Candy

We often relegate marshmallows to a hot-chocolate topper, but these coconut treats definitely deserve to be offered up solo. Each pillowy square is surrounded by a flurry of toasted coconut. And since they keep for a month, they can be made well in advance of the holiday rush.

This traditional Italian nougat is typically made with almonds, but we've substituted pistachios for their bright color and delicate flavor. Torrone can vary from firm to soft, but this one has a nice, subtle chew. Flavorless sheets of edible wafer paper keep the strips from sticking to one another.

Encased in smooth dark chocolate is a light, refreshing mint candy, perfect for closing out your Christmas dinner. To give these holiday treats sheen, use tempered melted chocolate.

These delicate gelées are wonderful for company—the passion-fruit purée gives them golden color and heady tropical flavor. As an added bonus, they keep beautifully for up to a month.

The transformation of butter, sugar, and salt into toffee is culinary alchemy at its best. This version is studded with cocktail peanuts and a decadent layer of bittersweet chocolate.

You could buy peppermint candy, but nothing comes close to the tingly, verdant flavor of real mint. These sweet lollipops make wonderful treats for both children and adults. The color is a very pale green, which can be enhanced with a drop or two of food coloring.

The tiny florets here are made from peach, pear, and guava nectar, but you can use any fruit juice you like except pineapple, kiwi, and papaya, which won't gel properly.

These classic candies (called sweetmeats by the British) look sinful but are little more than dried apricots, figs, and plums dusted with nuts, cocoa, or sugar.

Ruggiero was served rose-scented candied peanuts and mint tea on the rooftop of the home of a Toubkal local. It turned out to be one of the best-tasting snacks she'd ever had.

It's the sprinkle of sea salt that really takes these caramels over the top, teasing out the creamy richness of the buttery chocolate candies.

This delicious and slightly exotic Indian-influenced candy incorporates a blend of cashews, pistachios, and almonds in a golden brittle sweetened with honey and lightly spiced with cardamom.

These spoons add a hint of peppermint when stirred into a cup of hot cocoa.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Truffles : 50 Deliciously Decadent Homemade Chocolate Treats _by Dede Wilson. Cacao beans, from which we get all our wonderful chocolate, are now available in raw form. Called cacao (or cocoa) nibs, they look like tiny brown nuggets similar in shape to kasha or buckwheat groats. Cacao nibs are not sweet, but they have an intense chocolate flavor unlike any other product. In this recipe, they are steeped in cream to add flavor to the ganache and chopped for use as a topping._

Who can resist rich chocolate with roasted pecans and butter-rum caramel? Melting the chocolate in stages insures that it will set. If you wish, the alcohol can be omitted.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Jacques Torres's Dessert Circus at Home. To read more about Torres and his chocolate factory, click here. This is a candy everyone likes. Truffles are quite simple to make, and the process will be more fun if you have a friend to help you. Time is the biggest element in this recipe. It will be easier if you have the tempered chocolate ready and all the desired toppings spread out on parchment paper-covered baking sheets. Be sure to use a good bittersweet chocolate. Once I was giving a class on truffles. Most places have the big professional immersion blenders available for me to use. I started making the ganache, and while it was mixing I pulled the mixer up a little too far, which caused the chocolate to be sprayed everywhere by the blade. I quickly dropped the blade back into the chocolate and looked down at my clothes. I was in my white chef's coat, but when I saw my clean coat, I started to smile. I like to be clean when I'm working. Then I looked at the audience in the front row. They were all licking themselves! Be careful when working with chocolate!

This barfi is a fudge is made with cashew nuts that have been soaked in water.

Tip: Trim chocolate desserts of high-fat, high-cal extras like crust.

A perfect ending to a Valentine's Day dinner, these bite-size confections are like miniature candy bars — only better. Plus, they keep for a week.

Joe Miller of Glasgow, Montana, writes: "Though this recipe was introduced to me by a college friend from Anchorage, it originated — generations ago — in Charlotte, North Carolina. Today, it is a Miller family tradition." Featuring the crunch of toffee, the creaminess of chocolate (a combination of milk and bittersweet), and a finishing sprinkle of walnuts, this sweet snack has all the bases covered.

Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from Gabrielle Carbone, coproprietor of The Bent Spoon ice cream parlor in Princeton, New Jersey. These peels add a wonderful, bright flavor to our Lemon Ice Cream, but this technique can also be used to make candied lime or grapefruit peel. The recipe can be doubled or tripled to make a bigger batch. Try dipping the peels in bittersweet chocolate for a delicious treat. Because you'll be eating the peel, it's especially important to use an organic lemon (which won't have been sprayed with pesticides) in this recipe. If you must use a regular lemon, scrub it vigorously to clean the outside as thoroughly as possible.