How to Make Candy Ornaments

Stained glass candy ornaments are more creative than just hanging an ordinary candy cane on the tree.

Decorating for Christmas can be a chore, but you can make it more fun by creating these candy ornaments for your tree this year. The stained glass look of the ornaments is a step up from the normal candy canes that are hung on trees year after year. This can be a great family project as well, since the kids can take part in creating their own candy ornaments!

Things You'll Need

• Transparent hard candy
• Metal cookie cutters
• String
• Oven
• Baking sheets
• Aluminum foil
• Non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

1. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray. Make sure the foil is coated well with the spray, or otherwise the candy will stick to the foil and be impossible to pull apart.

2. Unwrap the hard candies and put them in a freezer bag. Use a rolling pin to crush the candies into tiny pieces. You can keep the colors separate, or mix them together if you want to create some new colors for the ornaments.

3. Select a cookie cutter shape you would like to use. The less detail the cookie cutter has, the easier it will be for the candy to fill the shape, and the easier it will be to remove the shape from the foil. Spray the cookie cutter with non-stick cooking spray before placing it on the sheet.

4. Place the cookie cutter on the greased aluminum foil on the cookie sheet. Carefully sprinkle the crushed hard candies into the cookie cutters, creating a thin layer of candy.

5. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake the candy for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Depending on your oven, it may take more or less time to melt the candies, so keep an eye on them.

6. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven when the candy is melted and allow the candy to cool. Before it is entirely cool, use a toothpick or other sharp object to make a hole in the candy so you can put a string through it.

7. Remove the candy from the cookie cutter and the foil. Thread a string through the hole and tie the string in a knot to form a loop. Now your candy ornament is ready to hang on the tree!

Tips & Warnings

• Watch the candy melt through the oven door. You don't want to burn the candy, just allow it to heat enough to fully melt and fill the shape of the cookie cutter.

• Don't touch the candy until it is fully cooled. It will be extremely hot and could cause severe burns.

• Don't put candy ornaments on a tree if the tree is accessible to pets. They could eat the ornaments and the ornaments could be harmful to the pet.

Resources

• Christmas Crafts and Ornaments from Better Homes and Gardens
• Buy Wholesale Candy