recipes

31 Homemade Candy Recipes for the Sweetest Gift Ever

Maybe it’s a gift to yourself. Lucky you.
Image may contain Food Creme Dessert Cake Cream Cupcake Icing Confectionery and Sweets
Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Kat Boytsova.  Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca

Of course you can buy lollipops. But who doesn’t want to be the sort of person who pulls a homemade lollipop out of their purse and offers it to a friend on a moment’s notice? “It’s saffron-pear,” you’d say casually. Imagine a world where that’s you.

For lollipops you’ll need lollipop sticks (go figure) and a candy thermometer too. And while we do think a candy thermometer is well worth the drawer space, we also have plenty of homemade candy recipes that need no special equipment. These Free-Form Chocolate Candies—you pick the toppings—require little more than a spoon and baking sheet. And with just some muffin liners, you could churn out these Chocolate Date Caramel Cups, or these Salted Coconut Ladoos.

So what’ll it be? Here are 31 of our favorite homemade candy recipes. Consider us jealous of whoever you choose to share them with.

  • Image may contain Confectionery Food and Sweets
    Alex Lau
    1/31

    Ube (Purple Yam) Candies

    For these stunning yam candies, you will need a ricer or a food mill. We vote for the former, so you can also use it for life-changing mashed potatoes.

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  • Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    2/31

    Kaju Katli

    This five-ingredient sweet is Priya Krishna’s all-time favorite, and it’s as good for a Wednesday-afternoon snack (keep some in your freezer!) as it is for a Diwali celebration.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Kat Boytsova.  Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca
    5/31

    Salted Coconut Ladoos

    Birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, Diwali, Christmas—any occasion would benefit from these easy and adorable ladoos.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova
    6/31

    Chocolate-Almond Fridge Fudge

    There's a secret ingredient that helps replace the dairy in this vegan, fudgelike treat. Just kidding; it's not a secret...it's avocado!

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  • Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
    7/31

    Black-and-White Halvah

    Both types of tahini should be roughly the same consistency for this halvah recipe—ideally pretty loose and pourable—which makes it easy to marble them. Most black tahini will be great, but Roland and Whole Foods 365 Organic were the best of the white tahini we tested.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau
    8/31

    Sour Candied Citrus Peels

    These are like homemade Sour Patch Kids, and we can't stop eating them.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    9/31

    Salted Chocolate Halva

    Salt and bittersweet chocolate lend a savory, sophisticated edge to this typically saccharine-sweet dessert.

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  • Alex Lau
    10/31

    Apple Caramels

    If you don’t have any (or don’t like) hazelnuts, try this autumnal treat with coconut flakes, pecans, walnuts, or peanuts—or simply leave them out.

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  • 19/31

    Candied Grapefruit Peel

    If you want to go the extra mile—of course you do—dunk this chewy candied citrus peel in melted chocolate. (Bittersweet would be a beautiful complement to the tangy grapefruit.)

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  • 20/31

    Pumpkin Seed Brittle

    For that friend who is allergic to peanuts, this crunchy pepita brittle is just the ticket. The salt on top is a must to balance all the sweetness.

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  • 23/31

    Crunch Bars

    The toppings are up to you—use popcorn, coconut, or crushed nuts, to start.

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  • 24/31

    Salted Pistachio Brittle

    Crumble this pistachio brittle on top of store-bought pistachio ice cream and you have a wildly elegant, fully festive dessert to cap off a party.

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  • Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott
    27/31

    Cran-Apple Jellies

    This dark red mixture will bubble and spit like a vat of lava as it cooks. Okay, slight exaggeration, but really: Cook this in a deep pot and use a long whisk.

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  • Danny Kim
    28/31

    Spicy Orange Hazelnut Chocolate Bark

    Not in the mood to boil sugar? With chocolate bark, you don’t have to. This recipe has toasted hazelnuts, orange zest, and a pinch of cayenne.

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