Add a touch of whimsy to your Christmas treats this holiday by making Edible Santa Suit Candy Cups. You can fill them with candies, pudding, chocolate mousse, or nuts.
This has sure been a busy holiday season for me, trying to balance my chocolate making business with blogging while making sure our exchange student has a wonderful holiday experience.
In between working in the candy kitchen, we've taken time to go do some fun activities; we've decorated a gingerbread house, made caramels with friends, played bingo (I won!), shopped a lot, and even found time to see Santa.
This past Saturday we even volunteered at a parade and holiday festival then took a class and made a fleece blanket and pillow before coming home to package more chocolates. Yesterday we spent a very full day in the candy kitchen working 14 hours and will have an equally busy day today.
Whew, I'm exhausted.
Last week, during a few free hours, I had some fun experimenting in the kitchen and created some sweet treats for Christmas including these completely edible Santa Suit Candy Cups.
They can be filled with candies, as pictured, and used as party favors, or they can be filled with anything from chocolate mousse to ice cream for Christmas dessert.
Edible Santa Suit Candy Cups
Products used to make this project that are available on Amazon.com (commission earned for sales)

- 12 ounces melted red colored confectionery coating/candy melts
- 3 ounces melted white confectionery coating
- 3 ounces black and white modeling chocolate/candy clay
- powdered sugar to dust cutting board
- candies nuts, trail mix, dried fruit, mini cookies, chocolate mousse, pudding, ice cream, etc.
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Fill a small plastic cup with melted red candy melts.
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Let the candy filled cup sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes.
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Pour wet candy out of the cup, leaving just the outer shell of candy melts in the cup.
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Set cup, upside down, on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
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Freeze for 4-5 minutes.
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Remove and pull candy cup out of plastic cup.
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Allow white candy melts to cool slightly.
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Brush white candy melts over the top edge of the candy cup so that it looks like fur.
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Roll out black candy clay.
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Cut into ⅜ inch by 6 inch long belts.
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Roll out white candy clay.
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Cut out small square buckles.
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Lightly brush water on the back of the candy clay buckle.
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Press the candy buckle onto a black candy clay belt.
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Brush candy melts onto the back of the candy belt.
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Immediately wrap the candy belt around a candy cup and cut off the excess.
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Fill cups with candy, trail mix, dried fruit, mini cookies, chocolate mousse, pudding, or ice cream.
Before you begin, if you don't have experience working with confectionery coatings or modeling chocolate, read my detailed Chocolate Making Tips page (here.)Â If you work with pure chocolate, you can use them here instead of the confectionery coating/candy melts.
Instructions:Â (scroll down for video tutorial)
Allow your melted candy coating to cool enough that you can still pour it easily, but thick enough that it will coat your plastic cups with a thick layer.
If your coating is really thin, you will need to do this process twice, creating two layers of candy coating for your cups. Pour candy coating into a cup, filling it to the top.
Let it sit at room temperature for 3-5 minutes. Turn it upside down and allow the candy coating to drip out. Tap the cup a few times to help remove the excess candy coating.
Use a spatula or knife to scrape across the open edge of the cup to remove the dripping candy.
Wipe the edge of the cup clean using your finger.
Place the cup in the freezer for 4-5 minutes until your candy hardens. Do not leave the cups in longer than 5 minutes or your candy may crack.
Repeat to create as many cups as you want. You will have to re-heat your candy coating during this process to keep it at a pourable consistency.
To remove the candy cups from the plastic cups, tug on them carefully and just slide them out. If they won't come out, push on the bottom of the cup allowing the suction to release then pull candy cup out.
If you didn't do a great job of cleaning the edge of your candy cups, you may have to break the seal around the edge by running a small sharp knife around the edge to remove excess candy.
Allow your edible candy cups to come to room temperature before decorating.
Allow your melted white confectionery coating to cool slightly so that it thickens a bit.
Use a spatula or paint brush to frost just the top edge of each candy cup with the white candy coating. You want to create the look of fur.
Freeze the cup for 1-2 minutes after adding the fur or just let the candy air dry.
Dust a cutting board lightly with powdered sugar.
Roll out white modeling chocolate and some black modeling chocolate to 1/16" thickness.
Cut small squares from the white (I used a small square fondant cutter in the video I used square plunger cutters) and ⅜ inch by 6 inch bands from the black using a knife or pizza wheel. Cut a smaller square out from the inside of each small white square creating a buckle.
Lightly brush some water on the back side of the buckle and attach it to the belt.
Lightly brush some melted confectionery coating on the back side of a black belt and wrap it around the middle of your candy cup, cutting off any excess modeling chocolate.
Fill with candy to use for party favors or fill them with chocolate mousse, pudding or even ice cream and serve for dessert.
You can store the Edible Santa Suit Candy Cups in an airtight container for several weeks.
UPDATE: Enjoy this new step-by-step video tutorial.
You might also like these other festive Christmas treats...
Roly Poly Santa Cake • Santa Claus Cookie Pops
Ice Cream Cone Santa Suits • Reese's Cup Rudolph
Ice Cream Cone Santa Hats • Frosty Snowman Pretzels
Mrs. Claus Chocolate Truffle Pops • Edible Santa Suit Candy Cups
- Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes - June 20, 2023
- Homemade Chocolate Easter Bunnies - April 3, 2023
- Mini Basketball Cheeseburgers - February 15, 2023
Michelle | Creative Food
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Michelle | Creative Food
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Michelle | Creative Food
These cups are amazing! I always love to see what you make with candy melts!
mlaiuppa
I love those Santa cups but I am sure I'd break them trying to remove them from the plastic cup molds.
Beth Jackson Klosterboer
As long as the cups are thick enough they wont break. Candy coating and chocolate contracts as it cools and hardens, meaning it will pull away from the walls of the cup and should slide right out.
The Partiologist
Oh Beth, I got the biggest smile when I saw these - super cute!! It looks like we've been thinking alike again...wait til you see what I made for the party I had! 🙂
Beth Jackson Klosterboer
I can't wait to see! I always look forward to your new posts.
Rachel Foerstner McNally
What adorable cups!
Anonymous
I am so going to make these, better yet I think I will have my daughter make them to free up my time, plus she is more artistic than me so they will look better than if I did them! dianecrubin@yahoo.com
Angela
I just made some Ritz Cracker candy about 5 minutes ago to give to a teacher...would love to have had a nice label!!!
sandy
the santa hats are awesome i am so gonna try them !!
sandy
i also follow on pinterest
sandy
i like hungry happenings on facebook
sandy
the santa cups are awesome so gonna have to try that!!
Catie
I follow on Twitter (@something_else)
Catie
I like you on Facebook.
Catie
I am going to make these for Christmas this year! The kids will love them!
Darlene
Love the Santa cups...so cute. I like to make cookies to give away. Thanks
Darlene dbarbinwork@live.com
Anonymous
totally making these santa cups today, THANK YOU
Beverly Eagen
wifeofarmysoldier@yahoo.com
Danielle
I like HH on FB
Danielle
I would make hot coco in a jar to give as gifts 🙂
anupama.suvarna
but wouldn't the cup melt?
Beth
I think she's talking about powdered hot cocoa mix not actual hot cocoa.
Danielle
I love those santa cups!