EASY CANDY CREAMS RECIPES

SUGAR-FREE OLD FASHIONED CHOCOLATE DROPS
2 bricks softened cream cheese
2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup Splenda
Mix these ingredients, and form small balls. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and let them chill for half an hour.

Melt one 12 oz. package chocolate chips or mint chocolate chips and 1/3 cup vegetable oil in the microwave at 60 second intervals, stirring well each time. It shouldn't take over 90 seconds to melt on high. Dip each ball into the melted chocolate and coat each one thoroughly. Place each chocolate coated ball on a parchment lined cookie sheet and chill until chocolate has hardened. Do not let any of these candies touch each other before they harden or they will stick to each other. Serve as desired. Keep stored in the refrigerator in plastic zippered bags. Makes about three dozen candies.

To make regular OLD FASHIONED CHOCOLATE DROPS, just use a cup of powdered sugar instead of the Splenda in the above recipe.

EASY CANDY CREAMS
1 can Eagle Brand milk
1 cup butter
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
2 Tbsp. any extract (suggestions: cherry, vanilla, strawberry, lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit, pineapple, rum, maple, raspberry, coconut, lavender, banana, blueberry, peach, mango, kiwi, or (use only a few drops of mint or cinnamon as they are very powerful flavors)
6 lbs. or 12 cups powdered sugar
food coloring
4 pkg. melted chocolate chips for dipping finished candy mixed with 2/3 cup Crisco shortening, mixed together until melted and smooth and heated in microwave.
Mix milk, butter, corn syrup, and extract together. If you want to make a lot of different flavors, mix everything up first then divide into smaller portions in separate bowls and add your extract to each portion as desired. For small quantities just add 1 tsp. extract and a few drops food coloring to match the flavor. Blend in powdered sugar until its a dough-like consistency. This creates the basic fondant.

If you want nuts in it, such as Maple Nut Creams, work them into the dough and use maple extract.

Chill for one hour.

Roll out balls of candy and dip each one with a candy fork into the hot melted chocolate mixture. Place each on waxed paper to harden. When hard, place on a candy paper and in a pretty covered box or place in bags.
Give as gifts or eat them in your own family.

To make CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES, use cherry extract, no food coloring, and flatten each ball of fondant into a circle, then place a large cherry in the center and close the circle around the cherry so its completely covered by the fondant. Dip in melted chocolate, and place on waxed paper to harden. When hard, place these cherries in the refrigerator for at least seven days before eating to cure or the centers will be dry. The longer they cure the more liquid will be in the center of the candy. Place in boxes and give as gifts or eat them in your own family.

To make TRUFFLES, use sweet cocoa powder mixed into the candy dough above. Use 1/2 cup sweet cocoa powder, more or less to suit taste. Roll the balls in more of the sweet cocoa powder, then dip in the melted chocolate.

You can make TRUFFLES easy by melting 16 oz. candy melts and 1/2 cup heavy cream and stirring until shiny and smooth. Add 1 Tbsp. any flavoring you want and mix well. Place in the refrigerator until firm. Use a melon baller small end to make small balls or the larger end to make larger ones for Bon Bons. You can chill the balls until firm then roll them in either powdered sugar, powdered cocoa either sweetened or unsweetened, Jimmies, or crushed nuts.

To make TURTLES, lay out a design of 6 pecan halves in the shape of a turtle, one for the head, four for the feet, and one for its tail. Place on a microwavable plate that has been sprayed with butter spray.
Melt two or three caramels over each of the turtles in the microwave. Make sure the caramel covers the entire turtle candy piece. Let it cool. Remove from the plate carefully and dip in melted chocolate. Lay each turtle on waxed paper to harden. When done they can be boxed and given as gifts or eaten by you and yours.

To make CHOCOLATE COVERED NUTS - Just dip whole large nuts such as pecan halves, walnut halves, whole almonds, whole cashews or whole Brazil nuts in melted Chocolate Candy Melts and lay on waxed paper to harden. Once hard, dip in chocolate again and place on waxed paper. When hard, place in candy wrappers and put in boxes and give as gifts or eat them yourself.

To make PEANUT BUTTER CUPS, just mix in 1/2 cup peanut butter to the basic fondant. Use paper muffin cups to put some melted chocolate in bottom, then put the peanut butter fondant in the center and cover with more melted chocolate. Let harden and remove the paper from the candy. Keep chilled until time to serve.

To make CHOCOLATE CRUNCH BARS, use any leftover melted chocolate and add some rice krispies to it and stir well. Pour out onto waxed paper into thin layer. Score with a knife, let harden, then separate pieces. Keep chilled until time to serve.

To make HAYSTACKS, you can also mix any leftover melted chocolate with Chinese noodles and stir to coat well. Drop by teaspoonsful onto waxed paper and let harden.

You could also mix in some chopped nuts to any leftover melted chocolate and pour into a pan and let harden to make some Fudge.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE, WHITE CHOCOLATE FUDGE OR PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE
One of the easiest, fastest ways to make Fudge is melt 2 bags chocolate chips or white chocolate chips or peanut butter chips with 1 can Eagle Brand milk in the microwave. Stir until smooth and mix in 1 cup chopped nuts. If you want a particular flavor you can mix in 1 tsp. extract.
Pour into a buttered square pan and chill until hardened. Cut into squares and serve.

Here is another easy recipe for Candy Creams but this one has cream cheese in it. Still no cooking needed.

CREAM CHEESE CREAMS
3 oz. cream cheese
4 drops food coloring
1 tsp. flavoring
1 Tbsp. milk
1 lb. powdered sugar
Mix with hands until smooth. Roll into balls about size of a walnut. Dip into melted chocolate chips and place on waxed paper to harden.

WEDDING MINTS
1 can Eagle Brand milk
1 cup butter
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
1/2 tsp. mint extract (more or less to suit taste - mint is very powerful)
food coloring to match wedding colors
6 lbs. powdered sugar or 12 cups
Mix together until smooth and it is a dough-like consistency. Take pieces of the dough and roll it out into long thin ropes. Slice mints about the size of a bean, and let them air dry to harden on waxed paper.

You can roll the ropes of fondant as thick or thin as you choose or make your slices as thin or thick as you choose. They could also be dipped in melted chocolate and placed on waxed paper to harden if you want them coated with chocolate.

You could also roll out the fondant and use a soft drink bottle cap or a doughnut hole cutter to cut out your mints or a small biscuit cutter or doughnut cutter to make larger ones, and again dip them into melted chocolate and let them harden on waxed paper. Chill the fondant before dipping mints into the melted chocolate for stability.

CREAM CHEESE WEDDING MINTS
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 tsp. mint flavoring
3-1/3 cups powdered sugar
food coloring as desired
Mix cream cheese, flavoring, and food coloring. Add sugar and knead until the consistency of pie dough. Add more sugar if necessary. Roll into balls the size of marbles, dip one side in granulated sugar. Press sugar side down into candy mold. Unmold at once on waxed paper. Makes 46 roses or leaves.

Or you could roll out thin long ropes of this mixture, (having used food coloring in it to match your wedding colors), and slice bean-sized mints and let them air dry on waxed paper.

You can also add 6 tsp. sweet cocoa and 1 tsp. vanilla for chocolate candy.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINTS
2 lbs. powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese
1 tsp. peppermint extract
12 oz. chocolate chips
Blend the powdered sugar and cream cheese and peppermint extract (1/2 tsp. at a time until you get the right taste) until well-mixed. It will be thick.
Roll out the fondant until it is as thick as you want the mints to be. Cut out circles with soda drink caps or use a small biscuit cutter for larger ones.
Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave.
Dip the mints in the melted chocolate with a candy fork. Place the dipped mints on waxed paper on a cookie sheet. After you have a full sheet, place the cookie sheet of mints in the freezer until frozen and then package them into containers and freeze.

You could use different extracts and make any flavor mints you like.

IRISH POTATO CANDY
Mash one cooked potato and add 1 box powdered sugar until of a dough-like consistency. Roll out into a rectangle. Spread chunky peanut butter over the top. Cut it down the middle to make two long pieces. Roll each piece up like a jelly roll so you have two long thin logs. Wrap each log in waxed paper and chill until you get ready to eat them. Slice off 1/2 inch pieces to serve. Keep refrigerated.

GRAPE-NUTS CHOCOLATE DROPS
2 pkg. chocolate chips
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Grape-Nuts cereal
1 tsp. vanilla
Melt chocolate in microwave. Stir until smooth; add milk. Blend. Add Grape-Nuts and vanilla. Drop from teaspoons onto waxed paper. Cool until firm. Makes about 5 dozen candies.

TIGER BUTTER
Melt 2 lbs. White Candy Melts and 1 cup creamy peanut butter. Mix until smooth. Pour into a square pan. Melt 1/2 lb. Milk Chocolate Candy Melts and drizzle over the top. Swirl this into the other mixture like stripes on a tiger. Chill for 20 minutes. Cut into bars.

ORANGE GUM DROPS
Mix 1 pkg. fruit pectin, 3/4 cup water, and 1/2 tsp. baking soda in a saucepan. This will foam up.
In another saucepan combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup light corn syrup. Cook both pans over high heat for 5 minutes. Pour fruit pectin mixture into other pan and stir until well mixed. Boil for 1 more minute. Stir in 1 Tbsp. orange extract, and some orange food coloring paste. Pour into a butter sprayed pan and let cool for 3 hours. Do NOT chill. Either cut into tiny squares or cut out shapes with small cookie cutters, then roll each piece in regular sugar. Makes 20 oz. candy.

You can vary the flavors by adding a different extract and food coloring paste.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES
2 boxes powdered sugar
1 stick butter
1 can sweet condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 large jar maraschino cherries (with stems)
1 lb. chocolate chips
Cream sugar, butter, milk and vanilla. Chill in the refrigerator overnight. Drain cherries and blot with paper towels. Roll cream mixture into silver dollar sized balls. Flatten each ball in your hand and put one cherry in the center and cover it completely. Do all the cherries this way then place them in the freezer for awhile. Melt chocolate in microwave on high one minute at a time then stir until melted and smooth. Dip cherries in the melted chocolate and place them on waxed paper to harden. Let candy set one week in a sealed container in your refrigerator before eating to let them cure.

NUTELLA PEANUT BUTTER BALLS
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup Nutella Spread
1 cup honey
2 cups nonfat powdered milk
1-1/2 cups chopped hazlenuts
1-1/2 cups crushed cornflakes
Mix peanut butter, Nutella, honey, nuts, and powdered milk together in a bowl to form a very thick mixture. Roll mixture into bite-sized balls and then each ball in the crushed cornflakes. Place balls on a waxed paper covered cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

ORANGE, LEMON, OR LIME COOLERS
8 oz. Orange Candy Melts
16 drops LorAnn Orange Oil
8 oz. Yellow Candy Melts
16 drops LorAnn Lemon Oil
8 oz. Green Candy Melts
16 drops LorAnn Lime Oil
12 oz. box vanilla wafers
In your microwave melt the Orange Candy Melts in a bowl, then add the LorAnn Orange Oil, stirring well. Coat a third of the vanilla wafers in the mixture and set them on parchment paper to harden.
In your microwave melt the Yellow Candy Melts in a bowl, then add the LorAnn Lemon Oil, stirring well. Coat a third of the vanilla wafers in the mixture and set them on parchment paper to harden.
In your microwave melt the Green Candy Melts in a bowl, then add the LorAnn Lime Oil then dip the remaining vanilla wafers in it and set them on parchment paper to harden. Enjoy these no bake cookies!

You could also use Pink or Red Candy Melts and LorAnn Strawberry Oil to make Strawberry Coolers with the vanilla wafers.

This would also make a good version of the Girl Scout Mint Cookies too by using Chocolate Candy Melts and LorAnn Peppermint Oil and the vanilla wafers.

You could do the same using Ritz Crackers but make Mint Cookies by melting chocolate wafers then adding mint oil to the mix. Dip each cracker in the mint mixture and let it set on parchment paper to harden.

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