Homemade Candy Recipes

There's lots of reasons to make homemade candy. Lets have a look at a few.

First, candy is yummy. It's about as yummy as food can get, and homemade candy is the yummiest. I have kids, and they love candy. Lots of other things I cook at home they don't love so much, but make some homemade candy and you can't keep them out of the kitchen.

Even if it's just to lick the bowl out because the candies need to set, they'll be there just to lick the bowl.

I think it's really important to teach kids to cook. It's a skill that is being lost gradually. I believe they are even making homes now with no kitchens because so many people eat out.

But my parents taught me to cook, and it's something I've been eternally grateful for. So I'll pass on a love of cooking and good homemade food to my kids, and I'll start with teaching them to make homemade candy. A few good homemade candy recipes and they are off and cooking.

My kids love it. They make plenty of mess, they knock things off the bench, they muck things up but they have a stack of fun making homemade candies. And although they think they're just making some homemade candies, they're doing much more. They're learning the basics of a skill and a love that will be of use to them right throughout their lives. Home cooking.

Remember a few basic rules if you're teaching your kids to cook by starting them off cooking homemade candy. First make sure your homemade candy recipe is a simple one. Start with simple candy recipes like chocolate or butterscotch candies, and avoid the harder candy recipes.

Avoid any candies that require a syrup. A syrup is a mixture of sugar and water, which needs to be boiled until it reaches a certain temperature. It takes a little practice to get it right, and it's a little boring for kids. And as syrup gets to an extremely high temperature it can be dangerous for young kids, so keep them away. Try candy recipes that require the making of a syrup once you've all graduated in homemade candy making and the kids are a little older. But try them yourself, because they're yummy.

And here's some more candy making ideas. Homemade candy makes a wonderful gift idea. Of course you can just go out and find a candy shop and buy some candy and get it wrapped. That's easy. But it says so much more if you, or you and the kids, have cooked your own homemade candy recipe and given the candies to someone special.

If you make some great homemade candies and give them to someone as a gift it says I love you way better than shop bought candies. Homemade candies took your own time and effort to make. Homemade candies are special because you made them just for that special person.

And if it's a really special person why not make some candy for them, and give them a great candy gift basket. With Christmas coming a candy gift basket is a great idea, full of homemade candy you made yourself.

Maybe you could make 4 or 5 different types of candy, and add a few other things to the gift basket, like a bottle of wine or 3, perhaps some nice cheese, and you've got a wonderful gift idea.

Here's some hot homemade candy recipes. I run a website about Homemade Candy Recipes, so you can find out more recipes there.

Babe Ruth Bars
Original recipe yield: 18 bars.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup white corn syrup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
6 cups cornflakes cereal
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup peanuts

DIRECTIONS:
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the peanut butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and white sugar. Cook stirring occasionally until smooth.

Remove from heat and quickly mix in the cornflakes, chocolate chips and peanuts until evenly coated.
Press the entire mixture gently into a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish.

Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Here's the next candy recipe:

Choco-coconut Bars

Original
recipe yield: 3 dozen.
INGREDIENTS:
5 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar
14 ounces flaked coconut
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Blend the condensed milk and the vanilla together in a bowl. Add the powdered sugar a
little at a time, blending each time until smooth. Stir in the coconut. You should
have a firm mixture. Pat the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan and chill until
firm.

Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high 1 minute at a
time, stirring after each minute, until melted. Remove the pan from the refrigerator
and cut the coconut mixture into 1 x 2 inch bars.

Set each bar on a fork and dip into the chocolate, completely coating the bar. Let
excess drip off, then set on waxed paper. Repeat for each bar. Bars will take several
hours to air-dry; if you are in a hurry you can refrigerate the bars for about 30
minutes. Enjoy!

And the next candy recipe:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares

Original recipe yield: 3 dozen.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups peanut butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Melt 1 cup butter or margarine over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in
confectioners' sugar, peanut butter and graham cracker crumbs. Spread mixture in a
jelly roll pan. Pat down evenly.

To Make Topping: Melt together 1/2 cup butter or margarine with 1 cup chocolate chips.
Spread this mixture over peanut butter mixture. Refrigerate 1/2 hour. Cut into
squares.

And there's stacks more on my website Homemade Candy Recipes

Thanks for reading my lens, hope you get into making homemade candy, and hope you get your kids into homemade candy making, so they can all get to love cooking.