Candy Making for Kids Hardcover – August 1, 2012

My daughter and I tried making a few of these for Christmas. The snowballs ended up too soggy, even after I added in more sugar and coconut to try and get them to firm up. The peppermint patties also needed more sugar added to get them to form the right consistency. Those tasted alright, but really, they weren't anything I wanted to eat more than a couple of, and I like mints and chocolate (we used the dipping tip. The rainbow sprinkle fudge was alright, that didn't need to have anything else added to make it work up well, but it really wasn't all that appealing as a fudge, the taste of the extracts was overpowering. I want my daughter to enjoy baking and candy making, but quite frankly, if what you make doesn't taste very good, or it doesn't work up as described, it doesn't actually encourage repeated efforts.

I purchased this book for the elementary library I work in, and the students have kept it checked out and off the shelf, so it's definitely appealing to kids. The recipes also look fun and not too complex, although I'll be honest that I haven't made any of them myself. It would be good for any kid who enjoys time in the kitchen or who has a sweet tooth :-)

Courtney Dial Whitmore has done it again...another homerun book!From bright colorful pictures, to easy-to-follow-instructions,  Candy Making for Kids  will have kiddos and adults alike chomping at the bit to make the fun candy creations that are tucked inside. For any parent looking for some quality time with their kids, this book is a must-have. I highly recommend it!

We love this recipe book. The recipes are very easy and fun to do with your child. We stocked up on the ingredients so that we can make a recipe on a whim and it makes for great parent/child together time.

I love this book this is a book that kids can take pride in and with help from parents and adults make their own candy. Kids need to be expressive and there ya go. Who knows some kids may love making their own candies.

Okay book.

Let me start by saying that the quality of this book is excellent! I love that it is spiral bound for ease of use in the kitchen. Also, the photography is great. That being said, I also have to admit that if I had flipped through this in a bookstore, I would not have made the purchase. It does have cutesy little treats, but I'd say it's geared more toward someone without enough imagination to think this stuff up on their own. Most of the treat recipes are based on candy melts. The book IS filled with treat recipes that almost any kid would love, and the recipes seem pretty easy to make. I was just a little underwhelmed by it.

Despite small voices protesting to the contrary, children should not have too many sweets or candy. That said, some adults probably should reduce their own consumption too. But when you see books like this, it is so easy to forget that "good advice".This relatively slim, colourful book presents a number of child-friendly and child-safe recipes to make your own candy creations. Your child can enjoy messing up your kitchen, creating their own goodies and maybe even experimenting a bit in the process. No hot sticky sugar solution or sharp knives to cut and grate ingredients are required. Just a bit of patience from mum, dad or another responsible adult, a bunch of ingredients, good humour and let the fun times begin. An adult should be nearby for the boring things like melting chocolate in the microwave oven and so on. It would be fair to say "children are optional, but desirable" for these recipes.From beginning to end the book is richly illustrated with great, simple photography that draws you in to probably, over time, consuming many more calories than you have intended. After all, a responsible adult will want to ensure that the finished items are safe to eat, maybe time and time again... The recipes themselves are hardly complex creations of culinary genius but they are visually attractive, child-friendly and tasty. If you want Michelin star quality desserts don't buy this book, but if you want to spend some engaging, quality-time with a child...A few niggles. Mostly that the author has forgotten that there is a world outside of North America and making reference to specific brand names is not necessarily the best thing for an international audience. One can guess, Google or improvise but why make things hard? What is, after all, a Graham Cracker Cookie and why is that any more different than another brand? Measurements can be converted but if a certain specific brand has been specified there must be a reason for that.Some of the recipes appear quite innovative too. Some are predictable versions of versions (and that is not necessarily a bad thing) but some do stand out for being so simplistic that why haven't they been seen before.. such as candy paints and candy play dough. Wow! The book's quirkiness, varied content, great value price point and capacity for keeping younger members of the family entertained for many hours makes this book worthy of very serious consideration indeed. Take a look at it today!