35 christmas candy recipes

No-bake marshmallow candy balls with ground candied cherries and blanched almonds rolled in shredded coconut. A vintage Christmas-tin confection that's chewy, sweet, and oven-free.

Julekake is a traditional Norwegian Christmas bread with cardamom, candied fruits, and raisins, topped with confectioners icing, almonds, and candied cherries.

Christmas braided bread with candied fruit, walnuts, and mincemeat under a fragrant cardamom milk glaze. A festive holiday loaf using frozen bread dough as a head-start shortcut.

Sugarplum cookies with dried or candied fruit hidden inside each ball of vanilla sugar cookie dough. Topped with creamy frosting and colored sugar for Christmas cookie trays.

Traditional German lebkuchen cookies with honey, molasses, almonds, candied fruit, and five warm spices. Soft, chewy spice cookies brushed with lemon glaze for a classic Christmas treat.

Traditional Panforte di Siena with toasted almonds, hazelnuts, candied orange peel, citron, cocoa, and honey syrup cooked to soft ball stage. A dense Italian Christmas confection.

Festive marshmallow popcorn Christmas tree shaped from lime Jello-coated popcorn and decorated with candy pieces. A fun, edible holiday centerpiece kids can help build.

Home-candied angelica turns young spring stalks into emerald-green confectionery jewels using just sugar and patience. A traditional British technique for decorating cakes, trifles and Christmas puddings.

Tiny green sugar cookie balls arranged in rings with candied cherry "berries" to make festive Christmas wreath cookies. A fun, easy holiday baking project for kids.

Holiday almond wreath cookies piped from a star tip and decorated with red and green candied cherries. Buttery almond shortbread in a festive Christmas-tin shape.

Christmas compote jam blends dried figs, dates, apricots, three nuts, and candied orange in a quince-juice base spiced with cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and star anise. A three-day European holiday preserve worth every step.

Christmas Lizzies are boozy Southern fruitcake cookies loaded with candied cherries, raisins, dates, pecans, and citrus zest, soaked in whiskey. Make them weeks ahead and drizzle with spirits to age.

Creme de menthe truffle cups: bite-size chocolate candy shells piped full of minty chocolate ganache with ground almonds. A boozy, bakery-style Christmas confection made in a double boiler.

Vegetarian mincemeat made with fresh pears, dried fruit, candied cherries, almonds, and a splash of whiskey. No suet needed. Spiced with allspice, nutmeg, and ginger for traditional Christmas mince pies.

A moist Christmas quick bread with orange juice, mashed banana, prune puree, candied fruit, raisins, and nuts, topped with a thin powdered sugar icing and glacé cherries. Freezes beautifully for gifting.

Bright red cinnamon-spiked Christmas pickles made from cucumber rings soaked in lime water, boiled with red hots candy, and canned in a sweet syrup. A multi-day Southern canning tradition.