Kid-Friendly Candy Recipes

Kids and candy go hand-in-hand, but sometimes homemade candy recipes can be too technical or dangerous for young kitchen assistants. These simple and safe kid-friendly recipes are a great way to introduce children to the joys of candymaking, and everyone in the family will enjoy eating the final product!

1. Candy Pizza

(c) 2008 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

This candy pizza recipe is easy and fun for kids to make, and tastes as great as it looks! Chocolate is mixed with mini marshmallows and crispy cereal to form a chewy, crunchy, chocolatey crust, and is topped with candied fruit or candies, coconut, and drizzles of white chocolate.

2. Rocky Road Candy

Elizabeth LaBau

These classic Rocky Road drop candies feature dark chocolate, chewy marshmallows and toasted nuts. You can experiment with adding different nuts, chunks of white chocolate, or dried fruit to the mix.

3. Oreo Truffles

(c) 2007 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

This recipe for oreo truffles calls for only three ingredients. Kids can help roll the balls and dip the candies, and they’ll like the familiar taste of oreos in cookie form.

4. Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels

(c) 2007 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels are easy to make, and the combination of sweet chocolate and salty, crunchy pretzels is fantastic. Let kids choose the toppings and go to town adding sprinkles, nuts, coconut, or whatever else you can think of!

5. Chocolate Clay

(c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Chocolate Clay is a delicious chocolate-peanut butter candy paste that can be used as an edible Play-Doh. Your kids will have trouble deciding whether they’d rather play with it or eat it!

6. Turtle Candies

(c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Turtle Candies get their name from their whimsical turtle shape. The combination of toasted pecans, soft caramel and smooth chocolate is impossible to resist.

7. Chocolate Cherry Mice

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Chocolate Cherry Mice are adorable chocolate-covered cherries, decorated with chocolate kisses and almonds so that they look like candy mice! This is a great candy to make with kids, because it doesn't require any cooking and only minimal assembly.

8. Tiger Fudge

(c) 2007 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com

Tiger Fudge is a peanut butter and chocolate treat made from only three ingredients. It looks so sophisticated and tastes so good, no one will ever guess how easy it is to make.

9. Rock Candy

(c) 2007 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Rock candy is a simple sugar candy that can double as a science experiment. The process can take up to a week, but it’s fun to watch the sugar crystals growing over time.

10. Sweet Potatoes Candy

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Young helpers will enjoy shaping the potatoes; and rolling them in the cinnamon mixture. These candies don't contain actual potatoes, but they do feature an unusual but delicious cinnamon-coconut combination.

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Cinco de Mayo Candy Recipes

Cinco De Mayo seems to be Spanish for “Big Party” in the United States. This May holiday provides a great excuse to get together with friends and feast on traditional (and not-so-traditional) Mexican foods. These Cinco de Mayo candy recipes are designed to compliment a range of Mexican menus, and will provide the perfect finish to your Cinco de Mayo festivities.

Spiced Chocolate Candies

One hallmark of Mexican cooking is the use of fragrant spices like cinnamon and chile in all manner of dishes, including dessert. Try these unique, delicious spiced chocolate candy recipes and you may never eat plain chocolate again.

• Mexican Chocolate Fudge
• Mexican Chocolate Truffles
• Cinnamon Truffles
• Aztec Truffles
• Mocha Meltaway Truffles
• Pistachio-Chile Chocolate Bark

Caramel Candies

Caramel-flavored desserts are among the most popular in Mexican cooking. These candies and fudges all incorporate darkly sweet caramel in some form, whether it be the milky sweetness of Dulce de Leche, or the brown-sugar based Penuche and Orange-Caramel Fudge.

• Dulce de Leche
• Penuche Fudge
• Sweet and Salty Pecan Drops
• Orange-Caramel Fudge

Fruity Candies

Where would Mexican cuisine be without fruit? Flavors like pineapple and lime are often used to accent dishes, while prickly pear cactus fruit is a traditional ingredient that produces an unusual candy.

• Lime Creams
• Mango-Coconut Balls
• Pina Colada Clusters
• Cactus Candy

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Peanut Candy Recipes

Are you nuts for peanuts? Then you'll love this list of my Top 20 peanut candies. From old standbys like peanut brittle and peanut caramels, to more adventurous recipes like potato chip peanut fudge, this collection of peanut candy recipes really showcases the delicious diversity of peanut candies.

Be sure to click through to the next page so you don't miss any candy recipes!

1. Honey Roasted Peanuts

(c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

This Honey Roasted Peanuts recipe produces golden brown nuts with a deep honey taste, a satisfying crunch, and a kiss of salt.

2. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

This recipe for peanut butter cups produces a delicious chocolate shell filled with smooth, creamy peanut butter. They're reminiscent of Reese's cups, but the filling is smoother and less chalky.

3. Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Love sweet and salty flavors? These Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles are for you! Sweet, smooth chocolate truffles are filled with salty peanut butter and crunchy pretzel bits, and topped with just a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

4. Peanut Butter and Jelly Fudge

(c) 2008 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Have dessert for lunch today! This recipe features the great taste of peanut butter and jelly in a smooth, creamy fudge.

5. Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bites

(c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bites are small squares, but they have big flavor! With a cocoa-peanut base, a center of peanut butter fudge, and a chocolate topping, these pack a peanut-chocolate wallop.

6. Spiced Peanut Butter Fudge

(c) 2012 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Spiced Peanut Butter Fudge is an easy, sweet-and-salty fudge that gets a little kick from spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. You can also add a dash of ground cayenne if you want some heat with your fudge.

7. Peanut Honey Toffee

(c) 2008 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

This toffee recipe, featuring honey, peanut butter, and whole peanuts, is a delicious twist on an old favorite. The honey adds a slight chewiness and a subtle note of sweetness to the double peanut flavor.

8. Peanut Butter Fondant

(c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Peanut Butter Fondant makes a smooth, rich peanut butter cream filling, perfect for dipping in chocolate. Dip your peanut butter fondants into chocolate and top them with crushed peanuts for a sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy treat.

9. Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars are a layered candy featuring a crispy chocolate base, a stripe of peanut butter fudge, a layer of chocolate-peanut fudge, and a smooth chocolate icing on top.

10. Peanut Caramels

(c) 2008 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

This Peanut Caramel recipe features a sweet, chewy caramel packed with salty, crunchy peanuts. These are great on their own, but when they are dipped in chocolate they are positively decadent and resemble miniature candy bars.

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Bacon Candy Recipes

Achin' for bacon? Look no further than this list of bacon candy recipes! Bacon candy is the newest craze, and this collection includes favorites like chocolate-covered bacon, candied bacon, and bacon caramels.

1. Candied Bacon

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Candied bacon may sound wrong, but it's oh so right! To make this easy recipe, all you need to do is coat bacon with a sugar and spice mixture and bake it until it's crispy. The resulting treat is simultaneously chewy and crunchy, sweet and salty, and completely addicting.

2. Chocolate-Covered Bacon

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Sweet meets salty in this recipe for Chocolate-Covered Bacon. If you've never tried bacon and chocolate together, you might be surprised at how well rich, semi-sweet chocolate complements the smoky flavor of crispy bacon. I like to top mine with a few sprinkles of flaked sea salt, but you can use toasted nuts or any other toppings of your choice.

3. Bacon Caramels

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Despite what their name might suggest, Bacon Caramels actually have a subtle bacon taste, since the recipe does not call for any actual bacon in it. Rather, they are made with bacon fat instead of butter, so they have a slight undertone of a smoky, savory flavor. Of course, you can always top them with some crumbled bacon to boost the pork factor!

4. Bacon Caramel Popcorn

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Bacon adds a whole new layer of flavor to traditional caramel corn in this recipe for Bacon Caramel Popcorn! Chunks of crispy, salty bacon are mixed with caramel corn and toasted pecans, and then everything is baked together until you have sweet, crunchy clusters. If you want to go really crazy, you can drizzle the whole thing with chocolate when you're finished.

5. Bacon Turtles

(c) 2012 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

This twist on traditional turtle candies adds a strip of crispy bacon to the familiar combination of toasted pecans, chewy caramel, and rich chocolate. I like to finish these with a sprinkling of crunchy sea salt to emphasize the sweet-and-savory flavor combination.

6. Bacon Pralines

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

This bacon pralines recipe puts a modern spin on a Southern favorite! In addition to the familiar toasted pecans, this version of pralines contains bits of crispy bacon, tangy buttermilk, and a hint of orange zest for an unusual, sweet-and-salty variation of a classic candy.

7. Chocolate Bacon Bark

(c) 2008 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Bacon and chocolate are popping up everywhere in gourmet chocolate bars, and now you can recreate this unlikely pairing at home! Semi-sweet chocolate is studded with chunks of crispy bacon and cut into small squares to make Chocolate Bacon Bark.

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Top 10 Candy Recipes of 2011

On this, the last day of 2011, I thought it would be fun to look back at the most popular recipes on my site this year. These Top 10 Candies are the recipes that got the most cumulative page views from January 1, 2011 until yesterday. Some of these are not surprising--we could all use a quick and easy fondant recipe now and then!--but some are a little bit unexpected. (Who knew how popular rock candy could be?) So, without further ado:

1. Marshmallow Fondant
2. Rock Candy
3. Peppermint Bark (this one got a big boost from Christmas visitors!)
4. Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels
5. Basic Marzipan
6. Candy Apples
7. Saltine Toffee
8. Turtle Candy
9. Soft Caramels
10. Red Velvet Cake Truffles

Happy New Year! Here's to hoping next year is even sweeter.

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Red Velvet Cake Truffles Photo c2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

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Cake Pop Recipes

Cake pops, moist bites of cake and frosting on a stick, are all the rage now! Learn how to make cake pops, as well as brownie pops, cheesecake pops, and seasonal cake pop variations. Also check out this list of all cake-based candy recipes.

1. Cake Pops (Video)

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

This is where it all begins! Cake pops are chocolate-covered balls of cake on lollipop sticks. Watch this video and learn how easy it is to make cake pops and get started making your own pops today.

2. Brownie Pops

(c) 2009 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Brownie Pops are fun, playful candies that combine two favorite tastes into one great candy. Brownies and chocolate frosting are mixed and formed into balls that are placed on sticks and dipped in chocolate. These “pops” taste like decadent fudgy brownies and make perfect party food or favors.

3. Cheesecake Pops

(c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Cheesecake Pops are delicious balls of real cheesecake, covered in bright candy coating and served on a lollipop stick. You can use any flavor of baked cheesecake you like, and can substitute white or milk chocolate for the dark chocolate coating. These cheesecake pops can be playful or elegant, but they’re always delicious.

4. Peanut Butter and Jelly Pops

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Cake pops are a bit of a misnomer for this candy--they could more accurately be called "doughnut pops"! Doughnut holes are used in place of cake, so these candies come together in a snap. They have a surprise filling of peanut butter and jelly inside, but you can experiment with using frosting or Nutella instead.

5. Love Pops

(c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Love Pops are a romantic variation of Brownie Pops. Give them to your sweetie on Valentine's Day or any other romantic holiday, or use the basic principles of shaping the pops to make any other shape you want.

6. Easter Egg Cake Pops

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Make your Easter sweeter with these Easter Egg Cake Pops! Moist bites of cake and frosting are formed into egg shapes, made into lollipops, and decorated to look like festive Easter eggs. Don't miss the tutorial with step-by-step photos showing how to make Easter egg cake pops!

7. Pumpkin Cake Pops

(c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

These fall-themed pumpkin cake pops use pumpkin spice cake and cream cheese frosting to create adorable jack-o-lantern cake pops. There is also a photo tutorial showing how to make pumpkin cake pops.

8. Ghost Cake Pops

(c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Boo! Scare up some oohs and aahs when you make these spooky-sweet ghost cake pops. Don't miss the tutorial with step-by-step photos showing how to make ghost cake pops.

9. Candy Corn Cake Pops

(c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

They're not candy corn, but they sure look like it! Get into the Halloween spirit with these cake pops decorated to look like candy corn. And of course, there's a handy tutorial showing you how to make candy corn cake pops.

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Marshmallow Candy Recipes

Marshmallows are a fluffy, light confection usually made from a boiled sugar syrup whipped with gelatin and egg whites. If you've never made homemade marshmallows, you are in for a treat. Freshly made marshmallows are soft, pillowy, and subtly fragrant, while most store-bought marshmallows are more like chewy cardboard. Best of all, you can customize your marshmallows in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors. These marshmallow recipes will make you a believer--and if you are more interested in quick-and-easy candy, there are recipes using purchased marshmallows as well. Be sure to check out the step-by-step photo tutorial showing how to make marshmallows.

• Basic Marshmallows
• Chocolate-Dipped Marshmallows
• Chocolate Marshmallows
• Cinnamon Almond Marshmallows
• Coconut Marshmallow Fudge
• Coconut Marshmallows
• Decorative Marshmallows
• Fudge-Dipped Marshmallows (Video)
• Fudge-Dipped Mint Marshmallows
• Inside-Out S’mores
• Key Lime Pie S’mores Bites
• Lavender-Vanilla Bean Marshmallows
• Lemon Marshmallows
• Mango Marshmallows
• Marshmallow Caramels
• Marshmallow Caramel Puffs
• Marshmallow Chicks
• How to Make Marshmallow Chicks (Photo Tutorial)
• Marshmallow Eggs
• Marshmallow Fondant
• Marshmallow Fondant (Photo Tutorial)
• Marshmallow Pops
• Marshmallow Pops (Photo Tutorial)
• Marshmallow Snowmen
• Orange Marshmallows
• Peanut Marshmallows
• Pumpkin Marshmallows
• Raspberry Sherbet Marshmallows
• Red Hot Marshmallows
• Rocky Road Towers
• Rocky Road Candy
• S’mores Pops
• Strawberry Marshmallows
• Sweet Potato Marshmallows

View All Candy Recipes

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Top Caramel Apple Recipes

Caramel apples are hard to improve upon: chewy, rich caramel covering crunchy fresh apples is a classic combination that hits all the right sweet, chewy, and crunchy notes. However, add a few additional ingredients and the caramel apple goes from classic to completely customized and outrageously good. Try topping your caramel apple with candy bars, chopped pretzels, salty nuts, or all of the above! This list of top caramel apple recipes includes the basic caramel apple--of course--but also lots of fun, delicious variations.

1. Classic Caramel Apples

Caramel, apples, and nothing else! This caramel apple recipe uses store-bought caramels so that the creation and clean-up are quick and easy. This recipe was rated 5 stars by our users and is a great introduction to making caramel apples.

2. Chocolate Caramel Apples

Chocolate Caramel Apples are a decadent way to enjoy a serving of fruit. Crisp apples are covered with a layer of caramel, a layer of chocolate, and a coating of chopped candy bars. I usually make these with Snickers, but any candy bar that you like will work.

3. Peanut Butter Caramel Apples

These Peanut Butter Caramel Apples should be called "kitchen sink apples," because they include everything but the kitchen sink! Chocolate, peanut butter chips, peanut butter cups, and salted peanuts are all included in this insanely good caramel apple variation.

4. Oreo Caramel Apples

These Oreo Caramel Apples are almost too pretty to eat! In keeping with the black-and-white Oreo theme, the caramel apple is swirled with white and dark chocolate on the outside.

5. White Chocolate Caramel Apples

Indulge your tropical side with these White Chocolate Caramel Apples! In addition to the caramel, apple, and white chocolate flavors, this recipe includes salty macadamia nuts and sweet toasted coconut to give them an island twist.

6. Panda Caramel Apples

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

When you can't make it to the zoo, make these Panda Caramel Apples instead! This recipe uses white chocolate, cookies, and chocolate discs to make adorable caramel apples that look like panda bears.

7. Monkey Caramel Apples

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

This recipe for Monkey Caramel Apples is no monkey business! Caramel apples are coated with chocolate and decorated with cookies to resemble cute, playful monkeys.

8. Miniature Caramel Apples

Miniature Caramel Apples prove that big taste can come in a small package! Small balls of apples are dunked in chocolate, then given a coating of smooth, chewy caramel. They’re as delicious as they are adorable, and they make the perfect party appetizer or favor.

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