When Emma posted her family's amazing peppermint cookie recipe last week, she lamented that it's getting difficult to find soft peppermint sticks these days. As a fan of this delicious holiday sweet, I felt her pain.
That is, until I wandered in the internets and discovered that an old favorite, King Leo Soft Peppermint Stick Candy, can still be found. Oh, joy!
I've never been a fan of your typical peppermint stick or its little sister, the hard, shiny lozenge wrapped in cellophane that's often left on the tray with your check at old-school Italian restaurants. I find them too sweet and sticky and slick in a way that doesn't appeal.
But then, back in the day when we still bought from catalogs, the Williams-Sonoma holiday issue arrived in my mail box and there was this great looking tin of something called King Leo Soft Peppermint Sticks. I ordered it, to be perfectly honest, more for the tin than for the candy. Back then it was bright red, with a picture of the iconic crowned lion sitting on top of a peppermint stick.
When the tin arrived, I discovered that the soft peppermint sticks are a big improvement over the hard variety. The soft version melted in my mouth with a creaminess that was pleasant and intriguing. And the peppermint taste was clean and strong and not too muddled by the sweetness.
I also discovered, like Emma, that soft peppermint sticks crush up nicely for baking. I've stirred them into frostings, sprinkled them on cookies and rolled chocolate truffles in them for a crunchy coating. Because they're not as hard as regular peppermints, I find them a lot more pleasant to encounter in my sweet treats and baked goods.
Over the years, I've occasionally been able to find King Leo in my local shops and whenever I do, I always pick up a box or two to stash in the cupboards. It's been a while, though, since I've seen them, so I'm happy to discover that you can purchase them online. The sticks are a little hard to find as it seems the 'pillow' version is the most popular; Amazon carries a nice selection of both.
• For a little history of King Leo Soft Peppermint, visit the Quality Candy website.
• The array of King Leo products, including chocolate dipped peppermint sticks and peppermint patties, are available from Amazon, $4.99 to $29.99.
Related: Rhoda's Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce
(Image: Quality Candy)
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I agree - these are the best peppermints and are increasingly hard to find.
So, let me get this right. I make peppermint bark every year, and I usually crush regular candy canes for my bark, which is a big pain. You're saying I can crush these mints, and they'll hold their shape if I mix them into cooled, melted chocolate? I just want to be sure I'll still have bits of candy in the bark.
I can't confirm that they have them this year, but in the past, World Market has always stocked these around the holidays.
Difficult to find? Even Wal-Mart stocks these around the holidays.
maryam: As I don't have actual experience with using King Leo in bark, I can't guarantee your results. But I have stirred them into frosting and yes, there were actual bits of peppermint to bite into. Also, I'm not sure if this proves anything, but King Leo produces a peppermint-flecked bark around the holidays.
It's nice to know that people can find King Leo in larger stores. I don't have access to a Wal-Mart and even the closest World Market is hard to get to, so I'm still thrilled to find them online.
My mom used to make us "musical oranges" every winter, since my grandparents would send us a giant crate of oranges/grapefruit every year for Christmas.
You roll the orange to get the juices flowing then poke a peppermint stick sized hole in the middle. Put in the soft peppermint stick and start sucking. Eventually the orange juice will travel through the crannies and pockets of the soft peppermint.
Usually mint/orange isn’t a good combo, but this is refreshing. Kind of messy, but lots of fun for kids squeaking and slurping away.
Ahhh…nostalgia.
Walmart stocks Bobs brand soft peppermints. They usually get the sticks for the holidays although they stock the pillows year round. Drugstores such as Rite Aid and Walgreens also carry soft peppermints in Bob's brand year round.
I am a mint addict, but the first taste of a soft peppermint after only having hard ones is mind blowing. I hoard the sticks every year (they make cute cocoa stirs), and bought two cases on clearance at Rite Aid last season. Retail isi usually about a dollar for a small bag at Walmart.
Thank you! I am planning on making Emma's cookies, and the bag of peppermint pillows she recommended is about $15 (inc. shipping) on amazon - I ordered it thinking I would get at least a few batches of cookies from the bag, but it is only as big as my fist. That is very expensive peppermint candy. I have a Rite Aid a block from my house, and I'm going tomorrow to see if they have these.
kpaupau, at a friend's christmas parties we did that but with lemons and normal hard candy canes (bend broken off)! Delicious.
They always had a great big box of these at Sam's when I was younger - loved letting them disintegrate on my tongue, but was never patient enough not to crunch them!