Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids: Peppermint Bark Snowflakes
Peppermint Bark Snowflakes
Chocolate and mint make a wonderful combination. I saw these in a Wilton kit and bought them, but they didn't taste as good as my own peppermint bark. Plus, I knew that I could make them cheaper if I did them on my own. I love having my kids make the gifts that we give to friends, neighbors and teachers.
Peppermint Chocolate Snowflakes
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeMaterials for Peppermint Bark Snowflakes
- Chocolate (melting candy chocolate is easiest, but you can use chocolate chips too, add a tiny bit of butter if they aren't melting well.
- White chocolate (white chocolate chips sometimes don't melt well, so candy bark is a better bet)
- peppermints
- cookie cutters
- foil
- clear bags, yarn and tags for wrapping (optional)
How to Make Peppermint Bark Snowflakes
Follow the picture steps above or the steps listed below:
Crush the peppermints in a food processor until they are fine pieces (or buy already crushed peppermints in the baking aisle).
Put the cookie cutters on top of foil.
Melt the chocolate right in the bag for about 30 seconds. Knead the bag, and continue heating for about 15 seconds at a time until everything is smooth and you don't feel any hard pieces.
- Melt the white chocolate in a container for about 30 seconds at a time, stir and heat for another 15 seconds and stir until completely smooth.
- Add the peppermints into the white chocolate and stir.
- Snip off a corner of the brown (or other colored) chocolate and pour into each cookie cutter until about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Pat the pan on the counter until the chocolate is smooth.
- Spoon in the white chocolate with peppermint into each cookie cutter. Pat the pan on the counter again until that is smooth.
- You can add some sprinkles to decorate the top, or a swirl of dark chocolate.
- Put in freezer for 5 minutes or until firm.
Getting Chocolate Out of Cookie Cutter
To pop the candies out of the cookie cutters:
- Press against the sides of the cookie cutter until you hear it pop off the candy.
- Next, slowly push the candy out of the cookie cutter. Sometimes it works better to push it out the front, and other times it works better to push out the back.
The snowflakes are harder to push out than gingerbread men or other cookie cutters that don't have as delicate of points.
Chocolate Cookie Cutter Candy Ideas
There are lots of other ways you can make Cookie Cutter Chocolates. Here are some ideas:
- Mix two different colors of chocolate either in layers or a swirl. Think about school colors, holiday colors or team colors.
- Mix the white chocolate with crushed Oreos instead of peppermints.
- Use chopped candies like Reeses in the white chocolate rather than peppermints.
- Mix in some toffee bits into the chocolate instead of peppermints.
- Put colored sprinkles on top of the white chocolate before hardening it in the freezer.
Chocolate Poll
What is your favorite chocolate treat?
Candy Craft for Children
My kids range in age from 8 to 16, and they can make these all by themselves now. However, we've been making these sorts of gifts they were 3 to 4. Of course, little ones can't do every step, but you can let them help you with:
- unwrapping peppermints
- pushing the button on the blender
- stirring
- putting the cookie cutters on the foil
- tapping the pan on the counter to see the chocolate fill up the cookie cutters
They can make gift cards to use and also help with the wrapping too. Once kids are school age, they can do all the steps on their own with adult supervision.
Cookie Cutter Candy Ideas
occasion
| Candy
| Cookie Cutter
|
---|---|---|
Scout Troop meeting
| colored chocolate
| match badge troop is earning
|
Christmas Party
| white chocolate and peppermint
| snowflake or tree
|
Valentines
| hearts
| |
Halloween
| orange chocolate
| pumpkin
|
Thanksgiving
| chocolate and orange chocolate
| leaf
|
4th of July
| red, white and blue chocolate
| stars
|
Teenage party
| match party theme
| flowers, hearts, stars or theme
|
Easter
| pastel chocolates
| eggs. bunnies and flowers
|
Sports party
| team colors
| circles or ball shapes or letters for team name
|
Wilton Kit Review
Make it Faster: The Wilton kit to make Peppermint Snowflakes is a little expensive but makes the craft fast and easy. . The kit includes the cookie cutters, chocolate, white peppermint chocolate, clear gift bags, tags and string. Everything is included to make five snowflakes. You can also do like I did and buy the kit but then pop the chocolate snowflakes out of the cookie cutters so you can use them again later. I did find that the peppermint taste wasn't strong enough for me, so I added a few more crushed peppermints.