Strawberry Candy Recipe
This old-fashioned homemade strawberry candy recipe is made with a scrumptiously sweet combination of strawberry gelatin, sweetened condensed milk, chopped pecans, and sweetened coconut flakes. Rolled in red sugar with a dyed-green slivered almond on top, they look nearly too cute to eat (nearly…).
I have my Grandmother Cornetha to thank for this homemade strawberry candy recipe. She and my Papa Reed (mama’s daddy) got married when my mother was fourteen, adding a whole other branch to our family tree. Honestly, at this point, we got one of those HUGE oak trees with all of the branches jutting out all over the place!
But let’s get to the recipe. This deliciously sweet strawberry-flavored hard candy recipe will make your tastebuds sing! They’re also known as Christmas strawberries as back in the day they were often only made around the holidays. I’ll often wrap up these fun candy berries and give a bag as a gift nowadays. But whether you treat yourself or someone you care about to these little gems, just promise me you’ll give this candy strawberry recipe a go.
Fortunately, they’re easy candies to make. Plus, one of the steps is to let the mixture chill for up to 48 hours. They also have such a unique texture: a combination of chopped nuts and coconut flakes with creamy condensed milk and sweet strawberry gelatin powder. Add the red sugar and these totally sweet treats are so addictive! I love how we shape them to resemble , although there is no fresh in sight.
Alright, who’s ready to make some strawberry candies?
Recipe Ingredients
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Strawberry gelatin powder
- Green food coloring
- Red crystal sprinkles (red sugar)
- Sweetened flaked coconut
- Finely chopped nuts (I’m using pecans)
- Slivered almonds
How to Make Strawberry Candy
Pour your sweetened condensed milk into a large bowl.
I could just drink a whole can of this if my blood sugar would let me. I swear, anything with sweetened condensed milk in it is delicious!
Add your coconut and chopped nuts.
And gelatin powder.
Stir and stir and stir and stir and stir until it looks like this.
(It won’t take long, I just felt like being dramatic).
Cover with foil and let sit in the refrigerator for 48 hours.
24 hours later…
Oh, who are we kidding? Like I’m gonna wait 48 hours on anything. I didn’t even let my own kids wait until their due dates. I have the patience of a hyperactive gnat on sugar.
So the next day, go ahead and take out your strawberry candy mixture (unless you want to follow the original instructions and not be a rebel with me, whatever cranks yer tractor).
Spoon up about a teaspoonful like this.
Shape into a strawberry…
And then roll it around in the sugar mixture.
Now add the a whole bunch more times.
Like this.
Now we need to dye our almonds.
I place mine in a sandwich bag and pour about a tablespoon or so (I use too much so feel free to use less) of green food coloring into the bag.
Seal that and move them around to give them a good coating.
Then pour them out onto a paper towel-lined plate to dry.
If you like, you can also put them on a and bake them in the oven at 250 to speed up the drying process.
Stick one at the end of each of your berries.
Like so.
And that’s it! Aren’t they pretty? They taste YUMMY, too!
Storage
Store leftover candy in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe Notes
- If you want, you can make red sugar yourself using beetroot powder. Check out this recipe for DIY Beetroot powder or Kale powder.
- Swap the chopped pecans for chopped walnuts or omit them completely if you prefer.
Recipe FAQs
Where can I get red sugar?
I order mine from Amazon or Target. I usually get this red sanding sugar. If you choose to purchase from this link, Southern Plate will receive a small commission to put toward updating recipes, providing new ones as well as videos, and more. Another option is to roll each in strawberry gelatin powder if you’re in a pinch, but I definitely prefer the red sugar coating.
What else can I use to make the tops green?
You can also use green sugar crystals and just dip the tops of these candies in those crystals. That works as well. You can also add a green toothpick to the top to make for easy eating.
You may also enjoy these bite-sized treats:
Homemade Fudge With Variations
Ingredients
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 1 cup finely chopped nuts I used pecans
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 oz
- 3 boxes strawberry gelatin 3 oz boxes
- 1-2 jars red sugar crystals you can get by on one, but I used 1 1/2
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds you just need about three dozen pieces, 1/2 a cup is more than enough
- green food coloring
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine milk, coconut, nuts, and gelatin powder, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate for 48 hours.1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, 1 cup finely chopped nuts, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 3 boxes strawberry gelatin
- Remove and form teaspoonfuls into a strawberry shape and then roll them in red sugar.1-2 jars red sugar crystals
- Dye almonds green with food coloring and once dry, place one at the end of each strawberry as a stem. Store in refrigerator.1/2 cup slivered almonds, green food coloring
Keep a green tree in your heart
and perhaps a singing bird will come.
Chinese Proverb submitted by Leigh. Submit your quote here.
Hey Christy!
I can remember my momma and Aunt taking DAYS to make homemade candies. It would be everything from Butterscotch Haystacks to these Strawberry beauties! They would purchase paper candy boxes and have a list of how many they needed to put together and once they got their items all purchased THEY WERE OFF!! They would have folding tables lined up in the kitchen and dining room and these tables would be COVERED in all types of candies. Our house would smell so good. But here’s the really sweet thing. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 3 (that was almost 49 years ago) and my mom and Aunt would make me special boxes. They would contain less sugar filled things and smalled Starwberries. And I would have a box that I could eat in one day. Needless to say they were REALLY small boxes but it made me feel so special. Seeing this recipe posted just brought back a flood of the sweetest and dearest memories. My momma is still with us and we are so blessed and my Aunt is sitting at the feet of Jesus. What a day that will be when we are all together again!!
Thank you for the trip down memory lane!!
🙂 What wonderful memories, thank you so much for sharing them with me Michelle!! Yes, what a wonderful day of rejoicing it will be when we get to see all those precious loved ones!!
It was my job to gather eggs and chickens frightened me to death! To this day, I’ll buy eggs but not have chickens. Mainly because in about 5 years, there’s a really difficult decision to make.
I completely understand. We are blessed to have chicken readily available in the grocers but I’m also grateful to be able to dispatch and prepare my own if need be as well. It’s a great skill to have if needed. 🙂 Maybe you could find a neighboring farmer and trade out the “duties” for eggs?
Coconut, pecans, eagle brand condensed milk, and strawberry flavoring where could you go wrong with that combination of ingredients.
Thank you Christy for this recipe. I made them in the 70’s but no longer have the recipe. My sister in NC is having her 80th birthday party and she wants a tea party. I think they will look and taste wonderful for her special day. I’m lactose intolerant so will use coconut sweetened condensed milk and I say this so anyone with that same issue can make and enjoy them. I’m not suppose to have a clothes line in my yard BUT this Southern girl can’t resist so I have a retractable line in the back yard, hidden from view and hang out my bed pillows ever Saturday. It helps to rid the pillows of mites that all pillows get from our dead skin cells. My husbands allergies have disappeared. Sleeping on sheets that have been dried in the sun are the closest thing to smelling like Heaven to me. Love your conversation so freely shared with us. God bless.
These candies are so cute and yummy looking. Thank you for the new recipe.
This recipe was one given to me by my grandmother too. I still have her handwritten copy which I treasure. It is absolutely wonderful. I’ve never been brave enough to dye the almonds because I am quite the messy cook so I usually just dip the tops in green sugar crystals. Thanks for reminding me of such special memories of my Southern Grandmother!
P.S. – In the rainy weather or freezing weather, we hung our laundry in the attic!!