In my last post I talked about some of the fun traditions I had growing up and keep going as an adult. One of my favorites is making goodies. I love sugar. But I try my best not to eat it most of the time. Christmas is really hard, mostly because I love all the Christmas goodies that I make and that people bring.

I think the reason I love them so much is because we don’t make these same kinds of sweets all year, so it is a bit of a treat. We like to make a variety of goodies, so I thought I’d share some of them here. I’m not going to share the recipes, but they are easily searchable on the internet. But, if you’re looking for ideas for your Christmas plates for neighbors, family and friends, hopefully this will help.

• Caramel’s – This is one of my all time favorite Christmas candies. We make them every year, and I’ve had a number of friends say they look forward to getting specifically the caramel’s every year. I have made them 2 ways, one on the stove top and one in the microwave. Both turn out tasting delicious, but I think the stove top method is a better finished product overall.
• Big Hunk Candies – This is not one that I make, but one that my son-in-law makes as per his mom’s recipe. Growing up I loved Big Hunks, but these candies far surpass the store bought variety by far. They might be my favorite candy. I’m grateful he will make some for us and that his mom taught him how to make them, they are delicious!
• English Toffee – This is one of the most simple recipes I make. I love the soft chewy candy like the last 2, but I also love the harder candies as well. It is sweet, buttery, and if you like nuts and chocolate, you can add the nuts to the candy and spread chocolate over the top after it’s all spread out. It’s pretty versatile as far as add ins.
• Fudge – My husband’s favorite candy is fudge. When he makes it, he makes the real deal, on the stovetop, so many ingredients. When I’m responsible for making it, I have a microwave recipe I use that is super easy and simple, but he says it’s not quite as good. I also make a layered fudge with chocolate on the bottom and peanut butter on the top. My favorite kind of fudge is the peanut butter.
• Chocolates – This would be like truffles and dipped chocolates. My daughter made a semi-sweet chocolate truffle the other day that she then coated with cocoa powder rather than dipping in chocolate. Not my favorite as I don’t like that rich of a chocolate, but everyone else thought it was great. I did like the base, just not the cocoa powder on the outside. Growing up we did a huge variety of chocolates, including cherry cordials. I remember my mom buying a huge 10 pound brick of chocolate that we’d chunk off and use for dipping. These are great because there is so many different kinds.
• Candied Oranges – I have never made these until this year, but I think I ate at least half of them. We only did 2 oranges worth, and hey, they’re healthy, right!? There were a couple of different ways to make them, we learned that it is best to boil the slices for a few minutes in water before simmering them in the sugar syrup. For some reason it takes away the bitter aftertaste, and it really does, there was a distinct difference between the two oranges.
• Buckeye’s – This is one I have never made but we plan on making sometime this season. I have received these though, and they are so good. I love peanut butter goodies.
• Cornflake Wreaths – I don’t make these every year, but I do once in a while. I love these wreaths, an offshoot of a rice crispy treat, I love the marshmallow/cornflake combo. They might make it onto my list for this year, we’ll see how much time we have.
• Molasses Cookies – I know that Christmas is the cookie season, but I only make a couple of kinds of cookies at Christmas, Molasses cookies are my favorite kind of cookie, so I do try to make a couple of batches during the holidays. Sometimes they make it on our goodie plates, and sometimes we just eat them throughout the holidays.
• Gingerbread Cookies – I love gingerbread flavors and gingerbread cookies are also one of my favorites. I really only make these at Christmastime. Once in a while I’ll make the molasses cookies for an event throughout the year, but gingerbread, only Christmas. I don’t decorate them much, but I do love cutting them out in cute shapes. I love a couple of gingerbread men and a big glass of milk. These also don’t always make it on the plates, but it’s on I love to make and eat!

These are all some of the staples of our Holiday sweets. I enjoy baking and I enjoy making candy. I really love sharing it with family and friends. I hope this gives you some good ideas for your holiday candy making and baking.