Chocolate Candy Cane Reindeer

Every year, my kids and I make candy for the holidays.  This year we kind of have a candy cane theme going and started off with these chocolate candy cane reindeer.  These were so much fun and easy peasy to make.  Hannah has been “recreating” them with her own ingredients since we made them.  Mostly, she is just looking for a reason to eat Nutella LOL No, we didn’t use Nutella in these creations, but she has, somehow, found a way to make reindeer with her own recipe.  She’s a mess, y’all!  These reindeer can be dressed up or wrapped in ribbon to make them more festive or fun.  I wanted to make little bows out of red candy strings, but those didn’t quite turn out the way I had planned.  So, we just stuck with the original plan, which worked out perfectly!  I used chocolate mint candy canes for these because I wanted more brown for the reindeer effect.  You can use any color you want.  I think pink candy canes would be super cute!  Have fun, experiment, and make this creation your own!

Gather your supplies:

• Pack of 12 candy canes, unwrapped (any color you like)
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips (you can use semi sweet too if you prefer)
• 6 red M&M’s or any red candy of similar size for the nose.
• 12 candy eyes
• Parchment paper

Get to creating:

• Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-proof coffee mug.  I do this by heating the chocolate chips in the mug in the microwave on defrost for two minute intervals.  Stir between intervals.  Usually, it takes about 3 rounds to get them completely melted and smooth.  Be careful, though, because the coffee cup can get very hot.
• Dip two candy canes at a time into the chocolate until it coats the candy canes about 2 1/2 – 3 inches high.
• Place the candy canes, touching, back to back on the parchment paper.  Do one ‘reindeer’ at a time.
• While the chocolate is still wet on the candy canes, palace the candy eyes and M&M for the nose.
• Once all 6 of the reindeer are finished, place them in the refrigerator for about an hour to allow the chocolate to harden.
• Enjoy!