5 Must-Try Fall Flavors…that don’t involve Pumpkin Spice

It's back! Starbucks officially launched their coveted Pumpkin Spice Lattes (aka PSL) earlier than ever—August 25. By some standards, the return of PSL is the signal that fall is around the corner. If you choose to go by the “more official” calendar date to mark the first day of fall, you’ve got until September 22 [insert sigh of relief here].

Regardless of when you choose to acknowledge the true arrival of fall, it won’t be long before it’s time to say “goodbye” to cool and refreshing flavors like watermelon and citrus, and “hello” to warm and cozy fall flavors like, well, pumpkin spice. Thanks to Starbucks, you can expect to find pumpkin spice in everything from coffees to cookies, candles to skin care, and, yes, even deodorant. Click here to check out some of RCI’s favorite pumpkin spice ideas.  

Even if you draw the line at trading in your favorite deodorant for the seasonal variety, there’s something comforting about fall flavors, but you don’t have to limit yourself to pumpkin. Keep reading for a list of equally craveable flavors to fall in love with this fall.

Apples

Apple Pecan Caramel Bark, by Hilliard's Chocolates

Pumpkin may reign king of fall, but one might say the apple is queen. This certainly isn’t a surprise if you already make caramel apples, but you may consider different ways to incorporate the unofficial fruit of fall, by mimicking the flavors in apple cider or warm apple pie.

RCI member, Hilliard’s Chocolates, evokes all the fall feels with their Apple Pecan Caramel Bark. Presented at a past Candy Clinic, the bark combines white chocolate, cinnamon oil, dried apples, caramel and cinnamon sugar for a welcome fall treat. RCI members: Login at retailconfectioners.org/candyclinic to view past presentations like this one.

Brown Butter

Land O'Lakes

Take your rich and buttery confections to the next level with brown butter, which is essentially a magical transformation that happens moments before it becomes burnt butter—naturally Martha Stewart has a solution for fixing burnt butter, click here for video. The nutty and complex flavor of brown butter will elevate any recipe. Check out this recipe for Browned Butter Salted Caramel Sauce by TheChunkyChef.com.

Chai Tea

Real Simple

Quite possibly a distant relative to the pumpkin spice latte, chai tea is a strong-flavored tea with a hint of sweetness. Ginger and pepper add a kick of spice, which is evened out with earthy notes from cardamom and cloves, plus a dash of cinnamon. Why not try this Food Network recipe for Chai Chocolate Truffles, which Giada De Laurentiis compares to a “giant warm hug.”

Dark Beer

CraftBeer.com

Beer is a great addition to any caramel and brittle recipe, but if you’re already incorporating beer into your confections try experimenting with the darker beers of the season. Take note of seasonal beer varieties like porter and stout, which will soon replace the lighter ales of summer.

RCI member, Joy Lyn’s Candies partners with a local brewery to create a peanut brittle made with Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale. Coined as “Beer Brittle,” this popular confection is made in small batches and offers a subtle hint of hops and malt.

Pears

The Kitchen McCabe

If your customers love your caramel apples, get ready to knock their wooly socks off this fall with caramel-dipped pears. Experts agree pears that are not quite ripe with long stems for dipping are best--the most popular varieties being Bosc, Anjou, Comice and Seckel pears. Unlike apples, most pears (Seckel being an exception) don’t take well to having sticks inserted into them, which is why a sturdy stem is important. Check out this recipe for Caramel Dipped Pears from TheKitchenMcCabe.com.

It’s undeniable, the pumpkin spice trend isn’t going anywhere…at least until Starbucks launches their holiday-themed drink menu (enter: Peppermint Mocha), but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of other great fall flavors to peak shoppers’ interest. We want to know, what’s your favorite fall confection? Please share in the comments below.

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5 Family-Friendly Ways to Generate Sales for Fall 2020

There’s little doubt this fall season is going to look very different for many families and individuals. Thanks to COVID-19, many of our favorite traditional fall events will be canceled or, if not, done very differently.

Here’s five ideas from RCI members for generating sales by creating memorable experiences for families this fall.

Candy-Making Classes: Two Ways

Hosting virtual candy-making classes is a great way to engage with consumers. RCI member, Yelibelly Chocolates, has developed a series of at-home candy-making classes which can be experienced as a prerecorded video or live Zoom call. Further direction can be shared with customers after purchasing a supply kit containing the needed ingredients and supplies.

Known for their in-person candy-making classes for kids, RCI member, PeterbrookeChocolatier, has been able to continue in-person classes by offering small groups of families and/or close friends to take private classes together after local mandates allowed. This approach limits potential exposure to participants by individuals outside their inner circle and creates a more comfortable environment for local patrons to do something fun outside their homes.

Socially Distant Outdoor Events

Is your annual fall festival cancelled this year? Use your creativity to dream up a socially distant outdoor event to generate foot traffic at your store. RCI member Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium plans to host their annual outdoor pumpkin painting party (albeit practicing social distancing) and treat kids dressed in their Halloween costumes with a complimentary goodie bag.

Another idea could include hosting a family movie night in the parking lot by hanging a white sheet on the side of your building and setting up a projector. RCI member, MarshmallowMBA plans to partner with local churches to gain exposure during Trunk-or-Treat events in their community.

DIY Take-Home Kits

Make it easy for shoppers to create special memories for their families. RCI member Stever’s Candies had success over the summer by selling s’mores and ice cream sundae take-home kits, each packed with all the sweet ingredients needed and bundled together for a quick, grab-and-go treat or an easy, yet thoughtful, gift.

Themed Virtual Tastings

Hosting a virtual chocolate tasting may be just the ticket for safely connecting with chocolate lovers near and far. Incorporating themes will make the experience more memorable and potentially lead to customers ordering multiple tastings. RCI member, Blommer Chocolate Company, suggests themes that hypothetically whisk participants away to a virtual vacation destination or even highlight your home base. Check out this video from Blommer Chocolate's Rose Potts for more inspiration on creating a successful virtual chocolate tasting.

For a more local vibe, source local fall produce to highlight as part of your virtual tasting. We think this recipe for apple cider caramels from King Arthur Baking Company would be the perfect addition to a fall harvest themed tasting.

Virtual Factory Tour

Pique the curiosities of children and parents alike by sharing virtual tours of your candy kitchen. After closing their factory to tours, RCI member SnowflakeChocolates has posted a virtual tour of their facility on social media as well as behind-the-scenes videos of how they make chocolate-covered Oreos and maple fudge. After seeing all the yummy confections in the making, invite followers to get it fresh by placing orders online or in-store. 

After a popular children’s YouTube sensation toured their facility, RCI member Boehm’sCandies created an Eat-Along Kit including the confections featured in the tour. If you’re looking to take your virtual tour to the next level, feature your signature confections in the video tour and sell them as a bundle for consumers to purchase and enjoy while they watch your virtual tour.

Businesses that thrive this fall will be the ones that are intentional about creating a safe and comfortable environment for consumers and their families to not only enjoy their products, but create memorable experiences their patrons won’t soon forget. Here's wishing you a sweet and successful fall season!

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.

Sweet Ways to Celebrate National Peach Month

August is National Peach Month. Did you know the peach is actually a member of the rose family and originated in China? The two main varieties of peaches are (1) clingstone, which are characterized by flesh that sticks to the stone and (2) freestone know by flesh that is easily separated from the stone.

When picking up peaches from the grocery store or farmers’ market, it’s safe to say green is definitely unripe, however, that rosy red color isn’t always an indicator of a peach’s ripeness. Different peach varieties have different amounts of red blush to their skin. According to the Illinois Farm Bureau, “the skin of yellow-fleshed varieties ripens to an orange tint, while the skin of white-fleshed varieties changes from greenish- to yellow-white.” Peaches with a slight give when pressed gently are ready to be used in the kitchen. Like many fruits, under-ripe peaches can be placed in a paper bag for two to three days to speed up the ripening process.

Peaches are at their peak from June to the end of August, so if you’re looking for fresh ways to incorporate local peaches into your confections now is the time.

Peach Pâte de Fruit
Pâte de fruit, French for “fruit paste,” is a great vehicle for highlighting fresh fruits of any variety. Interested in making your own peach pâte de fruit? Click here for the recipe from The Spruce Eats.

Peaches and Cream Fudge
It’s creamy, it’s peachy and that’s something we can sink our teeth into. Make separate batches of peach and vanilla to create a beautiful swirl with the two colors. Click here for the recipe.

Peach Pie Fudge
A white chocolate fudge as the base, freeze-dried peaches and peach pie flavoring--topped with a buttery crumble topping stirs enough curiosity to think this just might be even better than the real thing. Check out this recipe from Sweet Recipeas.

Here’s wishing your summer kitchen adventures are just peachy!

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Trend Alert: Create Craveable Confections Inspired by Churros

Looking for ideas to inspire your latest and greatest new product? Churros are a popular street food in Spanish and Latin American cultures, which have been gaining in popularity across America over the past decade. Not only are these sweet treats popping up in food trucks and high-end restaurants, various applications can be found in the confectionery industry. 

Although these crispy and chewy fried pastries, often topped with cinnamon and sugar, aren’t a new development, they are expected to “dominate 2020’s dessert scene,” according to Webstaurant Store’s food trends report earlier this year.

Compartes Churros & Horchata white chocolate bar, Smash Mallow
cinnamon churro marshmallows, and Candy Club churro bites 

Commonly characterized by a very generous coating of cinnamon sugar, you can transform just about any of your favorite confections into a churro-inspired treat. Tip: Add the extra element of crunch by incorporating Cinnamon Toast Crunch^TM Churros cereal.

 Churro Toffee

Abdallah Candies envelopes their buttery toffee in white chocolate before coating it in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. It’s almost too pretty to eat, but we wouldn’t let that stop us!

 

Churro Popcorn

White-chocolate covered popcorn sprinkled with the churro’s signature cinnamon sugar combo, may be just what you need to recreate the crispy, chewy texture that the churro is known for. For extra cinnamon flavor, this recipe coats popcorn in melted cinnamon chips.

Churro Truffles

Nothing quite beats rolling all the goodness that makes a churro into a decadent truffle. Check out this recipe for churro truffles from Peter’s Chocolate.

Here’s just a few ideas to put your own spin on churros as part of your confectionery line-up, but don’t stop here! Imagine how you could transform your signature caramel recipe or scratch-made marshmallows to capture the flavors and textures of the churro? Tell us all about your ideas 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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Tips for Making the Best-Ever Batch of Caramel Popcorn

August may have just begun, but when you see school supplies fill the store aisles, you know fall is just around the corner.

There's something warm and comforting about caramel corn in the fall--but sticky, clumpy caramel corn is no fun at all! After reading this week's quick tip, you will never want to make caramel corn without this ingredient!

If your caramel corn sticks together and becomes difficult to separate, adding lecithin will help. Randy Hofberger of R&D Consultants advises mixing lecithin with a little oil and adding this mixture at the end of your caramel corn recipe. This will help the caramel spread apart easier and save you the hassle of manually pulling it apart. 

Allergy Alert! 

It is advised that individuals with soy allergies do not consume products that contain lecithin. Although lecithin is a byproduct of soy, there is always a chance soy protein will find its way into lecithin. Lecithin derived from sunflower or canola are more allergy-friendly alternatives to soy. 

Don’t cry over spilled lecithin.

Resist the urge to clean spilled lecithin with a damp cloth or spray cleaner, which will cause it to gum-up and make it worse. Instead, cover the spill with sugar and it will clean right up without a sweat.

New Flavor Inspiration

Once you’ve perfected your caramel popcorn recipe, consider experimenting with different flavors and ingredients to take your corn to the next level. Here’s some inspiration for the upcoming fall season.

Bourbon Caramel

Equally suited as a tailgate party snack or a jolly holiday treat, bourbon caramel corn will keep ‘em coming back for more.

Dulce de Leche

Dulce de leche is a South American delicacy made with slow-cooked milk and sugar. A natural fit for caramel corn, it offers a rich, creamy and more complex flavor for your caramel popcorn.

Pumpkin Spice

Is it even fall without pumpkin spice? We don’t think so!

In the past, Starbucks has released their pumpkin spice latte as early as the end of August. Get ready for the craze by introducing pumpkin spice caramel corn for this fall season.

Here’s to making your best batches of caramel corn ever and to a sweet fall season!

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5 Ways to Celebrate with Marshmallows

August is the unofficial marshmallow month—with National S’mores Day on August 10 and National Toasted Marshmallow Day on August 30.

Marshmallows originated in Ancient Egypt. They were made from the sweet, gooey sap extracted from the mallow plant and mixed with honey to make candy. The sticky treat was so good, it was reserved exclusively for royalty.

We thought it fitting to elevate the marshmallow by debunking the idea that they’re just for campfires with five ways to celebrate with marshmallows.

Gourmet Marshmallows
There’s nothing quite like homemade marshmallow. Put the jet-puffed variety to shame and experiment with this recipe for gourmet marshmallows from Delish.com. Plus, we’ve got troubleshooting tips from RCI’s past blog post—click here to read more.

S’mores Fudge Bars
Made with a buttery graham cracker crust, generous layer of rich chocolate and topped with gooey toasted marshmallow, these s’mores fudge bars would be difficult for anyone to pass up.

Fun fact: According to the National Confectioners Association (NCA), more than 50 percent of all marshmallows sold are eventually toasted over a fire each summer (candyusa.com).

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Dipped Marshmallows
Salted caramel amps up the flavor of chocolate-dipped marshmallows. With flavors this sophisticated, forget the campfire—crank up the kitchen torch and pass the graham crackers.

Fluffer Nutter Bites
Love marshmallows? Love peanut butter? Who doesn't?! Don’t miss this recipe for gooey and crunchy Fluffer Nutter Bites. Get the recipe here.

Roasted Marshmallow Toppings Kit
If they can build it, they will come. Bundled take-home kits have been a popular option for people spending more time at home. Let consumers build their own roasted marshmallow bar with a bundled kit that’s perfect for small gatherings or an easy after-dinner treat. This twist on s’mores replaces chocolate bars with chocolate sauce and caramel sauce to coat toasted marshmallows before rolling them in any variety of crunchy topping like roasted nuts, pretzel pieces and crushed candy bits. Don’t forget to include wooden skewers as part of your kit.

Highlight your gourmet treats this summer with fun ways to celebrate marshmallows.

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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Understand the Fundamentals of an Effective Traceability System

Take action to protect your business against the threat of a product recall by better understanding the fundamentals of an effective traceability system from Dean Hornsby of Redimark. This article was originally published in RCI's Kettle Talk magazine.

In 2018, a total of 382 food product recalls were registered between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS). What were the leading reasons for the recalls? Undeclared allergens accounted for 160 recall cases; milk, tree nuts, eggs, peanuts, soy and wheat representing the largest offenders. (foodsafetymagazine.com)

If you produce confectionery products, you are most likely sourcing ingredients from multiple suppliers that are derived from local and even international sources. You rely on your suppliers to keep track of these ingredients and provide the documentation for batch or lot identification. You would expect your suppliers to notify you if they had a quality or safety recall, but what about you? Would you know what products of yours would fall under that same product recall?

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRACEABILITY

An effective product traceability system involves the use of tracking and tracing systems and processes to record the movement of incoming goods to outgoing product. Whatever system you use, it is important to capture the data of incoming ingredients quickly and accurately. The packaged products that you produce and ship need to be identified all the way back to the batches of ingredients used.

• Once product is outside of your four walls, what now?
• Did you track where the product lot was shipped to?
• What about your customers or consumers?
• Would they be able to identify the offending batch of product?

This is the importance of product coding and identification.

Above: Key areas of consideration for a traceability system

HOW TO TRACK PRODUCTS

Not only should your product traceability system capture the data of incoming goods to outgoing shipments, it needs to index all production activities to a unique batch lot number such as a kettle or oven number, mixer, packaging line, etc. This primary-level batch lot number is the license plate that travels with the product all the way to the customer and consumer. If a supplier notifies you of an ingredient safety issue, your traceability system should support a “where-used” function that allows you to enter the secondary-level batch numbers of the ingredients used and all parent level batch numbers should show as a result. The same holds true for the production process activities. Should a metal mixing blade break, all batches produced from the last inspection date of the mixing blade up until the new inspection that found the failure must be identified.

CODING REQUIREMENTS

The primary-level batch code must be visible on your product packaging. It should not be printed on parts of the packaging that can be discarded such as a tear-away opening or throwaway cap. It should be printed onto the permanent section of the packaging so that a consumer can locate the code for identification. Printing of the batch code can be performed by many different technologies. Inkjet coders offer the most flexible way to date and batch code products by jetting the ink drops that form printed characters onto the product as it travels down a product conveyor or through a flow wrapper. Labels can be printed inline using a print-and-apply system, or offline in batches that are hand-applied onto the product. Thermal Transfer Over printers (TTO) print directly onto the film in the flow wrapping process—Label and TTO technologies use wax ribbons for printing onto the label or plastic packaging substrate.

More expensive coders, like lasers, can be used to vaporize the package’s pre-printed ink surface to reveal contrasting date codes with the natural packaging material color underneath.

FSMA’S IMPACT ON TRACEABILITY

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) impacts small manufacturers (fewer than 500 full-time equivalent employees) as of September 18, 2017 and very small businesses (less than $1,000,000 in sales) on September 17, 2018.

The FSMA is a law that enforces preventative control measures and enables the FDA to perform unscheduled inspections and force product recalls instead of issuing voluntary recalls. The law can even allow the FDA to force closure of production operations should improper preventative control measures be found regarding food safety.

An effective product traceability system delivers what your business needs to protect brand image, provide consumer trust, and meet your product quality and safety goals.

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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All About Sponge Candy: What is it and how is it made?

The label typically reads “sponge candy,” but you may also know this candy as cinder block, sea foam, fairy food, angel food or a multitude of other names. Each of these names are referring to the same type of candy with origins that are rather vague, but appear to have started in the Buffalo, New York area. Additionally, it can be found scattered from coast to coast in the northern third of the U.S. and some areas of Canada.

For decades, Vande Walle’s Candies has been making sponge candy that keeps customers coming back for more. Keep reading as Tom Vande Walle shares the basics of this confection, plus tips and tricks for making sponge candy that customers crave.

WHAT IS IT?

What exactly is sponge candy? Basically, it is a hard candy to which baking soda is added, causing it to foam up, similar to that of a light, airy peanut brittle. Later gelatin is added to hold the foamy structure while the batch cools. When cool, the candy has a crisp, crunchy quality at first, but then will melt in your mouth.

Sponge-type candy can be made with slight variations, such as substituting molasses or honey for some of the sugar, using different D.E. (dextrose equivalent) corn syrup or adding flavors such as orange or mint. Some recipes even call for vinegar. Though confectioners can make it differently, what keeps them similar is that they all have the same airy texture that soaks up moisture very easily. Perhaps these variations help explain why there are so many names for the same basic candy.

HOW IS IT MADE?

Making sponge candy is really not any more difficult than making peanut brittle. Here is a quick general rundown of the procedure for making sponge candy:

Cook sugar, corn syrup and water to about 310°F/ 154°C. Remove from heat, then mix in gelatin and then add baking soda. Next, pour mixture into a square insulated box with a heavy floating cover and let cool overnight. The next morning, cut one to two inches of the candy off all the way around the outside of the block of candy with a handsaw and discard. Cut the remaining center into bite-sized pieces and enrobe in chocolate.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

When making sponge candy it is important to keep the following points in mind:

• The gelatin must be completely mixed in before adding the baking soda or the result will be burnt streaks in the block after it is cool.
• Another cause of the center of the block to be burnt could be from not letting the batch cool enough before adding the baking soda. The baking soda must be mixed in and the batch poured out quickly if a fine texture is desired.
• Also, humidity that is too high, over 50%, after the candy is cooked will cause it to become gummy, especially after it is cut and before it is enrobed in chocolate.
• About half the weight of each batch will be trimmed from the outside of the block and will need to be disposed.
• The dust from cutting the block into pieces will settle on you and everything around you.
• The pounds per hour of production will be lower than many other candies due to its light weight.
• It can be sold with or without being enrobed in chocolate. If it is cut and packaged in low humidity conditions, it can have a shelf life of more than six months.

By any name, sponge candy is a highly sought-after confection in the northern region of the United States and Canada. Although it is a polarizing confection, those who love it, really love it and will buy it for themselves and for their loved ones during the holidays, for special celebrations and just because.

Share in the comments below if you love sponge candy, what you call it and what area you are from.

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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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.

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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