Where did the candy cane originate from?
“Legend has it that the candy cane dates back to 1670, when the choirmaster at a Cathedral in Germany handed out sugar sticks among his young singers to keep them quiet during the church service.
In the 17th Century Christians across the pond (Europe) started to use a Christmas Tree for part of their Christmas Holiday celebration. These trees were sometimes decorated with cookies and sugar sticks (candy cane). The original candy cane was a straight stick all white.
Where did the use of stripes come from?
The first red-and-white-striped candy canes appeared sometime later. No one knows who exactly invented the stripes but based on historical information we know that no striped candy canes appeared prior to the year 1900. Around that time, candy-makers began adding peppermint and wintergreen flavors to their candy canes and those flavors would soon become accepted as the traditional favorites. However, you can now purchase candy canes in a lot of different flavors. Some people use candy canes to hang on their Christmas tree.
Where to purchase Candy Canes?
Amazon, Walmart Spangler Candy Company
Recipe for Candy Cane Cookies
Make the dough:
Place the butter, sugar, peppermint, vanilla, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of stand mixer. Beat until a paste forms and clings to the side of the bowl.
Scrape down the side of the bowl and beat in the egg until it is absorbed. Add the flour and beat until just combined and no more dry streaks of flour remain.
Color half the dough:
Divide and remove half the dough from the bowl. Carefully add the red food coloring to the remaining dough. Mix on low until the color is evenly distributed.
Chill the dough:
Pat each piece of dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350ºF:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. I love parchment paper, quite a time saver!
Shape the cookies;
The chilled dough should be firm, but still easy to shape straight from the fridge. If not, let it warm for just a few minutes until malleable. Don’t let it warm too much or it will be too soft to work with again.
Pinch off a 1-inch round piece of the white dough and roll it out to a 5-inch rope. Do the same with a piece of the red dough (make sure the ropes are the same length).
Place the ropes next to each other and twist together. Transfer to the baking sheet and curve the top of the dough into a candy cane shape.
Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.
Top the cookies with sparkling sugar
Make the egg whitewash by beating the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water until foamy. Brush the top of each cookie with the egg whitewash and then sprinkle with the sugar.
What Does the Bible Say About Candy Cane?
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe.
What does the candy cane symbolize?
www.openbible.info/topics/candy_cane
Editor: Stephen Smith. Publication date: Dec 2, 2021. Publisher: OpenBible.info.
I hope you enjoyed this brief history of the candy cane. Make sure you enjoy some soon!
Kathie