan of the original but I enjoy the spearmint ones, Jay loved this Hawaiian Punch kind I bought him a few years ago (but sadly haven’t found ever again), and I know someone from High School who used to like the Sweettart ones. However, I happen to think the more Christmas-y of the lot are the red & white OG canes. This recipe is from the book 125 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson, which some people look at as a kind of cupcake bible. She calls them Peppermint Candy Cupcakes, but for our purposes, and the season, let’s go with Candy Cane cupcakes, shall we?

As I mentioned once before, I’m playing with the settings on my camera so bear with me if the quality of the pictures vary in each post. I can’t seem to find the perfect setting…

…

And do you see the adorable big Christmas cupcake there!? Isn’t that cute? It’s weird, I hate Kohl’s, but every time my mother gets me a cute cupcake item it’s usually from there. That just so happens to be a candle- you take off the “frosting” and light it. So cute. Maybe I judge them too harshly? It’s just that every time I’ve been in there, the clothing has been horrendous, the shoes were a joke, and the only thing worthwhile was the housewares department. Oh, and the decorations. They have cute holiday stuff. Remember my Halloween cupcake cookie jar?

You can also make these with starlight mints, either the spearmint or the plain peppermint ones. But it’s more fun to use candy canes, especially now. So this is the kickoff to my holiday 2010 cupcakes & confections! Aren’t you excited?

CANDY CANE CUPCAKES

Get yourself this here stuff:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp  baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 1/3 cup finely chopped candy canes (about 4 medium)
• ½ cup coarsely chopped white chocolate
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 egg whites
• ½ cup  buttermilk

And then:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.
2. In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in chopped candy canes and chocolate.
3. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter until well combined. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of buttermilk, beating until smooth.
4. Scoop batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. Top cooled cupcakes with frosting.

Okay so, these are sticky. Well, no, not sticky exactly. They were just very… moist? Alright, yeah, who am I kidding. They’re friggin’ sticky. The candy canes make them pretty hard to eat in one piece. They taste wonderful, I loved them and so did everyone else, but they’re tricky to eat. I topped them with a peppermint Italian meringue buttercream (Martha’s recipe, I halved it and got more than enough for the 16 cupcakes the cupcake recipe made) and more crushed candy canes. red & white sparkling sugar and peppermint candy toppers. The liners have peppermint candies and candy canes on them too…  totally cute, right?

Let me say that Italian meringue, for some, can be an even bigger pain in the ass than Swiss meringue. But keep at it, it will eventually come together. If not, chill it for a while and try again. You can use any flavor extract in it, or even preserves for a fruit frosting. It’s delicious. I have to say, and I’m not being snooty here, I promise: I’ve never had a problem with it. Swiss meringue, yes, but only because I’ve attempted it on humid days (it just doesn’t happen). But Italian, no. Mainly because I only ever made it on dry days in the fall or winter. Both meringue buttercreams are the same amount of work, and yeah, the cooking takes time and so does the beating. But when it comes together it is so delicious you’ll be hesitant to make a confectioner’s sugar frosting ever again. Or at least until the humidity rises. If you have trouble with either of those buttercreams, or just have questions on storage, etc… this site is a great informational tool.

I went to the first Christmas party of the season last night at the Garden City Hotel, so that really means that the season has started! I didn’t really get into it despite seeing all the houses decorated right after Halloween- that turns me off. But now it’s December, and it’s time. So as hard as it is for me to believe that it’s Christmas-time,  my tree is up, my lights are lit, it’s snowing on the blog and I can’t wait to start making some more holiday treats.