19 spicy candy recipes

Rhubarb jam with Chinese five-spice, crystallized ginger, and a whisper of hot sauce. Tart-sweet preserve with warm spice and gentle heat, perfect on toast or alongside roast pork.

Vegetarian mince pies with a suet-free, no-suet British mincemeat: dried fruits, ripe banana, almonds, brandy, and warm spice tucked inside flaky shortening pastry. The traditional Christmas pie, made meatless.

Critters in the Hay is a Halloween popcorn treat with pumpkin pie spice caramel corn, candy corn, licorice spiders, and gummy worms. A spooky party snack kids love.

Vegan fruit cake packed with dried fruit, candied peel, orange rind, and almonds, leavened with a soy milk and vinegar reaction instead of eggs. A dense, dairy-free holiday cake baked low and slow.

Traditional Christmas Pudding with Brandy Sauce recipe

Flaky Asian pear and lychee strudel with phyllo dough, crystallized ginger, toasted coconut, walnuts, and Chinese five spice. A showstopping fusion dessert dusted with powdered sugar.

Homemade napa kimchee: salted napa cabbage tossed with garlic, fresh and candied ginger, scallions, carrot and Korean red pepper flakes, then left to ferment into a tangy, spicy Korean staple. Serve as a relish or cook it into soups.

Sweet and spicy candied pickle sticks made from dill pickles soaked in sugar with cherry peppers, celery seed, and mustard seed. No cooking, just patience. Addictively crunchy.

Spicy applesauce mold with cinnamon candies, nutmeg, and lemon juice sets into a shimmering gelatin dessert that's equal parts retro charm and warm autumn flavor.

Homemade apple jelly made in the microwave with apple juice, pectin, and red hot cinnamon candies for a spicy-sweet twist. Yields 6 half pints in under an hour.

Red Hot Salad is a vintage molded gelatin salad with cherry Jell-O, Red Hots cinnamon candies, crushed pineapple, and applesauce. A sweet, spicy-cinnamon holiday side that jiggles and shines.

Candied spicy pecans coated in cinnamon sugar and egg white, slow-baked at low heat for one hour until crisp and caramelized. An addictive sweet-spiced nut snack or holiday gift.

Blueberry salsa pairs juicy berries with jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, and lime for a sweet-and-spicy condiment. A fresh summer dip for chips, grilled fish, or pork tacos.

South Indian split pea and coconut curry sauce with mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaves, green chiles, and ginger. A creamy, spicy condiment for rice, dosa, or idli.

South Indian cucumber pachadi with tamarind, green chilies, and a sizzling tempering of mustard seeds, fenugreek, and asafetida. A tangy, spicy condiment served cold.

Plum relish slow-cooks plums with apples, onions, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, and cloves into a thick sweet-spicy condiment. Big-batch chutney for cheese boards and roasts.