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How to Throw a Candy Making Party for Kids

Published: Jul 1, 2014 · Recipe by: Beth · This post may contain affiliate links.

Give your kids the party of a life time and show them how to make their favorite snack. Throw a Candy Making Party and watch them eat all their worries away (all the worries a child could possibly have).

This post is sponsored by Wilton.

Candy Making Party

One of the best things I have been able to do as a chocolatier is to share my passion for candy making with kids.

Years ago my sister asked if I would allow her daughter’s girl scout troop to visit my candy shop to learn how to make chocolates. The day the girls arrived, I had set up my kitchen so they could each hand paint a candy lollipop, dip goodies into chocolate, and make their own special version of chocolate bark.

They loved it, and I did too.

From that day forward, I began hosting candy making parties and just had one for my friend’s kids recently and thought it would be fun to show you how to host a similar party in your own kitchen.

I keep the parties simple, showing the kids how they can make candy at home.To get ready for your own candy making party you’ll need to get some supplies: candy molds, Candy Melts, food use paint brushes, lollipop sticks, dipping tools, paper plates, parchment paper, and paper towels.

Before the kids arrive melt the Candy Melts and keep them warm. I like to use small mason jars filled with the candy coating which I keep warm in an electric skillet that is filled with hot water. I can keep candy melted like this all day long.

Check out my tutorial on How to Make Hand Painted Chocolate Lollipops for detailed instructions on setting up your own skillet filled with melted candy coating.

Cover the table with pieces of parchment or wax paper. It will get messy, and this makes clean up so easy.

I usually allow each child to paint one lollipop, but you could do more, you just need to make sure you have room in your freezer for all of the molds. I use letter trays, the kind you find in an office supply store, to add extra shelves in my freezer. The candy molds fit on them perfectly.

Allow the kids to get creative, to choose the colors they want to paint their lollipops. One of my favorite things about hosting these parties is seeing how colorful the kids make their lollipops. That’s a unicorn being painted with orange, blue and red.

Wilton makes really great Melting Pots (the white and purple pot behind the skillet) which can keep your Candy Melts at the perfect temperature all afternoon too. They will hold several bags of Candy Melts and are great if you are planning to make lots of lollipops or have the kids dip lots of goodies.

Kids really love learning how to dip things like cake pops, cookies, marshmallows and rice krispie treats into chocolate.

Of course, you will probably end up with a floater or two, things that fall off the sticks in the candy coating. Just scoop it out and let the child try again.

The kids each dipped two cake balls into chocolate then added some chopped peanuts.

Give each child a paper plate and some goodies to dip, coat or drizzle, and don’t forget the sprinkles, kids love sprinkles and the lip on the paper plates keeps them from going all over the table.

Wilton has some new Candy Melt Dipping Tools that are great to use for a candy making party.There is a metal skewer that is great to use instead of lollipop sticks for marshmallows and rice krispie treats.

The dipping fork and spoon are perfect for dipping cookies, big and small.

The new Dipping Tongs have a rubber tip so even kids will have an easy time holding onto graham crackers and pretzels to dip them in the candy melts without making a mess.

My favorite new tool is the Drizzling Scoop. It’s a spoon with a channel that allows the candy melts to pour out in a thin stream.

By this point in the party, the kids are getting anxious to try a treat.

The smile on their faces happened just as they heard that they would be allowed to sample their goodies soon.

The best part of the party is when the kids show off their creations.

They are always so proud of what they’ve made, but usually are even more excited to eat them.

 

If you liked this Kid’s Recipe, then you need to check out these other fascinating recipes that your little ones will love!

Find over 100 cute and tasty kid's treats that are as much fun to make as they are to eat. Choose from cookies, cupcakes, popsicles, pretzels, and more.

 

About the Author, Beth Jackson Klosterboer

Beth is a professional chocolatier, recipe developer, event planner, and cookbook author who loves to make fun food.

Read More about Beth...

Previous Post: « Red, White, and Blue Rice Krispie Treat Stars
Next Post: Cupcake Decorating Party for Kids »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bonnie

    January 25, 2018 at 11:45 am

    Great blog!! Once the chocolate is melted, how long do you have to work with it in a bowl while you are dipping? Im planning on doing this for a group of about 16-18 kids, and want to make sure I have enough chocolate and that they at least have time to work with their own bowl of chocolate to dip with. I’ll probably melt in glass jars in a crock pot.
    Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Beth

      January 25, 2018 at 1:51 pm

      If you melt the candy and keep the jars in a crock pot they will stay melted all day long. If you take the jars out of the crock pot the candy will stay melted for a while but will cool and begin to thicken much more quickly. I can’t say how quickly as it will depend on how much candy is in the jar, the temperature of your room, and how hot it was to start with, but you should be able to work with it for at least 15 minutes. If it gets too thick you can pop the jar in the microwave for 10-20 seconds. Have fun!!!

      Reply
      • Bonnie

        February 15, 2018 at 1:15 pm

        Thank you Beth!! Someone just told me another way is to do a ganache, but Im afraid it will not harden. I love your idea with the skillet too!

        Reply
        • Beth

          February 16, 2018 at 11:13 am

          Ganache will not harden like chocolate but you can make it so that it is thick enough to use to dip cookies, strawberries and pretzels. It tastes great too!

          Reply
          • Bonnie

            March 1, 2018 at 10:24 am

            Thank you! Good to know! I have borrowed an electric skillet so I can do your method and leave nothing to chance 🙂 If you don’t mind me asking, how long and at what temperature do the chips fully melt? And do you keep it at a certain temp all day? thank you, you have been SO helpful!! (this is all new to me!)

            Reply
            • Beth

              March 1, 2018 at 11:42 am

              I keep my skillet set on the lowest setting which on my skillet is “warm” all day long. I replenish the hot water if needed. You always want a minimum of an inch of water in the skillet. If you place jars of candy melts into the skillet, expect it to take about an hour to fully melt. Be sure to stir the candy during that hour. That will help it melt quicker. If you are in a hurry, you can melt the candy melts in the microwave then set them in the skillet so they stay melted all day long.

              Reply
          • Bonnie

            March 1, 2018 at 10:32 am

            I should mention that I was going to do chocolate chips, not the melts, Im not sure if that affects the other instructions! 🙂 I was told to use chocolate chips and add a tsp of shortening to each jar!

            Reply
            • Beth

              March 1, 2018 at 11:39 am

              If you use chocolate chips that have cocoa butter listed in the ingredients they should be tempered. See my chocolate making tips page for more details – https://hungryhappenings.com/chocolate-making-tips/.
              If you don’t temper the chocolate it won’t set up correctly. You can’t use it to paint candy molds as it won’t harden properly so you won’t be able to get the chocolate out of the molds. You can use it to dip pretzels, cookies, and more, just know that it’s likely the chocolate will bloom (develop white streaks and spots) and will remain rather soft and possibly a bit sticky.
              I highly recommend using the Confectionery coating/candy melts if you don’t want to bother tempering pure chocolate. Kids love it and you can do so many things with it easily. You can find white chocolate chips that do not have any cocoa butter listed in the ingredients. Nestle White Morsels are essentially confectionery coating. Be sure to check the package for the list of ingredients.

              Reply
  2. Kim Bothager

    July 8, 2014 at 3:50 am

    I have not tried candy making with my kids, but I'm going to now! 🙂

    Reply
    • Beth

      January 25, 2018 at 1:52 pm

      I hope you and your kids have fun!

      Reply
  3. Chrissy

    July 8, 2014 at 3:12 am

    I've never tried making candy with kids, but I have decorated cookies during Christmas with my cousins. 🙂

    Reply
  4. Jackie Dav

    July 8, 2014 at 2:09 am

    I've tried making simple candy with my kids, like melted jolly ranchers on a stick! Also my little girls third birthday was a cupcake party. So I'm sure they are going to loooove this!

    Reply
  5. Anonymous

    July 8, 2014 at 2:03 am

    I wish you were my sister! I'd bring my Girl Scout troop to you to learn! 🙂 You Rock!!!

    Reply
  6. Laura B.

    July 8, 2014 at 12:41 am

    Wow! This looks like so much fun!

    Reply
  7. Anonymous

    July 8, 2014 at 12:24 am

    We dipped cake pops in chocolate :). Kids loved helping.

    Reply
  8. Sandy H

    July 8, 2014 at 12:23 am

    We tried popcorn balls and burnt our hands.

    Reply
  9. Fool in a Tree

    July 8, 2014 at 12:13 am

    I love making cake pops for parties and coworkers!!

    Reply
  10. Anonymous

    July 7, 2014 at 11:58 pm

    I've just retired to be a G'ma full time… am moving to be near our wee folk & have been looking for activities to do with them. I think this would fun and they would enjoy it…. adding to my list of ideas.

    Reply
  11. Anonymous

    July 7, 2014 at 11:42 pm

    I have made chocolate candies with the kids. They love making a bunch of different things.

    Reply
  12. Ashley Addison

    July 7, 2014 at 9:36 pm

    We've actually made almost everything together except candy. I can't wait to try some for our next activity. Thanks for sharing this idea.

    Reply
  13. Chelsea Roberts

    July 7, 2014 at 2:31 pm

    This is a great idea!!! I think this would make a perfect "back to school" party with my daughter and her friends!

    Reply
  14. Anonymous

    July 7, 2014 at 12:14 pm

    Yes! We love to bake and make candy! My boys have a really fun time getting creative in the kitchen.

    Reply
  15. Kristen S

    July 7, 2014 at 4:45 am

    My kids are young so they have helped by rolling the balls for truffles and cake pops. As they get older we will venture out and make more things. I loved helping my mom when I was little so I plan to make fun memories for my kids too 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  16. Anonymous

    July 7, 2014 at 2:37 am

    I have a 17 year old son and really wished I had baked with him more when he was younger…so, no, sadly we have never made candy together.

    Reply
  17. Los Browns

    July 6, 2014 at 5:35 am

    No, I have not made candy with my kids; no kids.

    Reply
  18. Lovecraft

    July 6, 2014 at 2:06 am

    I love making little candies for my friends and coworkers, but having a special little melting pot would definitely make it easier, haha.

    Reply
  19. angela klein

    July 6, 2014 at 1:53 am

    Love making candy treats!! Candy melts are so easy to work with.

    Reply
  20. Jennie

    July 6, 2014 at 1:41 am

    I have custody of my three grandchildren. The girls are 6 year old twins and the 4 1/2 year old boy has some disabilities. I am constantly looking for ideas for them to do. We recently toured the candy house in our town. They loved it and wanted to go back.

    Reply
  21. Anonymous

    July 6, 2014 at 12:36 am

    Have never made candy with the kids, but this looks like a fun time for all! bjn1957{at}gmail{dot}com

    Reply
  22. Leela

    July 6, 2014 at 12:22 am

    Yes, we have made candy together. It's messy, fun and delicious.

    Reply
  23. Chriss

    July 4, 2014 at 2:36 am

    My son is a little young to do this yet, but I can't wait till he's older and we can try it! 🙂

    Reply
  24. sharonjo

    July 3, 2014 at 1:58 pm

    I've made things using candy with my kids–candy cane reindeer at Christmastime, train cars made out of candy, etc… I've never made the actual candy though. Looks like fun! Thank you.
    sharonjo at gwtc dot net

    Reply
  25. Shannon, John, Madelyn and Charlotte

    July 3, 2014 at 1:17 pm

    We've done cake pops. It was a bit difficult, but lots of fun!

    Reply
  26. TuttleDB

    July 3, 2014 at 8:38 am

    We've made chocolate-covered pretzels and the chocolate caramel pretzels. I love you're candy warming station — gotta remember that!

    Reply
  27. Sheree

    July 3, 2014 at 3:28 am

    What a great way to have a unisex party and not have to rely on a theme for either boys or girls. Everyone has fun and is able to be creative.

    Reply
  28. Danielle Doerr

    July 2, 2014 at 9:30 pm

    I don't have kids but my boyfriend and I have make those candy lollipops and the homemade Reese's PB cups too. Instead of an electric skillet we use a crock pot filled with water – works perfectly!

    Reply
  29. The Partiologist

    July 2, 2014 at 8:03 pm

    What a wonderful time the kids must have had, you must be very patient to let them have so much fun! I remember trying to make homemade taffy with my girls on a snow day!

    Reply
  30. Anonymous

    July 2, 2014 at 7:09 pm

    My daughter and I love to make candy pieces!

    Reply
  31. buncolady

    July 2, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    I did do some chocolate dipping, candy making with my kids but I totally forgot about it but I do need to introduce it to my grandkids. How fun! Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  32. Tammigirl

    July 2, 2014 at 4:35 pm

    We have made TONS of cake pops and truffles – we've done some straight candy making, too. It's all so much fun. I did it growing up as a kid – with our electric skillet and little jars, just like you do.

    Reply
  33. Crunchy Con Mommy

    July 2, 2014 at 3:16 pm

    Usually I make candy for my son, but he's almost 5 so maybe I'll let him help next time!

    Reply
  34. Michelle

    July 2, 2014 at 3:02 pm

    My kids and I make chocolate suckers every Christmas for their friends. We love the variety of molds available now.

    Reply
  35. Anonymous

    July 2, 2014 at 2:38 pm

    I've done many candy parties for scout troops. They love it.
    My grandchildren also love to make candy treats.

    Reply
  36. Deb

    July 2, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    when my children were little, this was one of their favorite activities. I can hardly wait to do it with my grandchildren!

    Reply
  37. dmyoung

    July 2, 2014 at 2:30 pm

    I never have, but it looks like so much fun!

    Reply
  38. Meryl

    July 2, 2014 at 1:27 pm

    My son is just two so we haven't done it yet. However I think it may be on the agenda this summer!! I love making cake pops for his school. The kids love them and they are just the right size for littles!!

    Reply
  39. Cindyzs

    July 2, 2014 at 3:37 am

    yes yes yes!! was always making something…chocolates, lollipops, chocolate covered anything, lol!!! did it for b-days, scouts, classrooms (back in the 80 before all the pc stuff), holidays, gifts, you name it! hardest was making real lollipops out of sugar! thats really when you need a good candy thermometer and no kids around the stove! always was baking cakes and cups, pies, cookies, etc….. i was always a hit, and so were my kids! they loved it!! now would love to do the same with the g-kids!!! i used to let the kids paint the molds for the different colors on the candies/lollipops for Easter, Christmas, Halloween, etc.. and of course, we always had to eat any mistakes…….hummm always had so many of them when working with the kids, lol……i know it was done on purpose!!! 🙂 such fun!! thanks for the chance to do thia with another generation!

    Reply
  40. Scarlet Bluefield

    July 2, 2014 at 2:37 am

    Mt 13 year old wanted to make fudge. We didn't have a candy thermometer, so I held the meat thermometer in the pot and dropped it! It was a pain, but the fudge turned out delicious. And I got a candy thermometer for Christmas 🙂

    Reply
  41. Karen @ Sugartown Sweets

    July 2, 2014 at 2:16 am

    I'm so glad you posted this! Keeping the melts melted in the electric skillet would make things so much easier when the grandkids decorate goodies with Grandma. Going to read your how-tos now..love the drizzle scoop and the candy party!

    Reply
  42. Karen Ostrom

    July 2, 2014 at 1:11 am

    My daughter and I would make candy by melting down the chip and putting them into candy molds, sometimes we would make suckers also, and sometimes we were known to sling chocolate all over each other, fun times, too bad she is all grown up mow

    Reply
  43. jen k

    July 2, 2014 at 1:08 am

    I love wilton products they are all I use.this party looked like a lot of fun. Great idea

    Reply
  44. Lynn@Happier Than a Pig in Mud

    July 1, 2014 at 10:01 pm

    I haven't made/used melted candy with the kids but we've used a lot of candy/sprinkles/etc to decorate cookies! Thanks for the fun give-away:@)

    Reply
  45. Maryanne & Duke

    July 1, 2014 at 9:07 pm

    My kids and I love chocolate-covered pretzels, so we've made bunches of those over the years. They are now 22 and 18, and I still try to get my kids involved in making treats with me. This past weekend, we tried caramel popcorn. It was so good!

    Reply
  46. Sugar Butter Baby

    July 1, 2014 at 8:41 pm

    Candy hasn't been my favorite thing to craft at home but I've never approached it like this before. Usually it's many trips to the microwave or figuring out which bowls/pots/pans make the best double boilers.

    Reply
  47. Anonymous

    July 1, 2014 at 8:35 pm

    I don't have kids but even as an adult I think I'd have a blast making candy with my mom lol
    spgoddess55(at)msn(dot)com

    Reply
  48. Anonymous

    July 1, 2014 at 6:56 pm

    My Son and I made a Lego man cake with the Wilton chocolates and we both had a blast!
    – poisonousdahlia –

    Reply
  49. Lacey Burd

    July 1, 2014 at 6:17 pm

    My daughter loves making candy! My sister just got married a few weeks ago & we made a TON of goodies for the reception. Suckers to pretzels and marshmallows dipped in chocolate to chocolate covered strawberries. My daughter got to help us with that part and loved every minute of it!

    Reply
  50. Lindsay Lee

    July 1, 2014 at 5:52 pm

    Yes my daughter and I love to make candies together. We actually took a class this summer together. She is 9 so she absolutely loves that she can do almost all of it while I am there helping her.

    Reply
  51. Bryn

    July 1, 2014 at 5:19 pm

    We love to dip and decorate pretzels, Oreos, berries and marshmallows. Total mess but so much fun

    Reply
  52. Anonymous

    July 1, 2014 at 5:16 pm

    I dont have kids, but I loved making making candy with my aunt as a kid. I knew I wanted to be a pastry chef when I got more excited going to the chocolate/baking supply store than the toy store as a kid

    Reply
  53. Anonymous

    July 1, 2014 at 4:41 pm

    I've made treats with my niece. The last thing that we made were the brownie bunny butts – that had candy on modeling chocolate on them, does that count? She likes to be precise about the decorations. The smile on her face after they were completed was priceless!

    Reply
  54. Brandi Bryant

    July 1, 2014 at 4:39 pm

    I have made candy with my kids, niece and nephew before. We have made some simple things, white chocolate dipped pretzels are their favorite. I would love to get more comfortable with chocolate and host a party like this for the kids. They would love it and I know I would. Look how happy they are in the pictures. Thanks for the giveaway. Good luck everyone.

    Reply
  55. lesleyana

    July 1, 2014 at 4:22 pm

    no, i don't have kids. used to make candy when i was young with my mom, mostly for the holidays to give to neighbors, etc.

    Reply
  56. Anonymous

    July 1, 2014 at 4:12 pm

    This looks like fun for the kiddos, I have done PB balls with my 5 yr old and he always has fun this will be a good rainy day project in our house.

    Reply
  57. Patricia Meadows

    July 1, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    Oh the memories you just brought up! Good ones loved it when the kids and grand children wanted to bring their friends and come and make candy. All grown up now. Even did a girl scout party. Good idea on the letter tray. Wish I had used that because freezer space was a premium,so much shuffling of candy molds. Thanks again.

    Reply
  58. Angela

    July 1, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    Oh yes, my kiddos love candy making. We've done some crazy looking cake pops….kinda looked like the Grinch! lol

    Reply

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