Smooth vs. Seedy

• When it comes to the internal portion of the candy -- the raspberry jelly -- your main choice lies between a clear candy, or one that has more texture. To those with a dread of raspberry seeds, it's best to use raspberry juice, possibly in combination with raspberry-flavored gelatin. Otherwise, incorporate raspberry jam with plain water, as well as raspberry or unflavored gelatin.

Gelling the Goodies

• Before you heat your jelly candy ingredients, have a buttered square or rectangular loaf pan at the ready. Then combine all your ingredients in a saucepan. For jam-based jellies, you'll need about 8 parts raspberry jam, 6 parts sugar, 4 parts liquid and 1 part gelatin. Note that for clear jellies, you'll need to increase the amount of gelatin, liquid and sugar to replace the sweetness and body normally provided by the jam. Boil together all of your assembled jelly candy ingredients in the pan for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. After this, the mixture goes into the buttered pan, and chills in the refrigerator for several hours, until it turns firm.

Taking Shape

• Although 1-inch squares are a classic jelly candy shape, you can opt to create a "sticks" shape by cutting the candy into rectangles 2 to 3 inches long and 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch wide. To create your jelly candy shapes, first remove the jelled mass from the pan. A spatula comes in handy for loosening the edges and underside. Once you've removed it, gently flip it onto a clean surface, such as wax paper. At this point, you can use a sharp knife to cut the jellies into the desired shapes.

Choosing Chocolate

• Dipping chocolate is the ingredient of choice in gourmet candy-making. This non-grainy, easy-melting candy ingredient can be purchased in dark, semisweet, white or milk chocolate. If you can't find dipping chocolate, however, semisweet chocolate chips are acceptable. After you've broken your dipping chocolate into pieces, or opened you chocolate chips, the pieces should be melted slowly, either in a microwave set to 50 percent power, a double boiler set on a low burner or a Crock-Pot set to low. No matter what method you use, stir the chocolate frequently so that it melts evenly.

The Big Dip

• Once your chocolate has melted, prep it for dipping by pouring it into a wide, unheated pan. When it is cool to the touch, run your hands or a wooden spoon through it in a swirling motion, which will give it a glossy, smoother texture. Using your clean hands or a set of tongs, set the first raspberry jelly candy in the chocolate, then flip it over so that it is completely covered with chocolate. Next, drop it carefully onto waxed paper and continue with the other jellies until all of them are covered. The jellies store best in an airtight container once the chocolate has solidified.