Homemade Holiday Candies

 The holidays are near and that means it is time to start thinking about gifts to buy and treats to make. This year why not save a little money and give a gift from the heart with these homemade holiday candy recipes? These are decadent, delicious and easy to recreate at home in your own kitchen. Make a few varieties and package them in a pretty container for a great gift.

This collection has something wonderful for everyone! From cheesecake balls that are dreamy to simple dipped marshmallows that always delight and even a candy for the coffee lovers. 

While you are here you can't forget to visit some of my favorite bark recipes.

Everyone loves this celebration bark.  Fruity Pebbles bark is a perfect no bake candy option for cereal lovers.

Cheesecake Balls by Rich and Delish

These cheesecake balls are so creamy and dreamy! You are sure to love this recipe for homemade candy.

Dark Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows by Saporito Kitchen

This recipe is simple and delicious! Let the kids help with this one.

Homemade Snickers by The Short Order Cook

This homemade snickers bar recipe is perfect to make and freeze for later. Make these ahead of time for a homemade gift from the heart.

Honey Lollipops by The Monday Box

Homemade honey lollipops are perfect for sucking or stirring tea with! These would be great sticking stuffers.

Saltine Toffee by Spend with Pennies

Toffee made with saltines is a perfect treat to make and share.

Strawberry Hard Candy by In the Kitch

These hard candies are perfect for holidays. They are so fruity and flavorful!

Disneyland Copycat Churro Toffee  by In Fine Taste

No need to plan a trip to Disney to get your churro toffee fix. This is a perfect at home dupe!

Homemade Torrone Italian Nut Nougat by xoxo Bella

This homemade Italian candy would be so nice to share with your friends and neighbors this year.

Cookie Dough Truffles by Fantabulosity

These truffles are just the thing to serve to anyone who loves cookie dough flavor!

Rocky Road by Flavor the Moments

Homemade rocky road has never been easier than it is with this tasty recipe!

Peanut Butter Balls by Bitz n Giggles

If you love peanut butter flavor then you will want to make these delicious little treats this year!

Homemade Payday Bars by Sweet Peas Kitchen

This recipe is a perfect copycat for homemade, fresh payday candy bars!

Angel Candy by DIY and Fun

You are sure to love the layers of this candy! It is so tasty!

Turtles by The Cagle Diaries

Simple and delicious are always a good idea! This recipe for homemade turtles is sure to be a favorite!

Vegan Twix by Spabettie

If you are a fan of twix bars, you will want to make these for a sweet, homemade holiday candy to share.

Dalgona Coffee Candy by Corrie Cooks

Coffee fans would love to get a tub of these instant pot candies for the holidays!

Find more homemade candy recipes here

Cotton Candy Ice Cream Cones

Boozy Butter Creams

Nilla Wafer Bark

 

Make this no bake Nilla Wafer Bark the next time you crave a sweet that is soft, crunchy and delicious! It is made with common pantry staples to make a fast candy that everyone is sure to love.

This recipe is so easy you might want to get the kids in the kitchen to help you prepare this for a dessert to enjoy at home, or a treat to share with friends.

I love to make homemade bark. My husband Adam loves candy, so these kind of recipes are always a hit at home. This one is no exception; it is easy to whip up when you realize a sweet is needed, and no matter what you have on hand, I know you are going to come up with something totally tasty.

1 cup of white chocolate chips

1 cup of sprinkle white chocolate chips

1 cup of vanilla wafers

1 ½ c large marshmallows (or about 12)

½ tsp crisco or coconut oil

Directions:

1. Line a baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Add vanilla wafers to the baking dish.
3. Add marshmallows to the dish.
4. Melt white chocolate chips, sprinkle chocolate chips and crisco together over a double boiler, or in the microwave. Stir often. When the chocolate chips can be stirred smooth, remove from heat.
5. Pour the melted white chocolate over the contents of the baking dish.
6. If needed, stir everything around to completely cover with melted white chocolate.
7. Stick in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes, or until the white chocolate has hardened.
8. Cut into chunks and enjoy.
9. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Keep this easy recipe on hand for those times that the pantry is bare, or maybe you just crave candy but don't have the time to dash to the store. This also makes a great homemade gift to share at the holidays with a candy lover in your life.

If you are looking for more homemade bark recipes you won't want to miss these favorites.

Easy Rudolph Bark

Melted Snowman Bark

Grape Nuts Bark

Nuts About Cookies Bark

Fruity Pebbles Bark

Fruity Pebbles Bark

 This no bake treat couldn't be easier! It is fun to make and gift to friends. Kids especially love this bark recipe because it is so colorful. In fact, this fruity pebbles bark is so easy you should totally get the kids involved in making it!

Bark is my bag this year. I have been making it a lot because my husband is a candy addict, and I refuse to make a special candy run for him every evening. Instead I make something like this once a week to satisfy his need for sweets. This recipe is so easy. And it is unique. It has sweet elements, soft parts, and a perfect crunch. 

Ingredients:

1 cup of fruity pebbles cereal

½  to 1  cup of fruity mini marshmallows 

2 cups of white chocolate chips

1 teaspoon of crisco (or coconut oil)

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pour fruity pebbles cereal on the baking sheet.

Sprinkle mini fruity marshmallows over the cereal. If you love fruity marshmallows, add a cup. Otherwise

, a ½ cup is enough.

Pour the white chocolate chips into a large heat safe bowl.

Add crisco or coconut oil to the white chocolate chips.

Using a double boiler or the microwave, melt the chocolate chips, stirring often, until they are melted

“smooth”.

Pour the melted white chocolate chips over the cereal and marshmallows and allow to harden.

Break into chunks and enjoy!

If you need a quick and easy homemade treat to share with friends at a party. Or maybe a homemade gift that you can make in a minute, this is perfect for that! 

Store it in an airtight container or in decorative bags.

This works anytime of year, not just at the holidays. Anyone who loves fruity pebbles cereal will love this easy homemade candy.

While you are here check out some of these favorite recipes using cereal.
Cocoa Pebbles Smoothie
Cocoa Pebbles Treats
Fruity Pebbles Treats

Homemade Boozy Butter Cream Candy

Last year, I made several tasty vintage candy recipes for the holidays, to the delight of my family. It was fun, but this year, I decided I wanted to do something different.  That is where these decadent butter cream cake vodka candies came into play. 

I made homemade butter creams last year, and they were so good that I didn't even offer the kids the chance to lick the bowl after I scooped them out. I hid in the pantry and enjoyed it myself. HA! So, this year, I started on the butter creams but decided to do something wickedly decadent. I added cake vodka to the mix. And Holy Cow, they were amazing!

Ingredients:

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened

4 ounces of softened cream cheese

5 to 6 cups of powdered sugar

½ cup of cake vodka

For coating

½ teaspoon of crisco

4 ounces of almond bark or milk chocolate

Directions:

Combine butter and cream cheese until well blended.

Add cake vodka and blend for 30 seconds.

Add 3 cups of the powdered sugar and begin stirring.

Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and stir until you have a thick cream.

If needed, add the remaining powdered sugar.

You want to have a consistency that is very thick!

Begin scooping out the buttercream and dropping it on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Freeze the butter creams for 1 hour.

When the butter creams are completely frozen, melt the chocolate or almond bark with a ½ teaspoon of crisco over a double boiler.

When you can stir the chocolate smooth, remove from heat.

Working quickly, dip the butter creams into the melted chocolate, place them back on the baking sheet and put them back into the freezer for 15-25 minutes to harden the chocolate.

These are best stored in the fridge or the freezer until they are ready to be served.

 

These are an awesome and unique gift from the heart to share. They are sweet, have a little kick from the vodka, and will certainly offer a boozy treat that will set off the holidays just right for grown up friends.

As these are boozy, it would be a good idea to put a little warning on them before sharing. 

I am going to be serving these at my Christmas party; I think I will also make a batch in white chocolate.

If you like cocktails, check out some of my favorite recipes:
Night King Cocktails
15 Amazing Wine Cocktails
Bomb Pop Cocktails
Blueberry Vodka Lime Sorbet

Strawberry Ghosts

Trying to eat a little healthier this fall? You are in luck! With this simple recipe you can make a serving of candy coated fruit to satisfy your cravings.

I am always trying to make fruits and veggies more appealing to my kids. This recipe is a sure way to get kids excited about strawberries, while giving them a little of the candy they desire.

Supplies:

Strawberries

White candy melts

Candy eyes

Parchment or wax paper

Directions:

Wash the berries and dry them on a paper towel.

It is very important that you remove all the exterior moisture before you dip into the chocolate.

If there is still water/moisture on the berries when you dip into the chocolate; it will clump up fast.

When the berries are dry melt the white chocolate/almond bark according to the directions on the packaging.

Dip the berries into the melted chocolate, working fast.

Place the berries on the wax paper.

Before the chocolate has a chance to harden, drop 2 candy eyes on each berry.

When all of the berries have eyes, you can place them in the fridge to help the chocolate harden.

You can enjoy these within 15 minutes or so.

These are perfect for sharing at a Halloween party! What a sweet little spooky ghost!

I bet you can't eat just one!

These are delicious, easy to make, and while they do have a candy coating, they are so much healthier than some of the options Halloween is best known for!

Make a batch and stop by to share a little BOO! with a friend or neighbor!

Or maybe just eat them all by yourself! 

 You can find all of my Halloween ideas here

Reader favorites include:

DIY Halloween Tree

Pumpkin Face Window Clings

Play Doh Ghost Ornaments

Mummy Pretzel Snacks

Paper Plate Spiders

Play Doh Pumpkin Faces

Reclaimed Wood Black Cats

Is Garden Landscaping Expensive?

A nice aesthetic garden has a delightful ambiance of its own. The green resonates the healthy and
growing aura of your house and gives pleasure to look at. However maintaining a garden is no cheap
task. They are very costly and not every landscaping idea is welcoming to everyone’s budget. If you
haven’t had much of an experience with landscaping or are out of touch with the landscaping rate, we
will fill you in with the most up to date costs to help you become realistic with your landscaping plans.

1. What factors will affect the cost of landscaping?

There are many factors that you must take into account before exploring the cost of your
garden landscaping. 

Learn more about adding trees to your landscape here:

https://www.thelocaltreeexperts.com/ca/rancho-cucamonga/

• The size of your garden
• The span of the coverage
• Special nurturing for exotic plants
• Type of fertilizers and pesticides used
• Cost of pants and mulches
• Your gardener’s salary

2. How much do gardening services cost?

Gardeners have a lot to do with the size of your garden. On an average for an average sized house
garden; gardening services would range from £15-45 per hour. Another factor that decides the cost of
gardening is the efficiency of a gardener, their level of expertise and their experience. On an average
that would be around £150 - 300 per day for 2-3 hours of gardening every day. Gardening services
include weeding, weed removal, trimming, pruning, lawn clearance, lawn care, lawn mowing etc.

Source: http://azworks.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/landscaping-ideas-with-rocks-beautiful-river-rock-landscaping-ideas-rock-garden-landscaping-with-rocks-garden-landscaping-and-backyard-landscaping-landscaping-ideas-rocks-gravel.jpg

3. How much does garden cleaning cost?

Garden cleaning by a professional will cost you at around £35 -40 per hour.

4. How much does soil irrigation cost?

Most people tend to dismiss the irrigation, but the fact that water costs is not to be ignored. For
£8-10 per hour your garden will remain hydrated.

5. How much does maintaining a turf cost?

Turf maintenance is a chore not everyone has the time for. Hiring a professional to do will cost at
around £14 per square meter.

Source: https://i1.wp.com/www.mrright.in/ideas/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Small-garden-landscaping-ideas.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1

6. How much does bark mulching cost?

To keep your plants warm and well hydrated in summer time, you should consider mulching which has
an approximate cost of £12-38 per cubic meter.

7. How much does new plants cost?

For garden makeover you need plants, however, plants do not have a fixed price. The same plant you
buy on sale will have a massive difference from the plant you buy from a nursery. Plants are also very
dependent upon the area where you choose to do the plantation. The price will range from £30-40 per
square meter.

8. How much does fence installation cost?

Fence installation will cost you £40-50 per meter for close boarded and £50-60 per meter for a closed
board fence.

9. How much does paving cost?

Sandstone paving will cost you £80, while block paving being a slightly cheaper option will cost you
around £70-80.

10. How much does decking cost?

Softwood decking comes in cheap at £70-80 per square meter, while hardwood decking ranging from
£130-160 depending on the type of wood used.

Easy Rudolph Bark Recipe

This easy Rudolph bark comes together in no time and creates a fun and festive treat to share with friends and neighbors this holiday season!

This is super easy to make! It requires very few supplies and is so easy that even kids can make it!

This post contains affiliate or partner links.

I used stick pretzels, red M&M's and candy eyes, and chocolate!

Melt the chocolate and spread it on a foil lined cookie sheet.
Add pretzel sticks for antlers, the eyes and one red M&M for Rudolph's nose!
Allow the chocolate to cool and harden, then break it into chunks and serve or share!

You might also love this Melted Snowman Bark Recipe.