Try this! Candy Thermometer Hack

If your candy thermometer has ever got in the way of stirring a bubbling hot candy concoction, then you’ll appreciate this week’s quick and easy hack.

RCI member Hilliard’s Chocolates makes approximately 5,000 pounds of their signature almond toffee crunch each year. With all the stirring it takes to whip up that much toffee, the Hilliard’s team developed a simple, yet, innovative solution for keeping that sometimes pesky candy thermometer in its rightful place.

As pictured above, Hilliard’s has screwed two eye hooks into their wooden paddle, so the thermometer slips right into place, preventing it from getting in the way while stirring.

Even small adjustments like this can make a big impact in improving efficiency. Do you have any simple hacks that improve your efficiency in the candy kitchen? If so, we’d love for you to share on RCI’s Facebook page.

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Quick Tip: No pre-bottomer? Try this!

No pre-bottomer? No problem! With RCI Chocolate Boot Camp course taking place next week, we’re sharing a quick and easy solution, demonstrated by Instructor Joe Sofia with Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate, for candy makers who do not have a pre-bottomer on their enrober.

This handy  tip uses chocolate wafers as the pre-bottom for, in this case, moulded peanut butter meltaways. Joe explained, "When you pop the meltaways out of the mould, they are ready for the full enrobing since the wafer will adhere to the meltaway." Joe also added that it's important to apply the chocolate wafer while the center is still liquid so the two stick together.

For this particular demonstration, a 22-millimeter silicon dome mould from Truffly Made was a perfect fit when using a standard chocolate wafer as the base.

If you’re interested in more pro tips like this, consider attending RCI’s next Chocolate Boot Camp course in August 2022. If you’re not a member of RCI and you would like to be notified when registration opens, click here to be added to RCI’s 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.

Candy for Breakfast: Breakfast Cereal Sweets

Unleash the inner childlike wonder with comforting and nostalgic breakfast-cereal sweets! Let’s be clear, we’re not talking about cereal that says, “made with whole grains” on the box. We’re talking about the sugary cereals that we had to beg our moms for in the grocery aisle. Victory couldn’t be sweeter…until now!

The Kerry Group identified nostalgia as one of the key trends influencing the food and beverage sector in 2022. Nothing quite brings you back to the Saturday mornings of watching cartoons as a kid, like a bowl of sugary cereal…and wouldn’t you know it, National Cereal Day is March 7!

Photo credit: Compartes Cereal Bowl Chocolate Bar, Kit Kat® Fruity Cereal Candy Bar, Exquisito Chocolate Cerealously Amazing Chocolate Bar

There’s no doubt candy brand Kit Kat® recognized the feelings of nostalgia consumers have toward breakfast cereal with its limited-edition Kit Kat Fruity Cereal candy bar released in June 2021. Studded with crunchy cereal and colorful mini marshmallows, Compartés Cereal Bowl Chocolate Bar is one of the luxury chocolate brand’s most popular chocolate bars, which retails at $9.95. As if cookies for breakfast weren’t indulgent enough, Exquisito Chocolates combines toasted white chocolate with Cookie Crisp™ cereal for a “Cerealously Amazing” chocolate bar, which retails for $8.

Photo credit: Breakfast Cereal Fudge, Paper & Stitch; Cereal Chocolate Bombs, Etsy and ProudLaTina; Magic Mix, The Baker Mama

Chocolate bars may be the more obvious approach to the breakfast cereal trend. For ideas more outside the cereal box, infuse cream or condensed milk with fruity cereal to create a cereal milk fudge. Adding iconic cereals like Lucky Charms™ and Froot Loops® to hot cocoa bombs or a sweet snack mix is an easy refresh for existing products. Try substituting nuts for cereal to put your own sweet spin on a brittle, cluster or a chocolate and caramel turtle.

Photo credit: Sugarfina

As for some marketing inspiration, we’re loving these playful graphics created by Sugarfina to launch their “Candy For Breakfast” campaign in 2018. With the addition of a colorful background and some thoughtful props, you could easily recreate a similar look of your own to create excitement about your products.

Now we’re giving you permission to take a stroll down the cereal aisle (not that you need it), fill your shopping cart with all your childhood favorites and start creating!

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.

Spread Luck with Irish Potatoes

Photo credit: Martha Stewart

This may come as a shock, but Irish potato candy did not originate in Ireland nor does it even contain potato, typically. These miniature potato wannabes are often made with a coconut-flavored cream filling moulded into the size of a small potato and rolled in cinnamon and/or cocoa, giving the illusion of a dirty potato.

With much regional appeal found in Philadelphia, it is believed Irish potato candy is actually a variation of a coconut-flavored cream dubbed “Irish” as the city experienced an influx of Irish immigrants. According to an article by Daniela Galarza published on Eater.com, “Prior to the Great Famine [in Ireland], which occurred between 1845 and 1852, America’s Irish population was fairly low. But during and after the tragedy, Philly’s Irish population boomed as families immigrated to the United States looking for a more stable future.”

Despite any likely link to Ireland, these deceiving little candies may be worth a try on your customer base for the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day on March 17. Stir up interest by introducing your potato candy as a limited-time offering and get creative to tie in with the Irish centric holiday.

Photo: Dolle’s Candyland

RCI member, Dolle’s Candyland of Ocean City, Maryland makes their Irish potatoes extra decadent by coating coconut cream in rich, dark chocolate before rolling that in a blend of cocoa and cinnamon.

Photo: Burke Candy & Ingredients

Milwaukee-based RCI member, Burke Candy & Ingredients uses a not-so-surprising, surprise ingredient to their Irish potatoes. For added texture, they combine shoestring potato sticks with their coconut dough before rolling the mixture in cinnamon and sugar.

Spread the luck o’ the Irish this St. Patrick’s Day by sharing these humble, but tasty spuds with your customers.