6 Swedish Candy Recipes to Try This Christmas

Swedish Candy has been exploding on social media recently, and I understand why. There is something special about it. And with Christmas around the corner, what could be better than making our own Swedish Christmas candy together? I have such fond memories from my childhood, about the weeks leading up to Christmas, and all the little crafts and baking and cooking going on. And the candy! Fudge, caramels, chocolate, really everything. In this article, I want to share a few of my favorite recipes with you, to share that Christmas joy.
Small warning: Most of these recipes require you to heat up sugar to a very high temperature, 250°F (120°C), so never leave the candy mixture unsupervised once you´ve started heating your sugar up, and make sure to inform your kids to not touch the mixture during the boiling and cooling state. You should also get a saucepan that will fit the mixture, as it will start bubbling, and increase in size. So choose a pot that's too big rather than too small.

Ice chocolate:

To make ice chocolate, you will need:

• 300g (10,58 oz) Dark baking Chocolate
• 150g (5,29 oz) Coconut fat(coconut oil)
• Small, disposable aluminium or paper cups

Making Ice chocolate is super easy, all you do is melt your two ingredients together in a bowl over a pot of boiling water. When it has all melted together, pour into your disposable moulds and let it cool down in the fridge.

Swedish style knäck (Butterscotch toffee)

Knäck is probably the most common Christmas candy in Sweden, and with good reason. This gooey, sweet treat can be a bit tricky to get right, but as long as you have a candy thermometer you should be able to make it. Remember to keep an eye on your pot at all times, as this mixture gets very hot very fast.

Here's what youll need:

• 2 dl (about ¾ cup) sugar
• 2 dl (about ¾ cup) light syrup
• 2 dl (about ¾ cup) heavy cream
• 1 dl (about ⅓ cup) chopped almonds (optional)
• Sea salt to top with
• Small paper candy cups

And here's how you make it:

1. Place your small paper candy cups onto a baking sheet or a heat proof surface.
2. Combine your sugar, syrup and heavy cream together in a sauce pan
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, place your thermometer in the pan and let it simmer until it reaches 122°C (251°F).
4. Do a "cold water test"; by using a spoon to take a small drop and drop it into a glass of cold water, if it turns into a small, firm ball, its ready.
5. Carefully pour your mixture into the cups, and leave out to cool completely.

Swedish Toffee

Swedish Toffee, or kola as we call it in Sweden, is also a classic candy that comes in a million different varieties, but in this recipe we will go over the classic variant. But that doesn't mean that you can't add your own flavoring or twist to it. Try a bit of saffron, some liquorice powder or why not cinnamon, cloves and ginger for a gingerbread caramel? Just remember to always keep an eye on your pot, as hot sugar gets really hot.

Here's what you'll need:

• 100 g (7 tablespoons) Butter
• 2 dl (About a cup) Heavy Cream
• 3 dl (1 ¼ cups) granulated sugar
• 1 dl (0,4 cups) syrup
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar

And here's how you make it:

1. Melt your butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. When melted, add your sugar, heavy cream, syrup and vanilla sugar.
3. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat a bit and let the mixture simmer.
4. Stir occasionally, and start measuring the temperature.
5. When your candy mixture has reached 255°F (124°C) or if you don't have a candy thermometer, when you drop a little bit of your candy mixture into a glass of cold water and it forms a small, soft, shapable ball, your candy is ready to be poured up.
6. Pour onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and let cool completely.
7. Once cooled, cut into smaller pieces with a scissor and enjoy!

Fudge:

You will need:

• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (about 300 g)
• ½ cup heavy cream (120 ml)
• ⅓ cup light corn syrup (80 ml)
• 3 ½ tablespoons butter (50 g)
• 3.5 oz white chocolate (100 g), chopped

Seasoning suggestions:

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• A little bit of saffron (0,5 g)
• The zest of one orange or lemon
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon or ginger bread spice mix
• A table spoon of strongly brewed coffee, or a teaspoon of espresso powder or instant coffee

And heres how you make it:

1. Start by combining your sugar, cream and syrup in a saucepan.
2. Let it heat up until it reaches 250°F (120°C).
3. Remove from heat and stir in your butter and white chocolate and seasoning and keep stirring until melted.
4. Pour into a parchment lined oven dish and let cool.
5. Once completely cooled, cut into bite sized pieces.

Marzipan pigs

This is probably the easiest candy to make on this list, but it is a true classic. Perfect to make with the kids, as it doesn't require you to heat up sugar to make it.
To make marzipan pigs, you will need:

• Marzipan
• Chocolate, dark or milk depending on your preference
• Red or pink food dye

And here's how you make it:

1. Start by coloring your marzipan pink by making a small divot in your marzipan, and dropping a few drops of food coloring into it. Use your hands to work the marzipan until it has a lovely pink color. I would recommend using gloves for this part, as the food coloring can stain your hands.
2. Take a bit of marzipan and make a oval "potato" shape, this will be the pigs body.
3. Make a smaller round ball to give your pig a head.
4. Make a small oval and smush it onto the head to make the snout.
5. Make two small triangles, put them on the round ball and fold them over to make the ears.
6. Make two small sausage shaped pieces to use as your pigs front legs. Attatch them to the big oval shape. We will be dipping the back in chocolate later, so this pig will only need front legs.
7. Make the details. Use a toothpick or similar to make small indents for the nostrils and eyes.
8. Let it dry up, and start melting your chocolate.
9. Dip the back end of the pig in the chocolate, and use a toothpick to fill in the eyes of the pig.
10. Done!

Chocolate fudge( Swedish chokladkola)

If you want something that isn't a sweet caramel candy, I think you'll like this chocolate fudge. It is still sweet, but with a dark chocolate twist.
Here's what you'll need:

• 3 dl (1 1/3 cups) granulated sugar
• 1 dl (1/3 cup) light corn syrup
• 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate (at least 50% cocoa), chopped
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 dl (3/4 cup) heavy cream
• A pinch of sea salt (optional but highly recommended
• A candy thermometer

And here's how you make it:

1. Start by getting a baking pan, line it with parchment paper, and butter it up to help you get the fudge out later.
2. Then, get a saucepan, and combine your sugar, syrup, and cream.
3. Place your saucepan over medium heat, and stir until your sugar and syrup is combined with the cream.
4. Add your chopped chocolate to the saucepan, and continue stirring until melted.
5. Now, bring out your candy thermometer, and put it in the pot, but make sure it isn't touching the bottom, as this will give the wrong temperature. Keep your saucepan on medium heat, and stir occasionally, until the thermometer reaches 124°C(255°F). This will take anywhere from 15-35 minutes depending on your stove and saucepan.
6. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the butter and salt, then stir until smooth and shiny.
7. Pour your candy mixture into your baking pan, and let cool completely.
8. Once your fudge has cooled down completely, lift it out using the parchment paper, and cut into bite sized pieces.

FAQ:

How can I store my candies after they're done? The best way to store most homemade candy, is in a airtight container in the fridge, and for the stickier kinds, use parchment paper inbetween them to keep them from becoming one big lump.

Do I have to have a candy thermometer to make these? No, even though it will help alot. You can do a cold water test to see if your candy will have the right concistency. To do this, you fill a glass with cold water, then take a drop of your candy mixture and drop it into the water. If it forms a small, solid ball, it has reached the right temperature.

What are the most famous Swedish Christmas candies? The most famous kinds of Swedish Christmas candy are knäck(butterscotch toffee), Ice chocolate and Swedish style toffee (kola).