Sweet Ways to Honor Our Military Heroes

Armed Forces Day, celebrated this year on Saturday, May 17, is a time to recognize and thank the brave men and women who serve in the U.S. military. Whether it’s this day—or any day—a small gesture can go a long way in showing your appreciation.

One simple way to celebrate is by offering a special discount or free gift for military members and their families. It could be half off a favorite treat, buy one get one free, or a sweet surprise at checkout. Even a small “thank you” offer can make someone’s day.

Don’t forget to spread the word! Share your promotion on social media, post a sign in your shop, and consider reaching out to local media to help share your message of gratitude.

Looking for another meaningful way to give back? Deliver chocolates or candies from your shop to a local veterans’ center. A personal visit with a sweet treat and a heartfelt thank you can leave a lasting impression.

Not located in the U.S.? Many countries have their own holidays to honor military service. If not, consider choosing a day to show your appreciation in your own way.

Treats with a Patriotic Twist

Add a little red, white, and blue to your sweets to make the celebration feel extra special. Here are a few sweet ideas:

Photo credit: Water’s Edge Chocolates

Patriotic Pretzels

This sweet and salty treat will be hard to pass up with the addition of colored chocolate and sprinkles to resemble the American flag. Simple, colorful and always a hit.

Photo credit: Delish.com

Freedom Bark

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

Photo credit: Taste and Tell

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!

No matter how you choose to celebrate, taking the time to honor military members with a thoughtful gesture (and maybe a little chocolate) is a sweet way to say thank you.

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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.

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Candy Hack: Avoid This Salty Situation

Image courtesy of Flickr and Vegan Feast Catering

The combination of salty and sweet makes chocolate-covered pretzels a popular treat any time of the year. Save yourself from creating a salty mess in your chocolate and in your cooling tunnel. Before enrobing pretzels in chocolate, dump them on a cooling rack, placed over a tray, to catch the excess salt. This simple tip will save time and money from extra cleaning needed for your equipment as well as the need to replace salty chocolate.

Photo courtesy of PinkCakePlate.com

Encourage seasonal interest by adding nonpareils or colored coatings to tie in with a merchandising display or holiday theme. Add a punch of patriotism for 4th of July and Labor Day with red, white and blue sprinkles and colorful striping with red and blue confectionery coatings.

Photo courtesy of  MakeBakeCelebrate.com

Just as easy as changing the colors of your sprinkles, you can switch gears for fall by incorporating these chocolate-covered pumpkin pretzels into your product lineup. These festive pretzels are almost too cute to eat!

Looking for more inspiration for your chocolate-covered pretzels? Try HalfBakedHarvest.com’s recipe for Chocolate-Covered Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels and take salty and sweet next level! However delicious it may be, you will definitely want to use this week’s tip on this recipe!

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Tip # 192: Make your Favorite Summer Treats Pop!

Pop Rocks Truffles from Love & Olive Oil, Patrotic Strawberries from Our Best Bites,
Firecracker Bark from Not Your Momma's Cookie

Get things poppin’ this summer with the surprising addition of Pop Rocks^® to your favorite summer recipes! Put a little unexpected zing into your truffles or sprinkle on top of chocolate-covered potato chips, chocolate-covered strawberries, barks or really anything, by incorporating this fun and festive candy into your Memorial Day, 4^th of July and Labor Day celebrations! The fun nature of the Pop Rocks makes these products great to sample during busy traffic days or promote on social media.

Keep in mind, Pop Rocks may react to the water content found in heavy cream or other ingredients used in the above recipes. To avoid this, simply coat the Pop Rocks in cocoa butter to protect the “pop” until it hits consumer’s mouths!

Pop Rocks® is a registered trademark of Zeta Espacial SA.
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