How to Make a Polymer Clay Peppermint Candy Dish

I’ve got a soft spot for all things peppermint once the holidays roll around.
I’ve also got a thing for making trinket dishes, and this project happens to marry the two.
Best part? This sweet polymer clay peppermint candy dish is a lot quicker to make than my usual clay dishes.

This tutorial is for anyone who:

• Loves a cheerful handmade touch in their holiday decor
• Is looking for a beginner-friendly polymer clay project
• Wants a quick, satisfying project you can finish in about an hour

We’re talking candy stripes, minimal tools, and an easy project with minimal fuss.
You’ll be whipping up a peppermint dish that’s cute enough to gift, though you’ll probably want to keep this one for yourself.

Why Make a Polymer Clay Peppermint Candy Dish?

Festive Without the Fuss

• Makes a fun and functional decor piece
• Brightens up your coffee table, desk, or cookie station (yes, that’s a thing)
• Ideal for gifting — wrap it up with actual peppermints for bonus points

A No-Stress Project for Beginners

• No fancy tools required — just red and white clay, an oven-safe bowl, and a bit of time
• Perfect for trying out cane-making without getting overwhelmed

Quick & Satisfying

• You can start and finish this in about 60 to 90 minutes (not counting baking)
• The visual payoff is high for how little effort it takes

Tips Before You Get Started

Keep Your Whites White

White clay attracts lint, dust, and colored bits of clay like nobody’s business.
Make sure to thoroughly wipe down your tools, work area, and hands before touching that package of white clay.
If you’ve been putting off cleaning your pasta machine, now is the time to do it.

Stripe Strategy

Be sure to keep those red and white stripes evenly sized for a clean look to your cane.
If your cane is too soft to slice without distorting, pop it in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes or so.

Cane Cutting Confidence

Turn the cane a quarter turn after each slice to help keep those peppermint slices round.
Use your sharpest blade for clean, smear-free slices.

Bake Like a Pro

Tent your piece with foil to prevent browning, especially with white clay.
Let it cool completely before trying to pop it off the bowl.

Tools & Materials

• Non-porous work surface — I work on either glazed tile or glass
• Pasta machine dedicated to polymer clay use — I use an Atlas 180 and will refer to the settings I use on my machine. If you don’t have a pasta machine an acrylic roller and some playing cards will do in a pinch, it’ll just take a bit more elbow grease
• White & red polymer clay — I’m using Fimo Professional but go ahead and use your favorite brand
• Polymer clay blade — use your sharpest blade for clean, crisp slices
• Oven safe bowl — for this project a bowl with a smooth outer bottom to build on will work best
• Translucent liquid clay — optional, but I like the extra security
• Wet/dry sandpaper — optional, for finishing

How to Make a Polymer Clay Peppermint Candy Dish

Step 1 – Build Your Cane Base

To make a dish approximately 5” across at the widest point, condition 2 1/2 oz (1 1/4 blocks) of white clay and roll it into a cylinder with a generous 1 1/4” diameter.
To make a larger cane, use more white clay but keep the diameter the same in order to fit the stripes size as written in the next step.

Step 2 – Make the Stripes

Condition more white clay and finish by sheeting it on the thickest setting (No. 0).
Cut the width to match the length of your cylinder of white clay.
Cut the sheet in half and layer the two halves together so you have a double thickness.

Repeat the above step with the red clay.

Cut nine 1/4” strips from both the white and red clays.

Cover the outside of the white clay cylinder with alternating red and white stripes.

Step 3 – Reduce the Cane

Reduce the cane by gently squeezing from the middle to the ends until it’s at least doubled, or even tripled, in length.
Roll to smooth, making sure to keep the stripes straight, and then alternate between gently stretching and rolling until the cane is approximately 1/2” in diameter.

Limiting the amount of rolling you do while you reduce the cane helps to keep the stripes straight. You’ll end up with less distortion and less waste on the ends.

Step 4 – Slice & Arrange

Cut thick (~3 mm) slices from the cane.
If you find your cane is getting flat on the bottom, give it a quarter turn after each slice to help keep it rounded.

Place a single slice in the center bottom of your bowl and gently press down so it sticks well to the mold.
Arrange six slices around the first one and gently but firmly press them together.
I dipped the edge of my cane slices in a little liquid clay to help ensure everything stuck together well after curing.

Continue adding slices in the same manner until you’ve used them all up or your dish is as big as you’d like it to be.

Step 5 – Finish & Bake

Before curing, carefully burnish the dish to make sure everything is well stuck together.
I did this with a small piece of parchment paper and my fingertip, but you could use a roller instead.
Do a lint check as well, because you know white clay is unforgiving that way.

Tent with foil and bake at the recommended temperature for your brand of clay for 45 to 60 minutes.

Once cooled, carefully remove the dish from the mold and finish with sanding, if desired.

Design Option: Add Feet

The first peppermint candy dish I made was on a bowl with a rounded bottom.
To make it sit without wobbling, I cut two peppermint cane slices in half to make four feet and added them before baking the dish with a dab of liquid clay.
You could add feet to a flat-bottomed dish as well, if you’re feeling fancy.

Extra Cane Slices?

Use them as beads and make some sweet peppermint earrings.
I had a few slices left over, so I pushed a headpin through the cane slice and made some flat red beads as well.
After baking, I made a loop at the top and added ear wires.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You just made the cutest polymer clay peppermint candy dish ever.
Whether you use it to serve candy (make sure it’s wrapped — polymer clay isn’t food safe), hold jewelry, or stash tiny holiday trinkets, this little piece is full of festive charm.
And if anyone asks where you bought it? Just smile and say, “Oh, this old thing? I made it.”

Tag me on Instagram @bysandracallander so I can see your candy dish creations.

And if you’re on a festive craft roll, check out these polymer clay Christmas ornaments next.