How to Be Sweet: 7 Delectable Candy Cookbooks

Indulge Your Sweet Tooth

Candy making is both a science and an art. More technical than some other forms of cooking, it may take a bit of practice to perfect your confectionary skills, but it is worth the effort. Your friends and family will certainly appreciate it! Here are seven scrumptious candy cookbooks.

All Purpose Sweetness

Candy Making for Beginners by Karen Neugebauer
This sweet and simple guide to homemade candy is perfect for brand-new confectioners. Create everything from fudge and honey caramels to sour gummy worms and peppermint patties, without the need for a lot of specialized equipment. Get young chefs involved with a selection of recipes that only require mixing and blending.

The Sweet Book of Candy Making by Elizabeth LaBau
Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, this book will help you create an assortment of delicious, gorgeous candies. With everything you need to know about equipment, ingredients, and techniques, you can perfect the classics you love, like English toffee and chocolate fudge, as well as new recipes like Pistachio Marzipan Squares and Lemon Meringue Lollipops.

The Complete Photo Guide to Candy Making by Autumn Carpenter
With more than 80 tried-and-true recipes, this is an all-purpose handbook for all things confectionery, from brittles to truffles. For each technique, there is an overview of the tools and materials, step-by-step instructions, plus more than 650 full-color photos to clear up any points of confusion.

Chocolate Bliss

Chocolate for Beginners by Kate Shaffer
Making melt-in-your-mouth chocolate may seem daunting—but it doesn't have to be! Whether you're hoping to impress guests, craft delicious gifts, or add chocolaty goodness to your desserts, this guide shows you how. Learn simple rules for chocolate selection, equipment tips, and troubleshooting suggestions. Then sweeten your skillset with tutorials for melting, tempering, dipping, and decorating.

Truffles, Candies, & Confections by Carole Bloom
With this completely revised and expanded edition of a culinary classic, learn how to master even the trickiest techniques, like tempering chocolate and making caramel. The book offers illuminating discussions on candy making essentials, from ingredients to tools to techniques, as well as more than 180 exquisitely detailed recipes for truffles, caramels, nut brittles, fudge, and more.

Old-Fashioned Delights

Boiled Sweets: How They Used to Do It by Two Magpies Publishing
This vintage-style book is a kitchen staple for any creative cooks wanting to revisit the golden age of sweet making. It will guide you through the process, including a brief history of the sweet treats, confectionery techniques, the best equipment, and lots of yummy recipes. Using household items, nifty hints and tricks, and a little creativity you will be delighted by what you can achieve.

Mother Estelle's Easy Homemade Candy Cookbook by Hilda Cooper
The ultimate collection of easy homemade candy recipes, like fudge and divinity, pralines and turtles, chocolate covered cherries and billionaires, rocky candy, butterscotch, toffee, buckeyes, mints, Turkish delight, truffles, bon bons, gummy gels, and more. You'll find easy-to-follow recipes for almost every candy imaginable. Perfect for home chefs looking to create some sweet memories.

Have you got a sugar rush yet? Listen, we know that it's not ideal for our waistlines, but after reviewing these tasty tomes, we're pretty stoked to give candy making a try. Here's hoping these guides will bring you some sweet satisfaction during the upcoming holiday season.

Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon