Muffin Tin Peppermint Cups

If you can melt chocolate, you can easily make these Muffin Tin Peppermint Cups! A layer of melted milk chocolate is followed by a layer of white melted chocolate and topped with a generous amount of crushed red and white candy canes. Decadent and rich, these festive treats are both fun to prepare and to eat!

I’m back with another chocolate and peppermint combination, but this time, I’m combining both white and milk chocolate for the ultimate chocolate lover in these Muffin Tin Peppermint Cups. Not only do these make a quick and easy treat or snack, but they’re also great for giving as a gift. Layer them into a cookie box or a cellophane bag and tie it up with a bright red ribbon and you’re all set!

In our home, Christmas cannot come and pass us by without a good dose of treats flavoured with peppermint. Those treats are even more welcomed and enjoyed if they have melted chocolate of any type! Seriously, we can’t get enough of it! I’m not a huge lover of sweets, but every Christmas I have to get my peppermint fix and that usually comes in the form of simple treats just like this one. So, let’s get to it!

I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the easier recipes! Before I get into today’s recipe, let me make mention of the five previous holiday confection countdowns that I just finished up this year.

Back in October, I kicked off the holiday season with a holiday recipe series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifles Series and followed that up with a second series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Breads and Loaves. Next was a second volume of my 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas! You can find the first bars and squares series here! After that came the seventh annual instalment of Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas!

I know we’re getting closer to the big day, which means that most of us will have less time to bake. That is why I’m sharing this new series with you called Lord Byron’s 12 Homemade Holiday Gifts Series! This will be the last series for the 2024 holiday season, so let’s get to it!

LORD BYRON’S 12 SNACKS & TREATS OF CHRISTMAS

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to my last Christmas series this holiday season! I’m calling this series Lord Byron’s 12 Homemade Holiday Gifts Series. Unlike the 24 Cookies of Christmas series that ended a few days ago, this series will focus on easy-to-make snacks and treats that are both delicious and festive.

I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy too. Most of them will require the help of a microwave rather than an oven. And, a bunch of them will involve more assembly-type tasks rather than preheating, beating, whipping, etc.

Just like every other series that I’ve shared here, this series will also see a new snack or treat recipe shared with you, Dear Reader, each and every single day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday snacks and treats year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Milk Chocolate Chips – I used milk chocolate, but you can use semi-sweet too. Use good quality melting chocolate since it will be the predominant flavour in this recipe.
• White Chocolate – This is optional, but I used a little bit of melted white chocolate to drizzle over the tops of the crackers.
• Crushed Candy Canes

HOW TO MAKE MUFFIN TIN PEPPERMINT CUPS

Line a 12-cavity muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. Place the milk chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium in 30-second intervals, stirring well with a rubber spatula between each interval until the chocolate is creamy and smooth. Evenly distribute the melted chocolate among the 12 paper-lined muffin tin cavities. Using a cookie scoop can help make this process easier and cleaner. Set the muffin tin in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Next, place the white chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium in 30-second intervals, stirring well with a rubber spatula between each interval until the chocolate is creamy and smooth. Evenly distribute the melted white chocolate among the 12 paper-lined muffin tin cavities, pouring it right on top of the set milk chocolate.

Immediately distribute the crushed candy canes over all 12 of the chocolates. Set aside at room temperature for one to two hours or until the chocolate has hardened. Remove the paper muffin tin liner from the peppermint cups. Package and store at room temperature.

MAKING YOUR OWN CRUSHED CANDY CANES

If you don’t want to use the red and white crushed candy canes that you can find just about anywhere this time of year, you can crush your own candy canes by placing unwrapped, broken candy canes into a sturdy bag and firmly rolling over them with a wooden rolling pin.

Either way you look at it, the candy canes should not be crushed too finely. Many times, you’ll find they have too much powder, meaning that they have been crushed too much. You want chunky pieces in order to get the red and white speckled pattern.

I’ve tried crushing them myself and have crushed them a little too much. Even the type you buy in the store can sometimes have too much candy cane dust. You can easily fix it by filtering out the dust. Working in small amounts, place a heaping spoonful of the crushed candy canes into a colander. Sift out the dust so that you are left with nice little pieces.

CHOCOLATE AND PEPPERMINT

If you love the combination of chocolate and peppermint, there are several recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen that you should take advantage of! You will have to try my Peppermint Chocolate Biscotti. I shared this one with my readers last year as a part of my 12 Biscotti of Christmas series. It was quite the hit!

How about this no-bake Peppermint Chunk Fudge? Unlike those fudge recipes that are basically big chunks of melted chocolate that have re-hardened, this fudge is cake-like; almost like a brownie! They are so delicious and addicting too! I also have these baked Chocolate Peppermint Donuts. Again, they are baked, not fried, so even though they are super chocolatey and covered in icing, they are still healthier than any donut you can buy at a bakery!

Not into cookies, fudge, or donuts? What about ice cream? Remember I mentioned the candy cane ice cream that John.e buys every Christmas? Well, you can make your own No Churn Peppermint Cookie Ice Cream at home. You won’t need a fancy, expensive ice cream maker to do it! I added crushed peppermint Oreos to the ice cream to make it even more indulgent! Anyway, I digress.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!