I research and evaluate all products and services. If you buy through links on this site, I may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my disclosure for more info.
DELICIOUS GIFT IDEAS: 77 BEST RECIPES FOR HOMEMADE CHOCOLATES
If you are looking for easy-to-make, delicious-to-eat DIY gift ideas, choose one or more from this list of 77 homemade chocolate candy recipes. Whether you’re making a batch to give to friends and family for Christmas or a birthday gift for someone special, these chocolatey treats will go down well.
There are so many great homemade chocolate recipes to choose from that I’ve done the noble thing and hunted down the best, easiest-to-make, most delicious recipes for you.
So, what have I included in this roundup? Well, chocolate truffles are eternally popular, so I’ve included no less than 22 different truffle recipes, some with alcohol, some simple and perfect for kids to make. The roundup has vegan and gluten-free truffle recipes and even a paleo truffle recipe.
Bark is another favourite sweet treat at Christmas, so I’ve included several recipes, including a recipe with Oreos, a more classic peppermint recipe and a dark chocolate and pistachio recipe.
There are also plenty of recipes for chocolate caramels, chocolate fudge and a smattering of more unusual recipes for homemade chocolates that will have you standing out from the crowd.
Tip for UK readers: I use the Food App to convert ingredient amounts to UK metrics. You can save recipes to it from URLs and also from Pinterest pins.
77 EASY HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CANDY RECIPES THAT MAKE GREAT GIFTS
1
Crockpot Peanut Clusters [Crockpot Candy]
Photo Credit:www.persnicketyplates.com
These Christmas Crockpot Peanut Clusters are super easy to make and taste great.
PRETZEL CHOCOLATES RECIPES
Christmas candy recipes using pretzels.
2
Christmas Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Recipe
Photo Credit:homemadeheather.com
Delicious chocolate covered pretzels loaded with candy for a sweet treat kids love to help make for the holidays!
3
Christmas Pretzels: Easy, Fast, and Fun
Photo Credit:themondaybox.com
No bake, this is an easy, fast and fun activity for the whole family.
4
Christmas Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods
Photo Credit:myminichefs.com
Christmas Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rodsare an easy, sweet treat for the holiday season. They take just 10 minutes to make and use three ingredients. They are fun for kids to make to gift to their teacher.
CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES RECIPES
Chocolate truffles are one of the most decadent kinds of chocolate, here's a selection of delicious chocolate truffles recipes.
5
Mint Oreo Truffles - Sally's Baking Addiction
Photo Credit:sallysbakingaddiction.com
What could be simpler than truffles made with only three ingredients?! These mint Oreo truffles are another Christmas chocolate favourite that look like they've taken way longer to make than they actually have!
6
Chocolate Truffles Recipe
Photo Credit:flavorthemoments.com
This straightforward recipe has just four basic ingredients. It's a great one for kids to make or if you are in a hurry.
7
Scottish Rum Chocolate Truffles
Photo Credit:www.tinnedtomatoes.com
These traditional Scottish chocolate truffles are made in homes and bakeries. They're made with digestive biscuits (Graham crackers) and coconut. The rum can be substituted with orange juice.
8
Oreo Truffles
Photo Credit:thecozycook.com
Who doesn't love an Oreo?! These Oreo Trufflesare an easy, no-bake candy treat that can be made with as little as three ingredients.
9
Homemade Chocolate Truffles Recipe
Photo Credit:sallysbakingaddiction.com
These homemade chocolate truffles have only four ingredients and can be set in the fridge. There's a video tutorial to follow over on Sally's Baking Addiction, so you really can't go wrong, even if you are short on time and not a natural in the kitchen! This is also a great chocolates recipe to get kids making as gifts for their friends.
10
Cream Cheese Brownie Truffles
Photo Credit:www.callmepmc.com
This easy to make Cream Cheese Brownie Truffles recipe has three ingredients and makes gorgeous Christmas treats.
11
Christmas Coffee Truffles - just exquiste! Fab Food 4 All
Photo Credit:www.fabfood4all.co.uk
These heavenly Christmas Coffee Truffles are made with dark and milk chocolate, double cream and coffee. The cute holly decoration on top finishes them off perfectly.
12
Orange Chocolate Truffles
Photo Credit:lovefoodies.com
These Orange Chocolate Truffles are creamy and decadent. They are easy to make and perfect for gifts and parties! Options to add Spiced rum too!
13
Grand Marnier Truffles - Baker by Nature
Photo Credit:bakerbynature.com
These smooth and rich Grand Marnier Truffles have just eight ingredients, including delicious Gran Marnier. The method for making them includes popping them in the fridge for 45 minutes, so they are a little more involved time-wise than some of the other recipes here. They make a delicious Christmas for adult friends and family.
14
Decadent Whiskey Chocolate Truffles — Marley's Menu
Photo Credit:marleysmenu.com
These boozy bite-sized Whiskey Chocolate Truffles are the ultimate pop-in-your-mouth treat for whiskey lovers.
15
Chocolate Amaretto Truffles
Photo Credit:www.whattheforkfoodblog.com
Chocolate Amaretto Truffles are a decadent treat. This recipe is simple to make and foolproof!
16
Champagne Truffles
Photo Credit:whereismyspoon.co
These pretty champagne truffles are beyond decadent and would make a wonderful gift for a special someone.
17
Cappuccino Chocolate Truffles
Photo Credit:lovefoodies.com
These creamy, rich chocolate and coffee-flavored homemade truffles are easy to make and perfect for Christmas gifts. The coffee flavour together with the chocolate makes for a perfect combination.
18
Vegan Gingerbread Chocolate Truffles
Photo Credit:tinandthyme.uk
Luxurious homemade dairy-free truffles that everyone can enjoy. This recipe for vegan gingerbread chocolate truffles is really quite easy to make.
19
Healthy Chestnut Chocolate Truffles Recipe - Vegan Christmas Truffles
Photo Credit:www.blendwithspices.com
And here's another vegan truffles recipe. These Vegan Chestnut Chocolate Truffles are simple yet delicious and decadent. They are easy to make using chestnuts, cocoa powder, vanilla and dark chocolate.
20
Vegan Chocolate Truffles {Easy & Dairy-Free}
Photo Credit:www.worldofvegan.com
These dairy-free truffles are made with coconut milk and melt-in-the-mouth.
21
Peanut Butter Snowballs Recipe (No Bake Truffles) with white chocolate coating
Photo Credit:www.sixsistersstuff.com
These homemade peanut butter snowballs taste like candy, but take a quarter of the time to make. These are another great idea for DIY candy to put in Christmas Eve boxes. Related: How to make simple Christmas Eve boxes.
22
Salted Caramel Truffles
Photo Credit:annabanana.co
These rich. and indulgent salted caramel truffles are surprisingly easy to make, and let's face it, who doesn't love salted caramel?!
23
Three Ingredient Paleo Chocolate Truffles
Photo Credit:www.seasonalcravings.com
These simple but delicious paleo truffles are made with just three ingredients, but they taste sensational.
24
Mum's No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Snowballs
Photo Credit:neilshealthymeals.com
Mum's no-bake chocolate snowballs are delicious easy-to-make chocolate balls (truffles by another name!) made from just 6 ingredients. This is a fantastic holiday recipe that kids will love!
25
Chocolate Orange Truffles with Coconut
Photo Credit:www.tinnedtomatoes.com
These were the type of truffles that Jacqueline from Tinned Tomatoes enjoyed as a child in Scotland. She remembers fun Sunday afternoons with her mum rolling truffles in chocolate (strands) vermicelli and anticipating the moment when she could bite into one.
26
Date & Walnut Truffles
Photo Credit:www.worldofvegan.com
These date and walnut truffles are made with just four ingredients, and the bonus is that they are fibre-rich, full of flavour and healthy! Give them as a gift to health-conscious friends and family.
27
Vegan Ferrero Rocher (Gluten Free)
Photo Credit:addictedtodates.com
Know someone who is partial to a Ferrero Rocher (the ultimate truffle!) but prefers to avoid gluten? Well, get making them a batch of these wonderful vegan gluten-free Ferrero Rocher dupes.
28
Biscoff And White Chocolate Truffles
Photo Credit:mymorningmocha.com
These homemade Biscoff and white chocolate truffles are the perfect bite-sized gift. and you only need 3 ingredients to make them.
CHOCOLATE COVERED HONEYCOMB RECIPES
Delicious homemade honeycomb covered in chocolate. These recipes are simply divine.
29
The Simplest Chocolate Covered Honeycomb Recipe
Photo Credit:www.clumsycrafter.com
This recipe is so easy it is perfect for young kids to make.
30
Honeycomb Candy
Photo Credit:numstheword.com
This old fashionedhoneycomb candyis a classic recipe. Easy to make and so tasty covered in chocolate!
ASSORTED CHOCOLATE CANDY RECIPES THAT I JUST REALLY LOVE!
A selection of chocolate candy recipes that don't seem to fit into a category on this list, but I really love them.
31
Butterscotch Marshmallow Bites
Photo Credit:www.lemonsforlulu.com
These butterscotch chocolate marshmallow bites have six ingredients and are a great no-bake treat for kids (or adults short on time) to make. They really are super simple to make and take just 20 minutes.
32
Homemade Mounds or Bounty Chocolate Bars
Photo Credit:www.christinascucina.com
Homemade Mounds or Bounty Chocolate bars make for great homemade Christmas candy gifts.
33
Marzipan Chocolates
Photo Credit:themondaybox.com
Soft, sweet balls of almond candy are enrobed in a dark chocolate shell.
HOT CHOCOLATE BOMBS AND MELTS
Hot chocolate bombs and melts are hugely popular at the moment. Here are some lovely recipes.
34
Boozy Hot Fudge Hot Cocoa Bombs with Whiskey
Photo Credit:champagneandcoconuts.com
This boozy hot fudge bomb is a wonderful gift for whiskey lovers to add to a Christmas hot milk.
35
DIY Beverage Chocolate Melts: Coffee & Hot Chocolate Toppers
Photo Credit:fantabulosity.com
These melts are so easy for kids to make and they look so pretty. Stack 'em up, wrap them up and gift them to teachers to dunk in their coffee.
36
How to Make Hot Cocoa Bombs | Viral Tik Tok Recipe
Photo Credit:www.atablefullofjoy.com
This Hot Cocoa Bombs Recipe is a fun and easy treat made with chocolate and marshmallows. It would be lovely to make for Christmas Eve box gifts for kids.
CHOCOLATE FUDGE RECIPES
Chocolate AND fudge?! It's the ultimate sweet-treat combination.
37
Easy Kahlua Chocolate Fudge
Photo Credit:www.scotchandscones.com
Kahlua Chocolate Fudge is rich dark chocolate fudge flavored with Kahlua coffee liqueur. Only 6 ingredients, it's an easy to make adults-only treat!
38
Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Fudge
Photo Credit:insidebrucrewlife.com
This seven ingredient recipe takes literally minutes to make! The finished result however looks like you've spent hours crafting it! This fudge looks particularly gorgeous if you have time to pop the squares of fudge into little mini truffle cases like these and then pop them in a gift tin
39
Chilli Chocolate Fudge: Smooth, Creamy & a Little Bit Hot
Photo Credit:tinandthyme.uk
This creamy chilli chocolate fudge makes a great Christmas candy gift. It combines the richness of dark chocolate with cream followed by a warm afterglow from the chilli.
40
Mint Chocolate Cheesecake Fudge
Photo Credit:cheesecakeitis.com
If you love the flavour of mint, you’re going to enjoy the taste of this Mint Chocolate Cheesecake Fudge.
41
White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge
Photo Credit:myorganizedchaos.net
This white chocolate fudge is an easy recipe that is no-bake and uses just 4 simple ingredients. Perfect for the holiday season to eat yourself or give as gifts.
HOMEMADE FUDGE RECIPES
Fudge is such a Christmas thing and it makes the most mouthwatering DIY candy gifts to give.
Slow Cooker Amaretto Raisin and Almond Fudge
Photo Credit:bakingqueen74.co.uk
This six-ingredient Amaretto raisin and fudge recipe is one of those super easy slow cooker candy recipes that means you can stick a bunch of ingredients in the slow cooker and let the cooker work its magic, you just need to give the mixture a quick stir every 15 minutes.
43
EASY Eggnog Fudge Recipe (30 minutes!)
Photo Credit:www.iheartnaptime.net
Eggnon is such a holiday season flavour! This eggnog fudge recipe only takes around 30-minutes to make and uses only seven ingredients. These fudge candies are great to serve over Christmas of pop them in cellophane and gift them!
44
Easy Salted Caramel Fudge Recipe
Photo Credit:www.somethingswanky.com
This is possibly the easiest candy recipe ever!! Plus there are just four ingredients, one of which is a pinch of salt! So you just can't go wrong. The resulting salted caramel fudge comes with a warning from recipe creator, Something Swanky!! Pop over to her site to find out more!
45
Goody Gumdrops Fudge
Photo Credit:lifewiththecrustcutoff.com
This Goody Gumdrops fudge recipe has just three ingredients. 3!!!! I love Life With The Crust Cut Off's idea of packaging it up in jars like these to give as Christmas gifts.
46
Homemade Christmas Fudge Recipe
Photo Credit:savingtalents.com
This delicious recipe for homemade fudge is a perfect Christmas treat! It has been passed down for generations in Tiffany's family, and can be made with or without nuts.
47
Butterscotch Fudge with 3 Simple Ingredients
Photo Credit:myorganizedchaos.net
This easyButterscotch Fudge Recipeis so simple to make! It takes only 3 Simple Ingredients, and is a no-bake fudge recipe, which is even better. An effortless and delicious easy recipe to make in batches to give as gifts at Christmas to teachers or kids' friends. In fact it's perfect for kids to make as homemade gifts.
48
Microwave Peanut Butter Fudge
Photo Credit:lmld.org
This microwave peanut butter fudge is made with only 4 ingredients, and only takes a few minutes to make. It’s creamy, smooth, and perfect for a delicious no bake peanut butter treat. Clearly be cafeful about giving this as a gift if you don't know the recipient too well.
49
Chocolate Fudge Recipe Without Condensed Milk
Photo Credit:www.redcottagechronicles.com
This is a supereasy fudge recipe without condensed milk or any chocolate chips! It gets it’s rich chocolatey flavour from cocoa.
50
Peppermint Candy Cane Fudge Recipe
Photo Credit:www.sixsistersstuff.com
This peppermint fudge recipe is ridiculously easy to make, you literally just tip all the ingredients into a pan and heat them!! The resulting fudge looks so festive it's great for Christmas gifting.
51
Smooth and Delicious Marshmallow Fudge
Photo Credit:www.ashcroftfamilytable.com
As if fudge isn't delicious enough on its own, add chocolate and marshmallows, and you've got a heaven-sent recipe perfect for Christmas gifting.
HOMEMADE CARAMELS RECIPES
Caremels are just so melt in the mouth delicious, they make really lovely DIY gifts for giftwrapping and giving during the holiday season.
52
Chips, Crackers, Nuts, Popcorn, Snack Mixes
Photo Credit:www.averiecooks.com
These chocolate-covered seven-minute microwave caramels are flavoured with vanilla. They totally melt in your mouth and they are SO easy to make. Plus they look great, so they look like you've put way more time and effort into them than you actually have!! A great idea for a homemade Christmas chocolate gift for friends and family.
53
Chocolate Caramels Recipe
Photo Credit:www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com
These homemade caramels are rich and buttery, deliciously chewy, and infused with chocolate.
54
Caramel Pecan Christmas Turtles Recipe
Photo Credit:savingtalents.com
These caramel turtles are choc full of scrumptious pecan nuts.
55
Polar Bear Paws With White Chocolate Coating
Photo Credit:lmld.org
These polar bear paws are the perfect sweet and salty caramel candy with peanuts and a white chocolate coating. They’re so easy to make and I think they would be the perfect recipe if you want to make homemade candy for your kids' Christmas Eve boxes. Related: How to make a simple Christmas Eve box for your kids
56
Salted Peanut Caramels
Photo Credit:numstheword.com
This is a wonderful old-fashioned recipe for making caramels on the stove, with the addition of salted peanuts.
HOMEMADE TOFFEE WITH CHOCOLATE RECIPES
Toffee is the harder but equally delicious cousin of caramel and fudge. Try out these recipes to use as ideas for Christmas candy gifts.
57
Easy Homemade Toffee - Damn Delicious
Photo Credit:damndelicious.net
You can make this seven ingredient easy homemade toffee recipe in under 30 minutes. The hard part is waiting the couple of hours need for it to set in the fridge!!
58
Buttery English Toffee Candy (Gluten-Free) Topped With Chocolate
Photo Credit:www.scotchandscones.com
This English toffee is crunchy and buttery, topped with a blanket of chocolate and a dusting of almond meal. It's gluten-free and easy to make, using just 7 ingredients.
59
Homemade Almond Toffee Recipe
Photo Credit:joyfoodsunshine.com
This almond toffee is made from scratch with 8 ingredients, including chocolate, and is the most delicious holiday treat to give as a homemade candy gift to neighbours and friends!
60
Pomegranate + Pistachio Dark Chocolate Bark
Photo Credit:www.mapleandmango.com
Pomegranate + Pistachio Dark Chocolate Bark recipe. Incredibly easy-to-make, delicious, healthy treat! Only four simple ingredients.
61
Classic English Toffee - With PRO Tips
Photo Credit:www.thatskinnychickcanbake.com
ThisEnglish Toffee Recipeis a must make every Christmas! Perfect for Christmas candy gifts. Add it to your ideas list.
62
The Best Homemade English Toffee Recipe
Photo Credit:www.shugarysweets.com
This recipe for almond toffee bites is a little more involved that some of the recipes in this list. It uses English Toffee poured over almonds, topped with milk chocolate and walnuts. You can make it in a brownie bite pan so that it's instantly ready for wrapping up and gifting!
PEPPERMINT AND CHOCOLATE RECIPES
I simply adore peppermint candy, it's one of the kinds of candy I always turn to when I'm looking for ideas for Christmas candy gifts that I can make for the holiday season.
63
Homemade Peppermint Patties
Photo Credit:thetoastykitchen.com
Peppermint patties are an absolute chocolate classic, perfect for gifts and to have after a big Christmas lunch. This recipe has just five ingredients and makes the most delicious patties.
64
Creamy 5-Ingredient Vegan Peppermint Patties
Photo Credit:delightfuladventures.com
These peppermint patties are creamy, melt-in-your-mouth vegan peppermint patties coated with rich dark chocolate. These easy-to-make, 5-ingredient treats are a great idea for holiday gift-giving for teachers, friends and family.
65
Easy Peppermint Bark Candy Recipe
Photo Credit:www.thatsusanwilliams.com
This peppermint bark with white and dark chocolate is really easy to make and looks super pretty.
66
Homemade Peppermint And Chocolate Bark
Photo Credit:joyfoodsunshine.com
This homemade peppermint and chocolate bark recipe is even more delicious than store-bought varieties. It's easy to make with only 6 ingredients and is a delicious treat to give as gifts for the holidays.
67
Three Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Photo Credit:delightfuladventures.com
This easy vegan peppermint bark recipe is one of the best homemade edible gift ideas to give family and friends this holiday. It’s quick and easy to make and all you need is just three simple ingredients.
68
Vegan Peppermint And Chocolate Bark
Photo Credit:bakedbyclo.com
This vegan peppermint bark is a quick, easy Christmas treat that’s perfect for making with children. It contains only 4 simple ingredients and there’s no baking needed.
69
Easy Homemade Candy Cane Bark
Photo Credit:www.whattheforkfoodblog.com
This homemade candy cane bark makes an easy last minute Christmas candy gift. The recipe uses just a few ingredients plus it can be made in 10 minutes. Perfect as an idea for candy gifts to make with your kids.
70
Slow Cooker Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Clusters
Photo Credit:www.theshabbycreekcottage.com
These festive chocolate peppermint pretzel clusters make a wonderful gift for school teachers.
71
Chocolate Walnuts - Wholefood Soulfood Kitchen
Photo Credit:wholefoodsoulfoodkitchen.com
These chocolate walnut treats are made with just three ingredients. They look pretty, taste delicious and are healthy to boot!
72
Chocolate Peanut Butter Clusters {Easy Recipe}
Photo Credit:www.missinthekitchen.com
Chocolate Peanut Butter Clusters are quick and easy to make for holidays and celebrations.
73
Easy Nutella Hazelnut BonBons Recipe
Photo Credit:twokidsandacoupon.com
Nutella as a candy chocolate ingredient? Yep, it's a thing. Here's how to make delicious Nutella Bonbons.
74
Fruit and Nut Dark Chocolate Bites
Photo Credit:thishealthytable.com
These delicate fruit and nut chocolate bites look so pretty stacked and they're super healthy too.
75
Vegan Chocolate Strawberries
Photo Credit:bakedbyclo.com
These vegan chocolate-covered strawberry treats are the perfect mix of indulgent and nutritious.
76
Chocolate Dates
Photo Credit:wholefoodsoulfoodkitchen.com
These chocolate dates are the perfect treat for anyone who craves agooeyin-the-middle chocolatey treat. The fact they're pretty healthy is an added bonus.
77
Dark Chocolate-Covered Candied Orange Slices
Photo Credit:cravingsomethinghealthy.com
Dark Chocolate-Covered Candied Orange Slices, the most perfect combination of Christmas flavors you could dream up. And – they’re so easy to make!
HOW TO PACKAGE HOMEMADE CHOCOLATES TO GIVE AS GIFTS
Once you’ve made your homemade chocolates, you’ll want to make sure that you package them up so that they look beautiful and ready to gift to friends and family.
Here are some ideas on how you can make sure your homemade chocolates look as good as if you’d bought them from a high-end chocolatier!
1. CELLOPHANE BAG TIED WITH RIBBON OR FANCY STRING
Pop a batch of chocolates into a clear cellophane bag and tie them up with a chic length of ribbon or fancy string. This method is nice and budget-friendly but still packs a wow punch.
Alternatively, you could use a twist tie, but they don’t look nearly as fabulous.
2. CELLOPHANE CONE
Cellophane cones are a European take on more regular-shaped cellophane bags. They make cute gifts for kids.
3. GIFT BOX
You can gift boxes specifically for chocolates. Some come with little sections for individual chocolates, and some allow you to layer the chocolates between paper. Tie the box with a fancy ribbon for a really festive flourish.
4. GLASS JAR
Filling a Mason Jar or Kilner Jar is a wonderful way to present homemade chocolates. You can write a message on the jar or add a little gift tag with a cute message. I love that the jar can then be used by the recipient for storage or for future gifting – very eco-friendly.
PIN TO SAVE:
Luci McQuitty Hindmarsh
Hello, I’m Luci, founder of Mums Make Lists. I get a buzz out of sharing tried and tested tips, ideas, systems and tools that help mothers stay ahead of the game with daily family life. If motherhood is the beating heart of Mums Make Lists, organisation is its backbone. Read more.
