40 Homemade Christmas Candy Recipes for an Extra Sweet Holiday Season
Indulge in these festive holiday treats — from tasty toffee to fudge, peppermint bark and more!
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What's Christmas without some festive sweets? When it comes to getting into the full holiday spirit, there's nothing like some delicious Christmas desserts to remind you of the magic of the season. There's of course the all-essential Christmas cookies to eat by the fire, and some people (including us!) can never resist a great eggnog recipe — but don't forget about all the scrumptious Christmas candy, either! We've got your basic candy cane you can buy anywhere, obviously, but there's also some incredibly indulgent recipes you can bake at home, from peppermint bark to even eggnog truffles. Because why wouldn't you want to go all-out on the most wonderful time of the year?
Luckily, to help you out with all your candy-feasting this holiday season, we've rounded up all of our favorite homemade Christmas candy recipes right here, from the best fudge recipes to tasty toffee, candied popcorn and more. Not only are these sweet Christmas treats great for munching on while watching this year's Hallmark Christmas movies, they also make for the perfect homemade food gifts for the holidays, especially if you wrap them up in festive tins to give to all your family and friends. And if you wanted to leave some of these DIY Christmas candies out for Santa in place of his usual cookies and milk this year? That’s cool, too — we’re guessing he won’t mind one bit.
Peppermint Meringues
Crisp on the outside with a slight chew on the inside, these light, airy swirls of sugar make for the prettiest (and most festive!) holiday treat.
Vegan Chocolate Truffles
These decadent vegan chocolate truffles only require three ingredients — and they're perfect to put in little gift-wrapped boxes, too.
Get the recipe for Vegan Chocolate Truffles »
RELATED: 26 Best Vegan Desserts That Taste Like the Real Deal
Sea-Salted Nut Butter Cups
Move over, Reese's peanut butter cups! These 4-ingredient candies not only combine nut butter and chocolate, but also incorporate mashed banana and a sprinkle of sea salt for a perfectly mouthwatering treat.
Mint Chocolate Cookie Dough Gingerbread House
The ultimate Christmas candy confection? A gingerbread house, of course! After building the house from mint chocolate cookie dough, decorate it with scrumptious candy like chocolate rocks, red sour belts, jelly beans, Tootsie Rolls and more.
Get the tutorial for Mint Chocolate Cookie Dough Gingerbread House »
Candied Clementines
Citrus + chocolate = delicious goodness! Dip dried slices of clementine into decadent chocolate ganache for a treat that tastes just as good as it looks.
Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels
Looking for the easiest (and yummiest) DIY holiday candy ever? Just dip pretzels in chocolate and coat them with festive Christmas-colored sprinkles!
Get the recipe for Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels »
RELATED: 25 Easy and Creative Chocolate Desserts That You Haven't Tried Yet
Pistachio and Tart Cherry Chocolate Bark
Just look at that beautiful marbled effect! This tart, nutty chocolate bark gets its perfectly festive colors from mouthwatering pistachios and cherries — and it's actually easier to make than it looks.
Get the recipe for Pistachio and Tart Cherry Chocolate Bark »
Christmas "Candy" Bars
It's as if two of your favorite things — a Christmas cookie and a candy bar — combined together to form one ultimate treat, topped with everything from pretzels to toffee bits. Yum!
Peppermint Swirl Meringues
Forget your basic peppermint candies — these light meringues are the perfect bite-sized sweets for the season.
Get the recipe for Peppermint Swirl Meringues »
RELATED: The Best Christmas Candies You Can Buy for a Super Sweet Holiday
Gingerbread Wands
How festive are these holiday gingerbread batons? All you have to do is dip them into colorful sugar, glitter and sprinkles — and add a pretty bow for an extra festive touch.
Peppermint Trees
To make these festive peppermint treats, heat oven to 350 degrees before coating the insides of metal Christmas tree cookie cutters with nonstick cooking spray. Place them on parchment-lined baking sheet, then arrange green peppermint candies (breaking them as necessary) inside cutters; there should be space between the candies. Bake until candies melt, 5 to 6 min. Let cool completely, then gently pop out!
Toffee Cashew Crunch Bars
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas ... and the buttery cookie crust on these mouth-wateringly delicious bars.
Get the recipe for Toffee Cashew Crunch Bars »
RELATED: 15 Christmas Bar Cookie Ideas for Fun and Easy Holiday Baking
Merry Meringues
These airy, colorful bites are very merry indeed! They even come in different mouthwatering flavors: almond, lemon, mint or blueberry.
Pepita, Dried Apricot, and Sea Salt Mendiants
There's no time like the present to try your first mendiant (a.k.a. a chocolate disc studded with dried fruit and nuts): This French confection is most commonly served around Christmastime.
Get the recipe for Pepita, Dried Apricot, and Sea Salt Mendiants »
RELATED: What Is a Mendiant? Everything You Need to Know About the Chocolate Treat
Cookie Dough Truffles
Looking for a simple yet still-indulgent treat? It doesn't get much easier than these tasty two-ingredient cookie dough truffles.
White Chocolate Peppermint Patties
Who doesn't love a tasty peppermint patty? These ones are made from white chocolate and are topped with crushed peppermint for the perfect holiday flair.
Christmas Marshmallows
Not only are these marshmallow treats perfectly fluffy, they're also coated with crushed peppermint candies.
Peppermint Bark
Because classic peppermint bark is a must for the holiday season, obviously.
Gingerbread Fudge
Good news: Making these scrumptious holiday bites requires only five ingredients.
Red and White Chocolate Bark
As far as holiday chocolate bark goes, this one might almost be too pretty to eat (we said almost!).
Heather Finn is the content strategy editor at Good Housekeeping, where she heads up the brand's social media strategy and covers entertainment news on everything from ABC's 'The Good Doctor' to Netflix's latest true crime documentaries.
Hannah Jeon is an Associate Commerce Editor at Prevention, where she covers expert-driven commerce content for all things health, beauty, and wellness. Previously the Editorial Assistant at Good Housekeeping, she earned her bachelor’s degree in creative writing and psychology from Johns Hopkins University. When she’s not on the hunt for all the best products online, you can often find her trying out new food spots in New York City or clicking away behind a camera.
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