Candy

Here, a coarse sea salt like fleur de sel or sel gris plays a few important roles: It tempers and cuts the richness of the nuts and butter, it adds a concentrated crunch— and it makes the brittle look divine. Break this vibrant green pistachio brittle on top of ice cream or crumble it over rice pudding. Or, do what we do, and eat it straight off the baking sheet.

Holiday spiced nuts meet the candied street-cart variety. Send any extra home as gifts for your guests.

The trick to making these cookies is to go low and slow—both on the stove-top and in the oven—to prevent the egg whites from scrambling.

Homey, comforting, chocolatey goodness: that’s Mama Braun’s Christmas fudge, as captured by her daughter and Epicurious member Meridith Braun Schmalz of Ontario, Canada. As one of seven children raised on a farm in Idaho, Schmalz grew up with this fudge recipe and considers it the best there is—maybe it’s the mellow butterscotch, maybe it’s the gooey marshmallow, or maybe it’s just the dense but crumbly fudge consistency. Any way you cut it, it’s a fabulous baked gift.

Jellied candies like these are eaten all over Europe as post-dessert petits fours.

Editor's note: This recipe is part of a special Thanksgiving menu created by chefs Allison Vines-Rushing and Slade Rushing of MiLa restaurant in New Orleans. Pecan pralines are one of the most celebrated candies of the South. They are made with pecans, sugar, and cream, which results in a unique crystallized and cloudy caramel that melts in your mouth. The European praline, however, is made simply with sugar and nuts, which results in a shiny hard-crack bitter-and-sweet candy. This Italian-style semifreddo (half frozen) uses the latter, which holds up well when frozen. However, we still use cream, but in a soft, fluffy base that cradles the crispy praline.

Editor's note: Use this Peanut Brittle to make Bi-Rite's Malted Vanilla Ice Cream with Peanut Brittle and Milk Chocolate Pieces. Cooling Time: 1 hour
Shelf Life: Up to 2 weeks Peanut brittle is truly an indispensible ingredient for us at Bi-Rite Creamery. We break it into large pieces and sell it as candy around the holidays, but we also chop it finely and use it year round in ice cream and buttercream frostings. It can be used to add a little extra sweetness and crunch to just about any baking recipe. It is important to use raw peanuts in this recipe; toasted nuts will overcook during the candymaking process.

These can be prepared a number of different ways. Pick one flavoring, then roll them in the coatings of your choice.

Along with the Genutine, this mallow's structure and lightness comes from a sort of soy "fluff" that mimics an egg-white meringue. Even if you're not vegan, it's good fun seeking out a few exotic ingredients and taking an adventure into molecular gastronomy to whip up these little pillows of heaven.This marshmallow-making process is different—and it doesn't require the use of a candy thermometer!

This tangy and chewy candy uses pecans and a generous amount of orange marmalade.

Raspberry jam is the core of these delightful candies.

Sparkling and clear, these fruit jellies are fun to make.

Dates stuffed with marzipan are an exotic confection of Middle Eastern origin. They are a snap to prepare.

Lighter than air, these sweet puffs of divinity will melt in your mouth.

Apricot and chocolate is a superb combination of flavors. This fruit confection makes an attractive presentation.

Dried apricots and dates are mixed with honey, shaped into balls, and rolled in coconut to make a chewy, delectable confection.