Up until a few years ago, my only experience candying things involved sweets. Candied citrus peel? Yes. Candied pineapple? Sure. Candied nuts? Absolutely! But candied pork products? Now we're venturing into weird and dangerous territory.

My skepticism was misplaced, however, because Candied Bacon is both really delicious and really easy. There are no finicky sugar syrups or prolonged soaking periods. All you do is press a sugar-spice mixture onto your bacon, and bake it until it's crisp. The resulting candied bacon is both chewy and crunchy, sweet and salty, and completely addicting. My husband compared it to maple sugar-drizzled bacon, and I have to agree. So if you're a fan of that breakfast combination, this is the candy for you.

These little sin sticks are delicious plain, but you can also dip them in chocolate, crumble them up to use on salads, or use them to top really wicked cakes or cupcakes. Or doughnuts. Or cookies! Somebody stop me!

Get the recipe: Candied Bacon

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Candied Bacon Photo ©2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

My favorite part about this photo of Rocky Road Pops isn't the candy itself. Sure, there's a lot to love about marshmallows dipped in chocolate and rolled in nuts. But I'm actually a little bit obsessed with the polka dotted sticks the marshmallows are skewered on! Want to know a secret? They're actually paper straws.

Retro paper straws in dots, stripes, and other patterns have become really popular, and I'm happy to say you can use them for more than just livening up your drinks. It's easy to give your lollipops a little straw love: simply skewer them like normal, on a regular lollipop stick, then slide the straw over the stick to the base of the pop. For soft pops, like these Rocky Road Pops, you can actually press them into the base of the candy a little bit to adhere them. The straws aren't sturdy enough to use on their own, but when you use them as a "slipcover" for lollipop sticks, they're perfect. This is a fun and easy way to make your treats a little fancy, and it's perfect for candy buffets or themed parties. Oh yeah, and the recipe's not too shabby either.

Get the recipe: Rocky Road Pops

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Rocky Road Pops Photo ©2012 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

I got the idea for these Toasted Marshmallow Truffles when reading a recipe for toasted marshmallow ice cream. Obviously, my mouth started watering as soon as I read those words, and I was immediately curious--how did they get the toasted marshmallow flavor into the ice cream? Some costly exotic extract? A fancy French flavor extrusion technique? Well, it turns out they simply stirred some toasted marshmallows into an ice cream base, and called it good. I thought to myself, "A monkey could do that! I am smarter than a monkey! I could do that too!"

So I did.

Instead of making ice cream, I decided to do what I do best and make candy--specifically, Toasted Marshmallow Truffles. Real marshmallows are toasted under a broiler (or with a kitchen torch, if you're a pyromaniac like me fancy) and are then mixed into a white chocolate truffle base. After they're dipped, they're each topped with a miniature toasted marshmallow for decoration. These are a great way to add a little class to the familiar campfire favorite--just don't try sticking them between two graham crackers!

Get the recipe: Toasted Marshmallow Truffles

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Toasted Marshmallow Truffles Photo ©2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Living with me, my husband gets to taste a lot of different candy. Although he enjoys almost everything, he tells me that his favorites aren't the more exotic or gourmet candies. In fact, Saltine Toffee is at the top of his favorites list. This simple candy is made from common kitchen staples like saltine crackers, butter, sugar, and chocolate chips. However, the combination of crunchy, salty crackers, rich butter toffee and semi-sweet chocolate produces an uncommonly good candy that is seriously addicting and husband-approved.

Get the recipe: Saltine Toffee

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Saltine Toffee Photo ©2008 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.