Tips for Making Caramel Stick to Apples + Summer Inspiration

Have you ever experienced problems with caramel slipping off your caramel apples? The wax on your apple may be the culprit. By simply wiping each apple with a damp cloth prior to dipping, you can remove the waxy residue that rests on the apples.

An apple naturally produces a waxy film to protect itself, however, in some instances additional food-grade wax is added by suppliers to further increase an apple’s shelf life. For this reason, it could save you time and effort to request unwaxed apples from your supplier, if they do add wax to their apples.

If that doesn’t help, consider adding white compound to your caramel at a 5 to 1 ratio to help it better adhere to the apple.

If you can’t wait to test this out, here’s a few summer-inspired caramel apples ideas to try too!

Patriotic Caramel Apples
Show your patriotic stripes with drizzles of red and blue over a white chocolate coated caramel apple.

 

Zesty Coconut Caramel Apples
Think tropical by adding a generous helping of toasted coconut and a little lime zest to your caramel apples.

 

Wormy Caramel Apple
Turn shoppers heads with these fun, wormy caramel apples!

S’mores Caramel Apples
Transform your caramel apples into a s’mores lover’s dream by adding layers of graham crackers, marshmallows and drizzled chocolate. 

Was this tip helpful? If so, let us know in the comments below.

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Trend Alert: 5 Must Try Tie-Dye Ideas

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.

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Festive Treats for Fourth of July

Here's some fun ideas for the Fourth of July! Transform your favorite sweets into your festive treats by adding a whole lot of red, white and ooooh!

Patriotic Pretzels

This sweet and salty treat will be hard to pass up with the addition of colored confectioners coating and sprinkles to resemble the American flag.

Pop Rocks^® Popcorn

Offer a package of Pop Rocks^® as an add-on to your festive white chocolate coated popcorn (or really add popcorn treat) for a little unexpected fun this Fourth of July. Click here to read our past blog post with more inspiration, plus a helpful tip for working with Pop Rocks^® in confections.

Freedom Bark

Swirls of red, white and blue are a beautiful sight and make for a sweetly patriotic treat. Consider adding dried blueberries, cherries, cranberries or coconut for added flavor and texture while staying true to the color scheme.

Fourth of July Tie-Dye Fudge

Transform classic white chocolate fudge into a summer holiday hero! Consider a mash-up of blueberry and strawberry flavors to give it a fresh mixed berry vibe!

This Fourth of July will certainly be one to remember! We hope this offers some inspiration for your holiday celebration.

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.

Master 3-D Moulded Chocolates with this Expert Advice

Impress your customers all year around with 3D moulded chocolates. RCI member, Chef Brian Donaghy with Tomric Systems shares step-by-step instructions for working with both solid and hollow moulds, plus important considerations when it comes to tempering and cooling.

Start with Good Temper

It seems fairly basic, but before we dive into moulding chocolate, I feel compelled to note that proper moulding techniques all start with chocolate in good temper. Good temper leads to appropriate viscosity (90˚F/32˚c or below for 3D moulding), which ultimately leads to better finished pieces, whether that be your three-foot hollow bunny, your solid chocolate Santa pop or the shell to that beautifully decorated artisan-style praline. We are always looking for bubble-free chocolate, of even thickness throughout the moulded piece with the beautiful shine and snap that will delight our customer. How can we get there?

Solid Moulds

Many 3D moulds are designed as an open or closed format. The open format allows the mould to be made hollow or solid, while the closed format only allows for hollow manufacturing. Solid forming is fairly straight forward; clip the two (or more pieces) together, fill with chocolate, (bubble-free is easier to achieve, if you vibrate the mould while filling) and set filled mould in a cool space with air flow—I prefer 50˚F/10˚C for my refrigeration temperature. Leave the mould there until you can see the chocolate pulling away from the inside of the plastic. If the chocolate piece experiences breakage during this time, I will often remove some of the clips and turn the mould onto its base to finish the crystallization process. Once the piece is ready to be unmoulded, I remove it from the cool space and allow it to return to room temperature before I unmould.  Waiting this little bit, helps to prevent sugar bloom or condensation on the piece. If the mould has flash (chocolate on the seam that slipped between the plastic sides), cut it off with a utility knife or sharp paring knife and then use compressed air or a badger-style brush to remove the excess chocolate.

Hollow Moulds

The process for creating hollow moulded chocolates is similar to the solid, but after filling it while vibrating the mould, set the mould aside at room temperature for a couple minutes. Next, pour the chocolate from the mould back into the temperer. Repeat this process until the piece is the appropriate weight or thickness. Create the bottom of the piece, by pouring tempered chocolate onto a lined sheet pan, slightly bigger than the base of the mould. Stand the mould into that pool of chocolate and place the mould and sheet pan in a cool space. Like the solid piece, remove clips early if there is breakage, and bring the piece back to room temperature before unmoulding. The extra chocolate around the base of the mould can be easily removed prior to opening the mould by placing a knife between the mould and the chocolate, it should just break away if the chocolate is finished crystallizing.

Cooling Time 

What amount of time is best to store chocolates in a cool space before removing the mould? This will depend on a few factors; the size of the mould, how much chocolate the mould uses and the actual temperature of the space. Regardless of these variables, remember that no matter the size, amount of chocolate or room temperature, you will get more consistent results if that space has moving air, because moulding chocolate that has been properly tempered requires heat exchange created by airflow.

Follow this expert advice to achieve bubble-free moulded chocolates with a beautiful shine and snap.

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.

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Loco for Coconut: Troubleshooting and Ideas for Working with Coconut

In honor of National Coconut Day on June 26, we’re sharing troubleshooting tips for working with coconut as well as inspiration for developing a new, craveable coconut candy that will make your fans go loco for coconut this summer!

Coconut can come in many forms, but for confectioners, desiccated coconut is the most popular. Desiccated is defined as, “preserved by drying,” according to Merriam-Webster. The process of making desiccated coconut involves shredding unsweetened coconut meat that has been dehydrated and sifted to a range of different sizes. 

Shelf Life and Storage
Desiccated coconut is a low-moisture, high-fat product. Approximately 3% moisture content is necessary for desiccated coconut to be shelf stable. If moisture content is 5% or above, dried coconut will mold and spoil rapidly.

Poly bags are an effective barrier against moisture pick up in transit and storage. However, dry storage conditions for desiccated coconut is recommended to maximize shelf life. With a low moisture product, such as this, any candy formulation has to be adjusted for the drying effect of such an ingredient. An alternative to this formula adjustment, of course, the premoistening of the desiccated coconut before addition to the candy batch.

Oil Separation
The fat content of desiccated coconut is probably the most important single attribute. With almost two-thirds of its composition being coconut oil, with a melting point of 76°F/24.4°C, it is a factor to be seriously considered. Cool storage between 65-75°F/18.3-23.8°C is recommended. If stored above 76°F/24.4°C, under considerable stacking, oil separation can occur. This high-fat content also requires gentle handling and short mixing times for coconut candies so as to avoid the separation of coconut oil from the candy due to mechanical pressure.

Solution: Despite the best efforts of candy makers in mixing and handling of coconut pastes, it is still possible to have separation occur during the forming operation. Almost every forming operation requires that a certain amount of pressure be applied to the coconut paste. There are formula modifications that can be made to minimize this fat separation, such as the addition of 0.5%-1% of glyceryl monosterate (GMS) to coconut paste. GMS should be added to coconut paste in liquid form to ensure even distribution throughout the batch. Addition of solid GMS to a cold batch could make the ingredient ineffective.

Soapy Flavor
The high-fat content in desiccated coconut can lead to the development of soapy flavor when spoiled. Coconut fat represented by the triglyceride molecules in the presence of enzymes secreted by microorganisms (molds or yeast) breaks down into mono diglycerides and free fatty acid. Since 48% of the free fatty acid radicals in coconut fat are lauric acid, you quickly get the characteristic soapy flavor that lauric acid imparts.

Solution: The use of hot water or steam blanching desiccated coconut results in extremely low microbiological counts and drastically reduces the chances for this soapy flavor development.

Yellowing
Naturally occurring sugar and protein in coconut are responsible for the number one spoilage factor in this product: yellowing. Non-enzymatic browning, known as the Maillard reaction, gives coconut a yellow appearance is caused by the reaction between the natural sugars, particularly invert sugars and amino acids in the protein in coconut.

Storage
Once a candy maker has received desiccated coconut, it is important to always use the oldest stock first and store in the coolest possible location. At around 40°F/4.4˚C, you get an almost indefinite shelf life of coconut.

Particle Size
The tendency of a cut of desiccated coconut to yellow is almost directly related to its particle size—the larger the particle size, the greater the tendency to yellow. Extra fine or macaroon typically have the best whiteness retention, while slice and chip cuts, being cross sections of the coconut meat, yellow quickly on the inner surface.

Coconut Recipe Ideas:

Now that you’ve brushed up on your coconut knowledge, it’s time to get cooking—in the candy kitchen, that is. Here’s some inspiration for your next great coconut recipe.

• Toasted Coconut and Caramel Truffles
  Think of the popular Girl Scout cookie, Caramel deLites/Samoas, as inspiration for a caramel and toasted coconut patty, covered in chocolate. Take a look at this recipe for Samoa Truffles from Shugary Sweets. Five boxes, please! 

• Coconut Caramels
  The perfect summer twist to your caramel recipe! This recipe by Taste of Home uses coconut milk, shredded coconut and roasted almonds.

• Spiced Cashew Coconut Brittle
  Add a little bite to cashew coconut brittle with the addition of black pepper. Check out this recipe from Martha Stewart.

• Keto Coconut Truffles
  Appeal to the Keto diet craze by developing a recipe that highlights coconut with the simple addition of a natural sweetener, like honey or maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract and salt. There are tons of recipes out there, but you could start by trying this recipe from blogger, Chocolate Covered Katie.

We hope you learned something and enjoy experimenting and perfecting your coconut recipes. Do you have a favorite coconut candy that you will highlight for National Coconut Day? If so, tell us about it 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.