These easy Christmas candy recipes make the perfect addition to any cookie tray or holiday gift basket! Break free from the traditional Christmas cookie and try one of these simple candy recipes.
It’s the time of year everyone gets out their baking supplies, cookie cutters, and rolling pins.
But often overlooked are Christmas candies! Maybe the thought of making homemade candy is intimidating, but there is no candy thermometer or fancy supplies needed to make these easy holiday recipes.
These candies are a perfect addition to a cookie tray, can be wrapped up in a cute tin or cellophane to give as gifts, and are a delicious change-up to the traditional sugar cookies and raspberry thumbprints.
The recipes listed below are SO easy, literally anyone with a microwave, oven and/or stove can do them. It made all three during nap time one day (YES, they are THAT quick!!) and stored them away in the freezer for safe-keeping. When it comes time to deliver my cookie trays to friends, family and neighbors, I’ll throw a couple of each kind onto the tray to give it a little extra oomph.
I will link all of the recipes at the bottom of this post, so feel free to scroll to the bottom to get the full recipes!
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Chocolate Butterscotch Peanut Clusters
These were always my favorite growing up! I would get so excited when my mom would come home with the butterscotch chips and cocktail peanuts.
Chocolate butterscotch clusters are great because you are only using a saucepan on the stove and a lined cookie sheet to drop them onto. It’s as simple as melting the chocolate and butterscotch, stirring in the peanuts, and dropping them onto the cookie sheet.
I throw them into a freezer bag when they’re hardened and they keep beautifully until I’m ready for them! I’ve never met someone who didn’t LOVE this delicious candy.
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark
This one is so easy it hurts! It’s perfect if you are more of a microwave kind of person. You could make this out of a dorm room…seriously!
Dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, candy canes and peppermint extract come together to make a crunchy, minty chocolate bark. It’s so pretty when wrapped up in cellophane and placed among your holiday cookies! I love the layered look — it’s has a very fancy flair while still being one of the simplest things I make.
If you’re adding this to a cookie platter, I definitely recommend placing it in a treat bag first. Peppermint is a very strong flavor, and you don’t want it to transfer to your other cookies.
Saltine Cracker Toffee
The Chocolate Butterscotch Peanut Clusters may have been my favorite as a child, but my current favorite is this recipe for Saltine Cracker Toffee!
It’s everything you want in a treat. It’s caramel-y, chocolate-y, salty, crunchy, gooey…ugh, I’m drooling! I always make a double batch of these and I never have leftovers.
These are fun because you can customize them however you want! Top them with festive sprinkles, coconut, more chocolate, toffee bits, nuts, colorful candies, M&Ms…get creative and do whatever you want! Personally, I love them plain or with a sprinkle of toffee bits on top. Yum!
These recipes are staples to my holiday baking list. I am a dedicated chocolate lover, and look forward to making these every year! I always get asked for my recipes on these three candies, and it’s almost embarrassing how easy they are! Your family and friends are sure to love them!
Let me know if you give them a try! Comment below to let me know your favorite holiday candy recipe!
