Want to refresh your line of confections for Easter with little to no effort? You don't have to create entirely new recipes or invest in costly advertising campaigns to get customers excited about your products; all you really need is a bit of imagination. By giving your existing confections a new name themed for Easter, you can create more interest and drive sales  with simple additions or, better yet, without actually changing anything but the name. In this blog post, we'll explore some creative ways to give your confections a fresh twist for the Easter season.

 

 

Rabbit Tails

Simply rename your chocolate-covered marshmallows as “Rabbit Tails” for a quick and easy refresh. Cute labels, like the one pictured from RCI member Abdallah Candies, can be created on Canva to draw attention and add excitement to an existing product.

 

 

Bunny Feed + Bunny Poop

Just for the Easter holiday, RCI member Bruce’s Candy Kitchen renamed candy-coated, chocolate-covered sunflower seeds as “Bunny Feed.” They also sell packs of colorful Sixlets^® as “Bunny Poop.”

 

 

Cottontail Crunch + Chick Feed

Add pastel-colored Easter candies, jelly beans, yogurt-covered raisins or (whatever spring treats you have on hand) to your existing trail mix or caramel popcorn and give it a clever name like, “Cottontail Crunch” or “Chick Feed." Target sells a limited edition Easter-themed trail mix called “ Bunny Bait” and RCI member Marie’s Candies adds Easter candy corn to roasted peanuts for a sweet and salty “Bunny Tracks Mix.”

 

Bunny Bark

Make subtle changes to your existing bark recipe by adding pastel sprinkles or candies and rebrand it as “Bunny Bark.”

The goal is to bring excitement and fun to your normal offerings, making something new with very little change or without changing anything but the name. Look through your inventory to identify items that can be reimagined for Easter. With a little creativity, you could see a bump in lemon buttercream sales by rebranding them as “Ducktails.” Or why not rename your coconut creams as “Cottontails" for the holiday?

Capture the spirit of the season with a little imagination and every bunny will want a taste of your Easter-themed treats!

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Unleash the inner childlike wonder with comforting and nostalgic breakfast-cereal sweets! Let’s be clear, we’re not talking about cereal that says, “made with whole grains” on the box. We’re talking about the sugary cereals that we had to beg our moms for in the grocery aisle. Victory couldn’t be sweeter…until now!

The Kerry Group identified nostalgia as one of the key trends influencing the food and beverage sector in 2022. Nothing quite brings you back to the Saturday mornings of watching cartoons as a kid, like a bowl of sugary cereal…and wouldn’t you know it, National Cereal Day is March 7!

There’s no doubt candy brand Kit Kat® recognized the feelings of nostalgia consumers have toward breakfast cereal with its limited-edition Kit Kat Fruity Cereal candy bar released in June 2021. Studded with crunchy cereal and colorful mini marshmallows, Compartés Cereal Bowl Chocolate Bar is one of the luxury chocolate brand’s most popular chocolate bars, which retails at $9.95. As if cookies for breakfast weren’t indulgent enough, Exquisito Chocolates combines toasted white chocolate with Cookie Crisp™ cereal for a “Cerealously Amazing” chocolate bar, which retails for $8.

 

Chocolate bars may be the more obvious approach to the breakfast cereal trend. For ideas more outside the cereal box, infuse cream or condensed milk with fruity cereal to create a cereal milk fudge. Adding iconic cereals like Lucky Charms™ and Froot Loops® to hot cocoa bombs or a sweet snack mix is an easy refresh for existing products. Try substituting nuts for cereal to put your own sweet spin on a brittle, cluster or a chocolate and caramel turtle.

 

As for some marketing inspiration, we’re loving these playful graphics created by Sugarfina to launch their “Candy For Breakfast” campaign in 2018. With the addition of a colorful background and some thoughtful props, you could easily recreate a similar look of your own to create excitement about your products.

 

Now we’re giving you permission to take a stroll down the cereal aisle (not that you need it), fill your shopping cart with all your childhood favorites and start creating!

 

Crave more?C lick here to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices.  Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

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Do you want to add an impressive finishing touch to your chocolate confections? Add dimension to your confections with the use of texture sheets.

 

 

 

Texture sheets are made from embossed plastics and can be used over and over again. Designs range from checkerboard patterns, to snake skin, to swirls and everything in between. Full sheets can be cut to any size to suit your needs. They can be used in place of traditional cocoa butter transfer sheets, when used in conjunction with magnetic mould frames. Both sides of the texture sheet can be used to create concave or convex impressions.

Although thicker texture sheets can present a challenge with magnetic mould use, they can be used in other ways too. For example, experiment by painting a full texture sheet with tempered chocolate before adding inclusions, like dried fruit and nuts, to create a unique bark. The textured pattern can be showcased on one side, while the other side reveals the inclusions.

 

 

Another method for utilizing texture sheets involves cutting the sheet into small squares to be placed onto pieces as they exit an enrober. This works similarly to cocoa butter transfer sheets, where the texture sheet side coming into contact with the chocolate will transfer the design as it sets up.

Finally utilize your texture sheets by applying a thin layer of chocolate to texture sheet. Once chocolate has set, use a knife or cookie cutters to create shapes to adorn your confections.

See for yourself by experimenting with texture sheets to add interest and dimension to your confections.

Crave more?Click here to subscribe and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

 

Try your luck this St. Patrick’s Day with treats so tempting, you might just lure a leprechaun into your candy shop…along with new and returning customers too!

 

 

Blarney Bark

What leprechaun could resist a bite of “Blarney Bark” from RCI member, Reid Candy & Nut Shop, of Cambridge, Ontario. These festive treats are made with green compound coating and bits of rainbow stripe candy, colorful candies and clover sprinkles.

  

 

Irish Potato Candy

A popular St. Patrick’s Day treat, Irish potato candy was neither invented in Ireland nor does it typically contain potatoes. RCI member, Dolle’s Candyland of Ocean City, Maryland makes their Irish potatoes extra decadent by coating coconut cream in rich, dark chocolate before rolling them in a blend of cocoa and cinnamon. Milwaukee-based RCI member, Burke Candy & Ingredients combines shoestring potato sticks with their coconut dough before rolling their version of Irish potatoes in cinnamon and sugar.

 

 

Pot of Gold Truffles

Transform your existing truffle or meltaway recipe into pots of gold fit for teams of leprechauns. Create the flat top of the “pot” by flattening or trimming one side of the round center before coating it in chocolate. Once set, pipe chocolate onto the flat top of the pot and use it to adhere rainbow candy and gold sprinkles.

 

 

Leprechaun Cookies

These leprechaun cookies are so clever, they’re likely to leap right off your shelves and into customers’ shopping baskets. With a little green and orange confectioners coating, some candy eyeballs and a pinch of finesse with the piping bag you’ll have yourself an army of jolly good leprechauns.

 

 

Chocolate-Covered Pickles

If you dip it, they will come. This salty and sweet combination is just bizarre enough it is sure to catch the attention of the more adventurous consumers looking to try something new. Malley’s Chocolates of Cleveland has had success (and garnered plenty of media attention) over the years coating dill pickles in chocolate exclusively for St. Patrick’s Day.

Anyone who receives treats like these is sure to count themselves lucky this St. Patrick’s Day! Share your favorite St. Patrick’s Day treat in the comments below.

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Halloween is expected to look a little different for many communities in 2020. Families may be looking for different ways to treat their kids and close friends this year.

If you already make chocolate-covered pretzels, truffles or marshmallow pops, the following ideas will require very little, if any, additional ingredients and minimal effort. Keep reading for  five quick and easy tricks to dress up your existing treats for Halloween.

 

 

 

Credit (left to right):RCI member Apple Tree Chocolate and Desserts Now Dinner Later

Ghostly Pretzels

Your fans will scream with delight over these ghostly pretzels. To accomplish this look, cover bowtie pretzels with white chocolate, then pipe white chocolate into top two holes and embellish with candy eyeballs.

 

 

 

Credit: The Suburban Soapbox

Truffle Eyeballs

Transform your white chocolate truffles into eye-catching treats. Use a red edible marker to create veins all over the white truffle. Pipe a dot of colored chocolate or coating for the iris and top with a black M&M or other candy-coated chocolate as the pupil.

 

 

 

Witchy Fingers

It’s the details that transform ordinary pretzel rods into shockingly convincing witch’s fingers. As pictured, blanched almonds were painted with black gel food coloring to achieve this look (dark-chocolate-covered almonds would work too). A toothpick or wooden skewer may be used to imitate the wrinkles of the top and bottom knuckle. Click here to view a step-by-step tutorial.

 

 

 

Credit: Garnish & Glaze

Pumpkin Pretzels

If you’re looking for something less spooky, these cute pumpkin pretzels are as easy as they are cute. Embellish orange coated pretzels with sprinkles and a green M&M or candy-coated sunflower seed as the finishing touch. Click here to see how Simply As That blog, gave their pumpkin pretzels personality by adding faces.

 

 

Spooky Sweet Marshmallow Pops

With this spooky sweet display of chocolate-covered marshmallow pops decorated as jack-o-lanterns, googly candy corn and skeletons from RCI member Bruce’s Candy Kitchen, how could you choose just one? Plus, we love how these marshmallow pops are packaged in folded acetate boxes and tied up with festive ribbons.

Even if Halloween hasn’t traditionally been a big holiday for your business, this year may be the exception. Make sure to share photos of your Halloween treats on social media and on your e-commerce site for greater exposure and sales potential.

Crave more? If you like what you read here, look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox. RCI's Tip of the Week blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices.