Would You Make Candy Cane Sweets?

amother

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 12:29 pm

Is it g*yishe to make sweets with candy canes (chocolate bark, cookies, etc.)? I like to bake and I follow a lot of cooking blogs and see some fun recipes using candy canes that are obviously "seasonal." I like the crunch of candy canes in desserts and taste of peppermint. I wouldn't serve it at a shabbos dinner or anything. Just to make for the family for fun. Are candy canes inherently bad?

amother

Apricot

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 12:42 pm

Only if you’d hesitate to make pumpkin anything around Halloween

Neither have anything to do with the holiday

Unless you’re making baby jsus, you’re fine

amother

Sand

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 12:45 pm

Candy canes aren’t inherently bad. I’d feel weird serving them to my kids but I’d smash them into a dessert for the peppermint taste and pretty color.

amother

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 12:56 pm

amother Apricot wrote:

Only if you’d hesitate to make pumpkin anything around Halloween

Neither have anything to do with the holiday

Unless you’re making baby jsus, you’re fine

The internet says something about the candy cane itself being a representation of a shepard's staff in some baby JC story, but who knows.

I wouldn't hesitate to make anything pumpkin at any time during the Fall. I see pumpkins as a fall thing and associated with Thanksgiving just as much as Halloween. Obviously I wouldn't have the kids carve scary faces in Pumpkins, but pumpkin desserts, sure why not?

ra_mom

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 1:12 pm

Candy canes were a treat growing up. It's harder to find these days in the kosher stores but my kids also see them as a fun treat.

Amarante

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 1:24 pm

I wouldn't hesitate to use traditional red and white candy canes and I love pumpkin in almost every baked form - pie, bread, cake.

If it makes you feel better they make peppermint flavored blue and white candy canes. These make really pretty easy Chanukah stuff. Like bark or even chocolate dipped pretzels with crushed candy canes.

amother

Gray

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 1:26 pm

It's technically prob fine, but right, we all are associating it with the December holidays.

Why not buy any other heimish or simply kosher hard candy? Even the same tasting red & white peppermint, those classic round ones?

The line in the sand is halacha, so I imagine people can do what they want.

As an example I'd eat vegetarian "pepperoni" on a pizza, but I wouldn't buy a pastel Easter basket or want to eat those chocolate bunnies even if they were kosher.

amother

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 2:16 pm

amother Gray wrote:

As an example I'd eat vegetarian "pepperoni" on a pizza, but I wouldn't buy a pastel Easter basket or want to eat those chocolate bunnies even if they were kosher.

On the other hand, buying Easter chocolate for 50-75% off the day after Easter seems quite smart

lamplighter

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 2:37 pm

I haven't seen them in stores in years.
I wouldn't serve them to kids during this season, they represent Js shepard staff. Would I use crushed ones in a recipe sure.

zaq

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 5:04 pm

I wouldn't use whole candy canes but crushing them is no different from using crushed regular striped peppermints or peppermint sticks.

The cane represents a shepherd's crook, a symbol of That Man, hence its use as an Xmas symbol, hence the reason why observant Jews don't serve or display them. But as long as they have a reliable hechsher, I'm happy to buy them on sale after the holiday and consume them like ordinary mints. Break off the curved portion and you have a classic peppermint stick.

amother

Winterberry

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 5:35 pm

zaq wrote:

Im pretty sure many frum ppl (including me) are not aware of the association.

The hooked canes are pretty ubiquitous in the lakewood kosher groceries purim time.

I just thought they looked like a cane.. What

amother

Brass

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 6:08 pm

I think that Americans are generally clueless about the religious significance of the cane. We used to buy them all the time. But when we moved to Canada, people were horrified that we’d ever consumed something red and white with a curved end- even with a reliable hechsher!

amother

Birch

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 6:23 pm

I feel like you can find them in CVS or Walgreens.

A quick google of CVS search candy canes gave 5 or 6 items. These 2 are under the OU (pareve)

https://www.cvs.com/shop/sweet.....01476

https://www.cvs.com/shop/spang.....13318

I can’t imagine eating them as a candy cane (more because that is gross than anything else) but I would definitely crush and use on chocolate cookies or brownies.

Regarding pastel covered chocolate eggs. At 75% off. I absolutely buy them a bunny as well. It doesn’t mean anything. It is chocolate on sale!!! (Unfortunately, the picking are usually very slim by the time pesach is over and I can buy them.)

amother

Lawngreen

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 7:29 pm

I once brought a kosher buche de noel to someone's home for Shabbos dinner on December 24. They loved it. Granted they are good friends with a great sense of humor. I say go for it if you like the taste of peppermint.

emee2

Sun, Nov 26 2023, 9:26 pm

I buy them and crush them and keep with my sprinkles and baking stuff. Then I use them all year round and they are not in the shape of canes. We also use the straight sticks for hot cocoa.