Best Candy Making Techniques to Learn Before Christmas

There's really no better time than the holidays to try your hand at making candy. After all, homemade candies are a great addition to your own table and make awesome gifts too. With some basic know how, you can learn how to make festive treats perfect for the upcoming holidays.

Traditional Tempered Chocolates

If you want to make gorgeous, traditional chocolates, you'll need to master tempering. It's all about getting the temperature right, so you'll need a reliable thermometer. Start with high-quality, real chocolate. Chop it into small pieces and heat it over a double boiler, bringing its temperature to 115 degrees. Begin dropping in small chunks of chocolate, bringing the temperature to between 88 and 90 degrees. Pour chocolate into molds or use it to dip berries and candied citrus peels. If you work with it at this magic temperature, your end result will be glossy chocolates with snap.

Quick-and-Tasty Molded Treats

That kind of handmade, pure chocolate is great, but we don't all have time for tempering. To make cute, quick chocolates for an Advent Calendar, candy dish or even to decorate cupcakes, use chocolate or candy melts with Christmas candy molds. For even cooler designs, add oil-based food coloring to melts before you pour them into molds.

Get sophisticated with multi-color designs by piping different colored candy melts into different sections of your mold. Of course, you'll need to let each color harden completely before moving on to the next. All kinds of candies get even better when you incorporate colors and flavors, but remember that you'll need specialty supplies in order to do that.

Delightful Hard Candies

You want to make lollipops or molded hard candies to celebrate the holidays, but it seems daunting. Like tempered chocolate, making hard candies means heeding the temperature of your sugar syrup. For the best results, ask friends and family members in your local area what hard candy recipes they love. Altitude and humidity can really affect hard candy, so stick with recipes that have worked for others in your area. Follow the directions precisely. You can add a tablespoon or two of lemon juice or cream of tartar to keep your mixture from crystallizing.

Once your sugar mixture has reached the right temperature, you're ready to get pouring. Special hard candy molds are designed to withstand the high temperatures of molten sugar. You can also use silicone molds for everything from hard candies to chocolates to cream cheese mints. For the best results, spray your molds and the funnel you're using to pour your sugar syrup with non-stick cooking spray.

There's no limit to the cute treats you can make using these basic techniques. These skills carry over to other holidays, too. Master chocolate tempering by New Year's and you'll be making amazing truffles by Valentine's Day.

What candy are you most looking forward to making this holiday season? Let us know in the comments below!

How To Make Your Own Spooky Halloween Candy

Halloween is right around the corner, and it's easy to get caught up in the fun atmosphere of the season. If you're among those who can't wait to decorate your house with the latest Halloween offerings, then you're probably also anxious to find some great new ideas for making your own spooky Halloween treats.

Here at Sweet Treat Supply, we've got all of the best supplies that you'll ever need to turn out the best Halloween goodies on the block. We've also found some spooky and delicious recipes for you to make that will be great for those little visiting ghosts and goblins and for your big Halloween party. Just click on the links for a photo of the finished recipe and easy step-by-step instructions.

Whip Up These Spooky Treats

• Ghosts in the Graveyard: This easy no-bake dessert is the perfect treat to make with your children, and you can make simple changes to show your creativity. Consider using this cool variety of spooky molds for your toppings. It contains molds for skulls, ghosts, Halloween cats, the mummy and a carved pumpkin.


• Halloween Tombstone Cupcakes: Everyone loves a delicious, moist cupcake, and you can't go wrong with this recipe straight from Betty Crocker. You can make them extra special by using these fun tombstones.


• Brownie-Banana Halloween Cupcakes: You can only make this Halloween treat better by adding your own homemade edible miniature Halloween decorations to the top. You'll get a nice assortment of skulls, bats, cats, scarecrows, ghosts and carved pumpkins.


• Your Favorite Cake: You don't need a recipe for these successful creations. Just mix up your favorite packaged or homemade cake recipe, and use one of our easy cake molds for the perfect Halloween treat. You may choose from our bat, skull or Jack-O-Lantern pans, or have fun with them all.


• Halloween Zombie Chex Mix: You'll want to make more than one batch of this popular Halloween party treat. Create your own special touch by adding in a few of these great sweet and salty treats to perfectly round out this great recipe.

Order Your Supplies Today

We know that you can't wait to get started on these amazing treats, so put in your order here at Sweet Treat Supply today for fast shipping. Do you have some great Halloween recipes of your own? We'd love to hear from you, so please comment below with any that you'd like to share.

How To Make Your Own Hard Candy

Homemade hard candy is a highly personalized gift perfect for birthdays, weddings, bat mitzvahs, holidays and a wide variety of other special occasions. Creating homemade confections is also a great bonding activity for kids and parents to do around the kitchen table.

Hard candy, unlike milk chocolate or other types of candy, are made nearly entirely from 100% sugar, giving them their weight and consistency. By boiling the sugar syrup and adding food coloring or other flavors, the confectioner can then pour the syrup into the mold of their choice. Once the syrup cools, you've got hard candy.

Here is a simple recipe for making custom homemade candies of any shape, size, color and flavor.
Materials and Ingredients

• Your favorite candy molds
• Lollipop sticks (optional, depending on mold type)
• A straight-edge spatula
• A candy funnel
• A candy thermometer
• Non-flavored spray baking oil
• 1/3 cup of glucose
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. of candy flavoring oil — choose your favorite flavor
• Food coloring

Step 1

Choose your favorite hard candy mold and lightly spray with baking oil.

Step 2

Combine sugar, glucose and water in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat. Use the spatula to stir and to scrape the sides of the pan to prevent sticking.

Step 3

Once the mixture begins to boil, stir with the candy thermometer to get an accurate temperature. Be careful not to touch the bottom of the pan, as that can skew the reading. Once the mixture reaches 300 degrees, remove the pan from the heat.

Step 4

Wait for bubbling to slow down, and then begin slowly mixing in food coloring. Start with a small amount. You can always add more until you get the desired color.

Step 5

Use a dropper to add in flavoring oil. This step will likely produce a lot of steam, so hold your head back as you stir.

Step 6

Use the funnel to pour the hot liquid into the molds. If you’re using a mold designed for suckers or lollipops, immediately insert the sticks an inch or so in after pouring.

Step 7

Set aside to cool. Once candy is near room temperature, you can gently bend the molds to release your homemade candy!

Step 8

Eat your treats right away or wrap them in airtight plastic for later. The candy may become unpleasantly sticky if left out in the open.

Once you've mastered the art of making basic hard candy, challenge yourself by adding in nuts or trying some chocolate creations and other recipes.

What are your favorite tips for making hard candy at home? Let everyone know in the comments below!

Summertime Treats Kids Can Make

If you have children, you’ll hear “I’m bored” several times this summer. To combat that boredom, keep a list of ideas that will get them excited and keep them occupied, from outdoor games to rainy-day activities. One fun way to keep kids involved this summer, especially they’re stuck inside, is to get them involved in making treats. They’ll have something fun to do, with the added bonus of a snack-time treat.

1. Popsicles: These are an easy summertime staple, and you can make them with whatever you have on hand. Fruit juices, yogurt, and homemade smoothies all make healthy homemade treats, and you can add chopped up berries or bananas for an extra serving of fruit. If you don’t have a popsicle mold, you can even use an ice cube tray and some toothpicks. Simply fill the tray with your liquid, cover tightly with plastic wrap, add toothpicks as handles, and freeze. (If you have trouble getting the toothpicks to stay, wait until your liquid has partially frozen and then add.)

2. Cookies: If it’s not too hot to use the oven, shaped cookies are always fun. The cookie cutter section of our store has a large selection of cookie cutters to fit any interest, from spiders and ball caps to teddy bears and bunnies. Kids love using cookie cutters to press out their favorite shapes, and they’ll especially enjoy getting to choose what shapes you use each time you bake together. There are even letters and numbers, so your little ones could turn snack time into learning time.

3. Frozen Bananas: Another healthy treat is homemade frozen bananas. Our online store is a great source for the sticks and melting chocolates — just supply the bananas. First, insert a stick into a ripe (but not too ripe) banana and freeze for an hour. For toppings, you can roll in melted chocolate and then nuts or sprinkles, or use marshmallow fluff or sundae toppings. Return to the freezer until hardened.

4. Fruit Pizzas: Whip some cream cheese with a little sugar and vanilla, spread on a sugar cookie, and add sliced fruit. Best of all, the customization possibilities are endless. Make a family-sized pizza or let everyone create a personal pizza. Experiment with brownie crust or other cookie flavors. Fruit suggestions include strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, raspberries and mandarin oranges.

Have fun creating and eating this summer! What are your kids’ favorite treats to make during the summer? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Patriotic Treats for Memorial Day

At Sweet Treat Supply, we’re always looking for an excuse to make something tasty. Since Memorial Day is almost here, what better reason to make a sweet treat than honoring our country and soldiers? We’ve searched high and low for the tastiest stars-and-stripes sweets and here are our top picks for Memorial Day!

Patriotic Lollipops — This has to be one of the easiest and most impressive patriotic treats you could make. Use our How to Make Your Own Lollipops Guide and choose the perfect sucker mold for your party — we’d suggest these big flags or these 3-D stars — and you’ll have a treat that everyone will enjoy.

Red, White & Blue Whoopie Pies — Who doesn’t love a good Whoopie Pie? This recipe from NeighborFood Blog uses simple white cake mix, red and blue food coloring and sprinkles to get everyone in the holiday spirit. As an added bonus, these don’t take too much work, and they don’t require any special equipment. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Patriotic Cake Pops — This simple cake ball recipe relies on package cake mix, icing and chocolate melts to save you time. If you’ve never made cake balls before, Memorial Day is the perfect day to try it out, and you’ll love how easy this recipe makes it! To up the Wow Factor with your presentation, arrange the cake balls to look like a flag, dotting the blue balls with nonpareils and adding stripes of frosting to the red cake balls.

Red, White & Blue Rice Krispy Treat Pops — An easy way to make treats for a crowd, these rice krispy treat pops are one of our go-to recipes for any holiday. Red, white and blue are most appropriate for Memorial Day and the 4th of July, but save the recipe and change the colors to orange and black for Halloween or red and green for Christmas.

Jello Firecrackers — The cute and jiggly way to celebrate America, these Jello firecrackers are sure to be a hit at any party. Layer blueberry, unflavored and cherry gelatin in a plastic shot glass and stick a maraschino cherry on top as your fuse, and you’ll have these adorable and tasty treats ready in no time!

Red, White & Blue Chocolate Dipped Oreos — This fun patriotic dessert only requires a few ingredients: Oreos and red, white and blue chocolate melts. Start by completely covering the Oreos in white chocolate. Let the chocolate set, and then dip one third in blue chocolate and one third in red chocolate for a cute and quick treat the whole family will devour.

What’s your favorite treat to make for patriotic holidays? Let us know in the comments below!

How to Make Your Own Lollipops

We can all admit to taking an extra lollipop or two from the bank counter or the pediatrician’s office – and who can blame us? Lollipops have been a fan favorite for centuries for both adults and children alike! But did you know that lollipops are actually very simple to make on your own at home? Today we will walk you through the steps on how to make your own lollipops with only a few simple ingredients.

You will need:

• 2 cups of sugar
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons flavoring accent, such as vanilla or cherry
• Assorted sprinkles or candy
• Lollipop sticks

Prepare your station by lining two cookie sheets with wax paper and filling a large bowl with ice water – set both aside. Next, combine your sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Quickly stir the mixture and bring the heat up to medium high, stirring until all of the sugar is dissolved. Continue to stir your mix for five minutes, and immediately place the saucepan in the bowl of ice water, carefully making sure that no water seeps into it. Let the pan sit in the bath for 10 to 15 seconds to allow to cool. If you are using a flavoring accent, this is your time to add a few drops.

Speed is important in our next step – pour your syrup mixture into small circles, making sure to space them out wide enough so as not to mix them together. Immediately press the sucker sticks into the drops, and dust the lollipops with small candies or colorful sprinkles. We even love making glamorous-looking lollipops by adding tiny decorative edible pearls! Let your lollipops cool completely before pulling them off the baking sheet and enjoying!

If you want to skip measuring out your ingredients, try using our easy Isomalt Crystals for making your lollipops for other hard candies. These reduced calorie crystals are perfect for making guilt-free treats at only 2 calories per gram, and can be made just by adding water. Or, if you prefer chocolate over hard candy treats, try any of our chocolate and candy melts and pour into a Lolly Mold!

Have you ever tried making your own lollipops or hard candies? Was it for a special occasion or just an experiment? Share photos of your delectable creations with us on our Facebook page!

Essential Supplies for Beginner Candy Makers

So, you’ve recently decided you want to make your own candy. Great! We’re so excited! Making your own candy is a rewarding and delicious process, and it’s sure to be a hobby your friends, family, neighbors and coworkers will love! Like any new hobby, though, making your own candy can be a little intimidating. Where do you start? What skills do you need ahead of time? What kind of tools will you need to do it right?

At Sweet Treat Supply we like to help anyone take up this delicious new hobby, so we’ve created the ultimate guide to essential supplies for beginner candy makers.

1. Candy Thermometer — The most important tool in your arsenal will definitely be a candy thermometer. Many candies require just the right temperature to set perfectly, so find a thermometer that will hook on to your candy-making pans for accurate measurements. Depending on the types of candies you may decide to make, there are two different candy thermometers you might need: a classic one, such as this Taylor Candy Thermometer, or a Chocolate Tempering Thermometer for chocolate-based candies.
2. Candy Molds — While it’s possible to make candy without candy molds, it’s pretty difficult to get that perfect shape you’d want. When you’re first starting out, choose two or three different shapes that you think you’ll use time and time again. You’ll likely want to add to your collection as you become more skilled, but having a few different shapes to use while you’re starting out is a great strategy. Additionally, be sure to consider whether you’d want hard candy molds or flexible ones, which are typically used with chocolate and other softer ingredients.
3. Candy Funnel — This tool might not immediately come to mind when you think about candy making, but it’s sure to save you on cleanup after your candy is made. Candy funnels allow you to disperse the perfect amount of candy, ideal for pouring into molds. We highly recommend this one-handed candy funnel made specifically for chocolate melting wafers.
4. Chocolate Melting Wafers & Candy Melts — It would be difficult to make candy without the main ingredients, so make sure you have plenty on hand. If you plan to make chocolate candy, you’ll want chocolate melting wafers or disks, which come in a variety of types and are especially easy to temper. Candy melts can be used as a main ingredient in a candy or as an easy coating.
5. Isomelt Crystals — Isomelt crystals are an easy sugar substitute for hard candies. We love using them because they offer a lot of control over the candy’s final color, don’t have as many calories as sugar and are super simple to use in hard candies.
6. Candy Writers — Sometimes, your treats will deserve a little extra decoration, whether you’re planning to write letters to spell out the birthday girl’s name, draw bunnies in time for Easter or decorate just because. That’s where candy writers come in! These look a lot like icing tubes and come in a wide variety of colors, giving you total control over the finished product!

Do you have any other questions about how to make your own candy? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll do our best to help you!