Everything is better covered in chocolate, right? We agree! If you’re taking the ever-popular sweet and salty route and covering pretzels in chocolate, we have a tip that will help keep the chocolate from cracking once the pretzels are covered. Open your bag of pretzels and leave it open the night or day before you plan to enrobe them. By allowing the pretzels to get slightly stale, you are removing moisture which helps prevent surface cracking in the chocolate.

Happy pretzel-dipping!

 

Do you have additional tips for the perfect chocolate-covered pretzel? Please share by leaving a comment below!

We’re busy planning and preparing for our upcoming Annual Convention and Industry Expo in San Francisco, June 11 through 15. This week’s tip is to join us there!

 

What can you expect at an RCI Annual Convention?

Industry Tradeshow – Meet face to face with confectionery industry suppliers and learn about the new and innovative products on the market. The tradeshow is FREE to confectionery industry professionals so print your free tradeshow ticket (insert link) and make plans to join us!

Networking – Connect with others in the industry throughout the week through a variety of networking opportunities. New this year, we have an evening set aside just for the next generation of industry leaders.

Education – We are excited to have education session topics including packaging, natural products, HACCP planning plus more. Additionally, we have a great idea-sharing session for RCI members called Candy Clinic and a question and answer session with a panel of industry experts.

Behind-the-scenes Tours – The last two days of the convention are filled with tours of area candy stores and suppliers. You’ll want to have a notebook in had because the ideas you can take back to your stores are endless.

 

For all the details and to register, visit retailconfectioners.org/annual. The early-bird discount ends May 11, so register today!

With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, get prepared to add some spice to your confections. You can add spice to nearly anything – from truffles to bark to peanut brittle. Have fun with it!

 

Some ideas for adding a hint of spice: red paper flakes, cinnamon, melted cinnamon red hots, ground chili powder or you can buy chili pepper flavor oils. Take a day and experiment in the kitchen to see what flavors blend best with your products. Don’t forget about the all-important taste test – get a number of people to test your creations before putting them up for sale.

 

Don’t forget to top off your creations with red paper flakes for added presentation! (And so that no one picks it up and gets a big surprise in their mouth)!

 

Did you know that the inks in your packaging as well as the type of packaging (cello, cardboard, etc.) you choose could affect the taste of your chocolates and candy? You may have a delicious chocolate treat and then put it in a beautiful package but after it has been in the package for a short time, it may begin to take on the taste of the cardboard, for example. That means your customers may not be tasting the true flavor of your confections.

 

So, how does one go about determining if your confections taste different because of packaging? A taste test, of course.

 

Sample your products before packaging them and then test different packaging methods. Keep your confections in the package for as long as they would normally be on the shelf and then at the end of that period begin your taste test. Be sure that you have a ‘control’ confection so that you first taste what your product should taste like and then taste the ones that have been in the packaging.  Do they taste the same? If not, there are many variables to consider but one of them should be to talk with your packaging supplier about options.  You want the beauty of your packaging to match the wonderful taste of what’s inside.

 

Do you need new packaging ideas? As an RCI member, you can find packaging suppliers in the annual Membership Directory and Buyer’s Guide. If you’re not an RCI member, why haven’t you joined? Find more information about joining by visiting retailconfectioners.org/join.

 

Does your chocolate make a bit of a mess when shaking out the excess chocolate from your molds like this photo? Sure, you have parchment paper to catch the chocolate as it falls but it probably still lands in other undesired places. A quick and cheap shopping trip for a small or medium plastic storage tub will help take care of this problem. Set the tub on your work table and set your mold upside down on top of the tub so gravity can drain the chocolate. Be sure to get a tub that has a wide enough opening at the top that your mould will easily fit down into. When you are ready to shake the excess chocolate from your moulds, place the mould down into the tub so that as you shake it all of the chocolate that flies out will land in the tub - not on you, the floor or the table.  Plus, if you line your entire tub with parchment paper, when the chocolate hardens you can easily peel it away to be reused. Less mess and less waste!