Happy National Candy Month! Instead of celebrating with those basic, prepackaged candy bars, why not make your own? If you think the task seems daunting, complicated, and not worth the effort, think again. Hurry and put the rumors to rest with these 13 treats — like fluffy marshmallows, candied citrus peels, and addicting chocolate matzo toffee — for a rather simple but sweet addition to your candy dish. There's no better rush than a sugar rush!
— Additional reporting by Lisette Mejia
Easy-to-prepare, from-scratch fudge is a thoughtful gift for the holiday season. In our latest how-to, we share a simple fudge recipe and our tips for wrapping it all up in a festive package. To stir up this chocolatey dessert, you’ll need sugar, butter, evaporated milk, semisweet baking chocolate, marshmallow creme, vanilla, and the nut of your choice. With its four-hour cooking time, the dessert doesn't provide instant gratification — but delicious things come to those who wait!
Stumped about what to gift for the holidays? Here, we show you how to make a classic candy: peppermint patties. A perfect treat for the Winter season, make these patties as a hostess gift or just for fun at home. With just powdered sugar, egg whites, dark chocolate, and peppermint extract, they’re surprisingly easy to make. Plus, these candies can be a refreshing change from fudge and fruitcake! Watch our video to see how it’s done.
If you're looking for a last-minute gift to give to a loved one, why not go for something homemade and delicious? Whether you're looking for a quick and easy project or a more involved afternoon affair, these creative gifts will impress all of your friends and family. Likewise, we have picks for any palate and proclivity, including those with a raging sweet tooth, the salt-obsessed, the boozehound, and more.
Chocolate crinkle cookies are a holiday favorite. Gooey and fudgy, with plenty of powdered sugar to go around, a package of these cookies is sure to please anyone on your gift list. The recipe is inspired by my absolute favorite chocolate crinkle cookies from Williams-Sonoma ($19). The mix is heavenly, but the price tag keeps me pretty limited to making them for special occasions only. Determined to see if I could hack recipe myself, I got out my trusty scale and started weighing out all the ingredients on the package. I felt like a modernist cook, breaking down the recipe bit by bit.
My experimental hack was a success, and tasters loved the crumbliness of the cookies and the brownie-like interior. Do these taste exactly like the Williams-Sonoma brand? Not exactly, but that is to be expected since I used different cocoa powder, pastry flour, chocolate, and vanilla. Next time, I do plan to splurge on all of Williams-Sonoma's baking ingredients, so I can get even closer to the flavor of the original mix.
A few months ago, I tried Cobra Corn Mumbai Masala popcorn, and I couldn't get the Indian spices out of my head. Inspired to create a homemade batch of garam masala popcorn, I knew this unusual popcorn flavor would be appreciated by my family and friends during the holiday season as well.
People usually receive a plethora of indulgent treats as holiday gifts, so I thought it might be nice to keep this batch simple, butter-free, and salty. Garam masala is made of peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, and cardamom, many of which are familiar holiday spices. Keep in mind you can control the heat of the popcorn, but even the most minute sprinkling of cayenne will give it a sufficient kick.
Sixteen cups may seem like a giant yield, but when I pulled out a big bowl of this popcorn for my family of four, I had to pry the bowl away from them so I could save a few cups for the photo shoot! Click here to make this easy, flavor-packed snack.
During Winter, nothing epitomizes warmth more than a steaming cup of rich hot chocolate. This holiday, why not package that feeling for your loved ones by making a thoughtful homemade version of the stuff?
Unlike store-bought mix, which often tastes chalky and watered down, this edible gift is velvety in texture and pure chocolatey in flavor. This year, I'm making a large batch and distributing individually decorated packages of mix to members of my extended family. Keep reading to make your own version of this luscious-tasting hot chocolate mix.
Need a new treat this holiday season? Then up a batch of homemade Nutella! All you need to make this chocolaty spread is sugar, hazelnuts, baker’s chocolate, vanilla, and hazelnut oil. In addition to being quick and easy to make, this delicious spread will keep unrefrigerated for over a week, which makes it an ideal gift to ship to your loved ones for the holidays. Watch our video to learn how you can make our favorite recipe.
No Southern holiday party is complete without green pepper jelly mounted high atop a slab of cream cheese, which is why it's a festive gift to offer friends and family.
If you're not from the South, then this might seem like an unusual flavored jelly. Made from green bell peppers, jalapeños, apple cider vinegar, and sugar, it tastes similar to a sweet/spicy Indian chutney. To me, it tastes like pickled jalapeños in a jelly form. In a good way, of course!
I'll be the first to admit that pepper jelly may look a whole lot like Ghostbusters green slime, but it only takes one bite of the sweet, peppery jelly atop cream cheese and a cracker to become a pepper jelly fan for life.
Quick breads are one of the easiest things to bake and one of the most enthusiastically received gifts. My grandmother must receive at least 20 loaves from friends during the holiday season! She stacks them high in her freezer and pulls them out throughout the year.
I have fond memories as a child, waking up to the smell of banana nut bread reheating in the oven on Christmas morning. Call me strange, but growing up, I soaked bits of toasted banana nut bread in corn grits along with bacon crumbles. I still think it's the most incredible sweet-salty combination.
This recipe is on the cakey side, and it's not overwhelmingly sweet. When I make breakfast breads, I prefer things that are slightly crunchy and complex, which is why I added some wheat flour and a hefty dose of walnuts to the mix. Remarkably, this banana nut bread tastes even better reheated; I recommend toasting thick slices in the oven until the edges become crunchy. Gift this banana nut bread the day of or day after you make it and include a card that recommends the recipient eat it within three days or freeze it for later use.
