The Simple Expert Tip For Making Your Homemade Candy Truly Shine

When you want to give homemade gifts to friends and family, sweet confections like peanut brittle or chewy soft caramels can be great picks. Not only are they bound to make someone smile, but they're made with extra love that really shows you care. With that said, making homemade sweets can be a tough project. So, to get treats that not only taste but look great, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

Mika Shino, founder and CEO of Issei Mochi Gummies, spoke with the Daily Meal in an exclusive interview. She said, "Aesthetically, I like the handmade, artisanal feel and look of candy." She then went on to describe a few of her favorite tips for creating homemade sweets, including embracing the imperfection in the treats and playing around with natural dyes. Both of those tricks are what make your sweets stand out, and give them an edge over the typical store-bought alternatives.

One of the keys to making homemade candy, according to Mika Shino, is to not focus too much on the flaws. She says, "If it is made with love and made with care, it does not matter if the shapes are not perfect and exactly the same." Not only does this say to the people eating the candy that they're made with love and have that special homemade flavor, but it also makes each piece just a little more unique, adding to the candy's flair. 

Still, if you're a perfectionist and want your treats to be more uniform, you can always use a few expert candy-making tools to help you out. Caramel cutters can help you get evenly sliced and shaped treats, for instance. You can also use candy molds to help create smooth, consistent shapes, particularly if you're making treats like gummy bears or worms.

Another way to make your homemade candy stand out is by exploring natural ingredients to add a touch of color to your candy, as Mika Shino does. She said, "To make the candies colorful, I use beet juice or other natural flavors to give it [a] muted color for flavors like strawberry." Not only does this method give your treats color, but it also helps you avoid too much food coloring, keeping your candies free from artificial ingredients, some of which can contain hidden carcinogens.

Beets aren't the only natural food dyes for beautifying your desserts either. While canned beet juice works as a naturally vibrant red food coloring, red cabbage can work well for blue, and blue corn can serve as a purple dye. For yellow, saffron or turmeric can be good picks, and if it's green you're after, spinach can do the trick. Play around with these different dyes and pair them with your favorite candy flavors to create all-natural, unique homemade sweets.