Candy

These protein "truffles" are so ridiculously easy that I feel somewhat silly adding them to this collection. Then again, my super-simple, silly recipes are often my most popular. They are certainly favorites in my repertoire, in large part because of their fast factor, but also because of their portability and candy-like appeal. Plus, they are endlessly customizable by varying the spices, extracts, and other add-ins, or by giving them a chic coating of chia seeds, cocoa powder, or chopped nuts. Who says pretty and power can’t go together?

Kick off the holiday sweet(s) season by sending guests home with this crunchy, easy-to-make-ahead brittle.

These old-fashioned marshmallows look beautiful in apothecary jars. Find one at a flea market, Williams-Sonoma, or on etsy.com.

We don't often call on white chocolate, but when we do, we've got our reasons. In this case, we use it with creamy ganache and sweetened matcha, or green-tea powder. The tea's subtle sharpness reins in the sweetness of the white chocolate, and its natural color adds an unexpected soft green hue. As for tea's antioxidant properties, there may not be enough of the green here to protect you from cancer and heart disease, but what is there can't hurt! This recipe was inspired by Mary's Chocolates of Belgium, experts in high-quality chocolates with artful designs.

Can candy be too sweet? Not for us! The real delight of this sweet, sweet pairing of fluffy nougat and shredded coconut is what professional taste-testers call mouthfeel. The airy nougat softens, the coconut and almonds crunch, and the hefty milk chocolate shell melts and coats your palate with feel-good chocolate.

Editor's note: Use this recipe to make Milk Chocolate Cup-of-Fluffs . Nougat has a light, chewy consistency, a bright white color, and a charming ability to hold on to crunchy things like nuts or caramel pieces.

Editor's note: Use this recipe to make Milk Chocolate Cup-of-Fluffs . Milk chocolate's flavor, while less powerful than that of dark chocolate, is just as precious. Choose a premium brand with 38 to 50 percent cacao.

When adding the caramel to the popcorn and peanuts, work quickly and thoroughly to coat the other ingredients before it hardens.

Nutritional note from Junelle Lupianai: "This bar is a perfect mid-afternoon snack to bring with you to work or for your children." The oats and cereal provide whole-grain goodness, and the nuts and seeds provide plant protein and fat. Flaxseed meal is included here for its nutritional punch, but it’s optional.

The ongoing love affair with salted caramel is here to stay because it's so darn good. A quick dip in chocolate, along with a tiny sprinkle of sea salt, can only make these modern marshmallows that much more enticing. For a more traditional take on marshmallows, see our recipe for Homemade Marshmallows . And see Make Your Own Marshmallows for additional recipes and tips.

If these minty, chocolate-dipped marshmallows remind you of a certain popular candy, you're right—we had them in mind, because they're one of our favorites. But we're also very fond of this chewy, lighter-than-air incarnation. For a more traditional take on marshmallows, see our recipe for Homemade Marshmallows . And see Make Your Own Marshmallows for additional recipes and tips.

If you love lemon candy that has some honest pucker to it, these are for you. There's nothing wimpy about them. For a more traditional take on marshmallows, see our recipe for Homemade Marshmallows . And see Make Your Own Marshmallows for additional recipes and tips.

This is our tried-and-true no-fail recipe for classic marshmallows. You won't believe how easy it is to make these soft, sweet treats at home. Once you make the basic recipe, check out the cook's notes for tips on adding different flavors, colors, and mix-ins, as well as how to cut marshmallows into different shapes using cookie cutters. See Make Your Own Marshmallows for more recipes and tips.

Fans of candied grapefruit peel will love the chewy bits of candied zest in these marshmallows. For a more traditional take on marshmallows, see our recipe for Homemade Marshmallows . And see Make Your Own Marshmallows for additional recipes and tips.

These vanilla bean–speckled marshmallows have a more pronounced vanilla flavor than our classic Homemade Marshmallows , plus an adults-only hint of bourbon. See Make Your Own Marshmallows for more recipes and tips.

For these soda fountain–inspired marshmallows, we added chocolate-malt syrup to our classic marshmallow recipe. The result is a squishy, chewy take on a chocolate malted milkshake that won't melt (unless you roast them over a fire) if you decide to take them camping. See Make Your Own Marshmallows for more recipes and tips.

Easy Marzipan, in some form or another, has been in existence for almost a thousand years—likely even longer. Its history is long and convoluted, but in One Thousand and One Nights there is mention of almond paste eaten as a treat, and by the 15th century it was widely documented as a popular indulgence. In fact, according to our hero, food science savant Harold McGee, Leo da Vinci even got into the marzipan-sculpting game (and lamented the philistines who unhesitatingly devoured his little works of art). These days it's mostly associated with rock-hard models of fruit, but if you've ever tried those and aren't a fan, we urge you to make a batch of your own. Fresh marzipan has a lovely delicate flavor and light texture, and is wonderful dipped in dark chocolate. Of course, if you want to get all arts-n-craftsy on what is basically delicious modeling clay, be our guest. (Leo would approve.)

Moderate This is one of those candies we'll forget about for a while, and then when we eat one, we say to ourselves, "Hot dang! That's really good." It can be easy to forget sometimes, in this crazy mixed-up world, how pleasurable a simple combination like caramel, chocolate, and salt can be. If you've never had a real chocolate caramel, we'll spare you the attempt at describing the experience of eating one—just go ahead, make this, and find out for yourself. (Hint: it starts with a D and ends with an Elightful.) When we're feeling extra fancy, we like to reduce butter to 2 1/4 tablespoons and add 1 teaspoon black truffle oil. Yum!

Worth It If you're anything like us, the first thing you think of when you hear "Turkish delight" is Edmund, the jerky younger brother from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe who's plied with Turkish delight by the evil White Queen. We never really had this candy growing up, and so it has a bit of a magical association. How could something be so good that it would cause you to betray your family? Well, to be fair, the queen's Turkish delight was actually magical—we can't promise the same for this. But we can promise a delightfully soft and chewy sweet that's better than any store-bought version you've encountered. Rosewater is the traditional flavoring, and is available at many specialty and gourmet stores, but feel free to replace it with the same amount of whatever pure extract you like, such as orange or vanilla. Do note that this recipe requires expert timing (don't worry: that doesn't mean you have to be fast as lightning)—read it through a couple of times before you start! It's not a difficult recipe, but if you don't have a good idea of how everything gets put together before you begin, it's easy to bamboozle yourself in the middle. Be a good Scout and be prepared!