Fun and Festive Horse Craft for Winter!

Some folks might see peppermints as mainly a holiday candy. I see them as fair game for the entire Winter season.

Peppermints just look so inviting and outright happy to me. I can’t help but crack a smile when I see a peppermint.

Not only are they tasty for both horse and human, but their shape, texture and fun coloring lend themselves to many cooking and craft uses.

While scrolling through Pinterest, I came across this pin at https://www.anallievent.com/peppermint-candy-ornaments/ and later added it to The Backyard Horse Blog Pinterest “Horse Crafts” Board at https://www.pinterest.com/thebackyardhorseblog/horse-crafts/.

I put an equestrian spin on the idea by using a horsey cookie-cutter to make the craft.

While the peppermint horse would certainly look nice on a holiday tree, its potential goes beyond ornament status. You could also use it to decorate the outside of a cookie tin. Another option is to tie it to a present. Either way you have an additional fun and edible gift for all those human and horse Winter birthdays.

Don’t forget that the red color lends itself well to Valentine’s Day. And you could use those green peppermints for St. Patrick’s Day.

According to the original Pinterest Pin instructions, you will need peppermint candies (I used Starlight mints), metal cookie cutters, nonstick cooking spray (I used a canola oil spray) and parchment paper. You preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the insides of your metal cookie cutters with cooking spray. Arrange peppermint candies inside the cookie cutters. Cook them for about 6 to 8 minutes. Take them out to briefly cool. Poke holes at their tops to later add hanging string. Last but not least, pop them out of the cookie cutters.

I followed the instructions closely, but I did run into a couple of glitches. For example, I needed to add more candies than shown in the photos. With my horse cookie-cutter, I ended up using 13 candies and stacking some of them to better fill out the head and legs. The saying “no hoof no horse” applies to this craft.

I also had problems with the candies melting out from under the cookie cutters. This resulted in a blob, not a horse. And I found it tricky to pop out the candy from the cookie cutter without destroying the horse. I broke several necks and snapped more than one limb.

My hints to avoid similar candy carnage? Make sure your metal cookie-cutters lie flat on the cookie pan. Use cookies pans that aren’t warped. Consider using a glass Pyrex dish to put over the top of the cookie-cutters to tamp them down flat (and then be prepared to cook the peppermints about twice as long as the original recipe). Go very slowly while removing them from the cutters, using gentle and even pressure to pry the horses loose.

If you do end up with any broken pieces, never fear. Remember that they can still be eaten by you, your horse or dropped into a cup of hot cocoa. Yum.