7 Best Crushed Peppermints (& How To Crush Your Own)
If you’re a fan of peppermint and peppermint candy, you’d agree with us when we say that almost any dessert can be spruced up with this delicious ingredient’s addition.
One very simple way to make this addition is by using crushed peppermints.
What are crushed peppermints? They are crushed pieces of candy cane or peppermint rounds for you to use as a delicious topping for your favorite desserts and beverages.
Although you can make crushed peppermints at home using your choice of peppermint hard candy, it is much easier to simply buy ready-made crushed peppermints that have been crushed to your desired consistency.
So, what are the best crushed peppermints? The best crushed peppermints are crushed to the perfect consistency to allow you to top your favorite desserts and they do not contain any unnecessary ingredients. They should also be conveniently storable without becoming stale too quickly.
Read on for a detailed buyer’s guide for choosing the best crushed peppermints, our top picks of the best ones, and how to crush your own at home!
Buyer’s Guide
Crushed peppermint can be added to absolutely any sweet treat, from cakes to cookies, ice cream, popcorn, marshmallows, peppermint bark, hot chocolate, coffee, tea, and everything in between.
Although store-bought crushed peppermints are pretty straightforward, there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind when choosing the best one for your desserts:
Consistency
When going through the options of crushed peppermints available out there, the one major distinguishing factor will be the consistency of the crushed peppermints.
You will find both crushed peppermints as well as dusted peppermints. The former refers to relatively large uneven pieces of peppermint candy, whereas the latter refers to pulverized peppermint candy dust.
Depending on the type of recipe you need the crushed peppermints for, you may go for crushed candy pieces or fine dust.
Quality And Flavor
Go through the list of ingredients to check if any unnecessary items are added to the list and look for crushed peppermints made purely with peppermint candy.
You may choose between crushed peppermint candy cane or crushed peppermint rounds.
Quantity
Crushed peppermints are available in bags of varying sizes ranging from 1-ounce bags to big 5-lbs bags.
Although they can last for a long time if stored properly in an airtight container, it is always best to determine your requirements before purchasing a giant bag of crushed candy.
Uses
Since crushed peppermints can be used in a variety of sweet treats and beverages, you need to make sure that they are made for the purpose.
When making cookies and cakes, you may want to buy crushed peppermint that can be used for baking since not all of them can withstand heat. Look for a “for baking” sign on the packaging to be sure.
The 7 Best Crushed Peppermints
With the market filled with so many crushed peppermint options, you may get confused when selecting the best one for your desserts.
To make it easier for you, here are our top picks of the 7 best crushed peppermints:
| Rank | Product | Best Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Atkinson's Mint Twists Crushed Peppermint Candy | Made with natural ingredients |
| 2. | Brach’s Peppermint Crushed Candy Canes | Made using high-grade peppermint oil |
| 3. | Crushed Peppermint Candy Pieces by Unpretentious Baker | Perfect minty taste and texture |
| 4. | Sarah's Candy Factory Crushed Peppermint Candy | Comes in a large reusable jar |
| 5. | King Leo Fine Crush Peppermint Candy | Available in both medium and fine-sized bits |
| 6. | By The Cup Peppermint Bark Candy | Red, white, and green colored |
| 7. | Festival Candy Cane Crunch Crushed Peppermint Candy | Comes in a 5-pound bag with a plastic spoon |
1. Atkinson’s Mint Twists Crushed Peppermint Candy
Atkinson’s mint twists are a classic mint candy loved by everyone.
This crushed peppermint variety is made by crushing these delicious mints into tiny pieces.
Used as a delicious crunchy addition to baked goods and ice creams, it adds a nice festive touch to your desserts and holiday confections.
Made with natural peppermint oil and cane sugar, it contains no artificial coloring, and comes in an 8-oz bag. It is also vegan, gluten-free, cholesterol-free, trans-fat-free, and kosher.
2. Brach’s Peppermint Crushed Candy Canes
These peppermint crushed candy canes from Brach are made using high-grade peppermint oil.
The use of such quality ingredients provides a long-lasting and rich peppermint flavor to your desserts.
Perfect for decorating cakes and cookies, or sprinkling over a frothy hot cup of cocoa, these crushed peppermints come in a resealable 10-oz bag to lock in the flavors and freshness.
3. Crushed Peppermint Candy Pieces by Unpretentious Baker
Perfect for topping treats and adding to your favorite hot drinks, these crushed peppermints by Unpretentious Baker take your sweet treats to the next level!
Great for winter baking, they have the perfect minty taste, the perfect minty texture, and the perfect red and white classic colors.
Made with pure peppermint oil, pure cane sugar, corn syrup, and food coloring, they are also vegan and gluten-free.
4. Sarah’s Candy Factory Crushed Peppermint Candy
These crushed peppermint candy from Sarah’s Candy Factory are red and white-colored candy bites perfect for decorating cakes, cupcakes, ice creams, and more.
They are a perfect choice for party decorations for birthdays and baby showers.
Plus, they come in a large 5-pound reusable jar that makes storing them extremely easy!
5. King Leo Fine Crush Peppermint Candy
Available in both medium and fine-sized bits, King Leo fine crush peppermint candy is made using only the finest candy pieces.
These go through a grinder, where they are kept safe from temperature and moisture.
Perfect for topping your favorite desserts, such as cakes and ice cream, and decorating other delicious confections, these crushed peppermints are made with pure peppermint oil.
They come in a large 5-pound bag.
Also, they are fat-free and Kosher-certified!
6. By The Cup Peppermint Bark Candy
These crushed peppermints are made specifically for peppermint bark candy and come in a combination of red, white, and green.
This candy is made with the highest quality natural peppermint oil mixed with small batches of natural cane sugar syrup.
It is also made in the USA and can be used for holiday baking and other sweet treats.
They contain no artificial flavors and are also gluten-free and vegan-friendly.
7. Festival Candy Cane Crunch Crushed Peppermint Candy
The Festival Candy Cane Crunch Crushed Peppermint Candy is a great addition to your sweet treats.
It comes in a 5-pound bag with a plastic spoon, a recipe card, and 3 additional recipes!
Perfect for all kinds of hot and cold desserts, it pairs wonderfully well with them and can either be added to them as is or mixed with whipped cream as a topping.
How To Crush Your Own Peppermints At Home
Crushed peppermint candy turns every holiday dessert even more delicious and can be used to top or bake a variety of sweet treats that you’re sure to love.
If a recipe calls for crushed peppermint candy and you can’t get your hands on some of the store-bought variety, you can very easily prepare it yourself at home.
All you need is some leftover candy canes or peppermints rounds and a few basic kitchen tools. The key point to remember is to make sure that the pieces don’t go flying here and there in the process.
Crushed candy is like shards of glass and you wouldn’t want to step on one.
Smash With A Kitchen Mallet
If the end result you are looking for is larger pieces of peppermint candy, particularly for peppermint bark candy, this method should work best for you, although it is a bit time-consuming.
Here are step-by-step instructions for crushing peppermint candy using a kitchen mallet:
- Fill a Ziplock bag with peppermint candy.
- Seal the bag, making sure to leave a small hole open to place a straw to suck out excess air. This is an important step and if you make the bag airtight, it might burst on the first smash.
- Place the Ziplock bag inside another Ziplock bag to minimize the mess.
- Place the double Ziplocked bag on a thick wooden cutting board as it will prevent the bag from perforating and will also protect your kitchen counter.
- Choose your weapon for smashing the candy. A rolling pin may smash the candy unevenly and spin on impact. You may use a hammer or kitchen mallet, but out of the two, we suggest you go with the latter since it offers a greater surface area for smashing.
- Smash the candy until the desired consistency is reached. You may use a rolling pin in the end for a finer consistency.
Use A Food Processor
Another way to crush peppermint candy is to use a food processor. This is especially useful if you want to crush it really fine or turn it into dust.
You may either do a quick smash using the method above before putting it in the food processor to pulverize it, or you may toss it in without breaking it down with a rolling pin or kitchen mallet.
The latter is definitely the quicker, easier, and mess-free method to do it, but since the hard candy may damage the food processor blades, it is best to break down the candy a bit first.
Before putting the candy in the food processor, you need to make sure it isn’t sticky, or cleaning the blades can become a nightmare.
If you feel that the peppermint candy is a bit sticky, you may either add some powdered sugar into the processor along with the candy or freeze it for a bit beforehand.
Here are step-by-step instructions for crushing peppermint candy using a food processor:
- Coarsely crush the peppermint candy using the first method. You do not need to be as thorough, though.
- Next, place the smashed pieces of the peppermint candy into the food processor and pulse it.
- Check the consistency and stop pulsing when you are happy with it.
- To turn it into a fine dust for some recipes, let the food processor run until the required consistency is achieved.
Use A Mortar And Pestle
A traditional method used by many cooks to crush hard ingredients in the kitchen, using a mortar and pestle is a great way to smash hard peppermint candy, but only if you have a small amount.
It requires a bit of elbow grease and may take longer than the other methods. It is, however, much less noisy and you have full control over the consistency of the crush.
You may freeze the candy canes or peppermint candy for 30 minutes beforehand to make them more brittle and easier to crush.
Melt And Then Crush
Candy canes may be easier to crush due to their shape using a heavy object such as a kitchen mallet, but peppermint rounds may move around the bag and may be a bit of a hassle to smash.
In addition to that, their thickness may also put an unnecessary burden on the food processor blades.
For this reason, you may melt the candy canes and peppermint rounds so that they can be crushed easily and quickly.
Here are step-by-step instructions for melting and crushing candy canes and hard peppermint rounds:
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the candy on it.
- Put the tray in the preheated oven and let the candy melt. This may take anywhere between 2-10 minutes, depending on the type of candy you are using.
- Once melted, take out the tray and let the candy cool.
- After it has cooled, you can easily break the thin sheets of the melted candy using your hands or a rolling pin, kitchen mallet, or mortar and pestle.
Related Questions
Now that you know about the best crushed peppermints, how to choose the best ones for your desserts, and how to crush your own at home, here are a few additional questions we thought you might have!
How should you store crushed peppermints?
When storing crushed peppermints, you need to make sure you keep them away from moisture and humidity or they can become sticky and clump together.
The best way to store them is in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, preferably in your kitchen pantry. You may place some uncooked rice in the container to absorb any excess moisture.
You may also coat the large crushed pieces with cornstarch and simply dust it off when you wish to use the candy.
How long does crushed peppermint candy last?
If stored properly, crushed peppermints will be at the optimal quality for 1 year.
They might last well beyond this time (2-3 years), but the quality may deteriorate and you will notice that they will become softer.
What can you use crushed peppermints for?
There are tons of delicious things you can use crushed peppermints for.
You can sprinkle them over ice cream, make peppermint bark, use them as popcorn flavoring, add them to milkshakes, lattes, and hot chocolate, coat marshmallows and fruit, and much, much more!
