I am officially obsessed with these candy serving trays…
and guess who I got the idea from?!
Hosea Rosenberg, founder and chef of BlackBelly Catering.
Yes, he’s also the Top Chef Season 5 winner 
Jenna and I met him at Anne Be’s Five party a few weeks ago, and he was kind enough to share this creative idea with me!
{Thanks, Hosea!}
This DIY serving tray is adorable to serve your holiday cookies, apps or drinks! It’s an easy {and cheap} way to add a little something extra to your holiday treats.
Hosea’s beautiful creation at Five:
Mint Serving Tray
You’ll need:
mints
a cookie sheet
parchment or wax paper {I used wax paper, but heard parchment paper works better!}
your oven
How To:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place wax paper on cookie sheet
3. Arrange mints in any design you wish on top of wax paper or parchment paper on a cookie sheet {allowing extra room on the sides}
4. Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes
5. Take out and allow to cool on cookie sheet {cools in approximately 5 minutes}
6. Remove wax paper from bottom {be careful, tray is fragile and breaks easily}
Voila! A beautiful serving tray!
{Don’t forget your wax paper underneath the mints!
… lesson learned on this tray because it never made it off the cookie sheet in one piece!}
My favorite… with Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses.
Yum!
this candy cane didn’t turn out quite like I had hoped…
but it’s still cute
sending love…
{images via Tutto Bella & Jenna Walker Photographers}
Jodi –
This is such a cute idea! How creative and simple! Very sad I missed out on the giveaways this past week. Merry Christmas to you and Drew!
Hey Madison! I’m glad you like the tray idea! Suspended Moments is offering a discount for a personalized hanger, so definitely stay tuned
It would be so cute for your wedding! Merry Christmas to you and Kyle!
Love this idea!
Do they get sticky?
They can get sticky if they are stored in a warm setting or if you hold them when they are not completely dry. I made mine over a week ago, and they were able to dry with a little glossy feel. You can also buy a sealant from a hardware store. Good luck!
I would just break them up after your party and put in a bowl or cannister to have when you wanted.
Is this a one time use then? Also is it sticky?
Not necessarily a one time use. I brought mine to a jewelry party the other night, and now I am using it at the house for holiday chocolate. If you allow it to dry at room temperature, it will have a glossy finish and won’t be sticky
Hey Jodi,
I did this today (I’m on a break from teaching and how have so much time!!), but my edges got messed up. They melted together and kind of ran together. Did that happen to you?
Hey Therese!
No, that has not happened to me. What shape were you making? Were the edges too close together? I think maybe it was in the oven for too long, which caused it to run. Let me know!
PS It might take a few trial runs to get the hang of it. I didn’t use wax paper the first time I tried it. Let’s just say it broke… ha!
Do you put anything on them to keep them pretty, or are these a one-time use deal? Too cute not to try!!
Hi Leslie,
I haven’t… but I bet you could use a sealant as an extra coat to prevent damage and/or melting. I have used mine for multiple uses. Be careful because they can break! Thanks for commenting
Oh, this is so cool! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for visiting our blog, Beth
Don’t the trays get sticky? I live in Texas. It’s very humid here.
Hi Lisa,
I’ve only had one tray turn out sticky out of the ten that I’ve made. The rest have had a glossy finish to them and are not sticky. I live in Colorado, so it is very dry. Try it out and see how it dries. You could try refrigerating the tray and coating it with a sealant if it does not air dry well in the humidity. Good luck!
Do I need to wait for it to cool and dry completely before peeling the wax paper off?
I removed my wax paper off when it was just a bit warm, but dry enough to not bend. It is fine if you wait until it is completely dry – I think it just might stick more. Thanks for commenting!
Can you only put candy on them
I’ve put candy and cookies on them this season. I love them for little things like mints on the coffee table, too. I think any type of appetizer would also work great! Try it out
This is an amazing idea. I just posted it on my blog!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post!
Simply beautiful! A definite must-do for this week. Have you tried with any other hard candies yet? Say butterscotch rounds or jolly ranchers? I’m curious if you could achieve a “stained-glass” look with see-through candy like the jolly’s…
Thank you for the post!
Yes! Jolly Ranchers are next on my list! I’m loving the way you are thinking, Amber! I can’t wait to use pinks and blues – it’s going to look so pretty! Butterscotch rounds would be awesome, too! I’ll be posting my results on the blog. Let me know how it goes if you try it! Thank you for commenting!!
I have used jolly ranchers for the windows in my gingerbread houses and they work really well. I also made a candy bowl out of jolly ranchers; pretty cool!
I am going to try it with lifesavers, I have a bunch left over from a cookie project that I will never eat. I can understand people being worried about it getting sticky, I am thinking maybe a coat of ModPodge to seal it? I will let you know how the life savers work out.
I’d love to know how they turn out! Sounds so cute! ModPodge sounds like a good idea – thanks for the tip!
They spread out really thin, burnt, got bubbly and smoky. That was at about 6 minutes. So I would call it a failed experiment. I am going to have to go to the store and get some mints, it is so cute! Have you used any other candies?
Oh no! What temperature was it at? My oven got a little smoky while it was baking too, but it didn’t burn. Maybe back for less time or turn the temp down a notch? Here’s a tip for the bubbles. Right when you take the cookie sheet out, pop the bubbles using a toothpick, and they will melt down to the tray!
I haven’t used any other candies… yet. Jolly Ranchers are next on my list – I can’t wait to incorporate the pink! One of the ladies suggested butterscotch rounds and another suggested lifesavers. I’ll keep you posted on the Jolly Ranchers!
I did it at 350, I was thinking a lower temperature, maybe they have more sugar than the mints? Thats the only reason I could think it would happen. I will try again tomorrow and get back to you.
I have used lifesavers to make ornaments with my schoolkids. I think the trick was to take them out right before you lost the hole in the middle. Once out, they would still be melting for a minute…if you waited too long it didn’t work
These are a great idea, and look very cute. Do you think they could be made, or molded in to a small bowl?
Yes! I think it would work if you placed it in a bowl right after you take it out of the oven so that it will be nice and hot for molding. Super cute! Thanks for commenting, Tami!
Tami, I just did it and created a beautiful drape bowl!!!! Unfortunately, with the turn of events, I stuck it in the freezer so I could tend to my kids and thought it would speed up the cooling process…. STUPID! don’t do that!!!!! So, the answer is YES! You can flip your cookie sheet over onto another bowl to make a drape bowl while it’s still hot, but let it do it’s thing on it’s own…. don’t rush the cooling process!!!!
(I don’t know how to post photos here of the process though!)
I’ve made these before, but as children’s ornaments. They were shaped as wreaths, with the child’s photo glued in the center. If you hope to keep them, you definitely need to cover with poly! Do NOT store in attic. (bad lesson learned)
Ha! Thanks Debbie!
so cute — found it on pinterest, when looking for a fun/cheap/easy craft to do with my friend’s four year old. per.fect.
wow that is soo cool!!! are they sticky at all?
So my first question about this when I saw it was is it sticky? But then I saw that you answered that question multiple times.
My second question is: if you put brownies or cookies or things like that on it does it make them taste minty?
Hi Sarah!
I put gingerbread cookies and toffee on the tray, and they did not pick up and mint flavoring. I think it maybe depends on how long they are on the tray and if the setting is cool. You could put sealant on it just to be safe!
Have you tried making a bowl with it?
http://www.candywarehouse.com/starlights.html here’s a site with lots of different colors of mints!
Love this idea!
V-
So much fun! Thanks for sharing!
In the top picture it appears the edges were cut off to make a perfect circle. I bet you can cut away unwanted edges while it was still hot. I thought about a bowl too! Very nice and Im going to try it!
It’s very tedious because you have to be quick at it before the candy hardens, but it works! I did that on the candy cane tray, but only on one corner. I think it would be really messy {and difficult} to cut around the entire tray! Hats of to whoever can
I bet if you inverted the bowl and draped the candy slab over it pressing gently while it was still warm you could easily achieve a bowl shape!
OMG, I need to make a few of these! TOOOOOOO COOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!
You used wax paper not parchment? I would think that the wax paper would burn.
Good call. I haven’t had a problem with it, but maybe parchment would work better. Thanks for the suggestion!!
Yeah I used wax paper … and it didn’t burn, but it definitely made my kitchen smell offf. I pressed it into a glass pie plate because I didn’t want to deal with making one, but I wanted a type of bowl thing. It was great! My family loved it and now I want to bring more things to family events just to use it again!
I can’t wait to try jolly ranchers. What a great idea! My husband said we should go get some now!
This is *such* a darling idea … I’m going to try it right NOW! Thanks for sharing!
Made one tonight, love it and as cheap as peppermints are they are great. I wonder if you could used the red cinnamon ones for a different look!
I was thinking red/white peppermints or the red cinnamon’s would be good for a heart shaped one if
anyone is having a Valentine’s party.
This is awesome! What a great idea. I’m going to have to see if I can get this done before my Christmas Eve party.
I’d love for you to link up and share: http://tutusandteaparties.blogspot.com/2011/12/pinteresting-party-with-christmas.html
If you were to pick up the wax paper as soon as you took the tray out of the oven and then dropped it into a bowl while the mints were still warm, would it take the shape of the bowl? Maybe a fun experiment…
How cool, I can’t wait to experiment with this!
Cute, cute, cute idea!!!
This would be the cutest base for a gingerbread house!!!
Oh my gosh YES!
I read that some of you were thinking about using Jolly Ranchers. A few years ago I actually made Jolly Rancher ornaments as little gifts! You just need metal cookie cutters in your desired shape, aluminum foil (or wax paper) and jolly ranchers. Sometimes I would spray the foil and cookie cutter with Pam but I you use wax paper it might not stick at all. Put your cookie cutter on the paper and then insert a few jolly ranchers. Allow them to melt in the oven and then take them out. Use a toothpick while it is still hot to make a small round hole in the shape so that you can tie a ribbon through. They turn out super cute!
These are so beautiful!! Thanks for sharing!
I absolutely love this, so I made 2 last night. First a tray, but it sort of ran on the edges (still cute, but not perfectly rectangular). I’m sure it was my fault, I was doing other things and I’m sure I left it in the oven too long while I was making marshmallows. Still, it was cute. So, I thought, ok, I’ll make one in a round pan and that will solve THAT problem. So I had my husband cut a round piece (I used parchment paper as I don’t have any wax paper in the house) a little bigger than the bottom of a cake pan (so I would be able to lift it out and it wouldn’t stick to the edge of the cake pan) and made one. I let it cool in the pan. It worked well!
However, both were very sticky when they dried. I live in South Florida and that may be the issue, VERY humid here. So, since I was making marshmallows and I had cornstarch out to deal with the stickiness issues with them I thought…what the heck. So, I dusted them with cornstarch. I did it several times, letting it sit between coatings and wiping it off. It does not come out as pretty and shiny, but it does seem to deal with the stickiness issue if anyone else is having the problem I was.
Thank you for this adorable idea. I will put a couple of photos on my blog in the next couple of days and link back here. Glad I found your blog!
I am so glad you found a way to solve the sticky problem in humidity! Thank you so much for sharing, Susan! We will definitely check out your blog
PS I just got word last night that a nail file smooths out imperfections on the edges
This is way to cool NOT to try! I found this on pinterest! I think this will how I bring treats to my Christmas party! Thanks so much for sharing!
So clever! I love it!
how can i save these trays or crafts to keep for years to come? i live in Texas very humid.. i need the easiest and cheapest ideas please..it is a great idea so festive and cute.. and did anyone try the parchment paper instead.. to see if it would come out better..
This is the most fabulous entertaining idea ever! I wonder if it gets sticky like regular peppermint candies sometimes are.
This is too simple and too adorable to not make. Now trying to remember where I saw some mint/chocolate candies! I suppose you could finish them off to keep but seem so easy to make that storing presents itself as a bigger problem for me then anything; I’m OK with making new ones each year!
I’ve got some plain black plastic serving trays; I’m going to ‘try’ and make one to fit onto it for the added stability without losing the cuteness…thanks to you and Hosea for sharing.
Hello everyone!
I wanted to let you all know a few tips that our amazing readers have suggested to help out with sticky issues when making the tray:
1. Dust the tray with cornstarch, wiping it off in between coatings. This will help with stickiness in humid climates! {Thanks, Susan!}
2. A nail file works wonders for trimming imperfections on the tray’s edges. {Thanks, Shannon!}
3. Parchment paper works very well! {Thanks again, Susan!}
4. Use a sealant to help conserve the lifetime of the tray and cover up stickiness.
Thank you all so much for commenting and giving us your feedback! We love to know that you are trying the project and finding helpful tips!
I just tried these using some sugar free hard candy I had around. THey turned out very pretty, but the edges did run. I think 8 min might have been too long for the sugar free kind. Could not get the waxed paper off at all, so one sice just has a waxed paper coating. One I tried taking off after 5 minutes, and the other I let dry a little longer (8-9min) before trying to take off, Both did not come off. guess I will have to try parchment paper!
I am so excited about this that I am going to the store first thing tomorrow to get everything I need!!!!! The neighbors are going to love the cookie platters this year!!!!!!!!!
Hi! Does this flavor the food at all? I’d hate to have mint flavored bruschetta! LOL
Nevermind, I saw the question/answer above! Thanks!
Ok I see that you said it can be used multiple times. How do you wash it. It seems like making it wet would mess it up and make it sticky.
Yes, it can get a bit sticky if you wipe it. If you are planning to use more than one time (and for something other than individually wrapped candies), I would try using a coat of sealant. Thanks for commenting, Sommer!
This project rocks! I just wanted to let you know that I featured it this week on “You Sew Rock Me Fridays” on my blog SewRockin.com. Here’s the link if you want to check it out: http://wp.me/p1VAkT-ie
Thanks so much, Jamie! You rock! We will definitely be visiting your fabulous blog!
LOVE this. Just how easily do they break??
They can crack pretty easily, so be careful, especially when you are setting them down on a table!
Going to try this and give as gifts! Here’s to hoping that it works out. I absolutely love this idea and am so glad I found it!
Finally a use for that awkward collection of mints I get with takeout from some restaurants!
Great post, will be doing this on Saturday.
Ha! Love it! Thanks for visiting the blog!
I can’t get mine off the wax paper?? Any suggestions? I tried even spraying with PAM. I thought maybe I’m not letting them cool long enough. Love the idea. They are my trays for giving cookies to the neighbor.
Hi Danielle,
In my experience, taking the wax paper off while the tray was still warm helps. One time, I took it off a tray that was completely dry at room temp, and it stuck more. Try taking it off when the tray is still warm, but hard enough to still keep its shape – if that makes any sense! I hope this helps you out! I am so glad you made them and hope your neighbors love it! Thank you for commenting!
hairdryer?
I was so excited to make these..and so disappointed when mine didn’t turn out. I did exactly as shown and my edges ran terrible and even burned while the middle hardly melted. So, I turned down the temp a bit for the second one. It did the same thing, only didn’t burn. And, I couldn’t get any of the wax paper off either one. What could be the problem?
Hi Brandi,
Sorry yours didn’t turn out! So, the second time, it was fine except for the wax paper not coming off? A few of our readers have been using parchment paper – maybe give that a go. Also, try using a cookie sheet that is thicker. Some cookie sheets are more insulated than others, and maybe yours is thinner, which causes things to burn easily. I used Baker’s Secret pans that I would describe as medium thickness. Let me know how that works!!
This will match my color theme perfectly this year! Thanks for sharing it with me!
We did the mints today and it was fun. Here are my tips:
Fill in gaps with broken pieces.
Take it out of the oven flat because it will run.
8 min for small items. 10 min for larger items.
If you need to shape the edges with a knife do it immediately after it gets out of the oven.
Let it cool on the parchment or wax paper and then use a sharp knife and run around the edges leaving the paper on the back of the mints. That way the back won’t be tacky.
Love the tip about leaving the paper on the back!! I was a bit afraid if I made them they would end up sticking to the table!
Tricia,
Thank you for your wonderful tips! I will have to try leaving the paper on the back myself!
Love this!!
That is the neatest idea, especially for taking to a pot luck or as a hostess gift.
This is a great Idea.
Thanks for sharing the lovely tutorial! I’m definitely going to try this tonight!
I wonder if you could stack them to make the tray thicker and less fragile?
i tried this tonight and my son had a great idea of putting the candy in letters for the initals of our friends. it turned out great, a little sticky but great and our friends loved them!!! thanks for the idea
Love this idea!
Love this idea! I bet using candy canes would make a neat pattern too!
My daughter and I tried it tonight…it was fun to do together. It turned out cute. Our edges weren’t as neat as the picture…they ran a little while we waited for the center to melt. For the next one, I will take it out earlier, bc I realized it kept melting after we took it out. We left the wax paper on the back as well even though we sprayed it with PAM. Thanks for the cute idea!
Any tips on how to make the corners from running?? I tried it twice now and I can’t seem to get it to work
Parchment paper works much easier. Jolly rancher double (circle candy) work but only leave about 4-5 minutes at 300`. We’ve made ornaments and bowls for Christmas breakfast.
Love this! Does anyone know some good food-safe sealants? Maybe some regularly used for dishware? I don’t want to use some of the stuff I already have b/c the chemical toxicity is definitely not idea for eating food off of. Thanks in advance for any recommendations!
I sprayed my trays with a few coats of polyurethane and it’s perfect. Shiny and not sticky. Definitely leave the wax paper on the back of the tray to keep it from being sticky and for added strength.
I have mine in the oven now I also bought high gloss polyurethane to coat mine with I seen that in another blog somewhere. I am planning on giving them as gifts from my 9yr old son and putting our christmas cookies that we will be baking this eveing on. Wish us luck
HINT##### I took a pizze cutter to trim up any runny edges <3
pizza*
Parchment paper works much better than wax paper. Wax paper smokes in the oven as well as I couldn’t get it off the back. My edges also ran a bit more than the middle did (but had to leave it in the oven longer in order for the middle to be melted) so I think next time I’ll lower the oven temp. I’m sure all candies and all ovens aren’t created the same so it’s probably trial and error. Good thing the candy is cheap, I found mints at the dollar store so a buck a bag (tray) isn’t bad. Also, I think those little felt circles that you put under chair legs would work great on the bottom of the tray. Make for a little cushion and hopefully be less likely to break.
Found this on Pinterest and made one today. It turned out awesome! Thanks f
my daughter and her friend(13 yoa) did one in a round pan….turned out pretty good except they did not leave any room for expansion..kinda curled up on the edges, but still turned out good!! And they LOVED doing it.
Found your blog on Pinterest today! My family was coming over to come make gingerbread houses, and I decided we would try these as the base! They turned out so cute! Thanks for sharing these!
what about stacking the mints? wouldnt that make the tray stronger? I am going to try both the mints and the jolly ranchers
Love this idea!! Searched the stores to find them left so close to Christmas. Found them in store 3. Can’t wait to try!
This is great!!! Thanks for sharing the idea! I used cinnamon candies and they did good just melts a little faster. Also I discovered as soon as you take it out of the oven you can use a tooth pick and swirl the mints!
My daughter just asked if you could eat the platter. LOL!
My daughter did one with a candy cane in the middle of mints….and her friend did one with both mints and cinnamon candies….neither on turned out. they both ran together and did not stay in the shape of a square or rectangle. How do you make them stay “square”?
Made about 4 today…used lifesavers (green & red) to surround the red peppermint candies. I doubled the lifesavers the 2nd go around, as they melt much quicker than peppermint candies. Turned out very well and gave as hostess gifts. Santa’s cookie tray is out and ready for him to partake! (Yes, agree, wax paper doesn’t peel off, I cut/peeled off the paper and used as strong backing.)
Awesome idea and it turned out great. Gonna put the Santa hat brownies on it and serve for fun tomorrow.
need help asap —– made a platter in a square baking pan and dd not take it out immediately. let it cool and now it is stuck in the pan????? any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks Eva
Just heat it up again…Next time use a silicone baking mat….it works perfect. No sticking.
Yesterday, I finally tried this. I used the chocolate mint candies. While they were melting, I took a toothpick and swirled a design, beautiful green and brown swirls, popped it back in the oven to let it smooth out. When I removed it from the oven, I turned the mat over a bowl covered with a sheet of parchment and it formed a great bowl. The swirls were beautiful.and the bowl smells divine…Love this and will make it again, using smaller bowls and then serve ice cream in them. Perfect. I am so glad this has been shared with all of us. THANK YOU
I did this and it works but I tried to do the brush on modgepodge stuff and it made the red run so I suggest spray on if you are wanting to protect it and keep it. This experience has been trial and error haha BUT this was a super cute idea.
such a great idea! I love it! This will be a fun project for kids.
I was thinking that Jolly ranchers would be cool- like stained glass. Have you tried them yet?
Im wondering, if after you take it out of the oven, while its still warm, if you mold it to a bowl if you can acheive a bowl effect….hmmmmm.
I’m picturing Valentine’s Day and the potential!
I was wondering if these worked out with jolly ranchers, or lifesavers/butterscotch candies. I love this idea and was thinking to do this for my kids birthdays.
This is so cool! I am definitely trying this. I may try some other hard candy since Christmas is over, but I am making these next Christmas for sure!
Be sure to not have the mints touching because when I tried this, they were all touching and the mints never melted evenly. The mints on the outside were melted much more than the ones in the middle.
thanks for the Beautiful idea….can’t wait to try making some! I LOVE IT!
This is super neat! I read most of the comments but couldn’t read them all. This is a silly question, but just out of curiosity, can you eat it? lol thanks
Yes you can
I took a bite out of the very first tray that I made because it didn’t turn out exactly how I wanted it. YUM!!
Brilliant. I’m sharing this on my blog!
I wonder what candy you could use for Valentine’s Day? It would be fun to make little trays for my students with a cookie on each. Any ideas anyone?
Check out Bargain Hoot – she did an awesome job taking this idea to another level with heart-shaped cut outs! http://bargainhoot.com/2012/01/02/peppermint-trays-and-heart-shaped-cut-outs-from-melted-mint-candies/ (the link is at the bottom of the page)
Does anyone have the name of a sealant that is food safe that they used successfully?
does anyone know of a food safe sealant that would work on these plates?
OMG I HAVE TO MAKE THIS! Do you know long these last? I guess… do they go bad? Do they stick to the counter? Such an awesome idea!!
They can have a tendency to get a little sticky, but mostly have just a glossy finish. I have had mine out on a table to display mints since the beginning of December
Can I use any other type of candy? I would like to make this for my son’s birthday next month but the mints are too Christmas like. Any suggestions?
Trying using Jolly Ranchers! We’ve had some readers use red cinnamon candies, too
love this. I am going to try to make a shamrock for St Patty’s Day.
Found this on pinterest. Kinda sad I didn’t see it before the holidays, but definitely something I’m going to try, maybe Valentines Day or even in an egg shape for Easter. Thanks so much for sharing!
Has anyone ever tried covering them in mod podge?? My aunts daddy passed away recently and I plan to make her one like this with his initial in the middle! His nickname was “Peppermint man” Wondering if mod podge would be good to keep it from being sticky and possibly make it a little stronger!!?!
Has anyone tried placing this on a upside down bowl w/ wax paper on it after you take it out of the oven to make a bowl?
Hard candy serving dish
I love it. Can’t wait to try it around Christmas time.
Could you make these out of a different hard candy? Like jolly ranchers for instance?
we plan to try it with jolly ranchers. i don’t see why it wouldn’t work. let us know if you do it and how it turns out. we hope to do it soon. thanks for stopping by.
love the idea – wish i’d thought of it years ago! read the comment about the butterscotch disks and had an idea. wouldn’t that make a wonderful bowl for chocolate ice cream?
How do you wash them? What happens if they get wet?
Can these be cleaned once sealant/modpodge is dry?