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Make Candy Buttons at home! This is an easy, at-home hard candy recipe for you to easily recreate with just 4 simple ingredients.  Bring the nostalgia back of childhood with this recipe.

blue, pink and yellow buttons on parchment paper


What are Candy Buttons?

Candy buttons are cute little dot shaped candies that can be made in any color you like! These necco candy buttons are like eating tiny drops of sugar but with all of the colorful fun! These only have 4 ingredients, they are the perfect bulk candy to make and share. 

ingredients in candy buttons

Ingredients Needed

  • Sugar: we’ll be using powdered sugar
  • Meringue powder: or use 1 egg white instead of the water and meringue powder.
  • Water: to help mix the ingredients 
  • Food Coloring: any color or colors you want

Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!

How to make Candy Buttons at home

  1. Cut white paper sheets into twelve strips. 
  2. Beat the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water until thick and smooth. If you are making different colors, divide the icing into separate small bowls and color as desired.
  3. Place each color in a pastry bag or ziploc bag.
  4. Snip the corner off of one bag at a time, and pipe small dots of candy onto the prepared paper. Repeat with the second bag. 
  5. Let dry several hours or overnight. Cut strips into desired lengths and eat.

Expert Tips 

I recommend using white printing paper NOT parchment or wax paper. The candy will slip off if not using regular printing paper. 

blue, pink and yellow buttons on parchment paper

FAQs

Can I use egg whites instead of meringue powder?

Yes you can! Instead of the meringue powder, use 1 egg white. 

Where can I buy meringue powder?

At your local grocery store in the baking isle. 

Can I make other colors?

You can use any food colorings you like for this candy dots recipe. 

How to store homemade candy buttons?

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Why are my candy dots falling off the paper?

The candy buttons are nonstick so they will slip off parchment or wax paper. To avoid this, use regular white printing paper instead. 

blue, pink and yellow buttons on parchment paper

Candy Buttons for Valentine’s Day

5 from 1 vote
A delightful childhood candy, remade at home! Make them any color you want, for any holiday
Prep Time 30 minutes
Resting Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Yield 10 servings
Serving Size 1 serving

Ingredients
 

  • 1 ½ cups (170g) powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons meringue powder (see note)
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • Food Coloring (any color or colors)

Instructions

  • Cut paper into twelve 2×11” strips. I suggest you use white paper sheets for this. If you use a roll, do it ahead of time and lay something heavy on top of them to flatten them out, so they don’t roll up on you.
  • Beat powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water until thick and smooth, about 4-5 minutes. If you are making different colors, divide the icing into separate small bowls and color as desired.
  • Place each color in a pastry bag or ziploc bag.
  • Snip the corner off of one bag at a time, and pipe small dots of candy onto the prepared paper. Repeat with the second bag. Let dry several hours or overnight. Cut strips into desired lengths and eat.

Recipe Notes

  • You can use 1 egg white instead of the water and meringue powder.
  • I recommend regular printer paper for this – NOT parchment or wax paper. The buttons will slip right off those two because they’re nonstick.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 71kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.002g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 2mg | Sugar: 18g | Calcium: 0.3mg | Iron: 0.01mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

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Last Updated on February 7, 2023



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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73 Comments

  1. Could I use this recipe in a candy mould to make candy buttons shaped like an actual button ? I don’t want fondant but instead these..

  2. wow looks great and the colors are so lovely need to ask you what can i use instead of egg whites? can i add flavors like almonds?

    1. I haven’t done it, but I think you could use meringue powder instead of the egg whites. (The finished recipe is pretty much like royal icing.) And other flavorings would work amazing!

      1. thanks Dorothy for your reply im sure it will be great with any flavour, sure will try it with maringue
        have a blessed day

  3. im going to make these for my grandkids they do not even know what these are so what a suprise this will be thanks for sharing!!! we ate these all the time as a kid.

  4. lol Ok, I made them today!! I cut the hole too big (hahahaha) and they look like mini hershey kisses! I tried to cut the next bag smaller, but couldn’t figure out how to make them round! I can’t wait to try them. I also couldn’t find meringue to substitute. lol

  5. I grew up with these and loved them! My boyfriend was just commenting the other day about loving them and now I know exactly what I’m going to make for our Valentine’s Day together!!! Perfect timing!

      1. I made these yesterday….so cute! Let them dry overnight, and this morning they just slid off the parchment paper! Any suggestions?

      2. Hmmmmm. I know that a couple of mine slid off, but the majority (over 90%) stayed stuck, even for days. The only thing I can think is possibly climate. I know that, when I make royal icing, the weather can change things. So maybe that affected these? Is it dry/humid/cold/hot where you are? Was your heater on or your A/C? I’m just brainstorming different things that might have affected it, so we can troubleshoot, so to speak. The recipe from Food Network didn’t mention anything about sliding off…so I’m guessing. I’m so sorry that happened!!

      3. Oh, and not that you’d want to do this with all gazillion of them, but a little corn syrup will get them stuck back on that paper. 😉 (This is reply #2)

  6. Love this 🙂 We never called them buttons though…always candy dots….I am from New England. Did everyone call them buttons?