I tested the peppermint candy bowl that turns simple peppermints into a holiday-ready dish. It's cute, a little wonky and just as easy as it looks.
There’s a particular charm in bending the rules of dessert. The peppermint candy bowl has been circulating this season, popping up in the social feeds of people who love a festive shortcut. It looks whimsical, simple and—best of all—like the sort of project even my December-fried brain could handle. So I gave it a try.
How to Make a Peppermint Candy Bowl
The method is straightforward, even if the perfectionists among us may itch a little. Arrange unwrapped peppermint candies in a circle on a parchment-lined baking sheet, touching edge to edge. Attempting to get them into a perfectly round shape is…ambitious. Unless your patience levels run saintly, embrace a slightly uneven perimeter, and keep going.
Bake at 300°F until the candies soften and melt together slightly—about seven to 10 minutes.
Then, working quickly (and carefully), lift the warm candy sheet off the pan and drape it over an inverted, greased bowl. Gravity gives you a head start, but you do need to shape it carefully with oven-mitt-protected hands to get those curves in place. Once cool, it holds a sturdy shape.
I used a 9-ounce bag of candies, which yielded one cereal-bowl-sized creation.
What to Know Before You Try the Peppermint Bowl
First, these bowls are cute. But they’re also sticky—less than I expected, actually, but sticky enough that you won’t want to pass them around the table or rest them directly on heirloom linens. A small plate or parchment square underneath keeps everything civilized.
Second, be careful. Melted sugar shapes beautifully, but does not behave kindly to bare hands. Peppermints reach very high temperatures as they liquefy, thanks to sugar’s low water content and impressively high melting point. Translation: If you touch them straight from the oven, you will regret it. Use oven mitts, work confidently, and keep your fingers clear while the candy is still molten.
Finally, prepare for a little wonkiness. Even with careful arranging, the melted candies don’t completely maintain their neat pinwheel design, especially around the outer edge. Mine warped into something that looked like it had been crafted by an elf who’d sampled too much eggnog on his lunch break. Add to that my less-than-perfect circle, and the finished bowl leaned a bit…whimsical. But honestly, that’s part of the charm. This is holiday crafting, not structural engineering, and a slightly uneven peppermint bowl feels right at home in December.
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