HomeMade Southern Candy

Great homemade southern candy is everybody's favorite. Well, at least everybody's favorite while they are eating it! There are some candies that remain southern specialties, as well as some we just like to claim. No matter where you live, homemade candy is a delicious treat.

Chocolate candy is one of our great southern homemade treats. You can smell it cooking in the pot before you walk into the house. The kitchen is warm and the bubbling candy, stirred lovingly by its cook, conjures up Norman Rockwell images. So without further ado, here, for your dining pleasure, (drumroll, please) is the best chocolate candy recipe of all time:

3 cups of sugar

1/2 cup of cocoa

1 1/2 cups of milk

one stick of butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine dry ingredients. Gradually add milk until well blended. Cook over medium-high heat until the candy reaches the soft ball stage. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla, and stir until your arm drops off or until the candy stiffens whichever comes first. If you wish to add a half cup of pecans, add them in before the candy gets too firm. Pour the candy onto a well-buttered platter and you're done with chocolate candy making. Try to wait for it to harden before you eat it.

A few candy making tips:

Don't even try to make candy on rainy days. High humidity will not allow the candy to harden, and while it may still taste great, sticky candy is no fun to eat. You might still eat that chocolate candy with a spoon, but we don't recommend it.

Make sure to use heavier, good quality cooking vessels. Cheap pots don't heat evenly, so your results will likely be inconsistent. Copper bottom pots are particularly good.

Cook candy at the right heat. As long as you are stirring the praline mixture (or chocolate fudge or candy), you can keep the temperature up pretty high. Once the candy starts to bubble you should reduce the heat to medium and let it cook a bit, but you will still need to stir frequently.

Use a candy thermometer to help you decide whether or not the candy is ready to take off the heat, at least until you have cooked the recipe enough times to be really comfortable with it.

Cook up a double recipe this weekend. Make it a special treat that becomes a tradition in your home.

Hard Candy

 Candy mementos and get together bags create virtually just about almost every party a huge hit for the visitors. Sweet party prefers are usually great snacks showing your attendees that you simply value their participation at the special event. There are many types of celebration favors that you can use that will create, and that i will disclose some of the popular ones in this post. We'll protect A few tips that can be used for your next function.

Food store Candies

Among the easiest stuff that you can do is to merely run down for your neighborhood supermarket and browse the sweet area. You will probably locate a variety of valentines sweets which you can use to get a wedding party, birthday party, or even affectionate get together for just two. Also try this would be to utilize independently covered candy which comes in light paper regarding marriage and also infant showers. Unless you discover what you're trying to find at the nearby food store try niche sweet stores in your neighborhood.

Personalized Candy

The best way to produce some thing your personal is to customize it. You will find niche stores in your local area to produce customized negligees as well as imprint, your name or graphic in your sweet associated with preference. Almost everyone wants M&M sweet. You can go online, or to the local M&M retailer and possess M&Ms individualized for the get together. Everyone loves chocolate bars and chocolate bars. More and lots the best way to are employing individualized sweet pubs with marriage ceremonies and also parties, too.

Hard Candy

If you are having an event that is outdoors and may be affected by heat you might not want to have chocolate for favors. Instead consider using hard candy such as lollipops or peppermints. Everyone loves to have a peppermint and they can be used as nice after dinner treats for your guests.


Childhood Sweets

For some of us as we grow older we seem to lose some of our interest in candy, but we are always nostalgic for the sweets of our childhood. One way to bring back that nostalgia is to use the candy of your childhood for favors. Nothing triggers found memories like Now-Laters, candy corn, Blow Pops, Tootsie ROlls, and Lemon Drops.

Make Your Own Candy

If you are the creative type you may decide to simply make your own candy. Make your candy in shapes that reflect the event, location, or the season associated with your party. Making your own candy can be fun and allow you to put your own personal touch on the event.

Halloween Candy

 Keep the candy out of sight and out of the kitchen. Store it in a hard to reach place such as the back of a closet or in the basement where maybe, just maybe, you will forget about it. This can eliminate mindless munching as you will have to make a special trip to get it.

Remember that you can always have access to candy. Most "Halloween" candy can be found year round. We all know where to go to buy more if we just have to have some. We don't need to keep it "just in case". We don't need to focus on it and hoard it for later; we are not squirrels preparing for a long season of scarcity. Gorging on candy will not make us feel better. Get rid of it, don't focus on it, and calmly go about your business.

Halloween can be a tempting and perilous time of wading through extra candy and watching what we eat. It can also be good practice for the upcoming non-stop holiday treats that appear from now through New Years Day. If you are tempted by Halloween candy take a breath, acknowledge it, and try 1 or more of these strategies. Make conscious decisions!


Candy favors and party bags help to make any party a big hit for the guests. Candy favors are nice treats to show the guests that you appreciate their participation at your special event. There are many types of party favors that you can use and create, and I will highlight a few of the more popular ones in this article. We'll cover 5 ideas that you can use for your next event.


Grocery Store Candies

One of the easiest things that you can do is to simply run down to your local grocery store and browse the candy isle. You will probably find a variety of valentines candies that you can use for a wedding, birthday party, or romantic party for two. Another idea would be to use individually wrapped candy that comes in pastel wrapping paper for bridal and baby showers. If you don't find what you're looking for at the local grocery store try specialty candy shops in your neighborhood.

Personalized Candies

The easiest way to make something your own is to personalize it. You can find specialty stores in your local area to create personalized wrappers and imprint, your name or image on your candy of choice. Almost everyone likes M&M candy. You can go online, or to the local M&M store and have M&Ms personalized for your party.