7 Chewy Candies That You Can Make Great Snacks With
Chewy candies are really good on their own, but sometimes they taste better in cookies or other desserts. Try some of these desserts to make your own chewy candies. They are really good, and you will love them as much as I do. Well, maybe not as much as me, but you will like them, too.
1. Sweet-Tart Lemon Chews Candy
These sweet-tart chewy candies taste sort of like Starburst candies. You can make these any flavor you want, also, which makes the candies that much better. I hope you enjoy these chewy candies as much as I do!
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 1/2 cup of light corn syrup
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid
- 1 to 2 drops of yellow food coloring
Steps:
1. Prepare a 9×5 loaf pan by lining it with foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine the butter, corn syrup, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the butter and sugar dissolve, then wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Insert a candy thermometer.
3. Cook the candy, stirring occasionally until the thermometer reads 245 degrees. It’s very important to not overcook the candy because even slightly overcooking it can cause the texture to harden and not be as chewy.
4. When it reaches the right temperature, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon extract, citric acid, and yellow food coloring. Stir until the ingredients are well dispersed, then pour the candy into the prepared pan.
5. Allow the candy to set at room temperature until it cools and sets completely at least four hours or overnight.
6. Once set, remove the candy from the pan using the foil as handles and flip it upside down on a cutting board. Carefully peel the foil off the back. Use an oiled chef’s knife to cut the candy into small 1-inch squares to serve.
7. They will gradually lose their shape if left at room temperature because they are soft and chewy. Wrap them in wax paper to make them easy to save and handle. Individually wrapped candies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
2. Starburst-Style Chewy Candy
Starburst are really good. The fruity flavor of the chewy squares is amazing. I love eating Starburst all the time, any day of the year. These chewy candies are definitely worth the three hours it takes to make them, so I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of gelatin
- 1 1/4 cups of water
- 3.5 grams of gum arabic
- 1 tablespoon of citric acid
- 1 teaspoon of citrus essential oil
- 2/3 cup of vegetable shortening
- 1/2 teaspoon of liquid soy lecithin
- 3 1/4 tablespoons of powdered sugar
- 3 cups of granulated sugar
- 2 cups of glucose syrup
Steps:
1. Combine gelatin and water in a ziplock-style or vacuum bag and seal. Place bag in water heated to 140 degrees. Keep it there about 30 minutes, plus or minus about 10 minutes. You can tell the gelatin has fully bloomed when the bag contents form a thick syrup that is lump and streak free.
2. In a small bowl, combine water and gum arabic. The gum arabic has a tendency to clump. To ensure it hydrates fully, keep stirring or whisking until smooth, or combine an hour ahead of time. Cover, and the mixture will turn clear in about 30 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, combine water and citric acid. Stir until acid dissolves fully. Add essential oil. Combine shortening, lecithin, and powdered sugars with the gum arabic and citric acid mixtures from the previous step.
4. In a pot, combine glucose, water, and sugar. Over medium heat, cook sugar mixture until it reaches a temperature of 262 degrees. Remove from the heat. Add all ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
5. Begin mixing on low until the ingredients start coming together. Slowly increase speed to high. Once you have achieved maximum speed, keep going for about two minutes to make sure everything is mixed together. The candy should be white and thick, and it should form a ball quickly.
6. Scoop onto a flat, cool, lightly greased surface to cool and grow firm. Once you can poke it without it sticking to you, you can begin pulling. Pull it until it no longer is elastic-like, or until you can’t pull it anymore. It should be about 20-30 minutes.
7. Twist it into the shape you would like and then let it cool completely. Once it is cool, wrap it and let it rest for two days before you start eating it. The outside will be hard, but the inside will be chewy.
3. Cajeta Candy
Cajeta candy is chewy cinnamon milk candy. It’s really good and definitely worth the few hours it takes to make them. They’re kind of like tootsie rolls and caramels. If you like chewy candies, this is the next candy for you to try.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup of half & half
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of light corn syrup
- 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
Steps:
1. Grease a 9×9-inch baking dish. Set it aside.
2. In a medium sized pot over medium-high heat, combine half & half, granulated sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter. Cook while stirring until a candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees. Remove the pot from the heat.
3. Stir in vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, and let the mixture cool completely. When cooled, cut into small rectangles and wrap in wax paper for storage.
4. Gumdrops
Gumdrops are really good. They come in several different flavors, so you can make ten different colored pieces. They are easy to make, too, so it won’t take very much of your time. The chewy candies are worth making.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of gelatin
- 1/4 cup and 2 teaspoons of water
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/3 cup of hot water
- 1 to 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
- Other food flavors and coloring
- Candy molds, anything will work for the gumdrops
Steps:
1. Add gelatin to a bowl of water. Gelatin sheets can be cut into smaller pieces to help absorb faster. Stir well until dissolved completely. It takes about 15-20 minutes.
2. Add sugar, hot water, and fruit juice to a saucepan. Bring them to a boil at high heat while stirring well to dissolve the sugar. Then let the syrup simmer at low heat for ten minutes.
3. Add softened gelatin, after it soaks in the water for 15 minutes, to the syrup pan together with the soaking water. Stir well until the gelatin dissolves into the sugar syrup. Simmer the mixture for 2-3 minutes more before turning off the heat.
4. Pour the mixture into the molds, let it cool down, then keep it in the refrigerator for at least four hours until completely cool and firm. Remove the gumdrops. They are very sticky, so dip a sharp knife in hot water and push it down the sides of the mold to get the gumdrop away from the sides.
5. Cut the gumdrops into small pieces and then roll them in granulated sugar. Make sure the candies are dry or sugar lumps will form. Let the gumdrops stay on a cooling rack to let them dry and make sure the sugar sticks properly, about 1-2 days.
6. Keep the gumdrops in an airtight bag or jar in a cool place. The ones with sugar will stay good for several weeks.
5. Chewy Leftover Candy Cookies
These cookies can use any candy you have laying around. It is a very quick recipe, that requires very little time for the dough to chill. Use you leftover chewy candies to make this very good cookie that you will love as soon as you take a bite!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of butter
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1 egg and 1 yolk
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon of corn starch
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup of chopped candy/candy bars
Steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, corn starch, baking soda, and salt. Set this aside, too.
2. Cream butter for 1-2 minutes until it is nice and soft. Add sugar and brown sugar, creaming again for around 2 minutes. Be sure to scrape all the edges so it’s all incorporated and there aren’t any large butter chunks.
3. Now add in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Continue to mix until combined well. Slowly add in your flour mixture to the butter mixture, 1/3 at a time. Your dough will be thick, which is good. Next, fold in your candy pieces, until evenly distributed.
4. Take 2 tablespoons of the dough and form it into a ball. You can use a cookie scoop or a spoon for this. Place it on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake your cookies at 350 for about 9 minutes. Once the cookies come out of the oven, let them cool for about 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Then let them cool the rest of the way.
6. Chocolate Peanut Chewy Candy Bars
These are the ultimate chewy candy bar. They are really soft, so they won’t hurt your teeth, and they have a little bit of a crunch, so they aren’t just a chewy candy. If you love chewy candies, this is a really good candy for you to try!
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup of light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup of cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 11-ounce package of butterscotch chips
- 1/2 cup of light colored corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 2 cups of lightly salted dry roasted peanuts
- 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Steps:
1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, line a 9×13 inch pan with tin foil, and spray with cooking spray. Set the pan aside. In a large bowl, add the flour and brown sugar, and whisk to combine. Add the 1/2 cup of diced butter and cut the butter with a fork until you have small, crumbly bits.
2. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, hard pack it with your hand or a spatula, and bake it for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until just barely golden brown.
3. While the crust bakes, add the butterscotch chips, corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons of butter to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat to melt. Stir continuously because it will take a while to melt the butterscotch chips.
4. After the crust is done baking, evenly sprinkle the peanuts, evenly drizzle the butterscotch sauce mixture, and evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips. Return the pan to the oven and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the butterscotch is lightly bubbling and the chocolate chips have started melting.
5. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for about 2 hours on a wire rack, or until the bars have set completely. Bars will keep airtight and at room temperature for seven days.
7. Gummy Bear Heart Cookies
Gummy bears are really good, so anything involving them is going to be just as good. These are sugar cookies with gummy bears melted into them. These chewy candies are really good mixed with the sugar cookies they are baked with.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of softened butter
- 2/3 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 1/4 cups of flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 24 gummy bears cut in half
Steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg yolk, and mix until smooth. Add the flour and salt, and mix to form a thick dough.
3. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, and place on prepared baking sheets. Use your finger to press down twice on the ball, creating a heart shaped indent. Place two gummy bear halves in the indent, forming a v shape.
4. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the cookies are just slightly golden at the bottom and the gummy bears are melty. If the gummy bears do not melt right away, use a toothpick to help spread the gummy around the indent.
5. Cool completely before eating. Enjoy!
