How to Make Candy
Depending on the recipe, candy can be easy or labor-intensive to make. For example, candy bark takes about 20 minutes and doesn't call for any special equipment. On the other hand, nougat, fudge, and peanut brittle recipes require a candy thermometer and a little know-how. Here's a rundown on all your favorites and some helpful candy-making tips.
Chocolate Candy
If you're looking for a quick candy recipe, chocolate candies usually top the list. The most popular kinds of chocolate candy include chocolate truffles, chocolate clusters, fudge (see How to Make Fudge, below), and chocolate-flavor barks (see Candy Bark, below).
Chocolate Truffles
To make traditional chocolate truffles, most recipes start with a ganache (a mixture of melted chocolate and whipping cream). This smooth mixture is then beaten and/or chilled until it is firm enough to scoop and form into ball-shape truffles. Truffles are then rolled in finely chopped nuts, unsweetened cocoa powder, powdered sugar, or other garnishes.
Chocolate Clusters
To make chocolate clusters, stir nuts, dried fruit, pretzels, and/or other ingredients into melted chocolate. Then scoop the mixture onto waxed paper into small piles to create clusters. The clusters are chilled or allowed to stand at room temperature until the chocolate hardens.
Get more delicious chocolate candy recipes.
Learn how to wrap and store homemade candy.
Make Chocolate Cluster Candies In Your Slow Cooker!
Candy Bark
Bark can be made in many different flavors, but the base of this easy candy is typically a mixture of melted candy coating (vanilla or chocolate flavor) and chocolate (regular or white chocolate). The melted mixture is spread on a foil-lined sheet pan and sprinkled with desired toppings, such as crushed candies, chopped candy bars, chopped nuts, dried fruit, shredded coconut, toffee pieces, and more. The bark is chilled or allowed to stand at room temperature until firm before it is broken into large, irregular-shape pieces.
Make a batch of our Lemon Drop Bark recipe.
Check out more candy recipes.
How to Make Fudge
Fudge is a favorite candy recipe year-round, but it's especially popular during the holidays. Traditional fudge requires a candy thermometer and lots of stirring, while easy fudge recipes have been simplified for cooks of any skill level. Here are some tips for making traditional fudge perfectly the first time, every time.
Butter the sides of a heavy saucepan before adding the sugar mixture. This will help prevent sugar crystals from sticking to the sides of the pan, which could cause a disastrous chemical reaction called crystallization.
Clip a candy thermometer to the inside of the heavy saucepan in a place where the bulb is submerged in the boiling mixture. You want an accurate reading of the mixture, rather than one of the pan bottom or the foamy bubbles at the top of the boiling mixture.
Gently stir fudge mixture only as needed when cooking to prevent burning on the bottom of the pan.
Give the mixture adequate time to cook and cool. Both of these processes are essential to creating the proper texture.
Once the fudge mixture has been cooked to the recommended temperature, remove from heat and leave the candy thermometer in place. Let mixture cool to 110 degrees F (this could take 35 to 40 minutes).
When the mixture has cooled, it will be glossy and shiny. At this point, you will begin to beat it (stir vigorously) with a wooden spoon. This is going to take a long time and lots of muscle, so be prepared.
Continue to beat the mixture until it begins to thicken and loses its glossiness.
If you're adding nuts, stir them in as soon as the fudge starts to thicken. The thicker the fudge gets, the harder it will be to stir the nuts in.
Once the fudge starts to lose its gloss during beating, work quickly to pour the fudge mixture into a pan lined with buttered foil. Gently shake the pan to spread the mixture evenly.
NOTE: It's important to never make a double batch of fudge in the same saucepan. This affects the proper evaporation of moisture during the cooking process, and the texture and consistency of your fudge will suffer. Instead make each batch of fudge separately.