Candy is everywhere, and retailers want us to buy, buy, buy, especially the seasonal stuff. As soon as Halloween is over, Christmas candy appears on the shelves…followed by Valentine’s Day candy and Easter candy, in a never-ending rotation.

Why should you make your own Valentine’s Day treats when there are huge displays of candy on seemingly every store shelf this time of year? Here are at least 3 great reasons:

1 – While conventional candy is both widely available and relatively inexpensive, vegan candy can be challenging to find and often comes with a hefty price tag. While you may be paying for higher quality ingredients, often you are also paying for the item’s “specialty” status. With less demand, vegan candy is typically made in smaller batches, meaning those retailers are not able to mass produce their products and sell them for cheap. Making your own candy can be a more affordable option, making it great for gift giving (or stockpiling)!

2 – One of the main advantages of making anything at home is that you control the ingredients. While the specifics of the ingredient list are especially important for vegetarians, vegans, and individuals with food allergies, home made candies give us all the ability to say no to junky ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, artificial food coloring, and hydrogenated oils.

3 – Candy-making can be a fun and rewarding experience for kids and adults of all ages. While kids will probably just be excited to get in the kitchen and get their hands dirty, adults can take pride in knowing their treats and gifts were hand made…with love!

So let’s get started! Here are 7 delicious candy recipes…just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Raw Snickers Candy Bars

Recipe by Emily von Euw: Blogger, This Rawsome Vegan Life
(makes about 10 bars)

Ingredients:

Nougat layer:

• 1/2 cup raw flour (such as oat, coconut, buckwheat, almond, etc.)
• 1/2 cup raw honey/agave/maple syrup
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 pine nuts (optional)

Caramel layer:

• 1 cup dates and enough water to cover them
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Raw chocolate coating:
Just use your fave recipe or my own

Preparation:

To make the nougat: pulse the flour, pine nuts (if using) and sweetener together in your food processor until smooth. Add the almonds by hand. Shape into small logs on parchment paper and put in the freezer.

To make the caramel: blend all ingredients together in your blender until creamy and thick, adding the least amount of water you can. Spread a little on to the tops of each nougat log and put back in the freezer.

When they are frozen enough, cover each one in chocolate and let harden in the freezer or fridge. Enjoy!

More Recipes!

1. Raw Coconut Peanut Butter Cups with Chocolate
2. Raw Dark Chocolate Cherry Cream Cups
3. Raw Cacao Sea Salt Caramel Cups
4. Spiked Sweet Potato Truffles
5. Chocolate Truffles: A Perfect Vegan Valentine Recipe
6. Probiotic Chocolate Bark

Got a delicious, home-made vegan candy recipe? Share it with us!