Homemade Valentine's Day Candy Recipes

For this recipe, you nee a candy thermometer, clear corn syrup, a disposable aluminum cookie tray, water, white granulated sugar, red food coloring, and cinnamon flavoring. It is one of the easiest types of candy to make and is beautiful when properly prepared. For presentation, I typically use small jelly jars, either textured or decorated with heart stickers.

INGREDIENTS:

4c white granulated sugar

1 3/4 c white (clear) corn syrup or honey

1 1/4 c water

1/2 tsp Cinnamon Oil (edible)

5 drops red food coloring

DIRECTIONS:

In a meium to large sauce pan, heat sugar, corn syrup, and water, stirring constantly over medium heat until it is completely dissolved. Slowly increase the temperature to between medium and high. Boil the mixture until it is about 310 degrees, which registers as "hard crack" on your candy thermometer. To test the candy, take a small drop on the end of your spoon and drop it into icewater. When you take the sample candy out of the ice water, it should be hard. Turn off the heat and stir in the food coloring. It is very important that you are careful with the next step: adding cinnamon oil. Cinnamon oil can be very dangerous. If you are allergic, choose a cherry or an alternate flavoring. When the candy begins to cool very slightly, it is time to add the cinnamon. Carefully fold it in but stand back from the cloud formed if the oil starts to evaporate. Pour the candy while it is still very pliable onto the disposable tray. Allow it to cool. You can add the flavoring by folding the oil in across the cooling candy if it the candy was too hot when you tried to first add it. After the candy cools, remove it from the tray (it should pop out easily) and break it into pieces.

Cherry Filled Chocolates:

For this recipe, you need a chocolates mold deep enough to hold a cherry within the shell of the chocolate. You will need milk chocolate chips, water, a brand new paintbrush, a double boiler or a small saucepan and a larger one to stack, a can of cherry pie filling, and a container of vanilla icing.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg milk chocolate chips

Water

Cherry Pie Filling

Vanilla Icing

DIRECTIONS:

In a small saucepan or top of the double boiler, empty the bag of milk chocolate chips. Fill the bottom of the double boiler or the larger saucepan with water and put it on the stove to boil, floating the smaller sauce pan or fitting the double boiler together to melt the chocolate. Once the chocolate has completely melted, paint the cells of the candy mold with the chocolate. Do not fill the cells. Set filled mold aside to cool. Pay special attention to the mold to make sure there are no bubbles in the details of the chocolate tops.

Open the can of cherry pie mix and the container of icing. When the molded chocolate is completely chilled and before removing the chocolates, place a tiny bit of icing and a single cherry in the chocolate painted cell. Some of the gel will come along with the cherry, and that is fine. Leave about a centimeter of space from the top of the cell. Fill the rest of the cherry filled cell with chocolate, completely covering the entire base and connecting with the sides. When the entire chocolate is cooled, carefully turn the mold upside down and ease the finished chocolates out.

For a variation, fill the chocolate with either caramel or fudge instead of cherry or choose bittersweet chips instead of milk chocolate or use heart-shaped candy molds.

Ovaltine No Bake Cookies

A hybrid of cookie and candy, the no bake cookie is a well regarded treat. For this recipe, you need oatmeal, butter, condensed milk, peanut butter, ovaltine, sugar, coconut, and vanilla extract.

INGREDIENTS:

1c Granulated Sugar

1 can condensed milk (sweetened)

1/4 c Butter

6T ovaltine

1/4 c Shredded Coconut

3/4c Crunchy Peanut butter

3c Quick Oats Uncooked

1t Vanilla Extract

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium sized saucepan, mix your sugar, conensed milk, butter, and ovaltine and bring it to a boil. Cook the mixture for 1.5 minutes exactly. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, coconut, vanilla, and finally the oats. Before completely set, drop by the spoonful onto some wax paper or a cold tray. Let the candy cool until firm. For a variation on the recipe, omit the coconut or try creamy peanut butter.

Peanut Butter Cups

This favorite can be created following a simple chocolate melt recipe. Just remember the texture you are looking for in a peanut butter cup. You can use a muffin tin and peanut butter cup wraps.

INGREDIENTS:

1 bag milk chocolate chips or candy melts

1/2 c peanut butter

1 T Powdered Sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Melt chocolate like in the above recipe. With a paintbrush, paint the wrap with melted chocolate. While the wrap is cooling, In a small bowl, combine peanut butter with powdered sugar. Fill the cup 3/4 of the way. Pour melted chocolate on the top and allow to cool.