Candy Cane Chocolate Covered Marshmallows

I go to a holiday dessert party every year. These Candy Cane Chocolate Covered Marshmallows are easy and delicious and are always a big hit. Here's what I took last year.. and what I'll probably take this year, too.

I like food on a stick, and these Candy Cane Chocolate Covered Marshmallows--the stick, of course, is a candy cane--are great! This is just a variation on Smores on a Stick. All you do differently is substitute a small candy cane for the plain stick and use crushed candy cane pieces in place of the graham cracker crumbs. These, didn't turn out very pretty, but they're incredibly tasty! I have learned a few things.. trial and error. You can also use homemade marshmallows or good quality marshmallows, but those packaged Puff Marshmallows hit the spot, too!

CANDY CANE CHOCOLATE COVERED MARSHMALLOWS

Directions
Melt good quality dark chocolate in a saucepan on top of another saucepan with simmering water.
Crush candy canes.. Here's the rub.. I should have left the candy cane pieces chunkier.. I kind of pulverized them.
Put a small curled candy cane in center of marshmallow.
Holding candy cane, dip marshmallow in melted chocolate.
Immediately swirl the marshmallow in crushed candy cane bits (or spoon candy cane bits over chocolate).
Put finished Candy Cane Chocolate Marshmallow on parchment lined cookie sheet. I recommend putting them flat with the candy cane straight up. I didn't do that, and as you can see, they were wobbly.
Repeat.
When you've dipped them all, put them in the refrigerator to firm up.

History of the Candy Cane from About.com:   

During the 17th century, Europeans adopted Christmas trees as part of Christmas celebrations, and they often made cookies and sugar stick candy as decorations. The first historical reference to the familiar cane shape goes back to 1670, when the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany, bent the sugar sticks into canes to represent a shepherd's staff. The all white candy canes were given out to children during the nativity services. This tradition of handing out candy canes during Christmas services spread throughout Europe and later to America.

The first historical reference to the candy cane being in America goes back to 1847, when German immigrant August Imgard decorated the Christmas tree in his Wooster, Ohio home with candy canes.

About fifty years later the first red-and-white striped candy canes appeared. No one knows who exactly invented the stripes, but Christmas cards prior to the year 1900 showed only all white candy canes. Christmas cards after 1900 showed illustrations of striped candy canes. Around the same time, candy-makers added peppermint and wintergreen flavors to their candy canes and those flavors then became the traditional favorites.