This week’s tip is a simple but impactful one that can elevate your boxed chocolates and potentially boost your profits without adding much to your cost per box.

If you're aiming to give your boxed chocolates a more luxurious appeal, consider adding a single premium chocolate to each box and place it at the center making it the focal point. By incorporating just one high-end or expensive piece, you increase the perceived value of the entire selection. This elegant centerpiece naturally draws attention and suggests that your chocolates are of premium quality. By adding a high-end piece, you also may be able to raise the price and potentially increase your profit margin. 

You may already have a signature confection that checks all the boxes, if so make it the star of your boxed chocolates. Keep reading if you need inspiration to level up your confections.

Gold-Leaf Champagne Truffles

A splash of champagne is sure to elevate any confection, and a hint of sparkle in the form of gold leaf or gold cocoa butter will take it to the next level. Check out this recipe for champagne chocolate truffles.

Sea Salt Caramels with Gourmet Salt

Gourmet sea salt can instantly add value to confections, along with an undeniable punch of flavor and satisfying crunch. The Hawaiian salted dark chocolate caramels are a top seller for RCI member Lammes Candies. Coated in dark chocolate and delicately sprinkled with pink Hawaiian salt flakes, it brings a perfect balance of flavor and texture, adding a luxurious showcase piece to any box.

Hazelnut Gianduja

Made from premium hazelnuts and velvety chocolate, layered gianduja squares are as eye-catching as they are delicious. We like how Simply So Good tops each square with a whole blanched hazelnut for dramatic effect. The same concept could be applied by topping your already enrobed confections with other nuts, such a roasted pistachio or a whole candied pecan, even a single large coconut flake.

A single luxurious piece can transform each box into a memorable, upscale experience for your customers. By highlighting a unique, high-end piece as the focal point, you communicate quality that customers are willing to pay a little more for. Try using phrases like "Signature Piece" or "Exclusive Collection" on your packaging or displays to enhance this impression further.

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.

 

For many, vibrant, sweet and juicy strawberries are a welcome sign that summer is here!

Roll out the red carpet, welcoming summer’s official berry (we think…) with five fresh, new ways to feature strawberry in your summer product lineup.

 

 

Strawberry Peanut Butter Cups
Put a fresh spin on the classic peanut butter cup with the addition of freshly slice strawberries. Click here for a recipe from California Strawberries.

 

 

Matcha-Covered Strawberries
Perhaps an unexpected twist on chocolate-covered strawberries, the addition of matcha powder to the white chocolate is sure to pique customer interest.

 

 

Chocolate Strawberry Pearls
With the slight crunch of dried strawberry in the center of layers of white chocolate and strawberry-flavored chocolate, these delicate pearls made by Bridgewater Chocolate are an elegant way to showcase strawberries.

 

 

Strawberry Pretzel Bark
Here’s a new take on the summertime classic, strawberry pretzel dessert. With its natural berry notes, ruby chocolate is a natural fit for pairing with strawberries.

 

 

Strawberry Shortcake Truffles
Combining all the creamy, salty, buttery, fruity, unforgettably tasty flavors of strawberry shortcake in a single bite, Milk Bar’s strawberry shortcake cake truffles are made with strawberry-studded vanilla cake, soaked in strawberry milk and rolled in strawberry shortcake crumbs. Milk Bar’s founder and television personality, Christina Tosi, shares her recipe here.

With strawberries popping up in farmers markets across the country, now is the time to take advantage of your local harvest. Even if you don’t follow some of these recipes exactly, use them as inspiration to create a recipe that is totally unique to your brand!

Here’s wishing you a sweet, strawberry kind of summer!

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.

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

Looking for something fun and different? Cake pops have been popular for years, but what about upping the ante with unique and decadent truffle pops? RCI partner, Birnn Chocolates of Vermont, shares an idea for an easy, grab-and-go option for your storefront or a custom favor perfect for events. Keep reading for 5 easy steps to transform your truffles into truffle pops!

 

5 Easy Steps to Create Truffle Pops

 

 

1. Choose your truffle
2. Choose your stick (candy apple or rock candy sticks are both great options)
3. Warm ice pick with heat gun, stick pick gently into top or bottom of truffle, move in small circles, remove and wipe clean.
4. Heat your stick, slightly, and insert into truffle.
5. Let sit for 2-5 minutes before using the stick to pick up.

 

 

 

Congratulations! You’ve just completed your first Truffle Pop! Finish by wrapping with cellophane and ribbon of choice.

We’d love to see your truffle pops!  Please tag @retailconfectioners and @birnntruffles.

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.

 

 

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.

Although these crispy and chewy fried pastries, often topped with cinnamon and sugar, aren’t a new development, they are expected to “dominate 2020’s dessert scene,” according to Webstaurant Store’s food trends report earlier this year.

 

 

Compartes Churros & Horchata white chocolate bar, Smash Mallow
cinnamon churro marshmallows, and Candy Club churro bites

Commonly characterized by a very generous coating of cinnamon sugar, you can transform just about any of your favorite confections into a churro-inspired treat. Tip: Add the extra element of crunch by incorporating Cinnamon Toast Crunch^TM Churros cereal.

 

Churro Toffee

 

Abdallah Candies envelopes their buttery toffee in white chocolate before coating it in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. It’s almost too pretty to eat, but we wouldn’t let that stop us!

 

 

Churro Popcorn

White-chocolate covered popcorn sprinkled with the churro’s signature cinnamon sugar combo, may be just what you need to recreate the crispy, chewy texture that the churro is known for. For extra cinnamon flavor, this recipe coats popcorn in melted cinnamon chips.

 

 

 

Churro Truffles

Nothing quite beats rolling all the goodness that makes a churro into a decadent truffle. Check out this recipe for churro truffles from Peter’s Chocolate.

Here’s just a few ideas to put your own spin on churros as part of your confectionery line-up, but don’t stop here! Imagine how you could transform your signature caramel recipe or scratch-made marshmallows to capture the flavors and textures of the churro? Tell us all about your ideas in the comments below.

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.

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