Quick and Easy Christmas Candy Recipes

A holiday candy gift can be very simple to make and makes a fantastic Christmas gift. There are so many great candies you can make for your friends and family this Christmas. So have your kids join you in your Phoenix apartment kitchen for some wonderful homemade candy recipes. Here are some quick and easy Christmas candy recipes for the “sweet tooth” on your Christmas list.

Caution: Please remember when making homemade candy that one of the worst burns is a sugar burn. When you work with cooked sugar, have children away from the stove.

Photo by: Matthew Harvey

Peppermint Bark Recipe

• 1 package white chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. peppermint extract
• 12 peppermint candies (or small peppermint sticks)

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper.
Place peppermint candies in a Ziploc bag and crush into small pieces. Melt the white chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Or melt in the microwave for five minutes, stirring well when it is done. Stir in the peppermint extract and peppermint candies. Spread onto cookie sheet. Let cool in the refrigerator until set. Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container

Hazelnut Crunch Recipe

• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup light corn syrup
• ¼ cup dark corn syrup
• 2 ½ cups coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda

Line a large cookie sheet with waxed paper.
Stir the sugar, water, light corn syrup, and dark corn syrup in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high and boil without stirring for about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Mix in the hazelnuts, butter, and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for about 15 minutes. Quickly stir in baking soda. Immediately pour the caramel onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading it as thinly as possible. Let stand until hard. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Carmel Popcorn Recipe

• 1 cup popcorn, for popping
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• ¼ cup water
• 1 lb bittersweet chocolate, tempered

Line a large cookie sheet with waxed paper.
Pop the popcorn any way you prefer. To make the caramel: Place the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until light golden brown. Use a wooden spoon to stir the popcorn into the caramel until it is evenly coated. Pour the caramelized popcorn onto wax paper and allow it to cool. When cool, use your hands to break up any clumps.

Place the cool popcorn in a large bowl. Use a ladle to drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn, stirring with a wooden spoon as you go. Keep adding chocolate until the popcorn is evenly coated. Pour the chocolate-coated popcorn onto a wax paper and allow it to cool.

Photo by: p2squared

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls Recipe

• 1 pkg. chocolate chips
• 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups peanut butter
• 1 lb. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 bar paraffin, or 1-2 tablespoons shortening

Line a large cookie sheet with waxed paper. Combine butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Mix well. Form into balls about 1″ in size. Chill.

Melt chocolate and paraffin in a microwave for 1-minute intervals, stirring after every minute. Using a toothpick or wooden skewer, dip balls into chocolate. Coat evenly. Place on wax paper until chocolate sets.

Broken Glass Candy Recipe

• 3 ¾ cups granulated sugar
• 1 ¼ cups water
• 1 ½ cups white corn syrup
• ¼ tsp Cherry (or favorite) candy flavoring
• 9 drops of food coloring

Heat and stir sugar, water, and corn syrup in large saucepan on medium heat until boiling and sugar is dissolved. Reduce to medium-low heat.

Boil slowly, without stirring, for 60-75 minutes until mixture reaches hard crack stage or until small amounts dropped into cold water separate into hard, brittle threads. Remove from heat.

Add candy flavoring and food coloring. Stir. Pour into greased baking sheet with sides. Let stand for about 45 minutes until cool. Break into bite-size pieces.

If you have other favorite candy recipes, let us know about them in the comments section below!

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