14 Homemade Fudge and Christmas Candy Recipes Grandma Kept in a Tin

Every family has that one tin. You open the lid and find neat layers of fudge, crunchy brittle and soft caramels wrapped in wax paper. Homemade Christmas candy is one of the sweetest holiday traditions, and it is easier than it looks. A candy thermometer helps, but many of these need nothing more than a pot and a spoon. Here are the classics worth keeping alive, each with a simple recipe and easy steps..

Christmas Candy Starts With Easy Chocolate Walnut Fudge

That tray says it all: chocolate fudge, peppermint fudge, brittle, caramels, truffles and turtles. This is Christmas candy the way grandma made it. We begin with the queen of the tin, rich chocolate walnut fudge. This easy version uses sweetened condensed milk, so there is no thermometer and no stress. It sets in the fridge while you wrap presents. Walnuts in your fudge, or no nuts allowed?

You will need: 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk, 2 tbsp butter, 1 tsp vanilla, pinch of salt, 1 cup chopped walnuts.

How to make it: 1. Line an 8 inch square pan with parchment. 2. Melt the chocolate chips, condensed milk and butter in a pot over low heat, stirring often. 3. Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. 4. Fold in the walnuts. 5. Spread into the pan and smooth the top. 6. Chill 2 hours, then cut into small squares.

Christmas Candy Boxes Filled With Chocolate Truffles

A box of mixed truffles feels like the fanciest gift, but each one is just chocolate and cream rolled into a ball. Make one batch and roll some in cocoa, some in chopped nuts, and dip the rest in melted chocolate. Suddenly you have a box that looks like it came from a chocolate shop. Who on your list gets the first box?

You will need: 12 oz dark or milk chocolate, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 2 tbsp butter, 1 tsp vanilla, cocoa powder, chopped nuts, extra melted chocolate for dipping.

How to make it: 1. Heat the cream until steaming and pour it over the chopped chocolate. 2. Stir until smooth, then add the butter and vanilla. 3. Chill 2 to 3 hours until scoopable. 4. Scoop small balls and roll them smooth. 5. Coat in cocoa, nuts or melted chocolate. 6. Place in mini paper cups and keep chilled until gifting.

Candy Cane Hearts, the Cutest Christmas Candy for Kids

This one is pure fun and perfect for little hands. Two candy canes make a heart, and melted chocolate fills the middle. Add sprinkles before it sets and you have a sweet treat that looks lovely in a gift bag or on top of a cupcake. Kids can make a whole tray in twenty minutes. Red sprinkles or white chocolate swirls?

You will need: 24 mini candy canes, 1 cup chocolate chips or white chocolate, 1 tsp coconut oil, holiday sprinkles.

How to make it: 1. Unwrap the candy canes and line a tray with parchment. 2. Arrange two candy canes into a heart shape with the hooks touching at the top. 3. Melt the chocolate with coconut oil in short bursts. 4. Spoon chocolate into the center of each heart. 5. Add sprinkles right away. 6. Chill 20 minutes until firm, then peel off the parchment.

Peppermint Swirl Lollipops

Homemade hard candy feels like a science experiment that ends with a treat. Sugar, corn syrup and water cook to a high temperature, then you add peppermint and swirl in red color. Pour small rounds, add sticks, and they set into shiny lollipops in minutes. A candy thermometer is a must, and adults should handle the hot syrup. Have you ever made hard candy at home?

You will need: 2 cups sugar, 2/3 cup light corn syrup, 3/4 cup water, 1 tsp peppermint extract, red gel food coloring, lollipop sticks, nonstick spray.

How to make it: 1. Lightly spray a lined baking sheet or lollipop molds and set out the sticks. 2. Stir sugar, corn syrup and water in a heavy pot until the sugar dissolves. 3. Boil without stirring until it reaches 300°F on a candy thermometer. 4. Take off the heat and stir in the peppermint. 5. Pour small rounds, add a drop of red color, swirl with a toothpick and press in the sticks. 6. Cool 20 minutes until hard and wrap in cellophane.

Fluffy Homemade Marshmallows for Hot Cocoa

Once you try homemade marshmallows, the bagged kind will never taste the same. They are soft, bouncy and melt into hot cocoa like a dream. You only need gelatin, sugar and corn syrup, and a stand mixer does most of the work. Cut them into squares, dust with powdered sugar, and gift them with a jar of cocoa mix. Big squares or tiny cubes?

You will need: 3 packets (3/4 oz total) unflavored gelatin, 1 cup cold water (divided), 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tbsp vanilla, 1/2 cup powdered sugar mixed with 1/2 cup cornstarch.

How to make it: 1. Grease a 9×13 pan and dust it with the powdered sugar mix. 2. Bloom the gelatin in 1/2 cup water in a mixer bowl. 3. Boil sugar, corn syrup, salt and the rest of the water to 240°F. 4. With the mixer on low, pour in the hot syrup, then beat on high 10 to 12 minutes until thick and white. 5. Beat in the vanilla and spread in the pan. 6. Rest 6 hours, cut into squares and toss in the powdered sugar mix.

Old School Stovetop Chocolate Fudge

This is the fudge from old church cookbooks, cooked on the stove with sugar, milk and cocoa until it reaches the soft ball stage. It takes patience and a good beat with a wooden spoon at the end, but the texture is creamy and slightly crumbly in the best way. Many families keep a handwritten card for this one. Is there a fudge recipe in your family box?

You will need: 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 cup whole milk, 1/4 tsp salt, 4 tbsp butter, 1 tsp vanilla.

How to make it: 1. Butter an 8 inch pan. 2. Stir sugar, cocoa, milk and salt in a heavy pot and bring to a boil. 3. Cook without stirring until it reaches 234°F, the soft ball stage. 4. Take off the heat, add the butter and vanilla, and let it cool to 110°F without stirring. 5. Beat with a wooden spoon until it loses its shine and thickens. 6. Spread quickly in the pan and cut once set.

Crunchy Peanut Brittle, a Classic Christmas Candy

Peanut brittle has been a holiday favorite for generations, and it is surprisingly quick. Sugar and corn syrup cook until golden, then you stir in peanuts and a little baking soda that makes it puff up light and crunchy. Spread it thin, let it cool, and crack it into shards. It keeps for weeks in a tin. Thin and crispy or thick and chunky?

You will need: 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 cup water, 1 1/2 cups raw peanuts, 2 tbsp butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt.

How to make it: 1. Butter a large baking sheet. 2. Cook sugar, corn syrup and water in a heavy pot to 240°F. 3. Stir in the peanuts and cook, stirring, to 300°F until golden. 4. Take off the heat and quickly stir in the butter, vanilla, soda and salt. 5. Pour onto the sheet and spread thin with two forks. 6. Cool completely and break into pieces.

Soft Salted Caramels Wrapped in Wax Paper

Soft caramels that melt slowly on your tongue are worth every minute at the stove. Butter, cream and sugar cook together into a deep golden candy, and a pinch of flaky salt makes them impossible to stop eating. Wrapping each one in wax paper is a cozy job for a winter evening with music on. Poll: A) plain vanilla, B) sea salt, C) chocolate dipped?

You will need: 1 cup heavy cream, 5 tbsp butter, 1 tsp flaky sea salt plus more for topping, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 cup water, 1 tsp vanilla.

How to make it: 1. Line an 8 inch pan with parchment. 2. Warm the cream, butter and salt and set aside. 3. Boil sugar, corn syrup and water without stirring until light golden. 4. Carefully whisk in the warm cream mixture. 5. Cook, stirring, to 248°F, then add the vanilla and pour into the pan. 6. Sprinkle with salt, cool 4 hours, cut and wrap in wax paper.

Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge in 10 Minutes

If peanut butter is your weakness, this fudge is dangerous. It is creamy, rich and melts in your mouth, and it is ready in about ten minutes with no thermometer. Kids love helping stir. Cut it into small squares, because it is very rich. Next to chocolate fudge on a tray, the colors look beautiful together. Creamy or crunchy peanut butter in yours?

You will need: 1 cup butter, 1 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 tsp vanilla, pinch of salt, 3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar.

How to make it: 1. Line an 8 inch pan with parchment. 2. Melt the butter and peanut butter together over low heat until smooth. 3. Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. 4. Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until thick. 5. Press into the pan and smooth the top. 6. Chill 2 hours and cut into small squares.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Turtle Tart

Turtle candies are pecans, caramel and chocolate, and this tart puts all three in one showstopping slice. A buttery cookie crust holds a layer of gooey caramel and toasted pecans, then gets covered in silky chocolate and a caramel drizzle. It tastes just like the Christmas candy, only bigger and easier to share. Would you add a pinch of sea salt on top?

You will need: 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie or graham crumbs, 5 tbsp melted butter, 1 bag (11 oz) soft caramels, 1/3 cup heavy cream (divided), 1 1/2 cups toasted chopped pecans, 6 oz semisweet chocolate, 1/2 cup heavy cream for the ganache, flaky sea salt (optional).

How to make it: 1. Press the crumbs and butter into a 9 inch tart pan and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, then cool. 2. Melt the caramels with 1/4 cup cream over low heat, saving a little for drizzling. 3. Stir most of the pecans into the caramel and spread it in the crust. 4. Heat 1/2 cup cream and pour it over the chopped chocolate, then stir until smooth. 5. Pour the ganache over the caramel layer. 6. Drizzle with the saved caramel, sprinkle with the rest of the pecans and chill 2 hours.

Fruit and Nut Christmas Candy Bark

Bark is the easiest candy you can make, and it looks like jewelry when you are done. Spread melted chocolate thin, then scatter nuts, dried cranberries and pistachios on top. Once it sets, snap it into rough pieces. It takes fifteen minutes and makes enough for several gift bags. Which mix ins would you choose: A) pistachios, B) almonds, C) cranberries, D) all of them?

You will need: 16 oz dark or milk chocolate, 1/3 cup chopped pistachios, 1/3 cup toasted almonds, 1/3 cup dried cranberries, 2 tbsp chopped dried apricots, flaky salt.

How to make it: 1. Line a baking sheet with parchment. 2. Melt the chocolate gently in short bursts. 3. Spread it about 1/4 inch thick. 4. Scatter the nuts and fruit over the top and press lightly. 5. Sprinkle with a little flaky salt. 6. Chill 30 minutes and break into pieces.

Maple and Vanilla Fudge Squares

Not every fudge has to be chocolate. Maple fudge is pale gold, sweet and buttery, with a flavor that tastes like a snowy morning in Vermont. A vanilla version is just as lovely and looks pretty next to the dark squares on a cookie tray. White chocolate chips make this one foolproof. Maple or vanilla, which one wins at your house?

You will need: 3 cups white chocolate chips, 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk, 2 tbsp butter, 1 1/2 tsp maple extract (or 2 tsp vanilla), 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (optional), pinch of salt.

How to make it: 1. Line an 8 inch square pan. 2. Melt the white chocolate, condensed milk and butter over low heat. 3. Stir in the maple extract, syrup and salt. 4. Pour into the pan and smooth the top. 5. Chill 3 hours until firm. 6. Cut into small squares and store in the fridge.

Rocky Road Candy With Marshmallows and Nuts

Rocky road got its name from its bumpy look, and it has been a favorite for generations. Melted chocolate holds together chunks of marshmallow, nuts and sometimes cookies. It is chewy and crunchy all at once. No baking, no thermometer, and kids can do most of the work. Is it really a holiday without a little rocky road? Big marshmallows or mini?

You will need: 12 oz milk or semisweet chocolate, 2 tbsp butter, 2 cups mini marshmallows, 1 cup chopped walnuts or almonds, 1 cup chopped shortbread cookies (optional).

How to make it: 1. Line an 8 inch pan with parchment. 2. Melt the chocolate and butter together. 3. Cool for 5 minutes so the marshmallows do not melt. 4. Fold in the marshmallows, nuts and cookies. 5. Press into the pan. 6. Chill 2 hours and cut into chunky squares.

Cinnamon Sugared Pecans to Finish Your Christmas Candy Tin

We end with the snack people cannot keep their hands off. Pecans get coated in a fluffy egg white, cinnamon and sugar mix, then bake until crunchy and glazed. They make the whole house smell like a holiday market. Fill little jars for neighbors and teachers. For more nostalgic sweets, see our old fashioned desserts grandma made. Which Christmas candy will you make first? Tell us in the comments.

You will need: 1 pound pecan halves, 1 egg white, 1 tbsp water, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt.

How to make it: 1. Heat oven to 250°F and line a baking sheet. 2. Whisk the egg white, water and vanilla until frothy. 3. Toss the pecans in the egg white mix. 4. Mix sugar, cinnamon and salt and toss with the pecans. 5. Spread on the sheet and bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. 6. Cool completely and store in jars.