Homemade Candy Gift Tins for Neighbors and Teachers

Plan the tin before you make the candy

Count recipients first and work backward. A generous tin holds about 8 oz (225 g) of candy: about 6 fudge squares, 5 to 6 pieces of toffee and 4 to 5 shards of bark. One batch each of fudge, toffee and bark (the default here) makes about 5 lb (2.3 kg), which fills 10 tins.

• For 15 to 20 tins, double the fudge in a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) pan and double the bark on two sheets. Make the toffee in separate single batches, because a doubled batch heats unevenly and burns at the edges before the center reaches temperature.
• On a tighter budget, use cellophane bags or paper takeout boxes (about $0.50 each) instead of metal tins ($2 to $4 each). For teachers with many students, a smaller 4 oz (115 g) bag is plenty.
• Short on time? Make two kinds instead of three. Fudge plus bark needs no candy thermometer and no hot sugar.

Why fudge first, toffee second, bark last

Fudge needs the longest chill (at least 2 hours, ideally overnight), so it goes first and sets while you work. Toffee needs your full attention for 15 to 20 minutes at the stove, so do it while the fudge chills and nothing else competes for you. Bark has two short chill windows, and you can crush candy canes or line tins during them. Experienced makers split this over two evenings: candy on night one, cutting and packing on night two. Everything cuts cleaner after a full night of setting.

Where first-timers go wrong

• Test your candy thermometer in boiling water before you start. It should read 212°F (100°C) at sea level. Adjust your toffee target by whatever difference you find (this also corrects for altitude).
• Toffee at 300°F (149°C) sticks to skin and causes serious burns. Keep kids away from the stove and the pour. They can crush candy canes, sprinkle toppings and pack tins.
• Use white chocolate bars, not chips, for bark, because chips contain stabilizers and melt thick and grainy. Melt white chocolate at 50% power in 20-second bursts, since it scorches fast. Any semisweet chips are fine in fudge and on toffee.
• Untempered bark softens and streaks at room temperature. For bark that holds out of the fridge, melt two-thirds of each chocolate, then stir in the last third, finely chopped, until smooth (the seed method).
• Keep every bowl and spatula bone dry. One drop of water makes melted chocolate seize into a stiff paste.
• Shortcut: buy pre-crushed peppermint pieces instead of crushing candy canes. In the UK and Australia, use dark chocolate chips or chopped plain chocolate (about 50% cocoa), a 397 g tin of condensed milk, and golden or glucose syrup in place of corn syrup.

Packing so it arrives looking good

Fudge is moist and softens any toffee it touches. Put each fudge square and toffee piece in its own mini cupcake liner, and lay parchment between bark layers. You'll know it went right when the toffee snaps cleanly, the bark layers don't slide apart when broken, and the fudge cuts without dragging. Airtight and cool, toffee and bark keep 2 to 3 weeks and fudge keeps 1 to 2 weeks. In a hot Australian December, store the tins in the fridge and hand them over cold. Tape a small label inside each lid listing nuts, dairy, soy and the date made.