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.

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From its crunchy texture and salty exterior to its versatility in both sweet and savory applications—what’s not to love about pretzels? Adding pretzels to your existing confections is a quick and easy way to add a new, and interesting twist (pun intended) to your product line up.

 

Pretzel Peanut Butter Cup

Add that signature pretzel crunch to your peanut butter cups with chunky, crushed pretzel pieces both inside and out.

 

 

Chocolate Pretzel Toffee

Who needs nuts when you’ve got pretzels? Consider substituting broken pretzel pieces for a yummy, nut-free toffee. Check out this recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.

 

 

Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate-Covered Pretzels

Take your chocolate-covered pretzels to next-level status by adding a generous dollop of caramel to pretzel twists before coating them in chocolate. If pretzel rods are more your style, consider dunking them in caramel before coating in chocolate. You might have to stock up on more pretzels for this one!

 

 

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Meltaways

We’ve already established that peanut butter and pretzels are a winning combination, but in case you need more evidence, try adding a generous portion of crushed pretzels to your peanut butter meltaways or buckeyes and watch them disappear before your very eyes.

 

 

Salted Pretzel and Caramel Fudge

This is just another example of taking something already amazing—caramel and chocolate fudge—and turning up that craveable salty and crunchy factor with, you guessed it, pretzels.

Basically, the moral of the story is if you have existing confections that are sweet and creamy—like a rich, chocolate-covered vanilla buttercream or nutty hazelnut meltaway—try experimenting by adding pretzels and see what happens. Invite friends, family and loyal customers to stop by for a test taste in exchange for their feedback.

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.

 

Pumpkin may reign king of fall, but one might say the apple is queen. October is National Apple Month and just another reason to incorporate apple into your fall product line up. Keep reading for five confections to help you celebrate National Apple Month.

 

 

Apple Pecan Caramel Bark

RCI member, Hilliard’s Chocolates, evokes all the fall feels with this bark that combines white chocolate, cinnamon oil, dried apples, caramel and cinnamon sugar for a welcome fall treat. Hilliard's Chocolates presented this idea at a past Candy Clinic. RCI members can login to view past Candy Clinic presentations like this one at retailconfectioners.org/candyclinic.

 

 

Apple Pie Truffles

Achieve the comforting flavors of warm, apple pie in a truffle with this recipe from Peter’s Chocolate.

 

 

Apple Cider Caramels

Another iconic fall flavor, apple cider brings a welcome depth of flavor to any caramel recipe. Check out  this recipe from King Arthur Baking.

 

 

Apple Pie Fudge

Not only does this fudge bring fall flavor, the addition of gingersnap cookies emulates the texture of a crisp fall apple. Click here to view recipe from Sugary Sweets.

 

 

Caramel Apple Popcorn

Caramel popcorn is reimagined for fall with dried apple chips and a dash of warm cinnamon in this recipe by Cookies and Cups.

We hope this week’s post helps you celebrate the flavors of the fall apple harvest.

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.

Many would agree together chocolate and coffee are the perfect blend. In honor of International Coffee Day on September 29, create thin, chocolate discs to top (and eventually melt into ) a coffee cup or mug. Using a three-inch diameter ring mould (like this one) could help you create a consistent shape every time.

 

 

The average ceramic coffee mug is 3.25 inches in diameter and an eight-ounce disposable coffee cup is approximately 3.15 inches.

Of course, solid chocolate discs are delicious as is, the options are endless if you’d like to add flare with flavorings (like caramel, French vanilla, hazelnut, mint, pumpkin spice, etc.) or toppings of crushed peppermint, sprinkles, swirls of dark/milk/white chocolate or cookie crumbles. The addition of colored cocoa butter or transfer sheets add to the visual aesthetics.

Once you’ve perfected your product, connect with local coffee companies and/or restaurants in your community to sell or promote your chocolate discs. Quick tip: For best results, pair chocolate discs with milk-based coffee drinks such as a lattes and cappuccinos.

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.

 

Just when you think rich and buttery caramel couldn’t get any better, a dash of sea salt can take it to the next level. Marked as a hot flavor trend in 2008, this sweet and salty power couple continues to prove its staying power.

Chocolate-covered sea salt caramels are a customer-favorite for many RCI members. If you’re looking for new avenues to apply the magic of sea salt, keep reading for five confections that are even better with sea salt.

 

 

Caramel Apples
Elevate your caramel apples with a drizzle of chocolate and a sprinkle of sea salt. Not only does this application stimulate the taste buds, the addition of delicate sea salt crystals levels up the sophistication.

 

Toffee
It just makes sense to pair buttery and nutty confections with a dash of high-quality sea salt. It’s no surprise toffee and sea salt are a winning combination.

 

 

Caramel Popcorn
If you make caramel popcorn, a sprinkle of coarse sea salt crystals, like fleur de sel, can instantly elevate your product and add another variety to your product lineup. Invite customers to sample the new combo, touting “if you love our caramel popcorn, wait until you try it with sea salt!”

 

 

 

Salt Water Taffy
Aside from the flavor, coarse sea salt can add a welcome crunchy element to smooth and creamy confections like taffy. If you pull your own taffy, consider adding sea salt crystals towards the end of the production process so not to lose the texture of the sea salt.

 

Lemon Confections
Think twice before limiting lemon and sea salt to savory seafood dishes. This flavor combination is popular in Asian confections and can be seen in various applications in North America. If you’re looking for a more unexpected application, consider ways to incorporate sea salt with your lemon-flavored confections—such as a touch of sea salt to chocolate-covered lemon creams. Alternatively, we love this idea of lemon sea salt peanuts from Belmont Peanuts. Described as “a flavor match made in peanut paradise,” this pairing is worth a try!

 

Sea salt can instantly add value to confections, along with an undeniable punch of flavor and satisfying crunch. When adding a twist to any product, even if just a dash of salt, we highly recommend offering samples in-store and heavily promoting the new product (with photos, of course) on your website and social media outlets. Staging your salty, new products atop a generous mound of coarse sea salt crystals (think pink with pink Himalayan Sea salt, if you use it in your application) can both be visually appealing and reinforce the message even if the consumer doesn’t read the description.

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.