Mini Candy Cane Lollipops are the perfect use for leftover candy canes. Candy cane hearts are an easy, sweet, and cute Valentine’s dessert! Try these as a cake topper, edible bouquet, individual candy, and more.

A bouquet of 3 white chocolate candy cane lollipops in a green plant on a red background

I feel like I’m still recovering from Christmas and New Year celebrations, but my kids are already looking forward to the next big holiday: Valentine’s Day!

Thankfully, this recipe uses up our leftover mini candy canes to create festive candy cane hearts.

Candy Cane Chocolates Perfect For Valentine’s Day

I first made these darling mini white chocolate candy cane hearts with my nieces over 10 years ago.

It’s a fun recipe to make with children as a Valentine’s activity! Resulting in a cute, tasty holiday favor for parties, classmates, friends, and neighbors. Win-win!

Valentine’s Day can provide a neat opportunity to show kids how to express love and appreciation. How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? Please let me know in the comments!

You can make these candy cane pops with or without a candy stick. They are equally delicious and darling!

If you like white chocolate and mint, you’ll also love my White Chocolate Candy Cane Creme Brulee or my perfect Chocolate Covered Strawberry recipe. Yum.

unbaked mini candy canes on a silpat cookie sheet with sucker sticks waiting to be baked

How to Make Mini Candy Cane Lollipop Decorations

First arrange the mini candy canes into heart shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. If you’re using sticks, you can place them on the top or bottom of each heart.
Bake at 350ºF for 3-5 minutes.
Carefully mold hearts together wearing gloves or a silicone mit.
Fill each heart with melted white chocolate and tap to smooth. (Check below for my instructions on how to melt chocolate in the Instant Pot!)
Add sprinkles, then let set at room temperature.
Carefully remove from the tray and add a ribbon at the base of the heart. I like to use a small cellophane baggie tied with a festive ribbon bow.

What is a Double Boiler?

A double boiler is composed of a pot of gently simmering water and a larger bowl that sits on top. The ingredients get the perfect amount of heat to melt or cook because the water doesn’t touch the upper bowl.

The purpose of a double boiler is to use indirect heat to gently warm delicate foods that can easily burn, such as sauces, custards, and chocolate.

Since this recipe doesn’t use a lot of chocolate, you can get away with microwaving the white chocolate in 15-30 second increments. However, if you are working with a lot of chocolate, this is a great way to do it!

How to Melt Chocolate in The Instant Pot

The Instant Pot can be used as a genius double boiler, perfect for candy-making! Plus, you don’t have to stand in front of the stove.

You can have melted chocolate on the table or countertop! Wouldn’t that be great for a fun fondue night?

Here’s how to make the double boiler in the Instant Pot:

Add 2 cups of water to the Instant Pot liner and set to low saute.
Find a large glass bowl that fits over the edge of the Instant Pot liner. The bowl should be large enough so it doesn’t drop into the liner and get stuck, or fall in and touch the water.
Add your melting chocolate to the bowl in whatever quantity you need.
As the chocolate melts, stir it around with a whisk or rubber spatula to keep it evenly heated.

Note: If the bowl starts rattling or getting too hot, turn the Instant Pot to the Keep Warm setting.

For candy cane lollipops, I usually melt my white chocolate in the Instant Pot and then fill a piping bag (or plastic Ziploc bag with a tip cut from the corner) with the melted chocolate. This makes it quick and easy to pipe chocolate into the candy cane hearts!

If you have leftover melted white chocolate, use it to make some yummy Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

closeup of one mini candy cane lollipop with sprinkles and a bow with a red sparkly background

Tips to Make Chocolate Filled Mini Candy Cane Lollipops

Make sure to avoid a drastic change of temperature, or the candy cane pops could shatter/crack. Don’t put the candy canes in the freezer right after molding.
Use white chocolate candy bark or candy coating chips for the smoothest melting chocolate. I DON’T recommend using chocolate chips because they are created to keep their shape, not melt.
Use whatever variety of chocolate melting wafers and topping (sprinkles) you like in the center of your candy cane lollipops. I swear by Ghirardelli White Melting Chips. They have the most amazing flavor and they melt beautifully.
Use my Instant Pot double boiler trick to easily melt the chocolate.
You can pick up different colored chocolate candy melts at craft stores like Hobby Lobby or Michael’s. If you want a different color middle for your candy cane hearts, I recommend buying that specific color versus using food coloring. Too much food coloring (especially red) will change the consistency and texture of white chocolate.
It’s not necessary, but I highly recommend adding a ribbon to the base of your hearts. This covers up any imperfections that usually occur when pressing the candy cane together.

a trio of mini candy cane hearts on a white marble background with sparkly pink heart decorations surrounding the suckers

Ideas on How to Use Candy Cane Heart Pops

There are so many fun ways to use candy cane hearts! It’s a very versatile Valentine’s Day dessert.

Make candy cane hearts on different sized skewers (long and short), then use as a cake or cupcake topper.
Bake the hearts with the candy stick on top of the heart so it looks like a heart arrow. Then use it as a festive hot chocolate stirrer.
Individually wrap and attach to gifts or Valentine’s Day cards. I use mini cellophane bags and then tie with a ribbon.
Arrange wrapped candy cane lollipops in a vase or pot with a styrofoam base. Then cover the vase with festive shred filler to create a cute, edible candy bouquet.
Bake white chocolate candy cane hearts without the sticks for individually portioned candies.

Let me know in the comments how you use your candy cane pops!

Closeup of two candy cane heart pops tied with a ribbon on a red background

Other Valentine’s Day Desserts

I have several other perfect Valentine’s Day desserts. Some recipes make cute, individual dessert servings in ramekins. Perfect for a delicious Valentine’s date at home!

Don’t forget to pin these Mini candy cane lollipops!