Chocolate Raspberry Sticks are made with a soft, flavorful raspberry jelly center that gets dipped in smooth, melted chocolate. This easy homemade candy tastes just like the classic holiday treat from Sweets — but fresher, softer, and way more fun to make. Once you realize how simple these are, they might become a new yearly tradition!
After making some homemade orange sticks, I realized that milk chocolate-covered raspberry jellies sounded incredible, and do you know what? It was!
Recipe Highlights
- Only a handful of ingredients. No corn syrup, no fancy candy thermometers — just mix, boil, chill, slice, dip, and done.
- Make-ahead friendly. These store beautifully and make fantastic gifts for neighbors, teachers, and cookie-plate extras.
- Old-fashioned holiday candy, homemade. Same nostalgic flavor as store-bought raspberry sticks, but with better texture and richer raspberry flavor.
- Customizable & kid-friendly. Swap in any Jello flavor, use milk, dark, or white chocolate, or mix mold shapes for different holidays.
Chocolate Raspberry Stick Ingredients
- Raspberry Jello: A large box gives the candy its signature bright color and fruity flavor. Raspberry is classic, but you can easily swap strawberry, cherry, orange, or even something fun like black cherry or lime.
- Unflavored gelatin: This is what firms up the jelly into that perfect sliceable texture. Use the powdered packets — you’ll need enough to fully set the mixture so the sticks hold their shape when dipped.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the raspberry mixture and helps the jelly firm up properly during cooling.
- Cold water + hot water: Cold water softens the gelatin; hot water dissolves the Jello and sugar before boiling. Hot tap water works great.
- Raspberry extract: Optional but highly recommended for a stronger berry flavor.
- Melting chocolate: Choose any chocolate that melts smoothly — milk chocolate, white chocolate, melting wafers, almond bark, or dark chocolate all work. Milk chocolate tastes closest to the traditional sticks, but every chocolate pairs beautifully with raspberry.
Tips & Tricks for Perfect Chocolate Raspberry Sticks
Full instructions for making the recipe can be found on the recipe card below, but here are a few helpful tips.
- Use silicone molds for the easiest release. Silicone flexes just enough to pop the jelly out cleanly without tearing or sticking. If you’re using metal mini loaf pans, line them with parchment or spray them generously.
- Let the jelly set fully before slicing. Overnight is ideal. If the center is still soft, it will squish when you cut it and won’t dip cleanly into the chocolate.
- Warm your knife for cleaner cuts. Run a sharp knife under hot water, wipe it dry, then slice. Re-warm between cuts for perfectly smooth edges.
- Melt chocolate low and slow. Microwave in short intervals or use a double boiler. Chocolate scorches fast, and overheated chocolate won’t coat smoothly.
- Thin the chocolate if needed. If your chocolate feels thick, add a tiny amount of coconut oil or shortening to loosen it — just enough to help it glide over each stick.
- Use a fork for dipping. Drop the jelly piece into the melted chocolate, lift with a fork, and tap the fork gently on the bowl to shake off extra chocolate for a smooth finish.
- Don’t rush the drying step. Place dipped candies on wax paper and let them sit until completely set. Moving them too soon leaves fingerprints or smudges.
- Experiment with chocolate types. Milk chocolate is classic, but dark chocolate adds richness, and white chocolate makes a pretty contrast. Drizzles look especially festive.
How to Store Homemade Chocolate Raspberry Sticks
These store extremely well, which is one reason they’re such a great holiday candy:
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to one week.
- Refrigerator: Keeps 2–3 weeks and tastes fantastic chilled.
- Freezer: You can freeze the jelly centers before dipping, but freezing after dipping may cause the chocolate to bloom.
They hold their shape, don’t get sticky, and stay soft and chewy — perfect for gifting!
CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY STICKS RECIPE
Ingredients
- 2 packets unflavored gelatin about 1 1/2 Tbsp
- 6 oz. box raspberry flavored Jello
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup hot water
- ½ cup cold water
- ½ tsp raspberry extract
- 12 oz melting chocolate or chocolate almond bark
Instructions
- In a small bowl, soften the unflavored gelatin in cold water and then set aside.
- In a medium-sized pot on the stove, combine the sugar, raspberry Jello and hot water. Continue stirring until everything is dissolved. Bring the jello to a boil over medium-high heat. Add in the gelatin mixture and then slowly boil on medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and then stir in the raspberry extract.
- Use non-stick spray to prepare the molds you will be using. Carefully pour the mixture into the well-greased molds. I purchased this mold from Amazon, but before I had the mold, I used several mini loaf pans and the loaf pans work just as well as the silicone mold.
- Let stand over night and then remove the jellied raspberry mixture from the molds. Cut the candy into the desired shape. If you use the same molds that I did, you will just need to slice each rectangle in half to create the thin rectangles that are very similar to the store-bought chocolate raspberry sticks. If you use a mini loaf pan, you will need to make slices that are about 1/3″ wide.
- Now it’s time to melt the chocolate. If you are using melting wafers or Candiquik, just follow the melting directions on the package. Dip the sliced rectangles into the melted chocolate. Place the dipped chocolates on wax paper.
- If you’d like to make them look a little bit fancier, you can drizzle a little white chocolate on top just for fun. Just make sure the chocolate coating is set and dried before adding the drizzle.
Nutrition
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What Kind of Chocolate Is Best for Candy Making?
If it melts, it works — truly.
Melting wafers, Candiquik, almond bark, milk chocolate bars, dark chocolate chunks, or white chocolate chips all coat beautifully. Just melt slowly and stir until smooth so the chocolate thinly coats each jelly stick.
Milk chocolate tastes closest to Sweets-brand raspberry sticks, but dark chocolate raspberry is chef’s kiss amazing.
FAQs
Can I use different flavors of Jello?
Absolutely! Raspberry is the classic, but strawberry, cherry, orange, lemon, lime, black cherry, and blue raspberry all work. Mix and match for a colorful candy platter.
Can I use shaped molds?
Yes! Any silicone mold works: hearts for Valentine’s Day, trees for Christmas, mini donuts, stars — whatever fits the occasion. Cut thick molds into sticks or leave them as full shapes.
Do I have to use raspberry extract?
Not required, but it deepens the berry flavor. If you skip it, the Jello alone still tastes great.
My chocolate is thick — what do I do?
Warm it gently and add a tiny splash of coconut oil or a small amount of shortening to thin it out.
More easy candy recipes to try:
- Easy Snickers Fudge brings together butter, cocoa, sugar, milk, caramel, salted peanuts, and chocolate in a rich layered treat that tastes like pure bliss.
- Made with just four simple ingredients, Christmas Chocolate Caramel Cups are adorable bite-size candies filled with creamy caramel and topped with festive sprinkles, making them a perfect holiday gift.
- With only five ingredients, the Old Fashioned Potato Candy recipe transforms mashed potatoes into a delicious chocolate-covered treat that tastes surprisingly similar to a Mounds bar.
- Marshmallow Peanut Butter Chocolate Bark comes together in minutes with only three ingredients, creating an easy chocolate candy that’s ideal for parties and gift-giving.
- Made with chocolate and vanilla pudding mixes and no candy thermometer required, the Easy Fudge recipe delivers a quick six-ingredient chocolate fudge that comes together in just minutes.
Chocolate Raspberry Sticks are made with a delicious raspberry jelly filling dipped in melted chocolate. Simple chocolate candy recipe that is so easy to make!
Regina says
These were very delicious. Unfortunately, when I poured into molds and let set overnight some of them crystallized. Any suggestions to keep this from happening next time? Thank you.
Nellie says
Regina – glad you enjoyed them? By crystallized, do you mean that they hardened up? Perhaps the mixture was cooked a little bit too long? I’m not sure why this would happen-I’ve never experienced that before!
GWonder says
When the jello crystallizes at the bottom it’s still good but it wasn’t dissolved completely when you poured it. It used to be my favorite part of the jello bowl as a kid. 🙂
Kailee says
Do you think adding raspberry jam/ preserves to the recipe would work in addition to the current ingredients?
Regina says
Thank you, Nellie! I tried this recipe again and they turned out perfect this time.
Michelle says
Can these be frozen? I was hoping to make them for Christmas but will be traveling. Thank you!
Nellie says
I’ve never tried freezing them, but I think it would work ok? Let me know if you try it!
HC says
The melted chocolate melts my jelly sticks and makes them impossible to coat. What am I missing?
Jessica says
I just try and work quickly and place the chocolate dipped sticks on a chilled pan so that it sets quickly.
joanna says
when you say soften the unflavored jello what do you mean? Prepare as it says on box then put in cool water?
Nellie says
You just add the unflavored gelatin to the 1/2 cup of cold water that the recipe calls for. Just let it sit for a few minutes while you are heating the other ingredients and the gelatin will soften a bit.
Douglas Kiser says
Followed directions but really not much liquid left to fill that many molds….do you put water that is mentioned on hello box? I only got 21 filled
Nellie says
Maybe your molds are a little bit bigger? The ones I use are pretty small rectangles and then I cut each of the rectangles in half after they are set to make skinnier sticks, which yields twice as many raspberry sticks as molds.
Patti says
Can you use sugar-free jello?
Nellie says
I don’t have much experience with sugar-free jello, but I would guess that it would work fine!
Courtney eysaily says
I don’t have mini loaf pans or molds. Can I pour the whole mixture into a regular size loaf pan and cut them when it’s set?
Nellie says
I’m sure that would work fine! Just make sure to grease the pan really well!
Courtney says
I don’t have mini loaf pans or molds. Would a regular sized loaf pan work?
Nellie says
Yep, that works great! Just make sure to grease the pan really well.
Susan says
My jellies were a little tough after setting up hard to cut. Any ideas? Thanks for the recipes !
Nellie says
Might have cooked the mixture a bit too long…maybe reduce the time by just a minute or two next time.
Niels Nielsen says
I made this recipe recently. Followed it to a “T” and the jelly sticks came out like rubber. Very difficult to chew and did not melt in the mouth. Can’t figure out why. Perhaps too much unflavored gelatin?
Nellie says
Sounds like maybe the mixture cooked a bit too long? Or maybe too much unflavored gelatin? So sorry this didn’t turn out for you – it’s one of our favorite treats!
Jennifer Rivard says
SO GOOD!!!!! Thank you so much, I made a different recipe TWICE and it just wouldn’t turn out right, and I made this one and they are PERFECT. I thought that they were going to be really rubbery because they were rubbery when I took them out of the mold and unbelievably sticky (!), but then I dipped them in the chocolate (I used Ghiradelli milk chocolate, it is extremely delicious), and that contrast was PERFECT. 3rd try is a charm, wish I had tried yours first 🙂
Gale Stewart says
do you put the filled molds in refrig or on counter top to set
Nellie says
I just set them on the countertop – works great!
Gale Stewart says
Made orange pineapple jelly sticks turn out good…
Kathy E Barkow says
Where did you find your raspberry extract? It’s quite expensive.
Nellie says
I’ve purchased this at my local grocery store, but I’ve also gotten it on Amazon before too. A bottle of extract goes a long way!
nettie l armstrong says
Do you let the chocolate cool before dipping ? Otherwise won”t the raspberry melt
Nicole says
You don’t need to let it cool as much as you might think. The chocolate should be warm to the touch, not boiling hot. Just cooled enough that it is safe to handle, as the chocolate cools more, it will harden and set, so you really don’t want to wait too long.
Jan says
The mold you referenced at Amazon shows a 20-cavity mold, which when cut in half would yield 40 pieces of candy. You show a yield of 60 pieces. Do you cut each piece into 3 strips or do you use a different mold?
Nicole says
I usually fill up both molds and then still have enough of the mixture to pour into a mini loaf pan or two.
Tara Bowering says
I made this recipe the weekend and I never got
60 candy maybe 6 . What did I do wrong . The amount of liquid doesn’t make sense. Please help thanks . I will rate it again when I make it right lol
Nicole says
Im not sure what happened as there is a big difference between 60 pieces and 6 pieces. Are your candies larger than they should be? Did you use all of the ingredients and molds as directed? Without being there, I cant really guess at what happened. Sorry.
Lori Smith says
These are delicious and easy to make.
Nicole says
Happy to hear that!
Martina says
Made these today they were good just wondering what you can do to make them a little more firm? Maybe 3 unflavored gelatin? And I’m freezing hope they will still be ok?
Nicole says
more gelatin could work, although i havent tried it. I do recommend making sure to cook it long enough and to let it set at room temperature overnight to help them set. Placing them into the fridge or freezer before they have set will cause them to not set up properly and to remain soft.
Debi says
It was ok to much gelatin to think. How come I have like a foam at top
Darlene says
When I make something similar…You need to air dry the raspberry gummy strips on a wire rack until they are no longer tacky. They will tighten up more. Then dip them. You could use another tsp of gelatine also.