Christmas Candies You Should Make in December

Christmas is right around the corner, which means one thing around here: It’s time to plan out the candies we’re making!  Christmas candy is a must for holiday parties and a perfect gift to give to neighbors and coworkers, so now’s the time to choose a few candies to make during December.

One of our favorite Christmas candy options around here is traditional chocolate candies molded into holiday shapes. It’s great for candy making beginners and experts, and if you stock up on a few different types of candy molds, you can make all of your Christmas candy in a snap!

To make chocolate candies, choose a chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa butter to give the chocolate plenty of sheen and temper the chocolate (for an easy chocolate tempering tutorial, click here). Next, pour the chocolate into your different holiday candy molds — we recommend evergreen trees, stars and Santa’s face for a cute variety of chocolates to give to family and friends. Let the chocolate cool, and then your chocolate treats are ready to go!

Another classic holiday treat is fudge, which might be one of the quickest and most simple sweets to make.

For our super-simple fudge, you’ll need:

• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp water 
• ½ of a 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk 
• ¾ c. chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Microwave the semisweet chocolate chips, water and condensed milk together on high, stopping each minute to stir until the chocolate is smooth. Once the chocolate is fully melted, add in the walnuts and vanilla and pour the mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Chill the fudge until firm, then cut and enjoy!

For a change from traditional Christmas candy, we love making peanut butter truffles! Better Homes and Gardens has a delicious recipe for this tasty dessert, and it only requires a few easy ingredients and a little bit of time. This recipe allows for a little customization, too: You can add in finely chopped peanuts and use whatever quality of dark or bittersweet chocolate you want!

What’s your favorite treat to make for friends, family, coworkers and neighbors this time of year? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook!

How to Decorate Holiday Cookies

Whether you are young or old, one of our favorite activities to do as a family around the holidays is to sit around the table laughing, sharing stories, and decorating holiday cookies. However, thinking about the potential mess of smeared icing and scattered sprinkles can make some nervous. Today, we have compiled a helpful guide to icing and decorating your own holiday cookies to make a memorable and delicious treat for your family.

The first step to creating a fun collection of holiday cookies is assembling some festive cookie cutters. Some of our favorites for the holidays are the classic Gingerbread Boy, Candy Cane and the Snow Covered Tree. Kids will love rolling out the dough with a rolling pin and stamping their own shapes, but be sure that there is an adult around to put the cookies into the hot oven!

Next comes the sweetest part of the cookie making process: the icing! We love using the soft and fluffy CK Buttercream Frosting on our cookies. Delicious and easy to use, it is the perfect canvas for any cookie. You can apply it right from the can or whip it up in the mixer on low with any of our professional food colorings for a rainbow of frosting colors. Or, if you want to add more of a seasonal twist to your frosting, add in a few drops of candy flavoring oils: Peppermint and cinnamon are our favorites this time of year.

Your kids will love the last step, making their cookies truly unique by dusting on colored sugar or fun-shaped sprinkles. These Christmas Light Bulk Candy Sprinkles are perfect for any sugar cookie, or go the more classic route with White and Red Decorette sprinkles for a custom-designed candy cane look.

The options for holiday cookies are truly endless, and with the holiday season creeping up on us, it is the perfect time to start experimenting with decorations for your holiday party or just a snowy afternoon snuggled up inside with your family. For more ideas on how to decorate holiday cookies this year, check out one of our favorite guides, courtesy of Real Simple Magazine.

What are you favorite ways to decorate cookies this time of year? Leave a comment and let other readers know your secrets!

The Beginner’s Guide to Making Holiday Candy

No matter which holiday you are celebrating during the winter season, it is a great time of year to show your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers how much you appreciate everything that they have done for you this year with a little bag of sweet treats. With all of the peppermint and chocolate candy options, it can be overwhelming to know where to begin! Luckily, today we have assembled a handy beginner’s guide to making holiday candy to whip you into shape for the holiday season, including how you can use some of the tools you already have to make delicious delights that everyone will love!

Candy Molds

Whether you fill it with hard candies, mints or chocolate, everyone will love all of the fun festive shapes of our favorite holiday molds. At such affordable prices, candy molds are a great place to stock up with a variety of options to give your dessert tray personality. The cute mini Pine Cone Mold is ideal for chocolate, and the Tree Sucker Mold would be perfect to fill with bright colored candy melting wafers. When making lollipops, do not forget the most important part — the sucker sticks!

Fillings

While red, green and white candy melts are always safe and reliable options around the holidays, this is the time of year to be adventurous and make your candies as bright and colorful as the ornaments on your Christmas tree.  Or, try dipping your favorite crunchy snacks like pretzel sticks or twists into our premium chocolate melts and then dip in your favorite multi colored sprinkles, or even crush up candy canes and dip chocolate melts into the powder.

Packaging

The holiday season is no time to be shy with your candy packaging. Now more than ever is time to go over the top with bows, curled ribbon and bright colored packaging. From gold and silver doilies to red and green twist ties for cello bags, Sweet Treat Supply has you covered, whether you are bringing a tray of treats to a friend’s party or giving out small bags as favors. For a real blank canvas, try putting your candies inside one of our simple White Cake Boxes. If you have children who are eager to help with the candy preparations, but you are hesitant to have handling hot candy melts, they will love decorating the boxes!

We all know how easy it is for the holiday season to become jam packed with gift shopping, school activities and office holiday parties, and it is tempting to grab the first tray of holiday cookies at the grocery store as you dash out the door. However, with so many simple options in the candy making world, it is a fun way to add a personalized and handmade touch to your gifts and treats that everyone will love and appreciate!