There’s no greater fun than introducing your friends to your favorite Mexican candies. But did you know you can make twists on your childhood favorites with creative fusion recipes? We’ve collected 4 delicious treats from around the Internet that will wow your taste buds — and your friends! 

Inspired by your favorite Mexican candies, these 4 best Mexican candy recipes are sure to add some flair to your next fiesta! 

Sweet & Sour Chamoy Treats

These delicious dulces can be made with your favorite Mexican (or American!) gummies, lollies, or hard candies. They pack a flavorful punch with a mix of tangy chamoy and sweet-and-spicy tajin seasoning. And the best part? They’re so easy to make! This recipe is best used with candies with fruity flavors, like Ravi Panchos or Pulparindots, but you can also get creative with things like Bubbaloo Juice Filled Gum! 

Ingredients

• Gummy candy or hard candy, about 1 lb
• Liquid Chamoy to taste (we used about two mini bottles of Lucas Gusano Chamoy)
• Tajin seasoning to taste, about 1 Tbsp

How to make sweet and sour chamoy treats:

1. Add your candy to a large mixing bowl. 
2. Pour in the chamoy and toss to fully coat the candy. 
3. Sprinkle in the tajin to taste, then mix well. 
4. Line your treats up on a cookie sheet or baking sheet to dry. 
5. Enjoy within 3-4 days!
6. Optional: Before serving your candies, pop them in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Especially for gummies, this adds an extra-chewy texture!

Dulces de Calabasas

Pumpkin spice season should be a year-round holiday, in our opinion. These sweet treats are made from a mix of pumpkin (calabasas) and the flavors you’ll find in dulce de leche. Whether you’re making these for a fall event or you’re just craving pumpkin in the off-season, you’ll love these sweet pumpkin treats. These take a little more up front effort, but they can be stored for up to two weeks in an air-tight container. 

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh pumpkin or 2 cups canned pumpkin
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• Granulated sugar or sweet chili powder to coat (these were AWESOME with ground-up Aldama Wafers)

How to make dulces de calabasas:

1. For fresh pumpkin, remove the inner seeds and strings and chop into 1 inch by 2 inch segments. Remove the skin and add the pumpkin pieces to a large saucepan, just covering the pumpkin with water. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pan, and boil for 15-20 minutes. Drain the water (but save it, you’ll need it soon!), then return the pumpkin to your saucepan. 
2. For canned pumpkin, drain and reserve any liquid from the can. Chop pumpkin into 1 inch by 2 inch segments. Pat dry and then add directly to your saucepan.
3. Measure about ¾ of a cup of the pumpkin water into a separate mixing bowl. Stir in your brown sugar and spices (you can heat up the liquid if you’re having trouble mixing everything).
4. Pour the liquid mixture back into the pumpkin in the pan, being sure to coat every piece. Then, bring the pan to a boil for about 15 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and let it sit at least 8 hours or overnight so the pumpkin can soak up all that sweet goodness. 
6. After the soaking period, return the pan to a boil for about 5 minutes. 
7. Remove your pumpkin pieces with a slotted spoon and line them up on a cookie tray with wax paper. 
8. Dry the candies for another 10-12 hours.
9. Roll those bad boys in granulated sugar, sweetened chili powder, or crushed wafers. 
10. Enjoy!! 

Spicy Fruit Leather

Nothing says “Mexican candy favorites” like sweet and spicy fruit! This fruit leather recipe combines your favorite sweet and tangy flavors with delicious spices straight out of your abuela’s kitchen. You can make fruit leather in an air fryer or an oven, whatever you have in your kitchen! The best part? You only need two ingredients! 

Ingredients

• Fresh fruit, like mango or apricot (you’ll want 3 or 4 ripe fruits)
• Tajin seasoning or sweet chili powder 

How to make spicy fruit leather

1. Peel your chosen fruit and cut it into slices about ¼ to ½ inch thick. 
2. Add Tajin seasoning to taste, then toss to coat. (We used about 1 Tbsp for 2 fresh mangoes.)
3. Arrange your fruit slices in a single layer and get ready to bake.
1. For an air fryer, use one basket without any oil.
2. For an oven, use a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or an extremely light coating of cooking spray. 
4. Bake low and slow at 135 degrees F for about 6 hours. You’ll want to start checking around the 4 hour mark to see how dehydrated your fruit is — you don’t want it to burn! 
5. Once your fruit is soft to the touch (and not sticky!), it’s done! If it’s crunchy, you’ve overdone it a bit. But hey, this recipe gets even better with practice! 

For the Adults: Mexican Candy Shots!

Finally, let’s set our sights on a sweet and spicy Mexican candy treat for adults. These Mexican candy shots are so easy to make, and a great way to celebrate a friend’s birthday (or just, y’know, a tough Tuesday). We used watermelon juice to make these shots, but you can also try tropical flavors like strawberry, mango, or raspberry. Whatever makes you happiest! 

Ingredients

• Watermelon juice, about 20 ounces
• Tequila, about 10 ounces 
• Lime juice, fresh squeezed (we used 4 limes)
• 4 Tbsp simple syrup (or 3 Tbsp sugar mixed into 1 Tbsp of warm water)
• Hot sauce, to taste
• Tajin seasoning or sweetened chili powder (we used the powder from Peloneta’s watermelon lollies)
• Fun garnishes, like Go-Mara pineapple chews, fresh watermelon chunks, or spicy mango gummy chews

How to make Mexican candy shots

1. Dip the rims of your shot glasses in lime juice, then roll the rims in Tajin or sweet chili powder. 
2. Combine the watermelon juice, tequila, lime juice, simple syrup, and hot sauce in a bar shaker. Use about 5 shakes of hot sauce for a lighter spice level, or go wild with 10 for a fiery drink.
3. Add about a cup of ice and shake well. Drain the liquid into your lined shot glasses (straining out the ice). 
4. Add your garnish, make a toast, and cheers with your friends! 
5. (Please drink responsibly.)

Looking for more Mexican candy favorites? Check out our entire dulceria catalog here, where you’ll discover familiar childhood favorites alongside Mexican candies you’ve never tried. And if you’re not sure where to start, be sure to sign up for one of our monthly subscription boxes! Our Mexican candy experts will send you a mix of fun treats to tantalize the taste buds every month!