We made chocolate truffles and coconut kisses, and later, when I was a little older, my aunt introduced me to the making of sesame-seed bars and pralines.

Although homemade candy isn't as hard to make as you think, it's wise not to be too ambitious when you're new to the art. Start with one of the easier recipes such as pralines, truffles and coconut kisses. The children can help you make them; it's one kitchen chore you'll find that they're more than eager to do.

Once you and they feel more confident, you can move on to candies that require cooked sugar, such as popcorn balls, sesame bars and, yes, saltwater taffy. (Now's the time to buy a sugar thermometer, too.)

But remember that one of the worst burns there is is a sugar burn. When you work with cooked sugar, it's smart to get the children busy popping popcorn and cracking nuts someplace away from the stove.

Viviana Carballo, a graduate of the Cordon Bleu, lives in Miami.

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