7 Candies You Can Make On Your Own
Everyone loves eating candy. That’s why you can find candy everywhere you look. These are some candies that you can’t find everywhere, but these candies you can make on your own. Enjoy these candies!
1. Peppermint Meringues
Meringues are really light and fluffy, so they are slightly difficult candies you can make on your own. But they’re really good when you make them right. The peppermint also makes it taste really good, too.
Ingredients:
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon of peppermint extract
- 12 drops of red food coloring
Steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use an electric mixer and beat the egg whites and salt on medium-high speed until white and foamy, about 1 minute. With the mixer still running, add the sugar in 3 parts, beating for 2 minutes between each addition. Beat until firm peaks form, about 2 additional minutes. Add powdered sugar and peppermint extract and beat to blend, about 1 minute.
2. Dot the food coloring over the meringue. Do not mix because the coloring will form swirls when piped. Spoon the meringue into a pastry bag, fitted with a 1/2 inch tip. Or you can put the meringue in a plastic freezer bag and cut 1/2 inch off the corner. Twist the top, pipe 1/2 inch rounds onto prepared sheet, about 1 inch apart.
3. Bake meringues until dry, about 2 1/2 hours. Let them cool completely, about 1 hour. The meringues will crisp as they cool. Store airtight at room temperature between sheets of wax or parchment paper.
2. Halloween Peanut Butter and Toffee Candy Bar
Halloween is the best holiday if you love eating candy. This is a candy bar you can make with all of the leftover candy you get from Halloween.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of bittersweet chocolate chips
- 3 2.1-ounce Butterfinger candy bars, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 1.4-ounce Heath toffee candy bars, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
- 8 0.55-ounce peanut butter cups, each cut into 8 wedges
- 1/4 cup of honey roasted peanuts
- 3 ounces of white chocolate, chopped
- Reese’s pieces and/or yellow and orange peanut M&M’s
Steps:
1. Line the baking sheet with tin foil. Stir chocolate chips in a heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and warm, not hot, to touch. Pour chocolate onto foil, spread to 1/4 inch thickness, about 12×10 inch rectangle. Sprinkle with Butterfinger candy, toffee, peanut butter cups, and nuts, making sure all pieces touch melted chocolate to stick properly.
2. Put white chocolate in a heavy small saucepan, stir constantly over very low heat until chocolate is melted and warm, not hot to touch. Remove from heat. Dip spoon into chocolate, wave from side to side over bark, creating a zigzag pattern. Scatter Reese’s Pieces and M&M’s over, making sure candy touches the chocolate.
3. Chill bark until firm, 30 minutes. Slide foil with candy onto the work surface, peel off foil. Cut bark into irregular pieces.
3. Rose Water Marshmallows
Marshmallows are always a good thing to eat. Being able to make your own marshmallows to eat is an even better thing. I recommend you try these candies you can make on your own.
Ingredients:
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, divided, plus more for dusting
- 1/2 ounce of unflavored powdered gelatin
- 2 large egg whites
- 2 cups of sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of rose water or orange-flower water
- 1 drop of red or orange food coloring, optional
Steps:
1. Lightly coat a 13×9 baking pan with nonstick spray, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Combine gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in a small bowl. Let stand until gelatin has softened, 10-15 minutes. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.
2. Fit a medium heavy saucepan with a candy thermometer. Bring sugar and 1/2 cup of water to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush. Boil sugar mixture, without stirring, until thermometer registers 250 degrees, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and add gelatin mixture, stirring until dissolved.
3. With the mixer running, drizzle hot sugar mixture down the side of the bowl into the egg whites, add rose water, increase speed to high, and beat until mixture has cooled slightly and tripled in volume, about 5-7 minutes. Beat in food coloring, if desired. Spread marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan, let cool for at least 4 hours or overnight.
4. Dust tops of marshmallow with remaining 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Turn out of the pan and cut into 1-inch pieces, dust with more powdered sugar. Store tightly wrapped in plastic at room temperature.
4. Snickers Bar
These are more like energy bars that look and taste a little like snickers, but they are still really good and fairly easy to make.
Ingredients:
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 3 1/2 ounces of high-quality milk chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup of creamy peanut butter
- 3/4 cup of puffed rice cereal
Peanut Nougat
- 1 large egg white
- 1/8 teaspoon plus 3/4 cup of sugar, divided
- 3 tablespoons of honey
- 1 tablespoon of light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup of toasted salted peanuts, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
Milk Chocolate Bavarian Cream
- 4 tablespoons of whole milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup of chilled heavy cream, divided
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
- 9 ounces of high-quality milk chocolate, melted
Chocolate Coating
- 9 ounces of bittersweet milk chocolate, chopped
- 2 1/2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Steps:
1. Make the Base: Coat an 8x8x2 inch metal pan with nonstick spray, line with plastic wrap, pressing to smooth out any wrinkles. Place chocolate in a medium metal bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the saucepan, stir in peanut butter, and then the rice cereal. Transfer to prepared pan, press over the bottom in an even layer. Cover and chill for an hour.
2. Make the Nougat: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, coat with nonstick spray. Place the egg white in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until frothy. Add 1/8 teaspoon of sugar, beat until peaks begin to form. Bring honey to a boil in a small saucepan. With the mixer running, gradually add honey to the egg white, set aside.
3. Stir 3/4 cup of sugar, corn syrup, and 3 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Increase the heat, boil until the mixture reaches 275 degrees, 5-7 minutes.
4. Return the mixer with the egg white to medium speed. Gradually add syrup to the egg white, allowing it to drip down the sides of the bowl. Beat until glossy and stiff, about 5 minutes. Fold in peanuts and salt. Spread nougat over prepared sheet into an 8-inch square, about 1/4 inch thick. Let it cool for one hour. Invert nougat over the base in the pan. Peel off the parchment paper and spread over the base in an even layer.
5. Make the Cream: Place 2 tablespoons of milk in a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over it. Let it stand to soften, about 10 minutes. Bring the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk and 1/4 cup of cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Whisk yolks and sugar in a medium bowl, gradually whisk in hot cream mixture. Return to the same pan, stir over medium-low heat until thickened and a thermometer registers 175 degrees, about 3 minutes. Add gelatin, whisk until dissolved.
6. Place melted chocolate in another medium bowl. Pour cream mixture through a strainer into chocolate, whisk until smooth. Beat the remaining 3/4 cup of chilled cream in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture in 2 additions, folding just to blend between each addition. Pour Bavarian cream over nougat, spreading in an even layer. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
7. Make the Chocolate Coating: Place chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Invert 8-inch pan onto a work surface, remove pan and peel off the plastic. Turn over and cut into 6 slices, then halve each slice crosswise. Transfer pieces to prepared baking sheet, base side down. Using an offset spatula, spread chocolate over tops and sides of bars, then freeze to set for about 30 minutes. Cover with tin foil and freeze.
5. Chocolate-Peppermint Fudge
Fudge is a really good candy to make because there are so many types. The chocolate and peppermint go really nicely together, so this makes really good candies you can make on your own.
Ingredients:
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 2 1/4 cups of sugar
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons of light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 6 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 4 tablespoons of butter, cut into pieces
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon of peppermint flavoring or extract, or 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint oil
- 2 ounces of soft peppermint puff candies, finely crushed
Steps:
1. Line an 8×8 inch baking dish with tin foil, pressing into edges. Lightly coat with nonstick spray. Heat sugar, cream, corn syrup, salt, and 2 tablespoons of water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Add chocolate and stir until melted and mixture is smooth, then bring to a boil. Fit saucepan with a candy thermometer and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, brushing down the sides of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush as needed to dissolve sugar crystals until the thermometer registers 238 degrees.
2. Immediately pour the mixture into a large bowl, do not scrape the sides or bottom of the pan. Dot the top of the mixture with butter, do not stir. Rinse the thermometer, removing any sugar crystals, pat dry, and fit on the bowl. Let the mixture sit until the thermometer registers 110 degrees, 30-45 minutes.
3. Remove the thermometer. Add vanilla extract and peppermint flavoring to the mixture and beat with a hand mixer on high speed until mixture is light and thick, like frosting, and has lost its high gloss, will still have a light sheen, about 4 minutes. Scrape into the prepared pan, smooth surface, and then top with peppermint candies, pressing gently into the surface. Cover with plastic and let the fudge sit at room temperature until set, at least 4 hours.
4. Using foil, remove fudge from pan, peel away the foil and cut fudge into a 6×6 grid to make 36 squares. Keep stored at room temperature.
6. Nutty Chocolate Toffee Bark
Chocolate and toffee are always a good combination. Adding nuts to those two ingredients, and makes an amazing flavor for a candy bar.
Ingredients:
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, melted
- 1/2 cup of unsalted, roasted nuts, chopped
- 1/4 cup of seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon of flaky sea salt
Steps:
1. Lightly coat a large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Combine butter, granulated and brown sugars, salt, and 2 tablespoons of water in a large heavy saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling pan occasionally until thermometer registers 300 degrees, toffee should be a deep, golden brown, 7-9 minutes.
2. Remove toffee from heat and carefully mix in vanilla. Sprinkle baking soda evenly over the surface and stir until just incorporated, be careful not to over mix. Quickly scrape the mixture onto the prepared sheet and tilt from side to side to spread the mixture slightly. Let cool for 10 minutes.
3. Drizzle chocolate over the toffee and spread evenly with an offset spatula or large metal spoon. Scatter nuts and seeds over top, then sprinkle with sea salt. Let sit until chocolate is firm, at least two hours. Break into large shards. Store airtight at room temperature.
7. Apple Caramels
Apples and caramel are the perfect duo for candies you can make on your own. Candied apples are always caramel with chocolate over it, so this candy is fantastic for you to try.
Ingredients:
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 1/2 cup of blanched hazelnuts
- 2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 1/2 cups of raw sugar
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon of flaky sea salt, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons of Calvados or other apple-flavored brandy
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick spray. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving a two-inch overhang on the long sides of the pan, and spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray. Spread the hazelnuts on a small, rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally, until fragrant and light brown, 7-1o minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, chop, and set aside.
2. Bring cinnamon, cider, and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer over high heat, swirling pan to dissolve sugar. Cook, swirling pan occasionally until thermometer registers 280 degrees and caramel is dark amber, about 15-20 minutes.
3. Remove pan from heat and add cream, butter, and 1 teaspoon of salt, mixture will bubble vigorously. Return to medium-high heat and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until thermometer registers 250 degrees, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and swirl in Calvados, vanilla, and reserved hazelnuts.
4. Pour into prepared pan and chill until firm but not hard, about 1 hour. Let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes to loosen the caramel, and then remove from the pan with the parchment overhang. Peel the parchment from the caramels, trim the edges and cut into 3/4 inch pieces. Wrap individually in parchment paper and chill, or serve on a platter. Sprinkle with salt just before serving.
