Homemade chocolate candies, including truffles, fudge, nut clusters, and bark, are among the most coveted holiday gifts. Enjoy filling your kitchen with the smell of melting chocolate and be prepared to bring sweet smiles to everyone on your Christmas list.

This easy chocolate bark is swirled with chopped hazelnuts and orange zest, and sprinkled with coarse salt. The recipe takes only 15 minutes to prepare and can easily be doubled or tripled for making multiple Christmas gifts.

These salty-sweet candies are a snap to prepare. Simply form balls out of peanut butter, sugar, butter, and crushed pretzels, then dip them in melted chocolate for a decadent treat.

Condensed milk gives this fudge its smooth richness, while pretzels add crunch and a touch of salt. Feel free to use trail mix, your favorite chopped candy, or crushed cookies in place of pretzels.

A layer of bittersweet chocolate and chopped hazelnuts adds flair to an easy-to-make toffee. Feel free to use any nuts in place of the hazelnuts. To give as a gift, adhere chocolate and hazelnut flavor stamps to a button-closure envelope for a package sure to delight your recipient.

Melted bittersweet, milk, or white chocolate in parchment-lined loaf pans presents many delicious topping possibilities. Try one of our bark variations below or experiment with your own favorite flavors.

Movie Theater Bark
Cherry and Orange Peel Bark
S'mores Bark
Peppermint Bark
Lime and Macadamia Nut Bark
Pistachio, Dried Cranberry, and Toasted-Coconut Bark
Cookies-and-Cream Bark
Crackly Two-Tone Bark
Chocolate-Almond Wood-Grain Bark
Basic Bark

Chocolate ganache infused with cardamom and orange peel forms the rich center of these easy truffles. Roll them in confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, and assorted chopped nuts to create a variety of truffles perfect for giving as Christmas gifts.

High quality chocolate and pure vanilla extract give this classic fudge recipe a rich flavor. Because it keeps well in an airtight container for two weeks, this fudge can be made ahead of time to give as gifts throughout the Christmas season.

A creamy filling made from peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, and softened butter is piped into bittersweet chocolate shells. These peanut butter cups should be kept in the freezer until ready to eat.

Ganache made of semisweet chocolate, cream, and a splash of bourbon is at the center of these truffles. The chilled ganache is formed into balls and rolled in chopped pecans. These truffles can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

This foolproof fudge recipe gets its smooth, light texture from melted marshmallows. The fudge may be topped with chopped walnuts, pecans, slivered almonds, or crushed candy canes.

Two layers of rich caramel enclose a layer of fluffy marshmallow. The creation is cut into rounds and each one is dipped in chocolate. These candies make perfect Christmas gifts and will keep in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Puffed rice cereal gives lightness and crunch to this white chocolate bark. Crushed peppermint candies add a decorative Christmas touch.

Toasted pecan halves are covered in caramel flavored with vanilla and dark rum. The layer of bittersweet chocolate that coats the bottoms of the clusters provides the perfect balance for the sweetness of the caramel. To create charming gift boxes for these candies, simply follow our packaging how-to.

Drops of chocolate are coated with tiny sugar beads, in either all white or a variety of Christmas colors. This old-fashioned chocolate candy is a favorite with kids.

Clusters of toasted pecan halves are united by mounds of caramel and drizzles of semisweet chocolate. These chocolate turtles can be stored in an airtight container for up to one month.

Bittersweet chocolate balances the sweetness of these rich caramels and gives them a deep, dark chocolate hue. This recipe makes 150 bite-size candies.

No candy thermometer required to make this easy chocolate fudge. Marshmallows are melted with cream and butter to form a smooth base, and then semisweet or white chocolate chips are stirred in. The fudge can be cut into squares or into shapes using cookie cutters. Top with crushed peppermint candies or toasted nuts.

Basic ganache made from bittersweet chocolate and cream forms the center of these truffles that can be rolled in a variety of coatings. Try toasted coconut, cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar, crushed candy canes, red and green candy sprinkles, or finely chopped pistachios, pecans, almonds, or other nuts.

Chopped nuts are arranged in small pools of melted chocolate to create attractive candies for Christmas gift-giving. This recipe gives instructions for tempering chocolate, a process of heating, partially cooling, and reheating that aligns the chocolate crystals so that the finished product is shiny and firm.

These sophisticated chocolate truffles are infused with Armagnac -- a type of brandy. You may use any other variety of brandy, or orange liqueur, for this recipe.

Whole almonds are lightly coated in cinnamon syrup and then covered in melted chocolate. Half of the chocolate covered almonds are dusted in cocoa powder and half in confectioners' sugar to create a decorative display of contrasting colors.

Semisweet chocolate, cream, and butter create a rich ganache center for these truffles. Add your choice of liqueurs, such as Cognac, Poire William, Grand Marnier, or Creme de Menthe for a touch of sophistication.

You will need a candy thermometer to make this traditional fudge recipe. Tie each square of fudge with a piece of narrow satin ribbon for an adorable gift presentation.

Like an easy version of chocolate-caramel turtles, these nut clusters are made by pressing a square of purchased caramel candy over a pair of pecan halves and heating in the oven until the caramel is soft. Chunks of bittersweet chocolate go over the caramel and then the clusters are returned to the oven just until the chocolate begins to melt. A sprinkle of chopped pecans adds the finishing touch to these Christmas candies.

This recipe for basic chocolate truffles uses the very best ingredients for extraordinary results. The seeds of a whole vanilla bean make the ganache especially aromatic.

Cocoa powder gives this traditional fudge recipe a light chocolate flavor. After cooking, the fudge is spread onto a clean work surface and kneaded with a spatula until it loses its gloss.

A fondant center made from butter, sugar, cream, and vanilla gets its light texture from hand-kneading. The coating of unsweetened chocolate balances the sweetness of the creamy white filling.

These easy candy clusters are created by arranging toasted nuts and dried fruit on small pools of melted white chocolate. Use a combination of cashews, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, or walnuts, with dried cranberries, apricots, pineapple, cherries, or raisins.

White chocolate, peppermint oil, and a dozen candy canes are all you need to create this easy, colorful Christmas bark. This peppermint bark can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

This sweet brittle is filled with salted pistachios. Melted semisweet chocolate is spread over both sides of the brittle, and a layer of praline dust and chopped pistachios adds a crunchy, sweet finish.

Dried apricots dipped in dark chocolate are a sophisticated alternative to store-bought chocolate coins for Hanukkah. Foil candy wrappers can be purchased at cake decorating stores.

Bittersweet chocolate and white chocolate are marbled together to make a beautiful, easy holiday treat perfect for gift-giving. This chocolate bark is studded with salted peanuts; you may like to try pistachios or cashews, dried cranberries as well.

Bittersweet chocolate and white chocolate are marbled together to make a beautiful, easy holiday treat perfect for gift-giving. This chocolate bark is studded with salted peanuts; you may like to try pistachios, cashews, or dried cranberries.

This easy fudge recipe is made with semisweet chocolate chips, cream, and mini marshmallows. Peppermint candies make a fun Christmas topping, and more crushed peppermints are mixed into the fudge.

Whole almonds are first coated in a cinnamon-kissed layer of caramelized sugar, and then covered in chocolate. Finally, the chocolate-coated almonds are rolled in cocoa powder to keep them from sticking together. These chocolate almonds can be stored in an airtight container for up to one month.