Chocolate Peppermint Christmas Lollipops

Festive red peppermint Christmas lollipops dipped in dark chocolate and topped with crushed candy canes. The best peppermint lollipop recipe!

Why Make These Peppermint Christmas Lollipops?

A few years ago, I went on a bit of a holiday candymaking binge. Over the span of a couple of days, I made chocolate bars, candied chocolate-dipped grapefruit peels, candy cane truffles, and these peppermint Christmas lollipops.

Tinted red, flavored with natural peppermint oil, and finished  with a sprinkling of crushed peppermint candy, these homemade Christmas lollipops make a festive finishing touch when tied atop wrapped holiday presents.  Because they keep well at room temperature, they’re also ideal for including in care packages sent to out-of-town friends and family. Even if your parcel gets lost in the craziness of the Christmas rush, these pops will still look and taste great upon arrival.

These homemade Christmas lollipops are actually very easy to make, and with fairly basic ingredients. They’re low on allergens (no nuts, eggs, or gluten) and are equally popular with kids and adults!

Christmas Lollipop Ingredients

To make chocolate-dipped peppermint Christmas lollipops, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Granulated Sugar – For making the sugar syrup. Caster sugar (measured by weight) will also work.
  
• Corn Syrup – You can use corn syrup (I prefer Golden Barrel), liquid glucose, or Light Karo Syrup. For accuracy, use a kitchen scale to measure by weight rather than volume to avoid losing too much of the sticky syrup in the measuring cup.
• Peppermint Oil – Choose real peppermint oil, not an extract or flavoring. But use it sparingly! Natural peppermint oil is strong, and a few drops will go a very long way.

• Peppermint Candy – You can use candy canes, starlight mints, or another hard candy.
• Gel Food Coloring – For tinting the sugar syrup. I used Chefmaster‘s Christmas Red. Leaf Green would also be fun, especially if paired with green starlight mints.
• Dark Chocolate – For the chocolate, I chose Valrhona’s Manjari 64% dark chocolate. Any good-quality chocolate will work. I don’t recommend using chocolate chips—these are better for baking cookies than for decorating homemade candy.
• Nonstick Cooking Spray – For easy removal, lightly grease the lollipop mold with nonstick cooking spray.

Notes on Tempering

Tempering is the process of heating and cooling chocolate couverture to specific temperatures, for fast-setting chocolate with a distinctive shine and snap.

I’ve tested this recipe with tempered and untempered chocolate, and either one will work. Tempering is the best choice if you want to create treats that will remain shelf stable in all conditions, without the risk of melting. But it’s not mandatory, and it’s certainly easier (and more beginner-friendly!) to skip the tempering step.

If you aren’t familiar with tempering, you can simply melt and dip the chocolate as indicated in the recipe below. As another option, you can purchase discs of coating chocolate. Unlike couverture, coating chocolate (also known by a range of other names such as candy melts, melting chocolate, melting wafers, confectionery coating, candy wafers, or dipping chocolate) is pre-tempered and will allow you to dip your lollipops without tempering.

Note that if you do not use coating chocolate and opt to skip the tempering, your chocolate will take longer to set. Resist the urge to refrigerate your pops to speed things along—refrigeration creates condensation (and wet, sticky lollipops…)

Peppermint Lollipop Recipe Tools and Equipment

To make Christmas lollipops, I recommend the following tools and equipment:

• Lollipop Mold – You will need a silicone lollipop mold to make this Christmas lollipop recipe. The cavities in my mold measure about 1 1/2 inches in diameter; you can go slightly bigger or smaller, if desired.

• Lollipop Sticks – Lollipop sticks are available from craft supply stores like Michael’s. They are also sold on Amazon. Double-check to make sure the sticks you’ve chosen will fit in your mold.
• Digital Thermometer – You’ll need to cook the hot sugar to 300° F / 148° C on a candy thermometer. Because sugar temperatures must be precise, I do not suggest making this lollipop recipe without a thermometer. (You’ll also need a thermometer if you intend to temper your chocolate.) This Taylor digital thermometer is my go-to.
• Pastry Brush – For brushing down the sides of the pan to prevent crystallization.
• Silicone Mats – Placing the dipped lollipops on a silicone baking mat prevents the lollipops from sticking, and makes for easy cleanup, too.

Decorating with Peppermint Candy

Place the candy canes or peppermints in a sealed food storage bag, and use a kitchen mallet or the back of a metal ladle to crush. Do not work directly on the countertop! Place a chopping board or a thick folded towel underneath the plastic bag to avoid damaging the countertop.

You can dip or sprinkle the pops in the crushed peppermint. If dipping, I suggest dividing the peppermint into 2-3 smaller portions, so when too much melted chocolate mixes with the candy, you can swap it out for a fresh bowl.

Tips and Tricks

The total number of lollipops will depend on the size and depth of your lollipop mold. If you have some sugar syrup left over after filling the mold, pour it out onto a silicone mat, cool, and toss in confectioner’s sugar, like my old-fashioned hard candy recipe.

Do not refrigerate homemade lollipops. The damp, humid refrigerator will create condensation, leading to sticky lollipops.

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

These peppermint lollipops will keep for at least a month, if not longer. Small cello bags and twist ties work best for packaging, allowing you to wrap each lollipop individually (and catching any errant pieces of peppermint in the process!)

Because of their long shelf life, homemade lollipops also ship extremely well. Even if the package is delayed or lost in the craziness of the Christmas rush, these pops will still arrive in perfectly edible condition.

Other lollipop recipes you might enjoy:

Caramel Apple Lollipops
Watermelon Lollipops

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me at @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

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