You'll add a dash of panache to any college graduation party, senior recital reception or dorm care package if you include store-bought sweets and homemade candies in college colors. And it's easy to do too. Here are few possibilities.

Official treats

Some universities license their own lines of candy, so swing by the campus bookstore during parent orientation or dorm move-in day to check. At the University of Puget Sound in Washington, for example, where the mascot is the Logger, you can buy bags of Logger Mints.

And at least 15 other universities do branded buttermints that proclaim allegiance to the Georgia Bulldogs, Texas Longhorns, Florida Gators and more.

Custom candies

M&Ms, the company famed for its candy-coated chocolates, will customize that candy coating for you. You can either buy M&Ms by the color directly from the company or via some candy shops, such as Powell's in California, an option that lets you go all blue and gold, for example, or all purple and yellow. The My M&Ms site lets you not only order specific colors in bulk, but you can customize the candies themselves by adding clip art, photos or messages.

Not to be outdone, Hershey's does custom candy wrappers for its chocolate bars that let you turn a simple treat into a fun, personalized sweet. You'll find their entire line of college graduation wrappers here, which include not only space for photographs but ingredient lists that include % of recommended pomp and circumstance, diplomas and speeches.

DIY candies

Of course, you can make those candy wrappers yourself too with a little PhotoShop cleverness.

But if you want to go really splashy, try making your own nonpareils. These simple, sprinkle-topped candies are nothing more complicated than a button of molten chocolate, covered in bright colored flecks.

For best results, temper the chocolate first. Chop good quality chocolate into small bits - do not use chocolate chips. The additive that helps them hold their shape in your favorite, fresh-from-the-oven chocolate-chip cookies keeps them from melting properly when you want them to. You'll find full instructions for tempering chocolate here, from About's candymaking expert, but in a nutshell, you're melting chocolate, cooling it and then rewarming it so it retains its glorious glossiness. Once you've got it tempered, pipe little buttons of chocolate on a sheet of parchment paper. Shower them with the appropriate color sprinkles - blue and gold for UC Berkeley, red and white for Stanford - and let them set. It's that easy - and so perfect for tailgate parties, stocking stuffers or care packages.

Custom cookies

Looking for more ideas? Many bakeries will customize cookies, cake pops and other bite-size treats, but one of the most creative treatments comes from Parker's Crazy Cookies in the San Francisco Bay Area. These shortbread-like cookies are pressed to resemble Stanford's iconic Hoover Tower and Tree mascot, for example, or UC Berkeley's Campanile and Oski, the beloved bear mascot. But they can make the cookies like anything or anyone at all. They're particularly popular with brides, who commission bride and groom cookies that look just like the about-to-be-wed couple. You send them a photo(s) and they take it from there.

And, of course, you can't write anything about creative, custom cookies or sweets without mentioning Etsy and Pinterest, where bakers showcase incredibly clever cookies and fondant toppers. Be sure to check there too.  (Psst, that's how I found the adorable scrubs cookies for the nursing school graduation party article.)