🧾 What You’ll Need

Ingredients

You’ll only a need a few ingredients to make beautiful edible sugar glass. Here’s a few tips to help you select the right items. Full ingredient amounts are listed in the recipe card. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Water
• Light corn syrup: Adding light corn syrup to the candy mixture helps prevent the sugar from crystallizing. You can also use golden syrup or glucose syrup if you can’t find it. Note: golden syrup has a yellow tinge and will influence the color of your candy.
• Granulated sugar: Surpisingly, not all sugar is created equal. Granulated sugar can be made from cane sugar or beets. I strongly prefer using 100% cane sugar — in my experience, it gives more reliable, consistent results. If your sugar package does not specify, it’s likely made from beet sugar or a mix of both.
• Flavoring extract: If your glass is just for show, don’t worry about adding flavoring. But if you think people might nibble on it, I recommend using a bit of clear extract when making your sugar glass. Here’s a few flavors to consider: Cool Crème de Menthe, Honey, Key Lime, Pineapple, Lemonade, and Wintergreen.
• Gel food coloring: If you plan to color your edible glass, it’s best to use gel food coloring because it’s highly concentrated. I love Americolor brand gel food coloring.

📸 Photo Tutorial: How to Make Edible Sugar Glass

With this helpful photo tutorial, learn how to easily make Edible Sugar Glass at home. You can print these instructions from the recipe card above.

1. Combine water and corn syrup: Add 1/2 c water and 3/4 c corn syrup to a medium saucepan, and place the saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add sugar: Pour in 2 c of granulated sugar, and stir until it fully dissolves. Bring the mixture to a simmer.

3. Wipe pan with pastry brush: Once simmering, use a wet pastry brush to wipe down the inside walls of the pot. This helps prevent sugar crystals from forming on the sides of the pan and making the candy gritty.
4. Cook without stirring: Insert a candy thermometer. Continue to cook the candy without stirring until it reads 290° F (143° C). Be precise with the temperature. Being off by a few degrees can make a big difference.
5. Remove from heat: As soon as the mixture reaches 290° F, take the pan off the heat and wait until the rapid bubbles stop breaking on top of the syrup.

6. Finish the candy: If desired, add the flavoring and a drop or two of food coloring. Stir to combine.
7. Pour candy to set: Pour the candy onto a baking sheet lined with foil in a thin layer. Alternately, pour it into a mold or into the center of a cookie where you’d like a window. Let it sit at room temperature until completely set.
8. Enjoy: Once set, break the candy glass into small pieces, pop out the candy molds, or gently move the filled cookies to finish your project. Enjoy!

🧾What You’ll Need

Ingredients

As you might imagine, a unique recipe like this requires a few unique ingredients. I’m linking the exact products I used and recommend. You’re welcome to make substitutions if you’d like, but I can’t guarantee you’ll get similar results. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Vanilla Sandwich Cookies: I used Double Stuf Golden Oreos because I love maximum cream fillling, but the cookies don’t matter too much – any tasty vanilla sandwich cookie should work.
• Unflavored Popping Candy:These are sweet little candy pieces that look like crushed rice crispies, and produce a popping sensation when they come into contact with moisture (like in your mouth!) While flavored popping candy is fairly common (“Pop Rocks” is one well-known brand), for this recipe we don’t want fruity flavors, so we need the much less common unflavored variety. I used this Unflavored Popping Candy and had great results – the popping effect was strong and long-lasting in the candy.
• White Candy Coating:Also known as “candy melts” or “confectionary coating,” these vanilla-flavored wafers melt smoothly and are great for making dipped candies. Caution: water will cause melted candy coating (and chocolate) to thicken, seize, and become unworkable, so you should only use oil-based coloring or flavoring.
• Brown Candy Coloring: This is optional, but if you want your candy to look like the original TJ’s product, you will need to color the white coating with brown oil-based candy coloring, NOT regular food coloring. (Why not just use brown candy melts? Because they’re always chocolate flavored, boo!) You can certainly leave your candy coating white if you’d like – the coloring is only for aesthetics.
• Root Beer Flavoring: I used Lor-Ann Super Strength Root Beer Flavor, which has a nicely realistic root beer taste. Unfortunately this product does contain some water (I couldn’t find a completely oil-based root beer flavor) but the good news is that it’s formulated so that it can still be used in candy coating! It won’t cause your coating to seize, but it will make it thicker and harder to work with. That’s why our last ingredient is…
• Paramount Crystals (or vegetable oil): I highly recommend paramount crystals any time you want to thin our your candy coating. These little flakes of magic are added to melted candy coating to make it thinner. They’re made from the same fat that’s in candy coating, so they blend beautifully, make the coating nice and fluid, and help it set shiny and hard. Substitution: you can use vegetable oil or canola oil to thin out your coating instead, but you might find your coating sets softer than normal. Instructions for oil are in the Notes section of the recipe card.

Equipment

• Dipping tools: Dipping tools aren’t a necessity, but they make dipping candy much easier, and I’d recommend picking some up if you regularly make candy. If you don’t have dipping tools, a regular fork is fine to use.

📸Photo Tutorial: How to Make Root Beer Float Pieces

Grab the printable recipe from the recipe card above, then follow along as I show you just how easy it is to make these Root Beer Float Pieces!

1. Chop the cookies. Chop 16 vanilla sandwich cookies roughly into quarters.
2. Microwave the coating. Place 16 oz white candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 50% power in one-minute intervals, stirring after every minute. If you can’t change the power of your microwave, stir after every 30 seconds instead – you don’t want to accidentally overheat it.

Color and Flavor the Coating

3. Melt the coating. You can stop heating when there are just a few small pieces of unmelted coating remaining – the residual heat will melt them as it sits.
4. Add coloring. Add oil-based candy coloring and stir it in. (See the recipe card notes for alternatives.) I used Colour Mill chocolate brown, along with a touch of black. As you can see, it was still more of a reddish-brown, but our next step will help with that…

5. Add root beer flavor. Add 1 TBSP of root beer flavor and stir well. The good news is that it adds a lot of color too, making our coating a richer dark brown. The bad news is that it causes the coating to thicken up a lot, but don’t freak out – it will be okay!
6. Thin the coating with paramount crystals. Add a spoonful of paramount crystals to the coating and stir gently while they melt. Continue to add the crystals, a bit a time, stirring often, until the coating is once again fluid enough to dip candies in. I found ¼ cup (1 oz) was a good amount for me, but yours might vary depending on the candy coating used. If you’d like to use vegetable oil instead, check the recipe card notes for instructions. Use only as much as you need and no more – less is better!

Mix Everything Together

7. Combine popping candy and coating. Place 1 oz (1/4 cup) popping candy in a large bowl and add about ½  cup melted coating on top. You can eyeball that measurement – it doesn’t need to be precise.
8. Stir together. Stir the popping candy and coating together until well-mixed. You’ll hear the popping candy start to pop a bit during this step.

9. Add the cookies. Add the chopped cookies to the large bowl, and stir so that they’re lightly coated with the root beer coating/popping candy mixture.
10. Mix well. Make sure everything is well-mixed and there aren’t big pockets of naked cookies or unmixed chunks of popping candy. Add a bit more coating if you need to, just enough to help the popping candy stick to the cookie pieces. At this point, it’s looking like dog food (or worse). Trust the process!
11. Chill. Scrape the cookie pieces out onto a baking sheet covered with parchment. Separate the pieces into smaller clumps, then chill the tray for 10-15 minutes to set the coating. If you leave it in the fridge for a long time and it gets very cold, let the candy come close to room temperature before moving on to dipping.

Dip the Candy

11. Dip the cookie chunks. Make sure your melted coating is warm and fluid. Using a dipping tool or fork to dip a chunk of cookie into the melted coating. Tap the fork on the edge of the  bowl a few times to get excess coating to drip back into the bowl.
12. Chill again. Set the dipped candy on a parchment-covered baking sheet, and continue to dip the remaining pieces.

🧾What You’ll Need

Ingredients

Ready to get started? Here are a few helpful ingredient tips to make sure you get everything you’ll need. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Graham crackers: You’ll need three full graham cracker sheets to make enough crumbs for the filling.
• Unsalted butter: Before getting started on the recipe, give the butter about 30 minutes on the counter to come to room temperature. It will make it much easier to blend.
• Creamy peanut butter: To make sure the peanut butter filling has the right texture, use  creamy peanut butter. I’ve used both Jif and Skippy with great results. I have not tried this recipe with natural peanut butter.
• Salt
• Vanilla extract: A hint of vanilla sets the filling apart from the store-bought kind. I love this vanilla extract by Nielsen Massey because it’s got amazing flavor, but feel free to use any brand you like.
• Powdered sugar: Helps to sweeten and thicken the peanut butter filling, without adding a grainy texture.
• Chocolate wafers (candy coating): I like using chocolate candy coating because it is easy to use, dries shiny, and stays hard at room temp. Chocolate chips or chopped chocolate can be substituted, but they tend to be duller, softer, and stickier unless tempered before use. See the Tips below for more information about how to use chocolate chips.

Equipment

Candy making is a lot of fun and you’ll only need a few tools so that you can make these year after year! Here’s what I recommend having on hand. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Mixer: You can use a stand mixer or hand mixer to make the filling.
• Small cookie scoop: It’s really helpful to use a small #60 cookie scoop that holds 1 tablespoon to make the candy eggs so that they are all roughly the same size.
• Dipping tools: I like to use dipping tools when making candy, but if you don’t have a set, a fork will also work just fine.
• Baking sheet and parchment paper: The peanut butter eggs will need to chill and set on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Rolling pin and zipper bag: To crush the graham crackers into a fine crumb, place them in a plastic zipper bag and crush them with a rolling pin. You can also pulse them in a food processor.

3. Add the peanut butter.  Add 9.5 oz (1 cup) creamy peanut butter and blend it into the butter.
4. Add salt and vanilla. Then add ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons vanilla to the bowl, and mix them together. 

5. Add dry ingredients. Now add 8 oz (2 cups) powdered sugar and the graham cracker crumbs.
6. Mix well. Mix on low until the sugar is incorporated and the filling is smooth and pliable, but not sticky. It should have the texture of Play-Doh. Check the Tips if your filling seems too soft or sticky.

7. Scoop the filling. Scoop 1 tablespoon of peanut butter filling into your hands and roll it into a ball.
8. Shape the egg. Press the ball flatter into an oval shape and pinch one end slightly to make it egg-shaped. Place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Continue this process until all the filling has been molded into eggs and placed on the baking sheet (about 24-28 eggs).

9. Chill the candy. Place the baking sheet(s) in the refrigerator for at least an hour to firm the candy for dipping.
10. Melt the candy coating. Melt 12 oz (2 cups) chocolate candy coating in the microwave, stirring frequently to prevent overheating. 
11. Add a chocolate base (optional). Spread a thin layer of melted chocolate on the bottom of each egg, and place them back on the baking sheet(s). Refrigerate the candy for an additional 10 minutes to set the chocolate foot. Although optional, I highly recommend this step because it makes your candy a lot easier to dip!

12. Dip the eggs. Use a dipping tool or fork to drop a peanut butter egg into the warm chocolate coating and submerge it fully. Scoop the egg out with your tool and let the excess drip back into the bowl. Gently set the egg back onto the baking sheet and repeat this process until all of the peanut butter eggs are dipped. (Feel free to reheat the chocolate as needed if it becomes too thick for dipping.)
13. Refrigerate until set. Refrigerate the tray(s) for about 20 minutes, until the candy coating is completely set.
14. Enjoy! Your candy is ready to be enjoyed and tastes best when served at room temperature.

💡Tips and FAQs for Success

🧾What You’ll Need

Ingredients

Most of the ingredients for these Easter candy brownies can probably be found in your fridge or pantry. Just a couple specialty ingredients needed to make these brownies springy and festive! (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Semi-sweet chocolate: I used Pound Plus 54% Cocoa Dark Chocolate from Trader Joes which melts deliciously and adds just the right amount of extra sweetness to the brownies and frosting.
• Unsweetened chocolate: Since chocolate is arguably the most important component of chocolate brownies, use the good stuff! For the unsweetened chocolate, I used Guittard 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate.
• Butter and salt: I prefer to use unsalted butter so that I can control the salt content more precisely. If you don’t have unsalted butter, make sure to omit the excess salt. For the brownies, cube the butter into chunks; they’ll be melted right into the chocolate. Use room temperature butter for the frosting to prevent lumps.
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs: Use large eggs (not medium or extra large).
• Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract provides the best flavor.
• Flour: Take care to measure the all-purpose flour correctly. Use a food scale if possible. Too much flour will make the brownies overly dense.
• Chocolate malted milk powder: To enhance the chocolatey flavor of the brownies and tie in the flavor of the malted milk eggs, you’ll need some chocolate malted milk powder for both the brownie batter and the chocolate frosting! I used Olvaltine brand.
• Powdered sugar: Helps to sweeten and thicken the frosting.
• Milk: To thin the frosting to the right consistency. Use any percentage of milk you’d like.
• Candy mix-ins and toppings: I top the brownies off with pastel malted candy eggs, Sixlets, sugar pearls, sprinkles, and/or chocolate bark (learn how to make swirled chocolate bark discs below). Feel free to swap in your personal favorites instead!

Equipment

You’ll only need a few kitchen tools to get started on these ultra rich and fudgy brownies! (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Foil and nonstick spray: To make sure the brownies don’t stick to the pan, line it with foil and then coat it with nonstick spray.
• 9×13 baking pan: This recipe makes a large pan of brownies. I like to use a 9×13 baking pan with squared corners so that all the brownies have nice straight edges once they are cut.
• Saucepan: You’ll need a small saucepan to melt the chocolate and butter in.
• Whisk and mixer: I prefer to mix the brownie batter by hand with a whisk. It’s best to use a stand mixer or hand mixer for the frosting.

💭Variations

🧾 What You’ll Need

• Candy canes: you can use either small or large candy canes (or a mix of both!). If you’re doing a mix of sizes, I recommend baking them on different sheets since the small ones take less time in the oven. Note: this technique works best with fresher candy canes, so don’t use old ones you found in the back of the cupboard – buy new ones for the best results.
• White and dark chocolate chips: The chocolate inside is optional, but if you use it, you can use your choice of white chips, chocolate chips, or a mix of both! Alternately, you can use candy coating, which I tend to prefer because it sets well at room temperature and doesn’t get soft and sticky.
• Candy cane bits: You can decorate the chocolate with crushed candy canes, but those tend to get sticky quickly. If you want to make these in advance and have them last longer, I recommend candy cane bits instead.
• Baking sheets
• Parchment or silicone mat

(Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

📋 Photo Tutorial

Here’s an overview of how to make Candy Cane Hearts. You can get printable instructions in the recipe card, and while you’re there, watch the full-length tutorial video!

1. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Unwrap your candy canes, and arrange them in a heart shape on the baking sheet. I recommend doing a few at a time – if you try to do too many, the canes will just harden before you can shape them.
2. Bake the candy canes at 250 F for 5-8 minutes. Watch them carefully – you want them to be soft and pliable, but not so warm that they start melting. The exact time depends a lot on the oven and the candy itself, so this is one recipe where you want to stay close by during the process.

3. Let the candy canes cool completely. If you want to fill them with peppermint bark, heat dark and white chocolate chips (or candy coating). Fill the center of a heart with the melted coating, gently pushing it all the way to the edges of the heart.
4. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle candy cane bits on top and gently press them in.
5. Refrigerate the tray to set the chocolate, then enjoy!

🧾 What You’ll Need

Here’s the lowdown on the ingredients and equipment you’ll need to make pumpkin marshmallows at home! (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

Ingredients

• Unflavored powdered gelatin: Gelatin is the backbone of marshmallows, so this ingredient is not optional! This recipe calls for unflavored powdered gelatin, like Knox brand. You cannot substitute flavored gelatin like Jell-O brand – it will not work.
• Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar is another must-have ingredient. It’s used to make the sugar syrup in the marshmallows, so it can’t be omitted or substituted.
• Light corn syrup: Like Karo brand. If you can’t find light corn syrup, you can substitute glucose syrup on a 1:1 basis. Golden syrup can also be used, but it’s not my first choice since it does add a flavor of its own.
• Cinnamon & spices: I like to use a blend of fall spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. You can substitute 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice if you prefer.
• Pumpkin puree: Make sure you are using pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling – the canned pie filling has added sugar and other ingredients. I typically use Libby’s brand pumpkin puree, which is fairly thick. If you are using another brand, or homemade puree, and it’s fairly liquidy/thin, you’ll want to drain out some of the excess liquid before you use it, otherwise your marshmallows might be too soft when set.
• Orange gel food coloring: For an authentic pumpkin color, I use either Americolor Pumpkin (go figure!) or Americolor Orange mixed with a bit of Ivory to deepen it.
• Chocolate candy coating: The chocolate coating is entirely optional, but it does make the marshmallows more of a stand-alone treat. You can use semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips, but candy coating is my choice for the easiest, most foolproof option.

Equipment

• Mixer: You will need some kind of mixer to properly beat the marshmallow mixer. I recommend a stand mixer if possible, but a hand mixer will work if that’s what you have. You will probably have to lengthen the beating time if using a hand mixer.
• Saucepan: Any medium saucepan will work, but if you have one with a spout that makes pouring much easier.
• Candy thermometer:A thermometer is a must for this recipe. You don’t need to spend a fortune on one, though — a basic thermometer like this is perfect. If you are new to using a thermometer, check out my guides for how to use a thermometer, how to test and calibrate a thermometer, and how to adjust candy recipes for high altitude cooking.
• Pumpkin cookie cutter: If you want to cut your marshmallows into pumpkin shapes, pick up a 2-3 inch pumpkin cookie cutter.

📋 Instructions

This is a quick overview of how to make pumpkin marshmallows at home. Grab the full instructions and easily print them out using the recipe card down below.

1. Bloom the gelatin

• Place 1/2 cup cold water in the bowl of a large stand mixer. Sprinkle powdered gelatin on top of the cold water and whisk it in. Let it sit for 5 minutes, so the gelatin absorbs the water. 

2. Cook the sugar syrup

• Combine water, granulated sugar, and light corn syrup in a medium saucepan, and place the pan over medium-high heat. Stir while the sugar dissolves.
• Once the sugar mixture comes to a boil, insert a candy thermometer and let it cook, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 240°F.

3. Whip the gelatin and sugar together

• When the sugar syrup is ready, start running your mixer on low speed, and carefully pour the hot sugar syrup into the bowl of gelatin in a slow, steady stream.
• Once all of the sugar syrup is added, gradually raise the mixer speed to medium-high. Beat the marshmallow mixture for 8 to 10 minutes until it becomes glossy, white, voluminous, and very thick. 

4. Add pumpkin puree

• While the marshmallows are mixing, stir together pumpkin puree, the spices, and salt in a small bowl.
• When the marshmallow mixture is finished, add a few drops of orange food coloring to the bowl and beat it in. Then gently stir in the pumpkin puree until it’s fully combined.

5. Let the marshmallows set up

• Scrape the marshmallow into a 9×13 pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. (Tip: I’ve found that I don’t need to line my pan with anything if I spray well with nonstick spray. If you are nervous about marshmallow removal, you can first line the pan with plastic wrap or foil sprayed with nonstick spray.)
• Let the marshmallows set up at room temperature overnight, or for at least 8 hours.

6. Cut up the marshmallows

• When the marshmallows are set, flip them out of the pan and cut them into small squares with a sharp chef’s knife sprayed with nonstick spray. You can also use a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter to make pumpkin marshmallows.

7. Dip them in chocolate (optional)

• If you want to do the optional chocolate step, melt the chocolate candy coating in a medium bowl in the microwave. 
• Use dipping tools or a fork to dip a marshmallow into the chocolate, then set the dipped marshmallow onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. While the chocolate is still wet, scatter orange sprinkles across the top. Once all of the marshmallows are dipped, refrigerate the baking sheet briefly to set the chocolate.

💡 Tips for Perfect Marshmallows

• Be sure to whip the marshmallow mixture for the full 8-10 minutes so it reaches maximum fluffiness. Under-whipping can result in dense, sticky marshmallows that don’t set properly.
• Avoid overbeating once stiff peaks form.
• Make sure you’re using pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
• Work quickly after pouring the marshmallows into the pan to prevent premature hardening around the edges.
• Let marshmallows fully set uncovered for at least 8 hours at room temperature. Don’t refrigerate them during the setting process.
• Be warned: the marshmallow mixture is STICKY! It can also be a beast to clean up. The easiest way to clean your pans and bowls is to soak them in hot soapy water. The sugar syrup will gradually dissolve in the water, no scrubbing required.
• If you’re making these in advance, wait to cut them until you’re ready to package or serve them. Keeping the candy as a giant slab will keep them fresher than individual marshmallows.

An Easy, No-Bake Christmas Cookie

During the busy holiday season, I like to keep a few quick and easy baking projects in my back pocket in case of dessert emergencies. (Yes, dessert emergencies are a real thing!)

Maybe you need a last-minute gift for teachers or friends. Maybe your way-too-thoughtful neighbors dropped off a cookie plate and you were caught empty-handed. Maybe your kids are bouncing off the walls, asking to make Christmas cookies, but you have the energy and enthusiasm of a sloth with pneumonia. *siren sound* That, my friend, is a dessert emergency. And Oreo Ornaments are here for you!

Easy Chocolate-Dipped Oreo Cookies

These simple treats are a holiday variation of chocolate-dipped Oreo cookies. You’ll love them because:

• they’re SUPER simple
• they require just 4 ingredients that you can easily find in stores
• you can make them with kids
• they’re bright and colorful, so they add some holiday cheer, and most importantly…
• they taste delicious!

These are at home on any Christmas cookie plate, so make up a batch and start decorating! And, while you’re at it, try my Stained Glass Ornament Cookies, too!

🧾 What You’ll Need

Ingredients

Only four ingredients? Heck yes! Here’s what you’ll need: (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Oreo cookies: Chocolate sandwich cookies (aka Oreo cookies) are my usual choice, but this recipe will work with any round, flat cookie. You can also experiment with different Oreo variations — I love making these with candy cane Oreos when I can find them.
• White candy coating: I recommend white candy coating, instead of white chocolate chips, for dipping the Oreos. It’s easier to work with, and unlike melted chips, can be counted on to stay hard and glossy at room temperature. Check out the Candy Coating section below for helpful tips on how to work with it.
• Mini peanut butter cups: Look for the small unwrapped peanut butter cups that are sold in bags — those are the perfect size and shape. Mini Rolos are also a great choice. Failing that, swap in another similarly-sized candy to serve as the top of the ornament.
• Candy and sprinkles: Here’s where you can go crazy! Pick whatever colorful sprinkles or candies you want to decorate these ornaments. I find mini M&Ms and chocolate-dipped sunflower seeds are easy to work with and add lots of color. Holiday candies are also fun, like candy cane bits, peppermints, and holiday-shaped sprinkles.

Equipment

All you technically need for this recipe is a bowl, a fork, and a baking sheet! But if you want to make life a little easier, you can pick up a set of candy dipping tools. The thinner tines and specially-designed handles make it a breeze to get neat candies every time.

📋 Instructions

This is one of those recipes where you can probably suss out the instructions just by looking at a picture, but if you’ve ever tried to make chocolate-dipped cookies and ended up with misshapen chocolate globs, you know that there are some tips and tricks to making these successfully!

This is a quick overview of how to make Oreo Ornaments – you can jump down to the recipe card for full, printable instructions.

Melt the Candy Coating

• Place the candy coating in a medium microwave-safe bowl.
• Microwave at 50% power in 45-second increments, stirring after every 45 seconds to prevent overheating, until the coating is melted and smooth.

Dip the Oreos

• Using a fork or candy dipping tool, dip a cookie in the melted coating until it’s completely covered.
• Remove it from the coating and let it drip back into the bowl.
• Gently scrape the bottom of the cookie against the lip of the bowl to remove any excess, then place it on the baking sheet.

Add decorations

• While the coating is still wet, press a mini peanut butter cup onto the side of the cookie to represent the ornament top.
• If you want, you can trim the side of the PB cup so it sits flat.

• Add sprinkles and candies to the top of your Oreo ornaments in a decorative pattern.

💡 Tips for Success

• You can use a fork to dip the cookies, and it will probably work just fine. But if you regularly make candy (or want to start!) consider investing in an inexpensive set of dipping tools. They’re cheap, and the long, narrow prongs make dipping cookies MUCH easier than your typical dinner fork.
• Add the decorations while the coating is still very wet, so they’re sure to adhere well.
• If you work quickly, you can dip 4-6, then decorate them, then go back to dipping. It’s faster to do the cookies in batches like this, rather than go back and forth between dipping and decorating every one.
• If you have a kitchen torch (like a creme brulee torch) you can use it to warm the surface of a cookie if you find it’s setting too quickly to decorate.
• I love to make these with peppermint Oreos, but you can use any cookie flavor you’d like–even other types of sandwich cookies work.
• For the ornament tops, I used a mix of mini peanut butter cups and mini Rolo’s. They’re the perfect size, and I like the variation in shape they provide. You can trim them slightly so the bottom is flat and sits flush.

Working with Candy Coating

Candy coating can be a bit temperamental – here are my best tips for making it work for you.

• The candy coating you use is so important! I don’t recommend using white chocolate chips–they won’t have the right texture or color. Instead, look for white candy coating (also known as “candy melts” or “melting wafers.”) You can find them in off white or bright white. Mercken’s is my recommended brand – find Mercken’s candy melts here! They have a nice fluid consistency when melted that makes them perfect for dipping. Wilton’s is another brand you can use, although they tend to be thicker when melted.
• Candy coating can be prone to overheating, so slow and steady is the best way to melt it. I recommend using your microwave at 50% power and microwaving in short bursts of 30-60 seconds (depending on the amount of coating you’re trying to melt). A small bowl should be melted for 30 seconds at a time, and stirred after every interval. A large amount can be microwaved at 50% for 1 minute, then stirred, and repeat until it is melted and smooth.
• If your candy coating is too thick and gloopy, you can add a small spoonful of shortening to thin it out. Stir it in to the warm candy coating, and microwave briefly if necessary so that it’s melted and smooth. Start small and add more only if necessary.
• If you’re going to work with candy coating regularly, I recommend you pick up some paramount crystals. This is another product that can thin out candy coating when it gets too thick, and it works much better than shortening or oil. It’s made of the same type of fat that is in candy coating, so it melts and blends perfectly into the coating.
• If the coating starts to cool down and get too thick while you’re dipping, put it back in the microwave in short bursts to warm it. Don’t overheat it, as that will make it too thick. Just 5-10 seconds at a time, stirring well, until it’s a dippable consistency again.

🎃 Homemade Pumpkin Bread Cake Balls

Since pumpkins are the undeniable star of fall food and décor, it seems only appropriate to double down on the pumpkin recipe love with a pumpkin-themed, pumpkin-flavored, AND pumpkin-shaped candy, Pumpkin Bread Truffles! 

These sweet little mini pumpkins are actually a play on cake balls—they’re pumpkin bread balls, made with pumpkin bread and cream cheese frosting. They’re a great way to use up extra, leftover, or slightly stale pumpkin bread or muffins. 

We have a lot of pumpkin cake recipes here on SugarHero, including fan favorites like this Decorated Pumpkin Roll, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake, and Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Pound Cake.

Pumpkin candies, however, are a little more rare. There’s the occasional Pumpkin Fudge and Pumpkin Marshmallows, but for the most part, pumpkin flavor is more likely to be found in baking recipes.

That’s why I love these Pumpkin Bread Truffles so much–they’re the perfect marriage of baked goods and candy, and the best of both worlds! AND they’re easy. Here’s how you make them!

Make the pumpkin bread filling

• Crumble the pumpkin bread by hand into a large bowl.
• Add cream cheese frosting to the pumpkin crumbs. Mix until no streaks of frosting remain.

Shape the filling into balls

• The mixture should be moist and hold together if you squeeze it into a ball between your fingers.
• Roll it into balls (use that candy scoop to make this step go quickly!) and chill until firm, 2-3 hours.

Dip and decorate!

• Melt orange candy coating, and dip each truffle into the coating.
• Pipe lines of dark orange across the truffles, to represent the pumpkin creases, and finish them off with curly green candy coating “vines.”

💡 Tips and FAQs  

🧡More Pumpkin Desserts

If you love pumpkin as much as I do, check out my collection of pumpkin dessert recipes! Here are just a few of my favorites:

• Pumpkin Spice Mousse Cups
• Pumpkin Hi-Hat Cupcakes
• Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Pie
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Pumpkin Chocolate Mousse Cake
• Pumpkin Pound Cake