A CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT THAT IS A SWEET TREAT!

Well it is not often I find myself in the kitchen being creative like my wonderful wife, making edible items that is.  Today wondering around one of our local stores something caught my eye, CANDY!  No not the traditional bars at the check out, or packages sold to the masses like Hershey bars or the like, but a bag of candy 20 plus years ago I would always buy and make decorations with.  It was a fun time for me and the kids, a time dad who is unskilled in the kitchen to have a go at making something fun, as well as something we did not need a fire extinguisher to put out!  This bag of candy brought me back to the time the kids hearts filled with joy and excitement, waking to gifts that just appeared out of nowhere. Decking the tree out with construction paper chains, strung popcorn here and there, and after a while DAD's (that's me) tasty Christmas ornaments that rivaled the traditional candy canes! Well they are older now, have children of their own, and I thought I would pass along how to make these fun and simple tasty treats to those who may or may not have made them before. So Here I go, I do not work for FOOD NETWORK, or THE COOKING CHANNEL so please be nice. You may have done this before, maybe not, and if you have not I hope you try it out!

Find the holiday candy of your choice, in my case Brachs Christmas Nougats with the tree make it easy, but you can use whatever soft candy you feel will make a festive pattern.

Try to select the best pieces that are consistent in pattern as well as thickness. (any pieces that are uneven may create a thin area after baking and crack)

Pieces  that are irregular or have a distorted pattern should not be used, but discarded in the traditional fashion, unwrap and eat! : )

As you can see I arranged 7 pieces in a shallow 3 1/2 inch non stick  pie dish, perfect for this project, you can also use tins from little pies, or any circular enclosed dish depending on the size of the project, but this will go on the tree so 3 1/2 inch is about the limits.

I pre heat the oven at 250 you may choose to make it warmer or cooler, but beware the candy will discolor if it is over heated, i have found 250 degrees for about 5-8 minutes works out fine.( your location may dictate shorter or longer times due to elevation, just a note)

After about 7 minutes and a few peeks in the oven I decided the ornament is ready to be taken out.

and here is the results, the trees stayed in form and it has a nice mosaic look, and oddly enough I managed to get the letter "S" in it, The first letter of my last name, strictly coincidence.

After a few minutes of cooling you will be able to use a fork, straw or some other type of instrument to put a hole in the ornament for hanging purposes, but don't wait too long or it will harden and you might have to break out a drill.(laugh it relieves stress) At this point I like to float the tin in a pan or bowl of cool or iced water to help it cool down evenly.

And here is the somewhat finished product with the hole for a hook or ribbon, to remove this from the pan, I used a sharp paring knife and went around the edge of the pan to loosen the ornament.  And it came out no problem, beware if you try to do this too soon, you may end up bending the candy and distorting the shapes, but i know you will wait.

And here is the finished product hanging on a tree in the yard, I used a silver string to tie it up, but a hook, or ribbon may be the right choice for your tree.

And if you happen to want to be unique, all you have to do is turn the ornament around, and you can have an ornament worthy of hanging off any dorm room tree, and would probably look absolutely in place as you consume some egg nog, or wine or whatever beverage you choose to relax with.

 So There you have it, A very inexpensive, fun way to make something different this year, For you, your children, or even your grandchildren! and the best part is, these are totally edible, and if the old candy cane is not cutting it this year, just walk on over to the tree, and take a bite out of your sweet Christmas treat! I hope you enjoyed my one and probably only cooking craft. All my best and may your Christmas be SWEET!