15 Vintage Christmas Candy Recipes to Make This Holiday Season (2024)

Making old-fashioned Christmas candy is a time-honored holiday tradition, and let's be honest — homemade fudge, caramels, brittle, and bark are gifts from the kitchen anyone would be happy to receive. Whether you give them as presents to friends or enjoy them with your loved ones, these vintage Christmas candies will add some extra happiness and old-school fun to your holidays.

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Stained Glass Candy II

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Multicolored miniature marshmallows give the otherwise ordinary mixture of chocolate, coconut, and walnuts a dose of pizzazz. This classic candy recipe only requires five ingredients and 30 minutes of your time, and it's simple enough for the kids to get involved.

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Chocolate Covered Cherries

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Instead of purchasing a box of chocolate covered cherries this December, make your own — the process is easy, and the candy is so delicious you'll never want store-bought again. You can enjoy them as-is, right after you're finished making them, or let them "ripen" for 1-2 weeks for a softer interior. To prevent leakage, double dip the bottoms.

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Saltine Toffee Cookies

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Saltine toffee cookies are one of those treats that everyone loves, which makes them a great gift. This recipe is super simple and quick, but these crunchy treats taste so delicious people will think you got them at a candy shop.

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Candied Lemon Peel

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Candied lemon peel is delicious on its own, but it also makes a nice garnish for frosted cookies and cakes, or a flavorful mix-in for quick breads. This simple technique works with other citrus peels, so if you want to switch things up, try it with orange and grapefruit as well.

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Divinity

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"I tried your recipe last night and it turned out great! I had no problem with it setting up and getting the right firmness," says community member MROSSON. "It tastes great also. It was the first time that I had ever attempted to make divinity I had always heard that it was very difficult but your recipe worked great for me."

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Chewy Caramel

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This simple recipe yields buttery and rich caramel that's delicious as-is or incorporated into other candies or baked goods. For a firmer candy, chill before wrapping and refrigerate overnight.

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Candy Strawberries

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In addition to being adorable, these easy candy strawberries are super sweet and have a lovely texture thanks to the inclusion of ground nuts. Feel free to use this technique with other flavors of gelatin and roll the candy into whatever shape you want.

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Mom's Best Peanut Brittle

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"I'd give this ten stars if I could! I made many batches of this and gave out for Christmas gifts and received RAVE reviews," says community member PAULABASKET. "You definitely have to have the ingredients ready to go while you are making this, but don't let that scare you off. Once you have done one or two batches, you definitely get a "feel" for the process."

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Aunt Teen's Creamy Chocolate Fudge

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This super creamy and chocolatey fudge comes together in just half an hour, and the process is so simple you'll never need another fudge recipe. Microwave the marshmallow creme for about 15 seconds before adding it to the pan. This way, it will mix in with the other ingredients much more easily and is less likely to stick to the pan.

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5-Ingredient Peppermint Bark

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This homemade peppermint bark is just as fun to make and give as it is to receive. You can also play around with this recipe and use candy canes or different types of chocolate.

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Best Toffee Ever - Super Easy

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Just like its name promises, this knockout toffee is easy and delicious. The toffee's thickness will depend on what size baking sheet you use — for thinner toffee, use a larger sheet, but if you prefer your toffee thicker, size down.

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World's Best Peanut Butter Fudge

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In the words of recipe creator Debby, this peanut butter fudge is too good to only make at Christmas. It tastes like peanut butter cookie dough or the inside of a peanut butter cup, but smoother. Let it refrigerate before cutting for firmer fudge.

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Christmas Turtles® Candies

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These 4-ingredient candies are so easy to assemble! Reviewers suggest melting the caramels with a tablespoon of milk or water to make them softer and easier to chew when they set up.

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Torrone (Italian Nut and Nougat Confection)

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This traditional Italian candy looks impressive, but it's actually quite simple to make. Be sure to factor in plenty of time for standing at the stove stirring.

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Luscious Chocolate Truffles

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These simple truffles only require three ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry: chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract. "The only problem with this recipe was the fact that i could not stop eating them," says community member *Lisa*. "They were so addicting!"

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15 Vintage Christmas Candy Recipes to Make This Holiday Season (16)

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15 Vintage Christmas Candy Recipes to Make This Holiday Season (2024)

FAQs

What is the oldest Christmas candy? ›

One of the oldest traditional candies eaten for special occasions like Christmas is marzipan. This almond-based confection dates back centuries, with origins in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Each region has its own uses for the sweet.

What's the most famous candy during Christmas? ›

Unwrap The Top 12 Christmas Candies!
  1. Nerds Rope Christmas Candy. ...
  2. Christmas Nik-L-Nip Elf Punch. ...
  3. Brach's Funfetti Candy Canes. ...
  4. Christmas Cadbury Selection Box UK. ...
  5. Haribo Giant Trees. ...
  6. Fort Knox Gold Ingots. ...
  7. Peeps Candy Cane Marshmallow Chicks. ...
  8. Terry's Chocolate Orange Minis White Chocolate UK.
Nov 20, 2023

What is traditional Christmas candy? ›

From peanut brittle to chocolate Santas, the holiday season is a time for sweets and celebration. Hundreds of millions of candy canes, chocolate Santas, and tins of peanut brittle are made each year, and millions of candy gifts are given each year.

What is the name of Santa's candy? ›

A candy cane is a cane-shaped stick candy often associated with Christmastide, as well as Saint Nicholas Day. It is traditionally white with red stripes and flavored with peppermint, but the canes also come in a variety of other flavors and colors.

What candy came out 1912? ›

Life Savers was first created in 1912 by Clarence Crane, a candy maker from Garrettsville, Ohio (and father of the famed poet Hart Crane).

What candy was invented in 1921? ›

Baby Ruth / 1921

The wonky history of the Baby Ruth candy bar. In 1921, Otto Schnering sought to revive his struggling Curtiss Candy Company in Chicago. So he reformulated and rebranded its flagship “Kandy Kake” confection into a peanut, caramel and nougat-filled candy bar.

What is the number 1 candy of all time? ›

Top-selling chocolates and sweets. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are the No. 1 selling candy brand in the United States, consisting of white fudge, milk, or dark chocolate cups filled with peanut butter. They were invented by H.B. Reese after he founded the H. B. Reese Candy Company in 1923.

What is the most popular candy sold in December? ›

Kit Kat ranked top in 13 states, followed by a tie between Skittles and candy canes. In a recent survey conducted by Hubscore, findings revealed that four in five Americans love to put candies in their Christmas stockings during the holiday season, while only a few preferred to fill them with small toys and gift cards.

Which sweet is eaten on Christmas? ›

Kul Kuls (pronounced as Kalkals) are traditional Indian Christmas sweets that are formed into little curls. These are deep-fried, sweet pastry nibbles that are served on every Indian Christmas plate. It is prepared during Christmas by Indian Catholics in Mangaloreans, Goans and Maharashtra.

Is there a candy corn for Christmas? ›

Candy corn has always been kind of a fall thing, but now it's a winter thing. Brach's just introduced a version that looks and tastes like Christmas. Candy corn has always been kind of a fall thing, a delicious harvest-colored treat you gobble by the handful around Halloween until your teeth ache and your belly rebels.

What is Santa's 1st name? ›

A long time ago, Santa was known as Saint Nicholas by his peers because he was so kind to others and often gave gifts to those in need. Today, some still call Santa “Saint Nicholas” among his many nicknames.

What pie is left for Santa? ›

England. English families leave Santa Claus (also known as Father Christmas) a glass of sherry and a slice of mince pie to warm up on Christmas Eve.

What snack is left for Santa? ›

Children in the United States bake cookies for Santa and leave them out with a glass of milk on Christmas Eve. Some kids even leave carrots for Santa's reindeer. In other parts of the world, however, Santa's beverages are a bit harder.

What is the oldest candy still made? ›

Good & Plenty is believed to be the oldest candy brand in the USA. The pink-and-white capsule-shaped chewy licorice was first produced in 1893 in Philadelphia. It's still found at concession stands everywhere, which makes Good & Plenty a treat that can be enjoyed by candy lovers of all ages.

What is the oldest candy to exist? ›

The first candy was used by the Ancient Egyptians for cult purposes. In ancient times, Egyptians, Arabs, and Chinese made candies with fruits and nuts that caramelized with honey. The two oldest candy types are licorice and ginger. The historical roots of licorice are found in the early years of man's appearance.

What is the oldest candy bar still made? ›

Fry & Sons and currently manufactured by Cadbury. Launched in 1866—nineteen years after Fry's created the first moulded, solid chocolate eating bar (in 1847)— Fry's Chocolate Cream is the first mass-produced chocolate bar and is the world's oldest chocolate bar brand.

What is the oldest candy brand ever? ›

Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie in Salem is the oldest, continuously operated candy company in America, and much of its early history was rooted in Peabody. In 1806, Mrs. Spencer began selling gibralters, a hard sugar candy, from her wagon in Salem.

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