The actual 2025 candy list

 

So now here is the actual candy list from 2025.  I had seven kinds of candy on the tentative list, all of which I have made in years past.

We actually made only four kinds of candy:

Heavenly Delight (chocolate peanut butter fudge, pictured at top of post)

Salted Caramel Fudge

Special Holiday Fudge

Chocolate-Dipped Orange Slice Candy

However, we did make multiple batches of each kind of fudge -- and I think we made 3 or 4 batches of the Heavenly Delight, which is a huge favorite with many people.

That's the actual candy list, complete with links!

The 2025 tentative candy list

 

So far my hubby has made a couple batches of Heavenly Delight and one pan of the Salted Caramel Fudge.  We know we'll definitely be making some Holiday Special Fudge as our Nevada daughter really enjoys that.  Chocolate dipped orange slice candy has become a must ... and it's so easy!  Arlene's Easy Fudge, from Arlene Grimm, is simply delicious and I usually make one batch a year.

The Chocolate Pizzas are little rounds of solid chocolate (made in muffin tins or similar size pans) topped with red and green M&Ms, coconut flakes and drizzles of white chocolate.  I used to make them to put in holiday care packages to college students way back in the day.  Not sure if I will make these or not.  

I'm not sure about the Coffee Shop Fudge.  It's really good, but I'm not sure it would be worth the trouble or the calories since I would likely be the one consuming most of it.  I feel as if many people wouldn't go for a coffee flavor in their fudge.  What do you think?

A nifty kitchen gift -- Pecan Pie Bark!

 

I recently came upon this Pecan Pie Bark recipe, shared by Chahinez at Lifestyle of a Foodie.

It sounds so scrumptious!

Made with a base of graham crackers, topped with homemade butterscotch and toasted pecans, one can just imagine how it will taste.  The butterscotch topping is made with unsalted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.  It bakes for 10 minutes.  Sounds like a lot of delicious flavor for a minimum of time and ingredients!

Photo by Chahinez at Lifestyle of a Foodie

I can think of quite a few people on my Christmas list who might enjoy having a tin of this pecan pie bark.   I'll bet there are people on your list who need this bark in their lives!

The actual 2024 Christmas candy list

 

-- Photo from a few years back -- Josiah making buckeyes, one of his favorite treats, in his own home kitchen --

I always like to review my lists and compare the tentative list I made before the holidays to what I actually did end up doing.

So below is my tentative candy list:

As you can see,  I had six different candies on this list.  Of these, we made only four: 

Multiple batches of Heavenly Delight fudge,  and there will be at least one more, since my hubby has a half can of evaporated milk to use up.

He made one batch of  Easy Salted Caramel Fudge which lived up to his original nickname for it of Tasty Disaster Fudge.  It's delicious though and everyone loves it, so he's planning to make another batch.  (Sugar fast on the horizon!)

He also made Special Holiday Fudge, a chocolate fudge filled with nuts and raisins.  It tastes somewhat like an old-fashioned Chunky bar. This year we experimented with using marshmallow fluff instead of the marshmallows it calls for.  It actually worked out better, so that is going to be a permanent change, and the Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme is available at the dollar store, which helps with cost too.

Of course we had to make Chocolate-Dipped Orange Slices since they have become such a favorite.  So easy!  Just dip orange slice candies from the supermarket into melted dark chocolate.  These are always a fun addition to a cookie tray. 

And we tried one candy that wasn't on the list: the ones made with a small pretzel topped with a Rolo candy.  AllRecipes calls them Rolo Pretzel Turtles.  We just used the recipe from the Rolo bag.  Mr. T and granddaughter Ari made these.  We used the square waffle style pretzels.  We didn't want to put pecan halves on every one, so we used red and green M&Ms on some.  They were very easy to make and very good, but the Rolos were outrageously expensive, so we probably wouldn't do that again unless we found a great sale.

And that was our Christmas candy making for this year!

The tentative candy list for 2024

 

 Inevitably, the tentative candy list for this year's gifting and sampling must follow on the heels of the cookie list.  (Unless it comes first, but I almost always make the cookie list first thing.)

 This list is very tentative.  My hubby has already made a batch of Heavenly Delight fudge,  and there will be more.

  

Arlene's Easy Fudge and  Easy Salted Caramel Fudge are candies that will likely get made during our annual Christmas crafting and candy spree with four local grands.

   The  Chocolate-Dipped Orange Slices have become such a favorite.  So easy!  Just dip orange slice candies from the supermarket into melted dark chocolate.  These are always a fun addition to a cookie tray.  I often have the grandkids prepare these, but I think I may need to do them myself since they may be needed sooner than the kids can get here.

Another yearly must on my candy list is Special Holiday Fudge, which is chocolate fudge filled with nuts and raisins.  It tastes somewhat like an old-fashioned Chunky bar. This year I'm going to experiment with using marshmallow fluff instead of the marshmallows it calls for.

I may or may not make the Date Confections, always called Oddballs in my family as I was growing up.  They are good, but I don't think they are necessarily favorites of anyone on my gift list.  When I do make them it is mostly for old times' sake.

 Other candies may find their way onto the tentative list.  We will see!

American Chocolate Week in the Christmas kitchen

 

 So the third full week in March is American Chocolate Week every year.  Who knew?  Certainly not me.  Squeaking in under the wire (since today is the last day for it this year) I thought I'd just refer readers to a few chocolate recipes on both of my blogs.

On my Kitchen Table blog, check out the "Chocolate" label in the label cloud.  You'll find a multitude of wonderful recipes, from cakes and other desserts to candy and cookies.  I also learned that I need to apply the chocolate label to many more of my posts.  I evidently added it to my list of labels at some point and there are many older posts that don't have it.  But I'm sure you'll have fun with the recipes that you find there.

On this Christmas Kitchen blog, I'm just now creating a chocolate label, so I've only applied it to a few posts so far.  But it's snowing here in New Hampshire today, really a huge snow dump as over 20 inches is predicted.  If I was a) eating carbs or b) eating chocolate right now, I would be in my kitchen as we speak whipping up a cozy muffin recipe with plenty of chocolate.  Like one of these: Chocolate Gengerbread Muffins or these Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins.  

I suspect Mr. T may be making some fudge later.  He seems to have reached the conclusion that fudge in the freezer is a year-round necessity.  Although I'm trying to stay away from it, I really can't disagree.

Actual 2023 candy list

 

 So above you see the tentative candy list I made for 2023. 

And here's a quick recap of the candy we actually made this past December.

We made Heavenly Delight, that chocolate and peanut butter layered fudge that is such a hit with everyone who tastes it.  Many, many batches of it!  In fact, my hubby just made another batch this past weekend, to bring some to our volunteer job and have some for a church fellowship dinner this Sunday.

We made two batches of the Chocolate Dipped Orange Slices.  There's just something about chocolate and orange flavors together that just says Christmas to us! 🍊

We made one batch of Special Holiday Fudge, mostly to send to our Nevada daughter who very much enjoys its special flavors of chocolate with raisins, pecans, orange and almond.  I love it myself but would never make a batch just for me.  That would be dangerous!

I think we made 2 batches of the Salted Caramel Fudge.  That is fast becoming a must-make candy for us at Christmas.  Others enjoy it too.

And I did make one batch of the Date Confections (aka Casserole Cookies).  They are such an old-fashioned holiday favorite, loved by many.

We didn't make Arlene Easy Fudge at all this year.  We had planned on having the grandchildren make some, but ended up focusing on crafting!

And that's the 2023 Christmas candy wrapup!

Making the tentative candy list

 

Today we'll talk candy lists!  It seems that I always start out with a rather skimpy tentative list and it seems to grow longer by the day as I remember old favorites or see new recipes I want to try.

Heavenly Delight needs to go on the top of any candy list that I make.  It's a wonderful  Double Decker Fudge, with chocolate and peanut butter layers.  Two batches of that have already been made, in November!

Chocolate-Dipped Orange Slices are simply orange slice candies, the kind that are sort of like gumdrops, dipped in melted dark chocolate.  If you enjoy those chocolate oranges, the kind shaped like a real orange, you will love these.

Special Holiday Fudge is a dark chocolate fudge filled with walnuts and raisins.  It tastes like a Chunky candy bar and is a real favorite with some people.

Arlene's Easy Fudge  is super easy and stirs up in a jiffy -- and has a fantastic flavor!  It's one we always like to make with the grandkids.

We tried  Easy Salted Caramel Fudge for the first time last year.  Another super easy recipe that was a hit at our candy-making session with the grands!

And of course it never fails that I find at least one new recipe that I want to try.  As I was paging through an old December issue of Taste of Home, I spotted this Chocolate Caramel Candy recipe.  

 

This candy is said to taste very much like a Snickers bar.  So now my hubby wants to make a batch for his former boss, who loves Snickers.  We will see!

The actual Christmas candy list

 

 Yes, I mentioned some candy in my post about kitchen gifts, but not all that we made.  So, here goes with a list of candy we actually prepared for Christmas 2022.

Heavenly Delight is always at the top of our candy list.  Originally known as Double Decker Fudge , this is a layered chocolate-peanut butter fudge that is a huge favorite in our family.  It is in the center of the tray below.

Another big favorite with certain people  (and so it must go on our candy list every year) is Special Holiday Fudge, which is chocolate filled with nuts and raisins.  It tastes somewhat like an old-fashioned Chunky bar.   

 

Arlene's Easy Fudge is another favorite of ours.  I don't think I have a photo of it, but it's just a good, incredibly easy fudge that you make by just melting together a few ingredients.  It's possible that's what Sam is preparing in the photo below.

The  Chocolate-Dipped Orange Slices

have become a must for our family and friends.  I like to add them to a cookie tray for interest and color, but also because they are so delicious and festive tasting.

Of course we also did some candy making with four local grandkids.  You see my blog post and my note (miraculously located!) from 2021.

The Easy Salted Caramel Fudge from Something Swanky is just one step beyond Arlene's fudge, as it's the same simple type of recipe with baking chips and sweetened condensed milk.

The peppermint-drizzled oreos were simply purchased oreo-type cookies drizzled with white chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermints.

We didn't get to the other varieties of candy on my tentative list, but hope springs eternal for next year.  I used to make peanut butter balls nearly every Christmas.

And that was our Christmas candy making for this year ... although Mr. T continues to produce batches of Heavenly Delight as we proceed through the winter months!

"What do the two of you do with all those cookies?"

 

Inquiring minds seem to ask this question every year.  Yes, that is a wooden glider on our screened front porch, stacked with many cookie containers and a couple of fudge tins!  We live where it gets very cold in December, so this is a workable way of storing cookies for the season.

My hubby started working on Christmas baking in November.  By November 25, he had already made three batches of Heavenly Delight fudge, along with double batches of Secret Spice Cookies, Chocolate Spritz, and Chocolate Mint Crisps, and a large batch of Whipped Shortbread.  By Christmas he had made Lemon Shortbread Thumbprints, Macaroon Kisses, Peanut Blossoms, Lemon Spritz, Christmas Tree Spritz, Eggnog Logs, Sacher Torte Cookies, and Gingerbread Men.  I had made Chocolate Nutters, Christmas No-Bakes, Chocolate Orange Cookies, and possibly another kind.  I forget.  Most of his varieties were double batches.  There were several kinds I had hoped to make that there just wasn't time for.

Hence the question: What do the two of you do with all those cookies?

Well, we do share a lot of them with other people.  Some wing their way to family in Nevada.  Several people on our list get a special, personal plate of their very favorite cookies.    Like the plate below of lemon shortbread thumbprints.

We give cookie plates to several of our neighbors.  (The plates below are examples from previous years.)  If we hear that a friend or family member is stopping by, we prepare a cookie plate for them to take home.  And Mr. T has been taking a cookie tray whenever he goes to his volunteer job at The Wilds of New England.  I took a plate to the staff at my dentist's office.

We take a cookie and fudge tray to Christmas dinner, where it is often all the dessert that's needed.  Below you see a partially depleted tray.

And below you see how it might have looked before anyone had dessert.  This was last year.  Just have to brag on Julia, who made those amazing caramel thumbprints, which taste even better than they look.

And she made them again this year, but this photo is from 2021.

We also served a cookie tray when our two older granddaughters came on Tuesday for their Christmas with us.  Christmas No-Bakes are one of their favorites.  Below is an older version.  This year's were simply drizzled with white chocolate, but I didn't get a picture.  Truth to tell, I'd forgotten about the marshmallow variation.

And of course, when we are invited to a Christmas party or there's an event at church or elsewhere, a cookie and fudge tray comes along with us.  There have been several such events this year.  Below you see a cookie tray and then a cookie and fudge plate, both ready to head out the door for Mr. T's work Christmas party.

And that is what the two of us do with all those cookies!

Making candy and crafts with the grands

 

 This year our special activity with four of our local grandchildren took place the Tuesday of Christmas week.  It was the day that worked out for everyone.  As they get older there are things that could potentially conflict, and their responsibilities of work, orchestra, and other activities have to be worked around.  

Some readers may recall that last year we tweaked the tradition and did some candy making and crafting with them, and skipped the shopping part of the expedition.  We did, however, continue our ice cream sundae tradition at Kellerhaus.  In today's post I'll only describe our candy making and crafting.

As mentioned in an earlier post, I was thankful to be able to find the candy making plan I had made last year.  I thought it was permanently lost and that I might have to start over with a new plan.  So very thankful that was not the case!

So those are the candies I planned for us to make.  You can find the recipes here if you search, but I'll link to most of them:

Chocolate Dipped Orange Candy Slices are such a fun and easy homemade candy.  We make them most every year!  

Arlene’s Easy Fudge is another favorite of mine -- so incredibly easy!

  Drizzled Peppermint Cookies is another super easy recipe, starting with purchased oreo-type cookies.

And Easy Salted Caramel Fudge is just one step beyond Arlene's fudge, as it's the same simple type of recipe with baking chips and sweetened condensed milk.

We shared a nice breakfast before beginning, but I'll share the particulars on that another day.  

Last year I found that it was good to have some crafting opportunities available during the candy making, in case there was any down time while waiting for different steps in a recipe.  So I brought out a lot of craft supplies and Christmasy embellishments right at the start.  Of course that meant that some wanted to jump immediately into crafting!

Sam prepared both kids of fudge.

Josiah was in his crafting element!

Julia and Ari worked on the drizzled peppermint cookies.  They also made the chocolate dipped orange slices.

Ari made the ornament above with a little gluing and lettering help from Julia.

Josiah is a detail guy for sure.  He may be working on a snowman here, I'm not sure.

All in all, it was a sweet time together!