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Home » Candy Recipes » 10 Fantastic Chewy Candy Recipes You Need to Make!

10 Fantastic Chewy Candy Recipes You Need to Make!

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Candy is kind of the best. And chewy candy is the best of the best, because chewing is so satisfying. I think you will really enjoy this round up of chewy candy recipes.

Some of these candy recipes are my own while others are from around the Internet. All will satisfy your need to chew while you savor!

image for chewy candy recipes: a white stuffed bear in a red Santa hat holding an armful of cocoa taffy wrapped in foil
One of my favorite homemade candies, homemade Tootsie rolls are super chewy and delicious. This version is chocolate orange.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Your price is unaffected. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

What You'll Find in This Post Click to view ToC
1 How to Make Chewy Candy
2 Other Ways to Make Candy Chewy
3 What Is the Best Temperature for Making Chewy Candy Recipes?
4 You May Need…
5 Chewy Candy Recipes
5.1 Old-Fashioned Chewy Butterscotch Candy
5.2 Pate de Fruits
5.3 Marshmallows
5.4 How to Make Old Fashioned Creamy Cocoa Fudge
5.5 Orange Cocoa Coffee Pulled Taffy
5.6 Coffee Maple Bacon Popcorn Treats
5.7 Caramel Sauce and Caramel Candy
5.8 ChefSteps
5.9 Cajeta Candy (Chewy Cinnamon Milk Candy)
5.10 Haribo Gold-Bears Gummy Candy

How to Make Chewy Candy

The most important thing to remember about making chewy candy recipes is the temperature you cook your sugar to has everything to do with the texture of your candy once it cools.

If you don’t cook it hot enough, you’ll end up with a soft candy or even a sauce. If you cook it too hot, you’ll end up with a crunchy candy.

And the worst for dental work: hard candy that turns super chewy and then sticks your teeth together. Yikes!

I have a stages of sugar chart that you should find helpful in figuring out how hot to cook your candy to get the texture you want.

Stages of Sugar Chart

Other Ways to Make Candy Chewy

chewy fruit candies homemade gummy bears
Another way to get a chewy candy is to add pectin or gelatin.

Aside from the temperature of the sugar, you can also make chewy candies by adding either pectin or gelatin, like for gummy worms, marshmallows or other fruit chews.

The temperature is still important, but the pectin or gelatin adds body and mouthfeel.

What Is the Best Temperature for Making Chewy Candy Recipes?

For candies that contain pectin or gelatin, the ideal temperature range is between 223F (pate de fruits) and 244F (marshmallows).

For other candies that don’t contain pectin or gelatin, the “chewy range” is between about 245F and 270F.

Cook the sugar any hotter, and you’ll end up with super sticky candy that will glue your teeth together (like a Sugar Daddy or an Astro Pop, where it’s pretty hard to begin with but as you chew it gets really, really sticky.)

You May Need…

I’ve been talking about both gelatin and pectin. I don’t use any fancy brands or stuff only pastry chefs can find. These are the ones I recommend:

It’s also really important to have an accurate thermometer, whether you get an instant read type or a clip-on type.

Continue to Content

Chewy Candy Recipes

Here are some great chewy candy recipes. Some contain gelatin or pectin, and some get their body mainly from the temperature you cook the sugar. Enjoy!

Old-Fashioned Chewy Butterscotch Candy

To be fair, to make traditional butterscotch, this would be a hard candy. But I love butterscotch flavor and wanted to make soft candy, so there you go. This is an old school recipe and appears to be the original formula for English butterscotch--very molasses forward and different from what Americans think of when they think of butterscotch.

Pate de Fruits

Pate de fruit is pretty magical. Not gummy, but intensely fruity and somewhat chewy, it's a magical French candy rolled in sugar.

Marshmallows

Homemade marshmallows, along with a video and a step by step guide. These are what I'll call "American marshmallows" since they don't contain egg whites.

How to Make Old Fashioned Creamy Cocoa Fudge

This is a very old-school fudge recipe. A reader sent in the ingredient list, and I helped with the procedure so her family could enjoy their grandma's fudge again.

Orange Cocoa Coffee Pulled Taffy

These homemade Tootie Rolls walk the line between chewy and filling-pulling. But dang, they're delicious!

Coffee Maple Bacon Popcorn Treats

Made with homemade coffee marshmallows, bacon, and maple syrup, these "Krispie Treats" are like breakfast candy made with popcorn. You can also make these with store-bought mallows.

Caramel Sauce and Caramel Candy

This post contains a live hangout where I made both caramel sauce and caramel candy. And I dipped some of the caramel in chocolate, so there's that. No written recipe, but you can click on the video to read the video description on YouTube. That's where you'll find the ingredient list. Enjoy!

Photo Credit: www.chefsteps.com

ChefSteps

This recipe uses sous vide technique and some specialized ingredients, but at the end of the day, you're making homemade Starburst, so that is pretty cool!

Photo Credit: thenovicechefblog.com

Cajeta Candy (Chewy Cinnamon Milk Candy)

A chewy, cinnamon flavored dulce de leche. Yeah, I'm all over this one!

Photo Credit: topsecretrecipes.com

Haribo Gold-Bears Gummy Candy

Homemade gummy bears! Great instructions and explanations in this post too.

And there you have it, friends. Ten amazing chewy candy recipes for you to make and enjoy at home, or to give as gifts.

Thank you for spending some time with me today.

Take care, and have a lovely day.

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Filed Under: Candy Recipes, Recipes, Round Up Tagged With: recipes

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Welcome!

I’m Jenni, and I’m here to help you be Fearless in the Kitchen! Search for what you need, or give me a shout. I am only an email away and am happy to help you with any baking or cooking questions you have. I’m honored to be able to help. Learn more about me on my About Page.

What Others Are Saying...

  1. Gabs says

    March 30, 2019 at 11:37 am

    Chewing is so good for the jawline. I suppose chewing sweet candies are so satisifying. A good read.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Field says

      March 30, 2019 at 2:10 pm

      Ha! Yes, it’s a workout that totally cancels out any calories you might consume. lol I like the way you think, Gabs! Thanks for leaving a comment. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Kimberly LeHew says

    August 12, 2019 at 11:43 am

    Hello Jenni,
    So glad to find you!!

    I am working on a recipe but I need a little help.
    it’s a chewy candy- somewhat like a JuJube.

    Are you available for consultations?
    Look forward to hearing from you.

    Thank you!!
    Kimberly

    Reply
    • Jennifer Field says

      August 12, 2019 at 12:20 pm

      Hi! You are welcome to email me at onlinepastrychef@yahoo.com, and I will do my best to help, Kimberly. I’m guessing you will want a gelatin or maybe pectin base for your candy?

      Reply

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Jenni Field

Hi! I’m Jenni, and I will teach you the “whys” behind the “hows” of cooking and baking. Once you learn those fundamentals, you’ll be more relaxed and more creative in the kitchen. Let me help you be fearless in your kitchen! Read more about me on my About Page.

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