Our Best Homemade Candy Recipes for a Do-It-Yourself Sugar Fix

From brittle to bonbons, these from-scratch candies make for fun ways to indulge your sweet tooth

By SAVEUR Editors | Published Oct 8, 2018 9:00 PM

Recipes by Course

When making these truffles, use supermarket-quality white chocolate, which has more stabilizers than expensive brands and sets up better. Todd Coleman

We know that everybody (ok, not everybody, but you know what we mean) loves classic Halloween candies like candy corn and Reeses cups, but at SAVEUR, we encourage thinking outside the wrapper. When you make your Halloween candy from scratch, the possibilities are endless. From chocolatey bites to fruity delights, you can recreate the sweet sensations of your favorite treats all from the comfort of your kitchen.

First, learn about the different kinds of sugars you can use with our guide to sugar around the world. Perfect for special occasions like Halloween and Thanksgiving, candies make for quick and easy desserts you can whip up to share (or keep all for yourself).

We’ve prepared our best homemade Halloween candy recipes, from chocolate and peanut butter buckeyes to cherry fizz hard candy, because nothing on the shelf can beat a piece of candy made by your own two hands. And if you don’t want to share with those trick-or-treaters, we don’t blame you.

Cherry Fizzy Candy

This simple candy’s bright fruity flavor and effervescent feel on your tongue is a surprisingly perfect pairing for the cold sweetness of a scoop of vanilla. Pastry chef Tracy Obolsky taught us the recipe when she came by our test kitchen; the flavor is easy to customize by switching out any variety of powdered Kool-Aid or powdered, fruit-flavored gelatin. Citric acid is often sold as lemon salt in grocery stores; if you can’t find it, it can be omitted. Get the recipe for Cherry Fizzy Candy »

Homemade Mallomars

With a dense chocolate coating and a soft, cakelike cookie base, we think these homemade mallomars are even better than the original. Get the recipe for Homemade Mallomars »

Smoked Almond S’mores with Whiskey Marshmallows

Pastry chef Mindy Segal has made a successful career out of tinkering with, and improving, classic desserts. At her Chicago restaurant HotChocolate (and in her book, Cookie Love, from Ten Speed Press), she rejiggers icons like pineapple upside-down cake and baked Alaska with thoughtful, contemporary updates. So we gave her a challenge: Take the s’more, that beloved summer bonfire dessert assembled from store-bought components, and make it even better. Here’s her fantastic homemade version. Get the recipe for Smoked Almond S’mores with Whiskey Marshmallows »

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

Earl Grey and Lavender Chocolate Truffles

Infused with subtle floral aromas and rolled in earthy-sweet almonds, these are a sophisticated take on the classic chocolate truffle. Get the recipe for Earl Grey and Lavender Chocolate Truffles »

Dark Chocolate Matzo Brittle

Brigadeiros (Brazilian Fudge Balls)

You can find many versions of brigadieros, but chocolate is the traditional flavor for these dense, chewy fudge balls rolled in sprinkles, a treasured treat in Brazil. Get the recipe for Brigadeiros (Brazilian Fudge Balls) »

When making these truffles, use supermarket-quality white chocolate, which has more stabilizers than expensive brands and sets up better.

Candied Pecans

A combination of balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and brown sugar turns pecans into a toasty, addictive snack that’s perfect for nibbling alongside apéritifs. Get the recipe for Candied Pecans »

Alice Medrich’s House Truffles

These classically simple chocolate truffles are enriched with egg yolks—Medrich’s special touch. Get the recipe for Alice Medrich’s House Truffles »

Yellow Man (Irish Honeycomb Candy)

We adapted this recipe from the Irish food authority Darina Allen’s book The Complete Book of Irish Country Cooking (Penguin Studio, 1996). Get the recipe for Yellow Man »

Classic Caramel Corn

Crunchy, sweet homemade caramel corn can be made even better with the addition of nuts or chocolate chips. This recipe first appeared in our Jan/Feb 2013 issue along with our article Caramel Corn. Get the recipe for Classic Caramel Corn »

Homemade Black Licorice Twists

These licorice twists can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. To serve, just microwave them briefly. This recipe first appeared in our Jan/Feb 2013 issue along with our article Homemade Licorice. Get the recipe for Homemade Black Licorice Twists »

Glazed Pecans

Coated with a sour cream-based glaze and baked in the oven, pecans become a toasty, sweet snack. This recipe first appeared in our November 2013 issue along with Wendell Brock’s story Southern Belle. Get the recipe for Southern Belle »

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cordials

Invertase, a liquid enzyme that’s found in small bottles at most candy-making supply stores, is used in these candies to liquefy the luscious fondant filling. Once you’ve made the cordials, it will take about ten days for the filling to liquefy. We based this recipe on one found in Peter Greweling’s Chocolates and Confections (Wiley, 2010). For more Valentine’s Day recipes, check out our guide. Get the recipe for Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cordials »

White Truffle-Pistachio Caramel Corn

A combination of earthy white truffles and salty pistachios puts a decadent twist on classic caramel corn. Get the recipe for White Truffle-Pistachio Caramel Corn »

Chocolate Marshmallows

We use Dutch-process cocoa powder here because it’s mild and won’t overwhelm the sweetness of the marshmallows. Get the recipe for Chocolate Marshmallows »

Pine Nut Brittle

Kimberly Hasselbrink, the writer and photographer behind The Year in Food, tuned us into this great recipe for pine nuts in a crunchy, salty, rosemary-scented brittle. Get the recipe for Pine Nut Brittle »

Vanilla Cream Fudge

We based this recipe on one that appears in Peter Greweling’s Chocolates and Confections (Wiley, 2010). Get the recipe for Vanilla Cream Fudge »

Salted Caramels

Michael Laiskonis, executive pastry chef at New York City’s Le Bernardin, gave us the recipe for these caramel candies. Be sure to wrap them individually in wax paper to store them. Get the recipe for Salted Caramels »

Strawberry Marshmallows

Dried strawberries give these fluffy treats a remarkably deep fruit flavor. Get the recipe for Strawberry Marshmallows »

Chocolate Truffles

Adding rolled oats that have first been ground in the food processor helps hold these chocolate balls together while giving them an earthy note. Get the recipe for Chocolate Truffles »

Ginger Curry Candied Almonds

Sweet, salty and just a little spicy, these glazed almonds are a popular addition to holiday gift baskets and party spreads. Always make more than you think you’ll need as it’s hard to resist snacking on them when they’re still warm. This recipe comes to us from Marisa McClellan, author of Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round. Get the recipe for Ginger Curry Candied Almonds »

Pecan Pie Brittle

This twist on traditional pecan pie provides a snack-able ending to the holiday feast. This recipe first appeared in our November 2012 issue along with Ben Mims’s story Sugar and Spice. Get the recipe for Pecan Pie Brittle »

Smoky Whiskey Balls

This recipe, from Eatocracy managing editor Kat Kinsman, appeared in our 2012 Cookie Advent Calendar. Kat says: “I’m a freak for bourbon balls and for smoke, so I decided to play around with them a tad a while back. The result is this recipe: rich with chocolate and the smoky vanilla notes of the whiskey, with an added kick from bourbon-soaked pecans.” Get the recipe for Smoky Whiskey Balls »

Cardamom-Laced Milk Chocolate Truffles

We based this recipe on one that appears in Peter Greweling’s Chocolates and Confections (Wiley, 2010). Feel free to improvise with the coating, using other kinds of ground spices, nuts, or chili powder. Make sure to keep all your materials cold while you’re mixing and shaping the truffles, so that the candies keep their shape; if they get too warm, refrigerate ingredients for 5-10 minutes. Get the recipe for Cardamom-Laced Milk Chocolate Truffles »

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