For many candy makers and chocolatiers this is the busiest time of the year. That’s why, for the month of December, we’re sharing some of our favorite candy hacks—quick and easy solutions to common confectionery conundrums. This week we’re sharing a pro tip for making meltaways.

The most common way to make a meltaway is to combine tempered chocolate with melted coconut oil until it is smooth. Because coconut oil is a lauric fat, it must be added at a lower temperature so not to throw the chocolate out of temper. If the chocolate becomes untempered (or was never tempered to start with) the nice, smooth texture of the meltaway will eventually be replaced with an unpleasant mouthfeel due to the formation of fat globules.

Mixing Things Up
Consider this alternative method to making stable, smooth-textured meltaways with untempered chocolate. Instead of adding fat to tempered chocolate, combine untempered chocolate and coconut oil in a mixer. Mix at a slow speed until the temperature is below 78ºF/25.5ºC and has visibly thickened. Referred to as the “mixer method,” it achieves the same desired stability and texture the meltaway is revered for, without the hassle of keeping temper.

Stay tuned, next week we will share a simple trick for greater consistency when spreading brittle.

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.

The holiday season is upon us, and what better way to celebrate than with candy canes? These classic red and white striped treats are a staple of Christmas, and can be used in a variety of ways to add a festive touch to your confectionery creations. In this week's blog post, we're sharing 10 creative and easy ideas for incorporating candy canes into your product mix and presentation for the holidays.

 

 

1.  Candy Cane Trees

Make an impact in your holiday window display or size it down for an eye-catching centerpiece for a tabletop display. Click here to view a step-by-step tutorial on the massive candy cane showpiece pictured above.

 

 

2.  Peppermint Swirl Marshmallow

Sold separately or aside your own blend of hot cocoa mix, these festive peppermint marshmallows would add a pop of color to your shelf when packaged in clear candy bags. Click here to view recipe.

 

 

3.  White Chocolate Peppermint Marshmallow Pops

RCI member, Water’s Edge Chocolates of Tullahoma, Tennessee, dips their marshmallows in white chocolate and tops with crushed peppermint before adding a lollipop stick and a matching red ribbon. These would make great stocking stuffers, as well as a festive addition to a holiday gift basket.

 

 

4.  Peppermint Bark Fudge

If your customers love peppermint bark, they’re going to have to add a new favorite to their Christmas list! RCI member Hilliard’s Chocolate of North Easton, Massachusetts transforms the family’s original fudge recipe with an added layer of their own “Oprah’s favorite” peppermint bark on top.

 

 

5.  Candy Cane Rudolph Pops

Could Rudolph get any cuter? We don’t think so! These darling Rudolph pops are so easy, with the right supplies, you could whip up a big batch in a flash or package as a kit for families to take and make at home. If you’re hosting a holiday open house, this could be an easy and inexpensive activity for kids to make in your shop. Click here for a past blog post featuring pro-tips from an RCI member for hosting a similar event (except for Easter) in your shop.

 

 

6.  Peppermint Bark Mendiants

For an upscale spin on peppermint bark, create peppermint bark mendiants. Mendiants are a French confection consisting of a chocolate disk traditionally studded with nuts and dried fruits. In this example, Cacao & Cardamon features layers of dark and white chocolate topped with peppermint pieces and mini marshmallows.

 

 

 

7.  Peppermint Crunch Oreos

RCI member Marie’s Candies of West Liberty, Ohio puts their own sweet spin on chocolate-covered Oreos^®. A seasonal treat only made for Christmas, these mini-Oreos are covered with sweet white coating and crunchy peppermint dust.

 

 

8.  Candy Cane Bark Popcorn

Save the plain popcorn for decorating the Christmas tree! Give out samples of candy-sweet popcorn bark to your guests and watch it pop off the shelf! Click here for more details.

 

 

9.  Peppermint and Caramel Chocolate-Covered Pretzels

While adding crushed peppermint to chocolate-covered pretzels is not exactly a new revelation, throwing caramel into the mix may be. Mrs Prindables, known for their caramel apples, dips pretzel rods in their signature caramel and, again, in white chocolate before sprinkling with peppermint pieces. We think it’s worth a try!

 

 

Photo credit: Sprinkle Some Sunshine, Oh!Nuts, Home & Hallow

10.  Candy Cane Sweetheart Pops

With a box of candy canes, a lollipop stick and a bit of added heat, mould candy canes into hearts to frame your favorite holiday bark or dark chocolate. Plus, with the right color ribbon, this could easily double as a Valentine treat and a good way to use up leftover candy canes.

While National Candy Cane Day is the day after Christmas (December 26), we hope this week’s post inspires you to celebrate the candy cane all month long!

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 .

 

This “most wonderful time of the year” will be here before we know it! We’re sharing a holiday-inspired compilation of tips and inspiration to help make this holiday season your merriest yet!

 

 

 

Stand Out with Instagram-Worthy Holiday Treats

How Instagram-worthy are your holiday treats? Social media, like Instagram and Facebook, have proven to be effective tools for reaching consumers, however if A.) you’re not sharing photos of your products on your social media sites daily or B.) they don’t stand out from other holiday gifts, you could be missing out on a massive opportunity to gain new customers this season. Click here to snag creative ideas to transform some of your potentially existing treats (like chocolate-covered cookies and rice cereal treats) into new holiday favorites.

 

How to Create Your Own Holiday Gift Guide

Holiday gift guides are a visual and trendy way to promote your popular holiday items both online and in your retail store. According to a recent survey by Dynata for Redpoint Global, “nearly two-thirds of the 1,000 adult shoppers surveyed (62%), planned to do all their holiday shopping online.”

If you think you have to hire a graphic designer to create a professional gift guide, think again! In this blog post, we’ve also shared one of our favorite resources that requires zero design experience and comes with a FREE subscription option. Read more.

 

 

 

How to Sell More Stocking Stuffers

With gentle nudging, you can help ensure stockings (and your bottom line) overflow with sweetness this holiday season! Stockings stuffers are the ultimate impulse purchase, representing the opportunity to add a few extra dollars to in-store and online purchases. In post, we explore two key components that make for great stocking stuffers and how to increase sales with effective marketing and merchandising. Read more.

 

 

 

5 Quick & Easy Treats to Add to your Stocking Stuffer Display

Add extra dollars to in-store and online purchases by selling more stocking stuffers this holiday season. Above, we shared how to sell more stocking stuffers by identifying products that meet two key components. Next up, we’ve got five quick and easy ideas for products to beef up your stocking stuffer display. Read more.

We hope that these posts have inspired you to get creative this holiday season and make it one to remember.

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.

 

 

Happy Halloween! In true candy-maker style, we know you’re already preparing for the next holiday (and the next, and the next)! If you’re looking for new ideas to make your customers gobble more of your chocolate this Thanksgiving, then look no further! We’re sharing 8 gobble-worthy chocolate turkey ideas for everyone and every budget.

 

 

Hand-Painted Chocolate Turkey Centerpiece
This beauty is for the Thanksgiving “host with the most” looking for a show-stopping fall centerpiece! Hand-painted, oversized moulded chocolates, like this one crafted by RCI Member Quix Chocolate in Ferndale, Michigan, also make for an eye-catching display in your retail store. Consider displaying a single large moulded piece, like this, to suggest special orders for large centerpieces.

Even if you sell one or none, these magnificent pieces can help represent your talent, artistry and broad range, along with serving as a conversation starter both in-store and online—so don’t miss an opportunity to show these items off through your social channels!

Other RCI members have shared how they use large moulded items as a holiday giveaway or raffle off with the proceeds going toward a local cause.

 

 

Chocolate Turkey Pop
There’s just an extra something special about moulded chocolates on a stick! We think this chocolate turkey pop by Graham’s Chocolates looks especially regal with the addition of a shiny orange bow, and the way it's styled in front of a festive stack of pumpkins really draws the eye.

 

 

Foil-Wrapped Mini Chocolate Turkey
Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful! We’re grateful for RCI Supplier Members, like The Madelaine Chocolate Company who makes high-quality chocolate moulded pieces like these cute foil-wrapped mini chocolate turkeys (and other moulded turkeys of literally every shape and size) so you don’t have to! We love how The Madelaine Chocolate Company shares lifestyle photos of their chocolate turkeys as part of picture-perfect table settings on their social media pages illustrating how their products can be used to elevate any Thanksgiving table.

 

 

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Turkey
Before you go looking for the wishbone, let me tell you that this teeny, tiny turkey is actually a chocolate-covered strawberry made by RCI Member, Water’s Edge Chocolates of Tullahoma, Tennessee. Pretty convincing, if you ask us! If you already have a following of chocolate-covered strawberry lovers, you’re going to want to click here for a video tutorial by Taste of Home!

 

 

 

Transform your chocolate-covered Nutter Butter^® cookies into cute little turkeys with the addition of a turkey face sugar decoration and candy corn. If you don’t have these sugar decorations, consider using candy eyes and hand-piping the beak and wattle with colored chocolate.

 

 

 

Chocolate-Covered Oreo^® Turkey

RCI Member Bruce’s Candy Kitchen of Cannon Beach, Oregon shares another example of how to transform a chocolate-covered Oreo^® into a sweet turkey tom! We especially love the preview of their festive packaging in the background.

 

 

Peanut Butter Cup Turkey
If you make your own peanut butter cups or a similar round-shaped chocolate, or even a chocolate-covered sandwich cookie, use your imagination to create an elevated version of this turkey that is sure to be even more delicious than it is cute. Click here for a tutorial by One Little Project.

 

 

Pretzel Stick Turkey
Everyone loves the salty, sweet combination of chocolate-covered pretzels! Here’s another idea that your customers are sure to gobble up! The addition of sugar eyes, a candy-coated chocolate and yes, more candy corn, to your chocolate-covered pretzel sticks concludes our compilation of gobble-worthy chocolate turkeys.

While Thanksgiving is probably not a big sales holiday for your business, any reason to catch the attention of shoppers before Christmas could lead to a big sales opportunity! Even if you don’t have time to try these ideas this year, we encourage you to try something new for Thanksgiving! With each sale, make sure to invite customers back to do their Christmas shopping or sign up for your email list.

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.

 

Packaging serves many purposes, from providing protection to conveying one’s brand and marketing message. Unique and distinctive packaging can be a powerful tool allowing you to differentiate your product, increase sales and create an emotional connection with customers.

 

 

 

Pique Interest
Creative packaging provides an engaging visual experience that can help to pique shopper interest and make them more likely to purchase the product. Unique packaging can also act as a form of advertising, drawing attention to the product and helping it stand out from the competition.

 

 

 

Peterbrooke Chocolatier’s bold brand colors are used with consistency in their packaging, stickers, bags and bows leaving little doubt that customers know they’re in for a treat when they see bright pink and blue packaging.

Brand Recognition
Distinctive packaging can also help to increase brand recognition. Customers are more likely to remember and recognize a product if it has an attention-grabbing packaging design. By utilizing clear and consistent branding, customers will be more likely to recall your product when looking to make a purchase.

 

 

Emotional Connection
Finally, packaging can be used to create an emotional connection between customers and the product. By using packaging that evokes a feeling or sentiment, it can help you create an emotional bond with customers, which can lead to increased sales and build customer loyalty.

Looking to level up your packaging? Check out RCI’s Buyer’s Guide for a list of trusted confectionery packaging suppliers. RCI members must login for direct contact information. If you’re not a member of RCI and you would like to request contact information for RCI’s packaging supplier members, contact our office at 417-883-2775.

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.