Dec 14, 2009

Candy Ornaments - Tutorial

Can you believe that Christmas is only 10 days away!! It's going by so fast, and there are still so many fun things to do and make! I'm planning a sugar cookie decorating party this weekend, and Alaina and I have been busy making ornaments this past weekend. We wanted to share one of our favorites, it's a super simple candy ornament, that is easy to make, pretty to look at and even sweeter to eat!
*This 'recipe' will make about 14 ornaments, only if a few don't get eaten in the process!!*



Materials Needed:
2 14oz. packages of Jolly Ranchers
metal cookie cutters
non-stick cooking spray
non-stick foil or Silpat
cookie sheet
ribbon
tooth pick or chopstick



Directions:
1. Unwrap all of the Jolly Rancher candies.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil or Silpat and lightly spray the cookie cutters with non-stick spray.
3. Preheat oven to 325 F.
4. Place all of the cookie cutters on the cookie sheet, and fill with one layer of Jolly Ranchers. (the more colors you use, the more the ornaments resemble stained glass!) You can also break the candy pieces to get them to fit into the cookie cutters better.
5. Once all of the cookie-cutters are filled with candy, you're going to put them into the oven, and cook for about 10 minutes. Or until the candy has completely melted. (Don't worried if the candy melts out of the molds, once it hardens it's easy to break away from the cookie cutter.)
6. Wait about 3 to 4 minutes, and spray non-stick spray on the tip of a chopstick, and make a hole close to the top of each ornament. (It takes a few minutes for the candy to cool enough to make the holes. If the candy is still to hot, the hole will close, so just be patient and wait a minute longer. I know this from experience! :))
7. After the candy has completely cooled, about 30-45 minutes, lightly pull the cookie cutters so that the candy ornaments comes loose.
8. String with ribbon and hang on the tree!



I'm thinking of doing this project with Alaina's friends when they come over next. A perfect project for the little ones, and I can send home a little box of ornaments that they made. I love quick crafts! Hope eveyone is enjoying the holiday season!!

9 comments:

kim c said...

tara, this is just too cool. love the funky colors. thanks for sharing.

Sarah said...

These are wonderful! I'm so going to try this sometime. :)

Anonymous said...

what a lovely idea, and such nice color. Have to try this.

DollFace Delights said...

What a neat idea, I can't wait to try this out!

Jenilee said...

LOVE. IT. These are on my list to make for next year!

CalleLillyCafe said...

super cute idea! my girls would love this! thx for sharing.

valsue87 said...

enjoyed making these with my fiance, it took us a while because we kept splitting them in two when we pushed them out of the cookie cutters.

a nice tip: make sure you stretch out the cookie cutter before trying to push out the ornament. it makes life a whole lot easier.

overall it was really great making these, you'd be surprised how many flavors you come up with by mixing them up.

Unknown said...

I loved this post so much that I had to link to it from a post I was writing about interesting uses for Jolly Rancher's! http://nashvillecandybuffet.com/clever-uses-for-jolly-ranchers-edible-ornaments-decorations-more/

Owner said...

It's always fun to watch the candy melt :) I'm featuring this in an ornament round-up at The Crafty Crow soon!