Hot cocoa bombs were all the rage last year and so far, are coming in hot for the cooler fall and winter seasons. Although considered a very indulgent beverage treat, RCI partner, Blommer Chocolate Company, has shared their version with no sugar added!

 

If you’ve ever struggled with assembling hot cocoa bombs, Blommer also covers two methods of assembling and adhering hot cocoa bombs for you to try and choose your favorite.

Click here for detailed instructions and a recipe for no-sugar-added hot cocoa bombs, plus valuable tips and tricks for making the perfect hot cocoa bomb every time!

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Offering ready-to-enjoy trail mix is a great opportunity to create everyday snacking options, in addition to your special occasion gift options. Snacks, in general, are experiencing substantial growth right now. More specifically, 32% of consumers claim their household is purchasing more trail mix since the COVID-19 outbreak.

While the options are seemingly limitless, typically a successful trail mix hits three categories: (1) nuts and seeds, (2) dried or freeze-dried fruit and (3) something fun or indulgent. This last category is where confectioners can really put their unique spin on a mix.

In an article published in RCI’s Kettle Talk magazine, Charlotte Green with Barry Callebaut U.S.A., Inc. recommends to, “take your most popular confections and either miniaturize them or deconstruct the flavors and combine with fruits and nuts to make a trail mix for chocolate lovers. Chocolate-coated graham crackers can build a s’mores trail mix, caramel turtles can be the inspiration for a caramel apple pie trail mix, or a simple mini peanut butter cup can be part of a PB&J trail mix. Get creative! 42% of consumers consider their favorite flavor most important when buying nuts, seeds or trail mix.”

 

 

Trail Mix Mendiants

For a more upscale spin on trail mix, create trail mix mendiants. Mendiants are a French confection consisting of a chocolate disk studded with nuts and dried fruits. Make your own by adding your favorite trail mix ingredients to small pools of milk, white or dark chocolate before they set.

With the arrival of fallaround the corner (“hello” to fall hiking, campfires and football games) and National Trail Mix Day on August 31, we can’t think of a better time than now to start experimenting with different trail mix combinations.

If you’re at a loss for what trail mix combinations would get the most interest out of your customer base, start by asking some of your loyal customers or create a poll on Facebook. By inviting consumers to share their input, not only can you more easily meet their needs, you’re more likely to get buy-in and interest in a new product from consumers who participated in the ideation process.

Happy trails to you!

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.

 

Although this is not a new concept, interest in "hot chocolate bombs" has skyrocketed since the beginning of October—in fact, it is now considered a breakout trend according to Google Trends. In case you’re wondering what this means, if Google Trends identifies a topic as “breakout” it means there has been a tremendous increase in searches using a specific topic or keyword.  Watch this viral social media video demonstrating a hot chocolate bomb from Wisconsin-based bakery, Sweets by Jen.

Elevate your hot chocolate experience with this season’s breakout trend, hot chocolate bombs. Essentially a chocolate sphere, when placed in a mug and drenched with warm milk, the hot chocolate bomb melts away to reveal hot cocoa mix and other sweet treats inside, like mini marshmallows.

Sweet Tip:  We believe the marshmallows are the key ingredient to create an almost magical effect. As the chocolate sphere melts and opens up, the marshmallows pop out and rise to the top of the hot chocolate.

How to Make Hot Chocolate Bombs
Take a sphere mould and make a hollow chocolate shell. Once the chocolate shell has set, it’s time to fill it. A popular option is to fill the shell mould with generous portions of hot cocoa mix and mini marshmallows. Other ideas may include crushed peppermints, chocolate chips, toffee bits, mint chocolate pieces or even holiday sprinkles. Seal the two pieces of the mould together and decorate with a drizzle of dark chocolate or white chocolate swirls, topped with more sprinkles, crushed peppermints or whatever your heart desires.

 

RCI member tip: Vande Walle’s Candies uses a golf ball mould and rolls the finished product in white chocolate.

 

Don’t Have A Sphere Chocolate Mould? Don't Sweat!

 

 

If you don’t have a sphere mould consider using a round truffle mould and filling it with hot chocolate mix and a mini marshmallow or two. Since they’re smaller than the typical hot chocolate bombs, package multiples together and instruct users to use two or three "truffles" to make one cup of hot chocolate. You may not get the same effect as the large spheres pop open, but you’ll have the benefit of being able to use your existing truffle packaging.

 

 

RCI member, Bruce’s Candy Kitchen put a witchy spin on this concept by dropping a mini marshmallow cluster into a mini muffin tin and topping it with Sixlets^® candies and sprinkles to represent bubbling witch’s brew. After the mixture sets up, they insert the cluster into a plastic cauldron. These frighteningly cute cauldrons are sold as part of their Halloween Hot Chocolate Kits, complete with hot chocolate mix, extra sprinkles, candy corn and a chocolate-covered Oreo^®.

 

RCI member, Nothing But Chocolate  fills a large hollow pumpkin mould with pumpkin spice hot chocolate mix for two or more servings. Consumers are directed to heat milk on the stovetop and drop the entire pumpkin into the simmering milk. For Christmas, Nothing But Chocolate uses an ornament mould to replicate the concept. 

 

How to Package Hot Chocolate Bombs
As with any confection, your packaging can really set the tone of the presentation. For shoppers who aren’t familiar with hot chocolate bombs (yet ), we recommend utilizing packaging that allows shoppers to see the product, as well as instructions on how to use it.

Cello Bag with Ribbon
A clear cello bag is a classic and simple packaging solution, tie it with a colorful ribbon and cute name tag with instructions to create a festive and eye-catching look.

 

 

 

Acetate Tube
This clear acetate tube creates a sleek and modern look that would fit nicely in a Christmas stocking. Packaged as a set of three, it allows you to upsell the product and offer a “variety pack” with three different flavors.

 

 

Acetate Cube
This chocolatier uses a clear acetate cube to package their hot chocolate bomb. A metallic gold sticker describes the product as “exploding with mini marshmallows and chocolate hearts.”

 

Colorful Foil
If you want to highlight a variety of flavors and fillings, consider wrapping your hot chocolate bombs in colorful foil. Not only does this make for a colorful and festive look, it is easy and encourages consumers to try different flavors.

 

 

Short on time or staff? Wholesale Hot Chocolate Bombs!
While we are loving this fun holiday trend, we understand that COVID-19 has presented many candy makers with restrictions that make it challenging to develop a trendy, new product for the busy holiday season.

If you love the idea of selling hot chocolate bombs, but you don’t love the idea of making them yourself, consider wholesaling “Hot Chocolate Balls” from RCI member ChocolatesU. More like a solid hot chocolate truffle, instead of a hollow chocolate shell, their Hot Chocolate Balls are made with "the best quality couverture chocolate, cocoa powder and honey," delivering a rich, more chocolatey cup of hot chocolate. Hot Chocolate Balls are available in six flavors, as well as several limited-edition flavors for the holiday season. Click here to learn more.

Cheers to hot chocolate season! We hope this has inspired you to create your own sweet version of hot chocolate bombs and meet the growing demand for this trendy product.

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.  Follow us on Facebook for even more sweet inspiration.

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.

 

Whether you like it or not, tie-dye is one of the biggest fashion trends of 2020—no doubt thanks to quarantined DIYers looking to pass time and upcycle their wardrobes.

Oftentimes popular fashion trends find their way into other industries. With all the fun, bright colors and happy vibes it creates, we think the tie-dye trend is a perfect fit for the candy industry. If you’re looking to jump on this psychedelic bandwagon, keep reading for five must-try tie-dye ideas.

 

 

Tie-Dye S’mores

Tie-dye + s’mores! Does it get any better than this? Whip up a batch of these colorful and gooey marshmallows and dare your customers NOT to plaster photos of them all over social media! They won’t be able to resist! Click here for a tutorial from Studio DIY.

 

 

Tie-Dye Chocolate Bars

Create yummy swirls of color on a chocolate bar, then take it a step further by embellishing it with a fun, little moulded chocolate piece—like this ice cream cone—and lots of sprinkles.

 

 

Tie-Dye Moulded Chocolates

You don’t even have to like tie-dye to love this colorful bunny! What other moulded chocolates would look great in tie dye? All of them!

 

 

Tie-Dye Packaging

What goes best with tie-dye? More tie-dye, of course! Complete your collection of tie-dye confections with equally psychedelic packaging. Contact MOD-PAC for more information about these tie-dye boxes.

 

 

Tie-Dye Merchandise

For the truest tie-dye enthusiasts, consider adding branded tie-die merch to your offerings, like these t-shirts from Asher's Chocolates.  

 

 

In the world of tie-dye, the possibilities are seemingly endless! These are just a few of our favorite ways for your business to ride the tie-dye trend. Similar techniques could also be applied to chocolate-covered sandwich cookies, pretzels, fudge and more. What confections would you transform with tie dye? Share 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.