Homemade Christmas Candy for Beginners

If you've never made homemade Christmas candy before, it may seem a bit intimidating. While starting out with homemade centers for dipped chocolates may be a bit advanced, there are recipes that are perfect for beginners. Best of all, your gift recipients will never know how easy it was. These recipes for homemade Christmas candy may be for beginners, but they still look and taste amazing.

Dipped Pretzel Rods
One of the easiest candies you can make is dipped pretzel rods. All you need is a 12 ounce bag of chocolate chips (any flavor) and pretzel rods. Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat at 50% power for 30 seconds. Remove the chips from the microwave and stir. Keep repeating the process until the chips are completely melted. Using a pot holder, tip the bowl on it's side, careful not to spill any chocolate, and dip the pretzels into chocolate. Place the dipped pretzels on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper until the chocolate sets. If you want to jazz up your dipped pretzel rods, sprinkle on colored sugar, festive sprinkles or crushed peppermints before the chocolate sets. Package in an airtight container at room temperature.

Peppermint Bark Oreos
If you thought Oreos couldn't get any better, you obviously haven't dipped them in chocolate. This is another recipe that's easy to prepare. You'll need a 12 ounce bag of white chocolate chips, a package of regular Oreos and hard peppermint candies or candy canes. The first step is to place the peppermints in a zip top bag and use a rolling pin to crush the peppermints. Next, melt your chocolate (follow the steps listed above) and dip in the Oreso making sure not to leave any holes in the coating or the cookies will become soggy. Place the Oreos on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and dust with the crushed peppermints. Allow to set and then package in an airtight container at room temperature.

Pinwheels
A classic Christmas candy that's easy to make is pinwheels. This homemade candy has been a favorite for decades. All you need is a 2 pound bag of powdered sugar, milk and peanut butter. In a large bowl, mix the powdered sugar with two tablespoons of milk by hand, adding more milk until a ball of "dough" forms. Cut the ball in half and roll the dough out on a countertop dusted with additional powdered sugar. Spread on peanut butter and roll into a log. Use a serrated knife to cut the log into smaller pieces and store in an airtight container. You can use different spreads for this recipe, such as chocolate or even almond butter.