We've all been there before—you're waiting on line at the grocery store and you're stuck in between shelves of candy bars. You try to look away, but they just keep staring back at you. It's so hard to resist buying just one or two and hey, at the end of the day you deserve it! Who's counting?
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I think most people would say that they love candy (I mean really, we have a holiday dedicated to eating candy!). It's a sweet treat that we all need to enjoy every once in awhile. Well, did you know that some of you're favorite candies are simple and fun to make at home?
Store bought is great to satisfy any last minute craving, but you'll totally impress your friends and family (and yourself!) with these homemade candy bar recipes. They also make great, fresh homemade gifts to give out. Check out these candy recipes below.
1. Take 5 Bar
After I discovered Take 5 Bars a few years ago from a friend, I couldn't believe what I was missing out on for so long! Take 5 Bars are seriously amazing, especially if you love the combination of sweet and salty.
There are five layers in these bars-chocolate, peanut butter, pretzels, caramel and peanuts. You'll love this homemade candy recipe filled with salted caramel. Try it here.
2. Twix Bars
You might mistake these bars for the real thing. Just like the original, these Twix Bars have a shortbread cookie base and gooey caramel on top to appease any sweet tooth. They're cut into thin logs with a sharp knife and then dipped into semisweet chocolate chips that have been melted.
Helpful tip: try not to over bake the shortbread otherwise it will become too crumbly. Here is the recipe.
3. Homemade Snickers Bar
I'm sure Snickers bars are on the top of everyone's favorite candy bar list. It consists of nougat, homemade caramel, peanuts and milk chocolate.
Since folks love Snickers so much, you can find Snickers inspired desserts and ice cream anywhere. Snickers cheesecake anyone? Find the recipe here.
4. PayDay Bars
Peanut butter lovers rejoice! These PayDay bars are both creamy and crunchy all at the same time. Salted peanuts are placed on the bottom of a pan and topped with a melted mixture of peanut butter chips, marshmallows, butter and sweetened condensed milk in this easy recipe. So simple!
Want a little bit of a salty kick? Sprinkle these bears with some sea salt. Delicious. Here's the recipe.
5. Million Dollar Candy Bars (100 Grands)
100 Grand bars are a simple and delicious sweet treat. However, if you're like Michael Scott from The Office, you use 100 Grand bars to throw at students as a motivational tool. One of the greatest moments ever in my opinion.
Well, whether you're eating these bars or throwing them, you will love this twist on 100 Grand bars. Caramel is coated in melted chocolate candies and rice crispies for a fun crunchy treat. Want to make a completely new candy? Dip the bars in melted white chocolate and sprinkle with crushed peanut brittle. Sounds good doesn't it?
6. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
If calories didn't count, I could probably eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup everyday (including the holiday season). Does anyone else eat around the edges first and save the middle like me or am I just weird?! The creamy center is my favorite part of the whole confection.
These 4-ingredient candies are so simple and fun to make and they store well in the freezer when you are on a candy-making binge. You can even try making them in a mini muffin tin for a more kid friendly size. Here's the recipe.
7. Milky Way
Try not to be intimidated by this homemade Milky Way recipe. It's very accurate to the real thing and you might just prefer making them yourself!
First, chocolate nougat is prepared, which does take a little time (and babysitting) so be sure to get your candy thermometer out! Then, caramel is poured over the sliced nougat and the bars are dipped in chocolate! These are addicting! Here is the recipe.
8. Butterfingers
If you have leftover Halloween candy, specifically candy corn and you're tired of looking at it, try out these Butterfingers. They only require three ingredients too- candy corn, peanut butter and chocolate.
All you do is melt your candy corn in the microwave (melt in 30 second intervals to prevent burning) and combine with peanut butter. Cut into bars and coat in chocolate. You can cut these into full size bars or bite size. Say goodbye to that leftover candy corn!
Pro Tip: If your bars aren't orange enough, add a few drops of food coloring in the mix. Find the recipe here.
9. Almond Joy
The name Almond Joy is very fitting for these candy bars. I'm sure you'll feel a sense of joy after biting into one of these, especially since it's homemade. Each bar has a creamy coconut center, is topped with a toasted almond and dipped in semisweet chocolate.
Do you prefer Mounds? If you do, just ditch the almonds and dip each coconut bar into dark chocolate instead. Here's the recipe.
10. Peppermint Patties
Peppermint and chocolate is a combination that's refreshing and so classic.
The peppermint filling is made first, rolled and cut into rounds with a cookie cutter. Each round is dipped into bittersweet chocolate. These candies would be perfect to include on any cookie tray or as a Christmas candy at your next holiday party. Here's the recipe.
11. Heath Bar
This is a very easy and delicious version of the very popular, Heath Bar. It's made up of sweet toffee, milk chocolate and almonds (or pecans) to make up this crunchy treat.
This is another Christmas recipe to include on your cookie tray and also makes a nice gift! Find the recipe here.
12. 3 Musketeers
These bars are fluffy, full of chocolate flavor, and only need three ingredients! Marshmallow fluff and chocolate spread are mixed together and spread onto a pan . Once the mixture is cooled, they're cut into bars and dipped into chocolate. Homemade candy bars in a matter of minutes.
