Candy Dish Blog

For more than a decade I've been involved, in some way or another, in programs to assist cocoa farming communities in West Africa, Latin America and Asia.  With 90% of the cocoa grown in West Africa coming from nearly 2 million small family farms, many in very remote locations, farmers have a long way to go to adapt more modern farming techniques that will bring their families more prosperity.

Today's announcement from Hershey that the company is expanding its commitment to cocoa communities is a  welcome one.  Specifically Hershey will: 

• Source Cocoa for Hershey's Bliss chocolates from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms
• Expand its innovative CocoaLink mobile phone program to farmers in Ivory Coast
• Build a Farm and Family Development Center in Ghana
• Invest $10 million by 2017 to reduce child labor and improve cocoa supply in West Africa.

Perhaps the most newsworthy of these many announcements is that beginning this year Hershey will use cocoa from  Rainforest Alliance certified farms in its Hershey's Bliss product line,  a first for the company.  The plan is to help farmers improve long-standing agricultural practices while preparing for the future  as they learn to prepare for global warming and adapt to its impacts.  As part of an overall strategy to reduce child labor, Rainforest Alliance inspectors will monitor and audit practices on farms supplying  certified bans to Hershey.  The Alliance will use training programs to reduce child labor and increase school attendance.  School attendance is an issue in Ivory Coast farming communities where children may live a long way from a school or parents may not feel they can afford the cost of schooling. 

In 2011 Hershey, along with the World Cocoa Foundation and the Ghana Cocoa Board introduced Cocoalink, a first-of-its-kind program that links farmers with helpful messages about sustainable cocoa farming and family health through two-way use of mobile phones and SMS text messaging in local languages.  It's an inexpensive and effective way to help farmers increase production and improve their families' well being.   Already, two out of three Ghanaian farmers use mobile phones.  Based on the success of the program in Ghana Hershey will expand into the Ivory Coast reaching 300,000 cocoa farmers or roughly half of the total number of cocoa farmers in the Ivory Coast over the next few years.

Hershey plans to work with partner Source Trust on Learn to Grow, a new farmer and family development center in the heart of Ghana's central cocoa region.  The Learn to Grow technology center will be used by schools, farmers and the wider community and will support GPS mapping of farm acreage so that farmers will use the right amount of fertilizers for maximum yield and sustainability. 

Lest you still wonder if programs like these really do help farm families consider some statistics:

*Modern farming methods and techniques increase cocoa yields by 30 to 50%

*For every 1000 farmers trained in Ghana children are voluntarily removed from hazardous forms of work

*Increased cocoa production is Ghana is linked to a 24.6% in school attendance

I like those numbers a lot; how about you?

Photo is copyright NCA, and courtesy of Donald J. Foley. Photo may not be used without written permission from the National Confectioners Association. 

The holidays are here! As I discussed in a recent blog post, the holidays bring a lot of great festive treats with them. This shouldn't be too surprising as 89 percent of 1,000 adults surveyed say candy plays some role in their winter holiday celebrations. One of the most iconic winter candies is the candy cane, one of my all-time favorite candies. So where did the idea for this holiday mainstay come from?

Legend has it that the candy cane was fist thought up in 1670 by a choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany as a treat for his young singers, which he shaped like a shepherds crook in honor of the Living Creche ceremony. In 1847, a German-Swedish immigrant in Ohio named August Imgard decorated a tree with candy canes. In the 1920s, a man by the name of Bob McCormack began making candy canes by hand as special Christmas treats for his friends in Georgia. By the 1950s, the production of candy canes became automated thanks to a candy cane making machines, allowing for mass production of the cane shaped treats.

Today candy canes are as popular as ever. It is estimated that more than 1.8 billion candy canes will be made for the winter holiday season. Candy canes can be found in traditional mint flavors as well as sour, fruit, tropical fruit, and even bacon flavors. A bacon candy cane sounds like the perfect stocking stuffer to me! I have yet to try a bacon candy cane, but it is my goal to have one before the holiday season is through. Even in a society that rightfully emphasizes the benefits of healthy eating habits, candy canes have remained popular. This is most likely because the typical candy cane only contains 55 calories with no fat or cholesterol.

If you're sick of having to buy your candy canes at the store, check out this Candy Cane Recipe: 

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon peppermint flavoring (or bacon flavoring if you want to try something new!)
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup Lt. corn syrup
• 3/4 teaspoon red vegetable coloring
• 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar

Directions: 

Combine and heat the sugar, water, syrup, and cream of tartar until the sugar is dissolved and very fine. Divide into two saucepans, boil, but don't stir until each lot is 280 degrees F. Add 1/2 tsp peppermint to each lot and add the coloring to one. Place on an enamel or marble table to cool after oiling the table. Like taffy, stretch and pull and form the sugar into ropes of red and white. Once they are formed twist them around again and again until a cane is formed. Place the canes on an oiled surface and allow them to harden. 

Have you tried the bacon flavored candy cane yet? Do you have a holiday candy that you love even more than the candy cane? Let us know by tweeting at @CandyUSA!

Candy Canes by WELS.net

Whenever I travel I want to know where I can get my craving for sweets satisfied. Since the best chocolate shops are tucked away in the nooks and crannies of towns and cities across the globe, how can you ever hope to find them? Just pull out your cell phone.

Thanks to the new "FIND CHOCOLATE!" application for Android, iPhone and iPad users, the quest for chocolate has been simplified. According to a press release the "FIND CHOCOLATE!" application connects mobile users with website Chocomap.com, which has a global database of over 2,200 chocolate stores. By connecting you to the online database the application gives you the best superpower ever: the ability to find chocolate no matter where you are in the world.

The application was created by online chocolate school Ecole Chocolat, which caters to chocolatiers and chocolate makers. Since launching on November 7th the application has gained over 1,000 new subscribers. Well, make that 1,001. 

What do you think about the application? Let us know by tweeting @CandyUSA

Belgian Chocolate Store by lincolnblues 

Gumdrops on gingerbread, decking the halls
Truffles and fondue and chocolate snowballs
Boxes of sweets and treats tied up with strings
Baking a few of my favorite things

Breaking news! It's December 1 and the winter baking season has officially arrived.

Mark discussed his favorite holiday cookies earlier in the week which set me off on a course to plan my own holiday baking. While nothing is set in stone, many of the items featured in our holiday baking guide will make the cut.

How will you bake with chocolate and candy this season? 

GingerBread House by Carrie Stevens on Flickr

I stumbled across an interesting article today from the Chicago Tribune that outlined the top ten holiday cookies. While looking over the list I could not help but disagree with the order. Here is their list, in rank order:

1. Spritz
2. Cucidati
3. Bonbons
4. Le Petit Ecolier
5. White chocolate chunk hazelnut
6. Milano
7. Ring Around
8. White chocolate-cranberry-oatmeal
9. Almond Crescents
10. Sugar Cookies

Now don't get me wrong I love all cookies, I just think this list needs to a bit of editing. Also, there are a few favorites that were forgotten. See my list below:

1. Sugar Cookies- who can argue that this staple doesn't deserve to top the list?
2. Sugar Cookies with Hershey Kisses in the middle- more like 1A and 1B with Sugar Cookies.
3. Ginger Bread Cookies- how can you leave ginger bread out of a cookie list for the holidays?! 
4. Cannoli- if their list can include Bonbons, I'm going to include cannolis. I may be biased due to my Italian heritage, but who doesn't love a good cannoli? 
5. Milano- call me lowbrow, but this minty treat is impossible to stop eating. Seriously, I've started eating a bag, looked at the TV, and then noticed the bag was empty.
6. Black and white cookie- the Yin and Yang of cookies. Don't want just one flavor? No problem.
7. White chocolate chunk hazelnut- sounds delicious to me!
8. Le Petit Ecolier- I can't say no to a hard layer of milk chocolate on top of a buttery biscuit.
9. Spritz cookies- I enjoy them when they have a white-chocolate glaze, but they're pretty good plane too.
10. Hazelnut Meringues- A cookie with a great texture and fantastic flavor.

So what would your holiday cookie list be? Let us know by commenting or tweeting @CandyUSA 

Gingerbread cookies by deborah.soltesz

Let's not get into the reasons I had to figure this little trick out over the weekend, okay?

Instead let's just assume that at some point in the future, one of us accidentally spills hot chocolate on a carpet. Don't fret. There's a good way to remove it.

1. Blot out excess chocolate until the spot is merely damp (don't rub, just blot)
2. Mix two egg yolks with about half a cup of warm water
3. Dip a color-fast hand towel in the yolk mixture and place directly on stain for five minutes to so
4. Then rub gently with the same towel (if some of the stain has sullied a portion of the towel, use an un-sullied piece). After about two minutes the stain should more or less be out

Saving some for later by cdslug on Flickr

Did Thanksgiving sneak up on you as did on me this year. A few days ago it was summer.

Some of my co-workers are more prepared for the holiday than I am; look at this awesome centerpiece gracing Alison's dinner table this year:

Amazing, right? The turkey is from NCA Member Asher's Chocolate, but there are other sources as well. Alison has him resting on a bed of candy corn which I think really makes the display.

Did you use candy in your centerpiece? Tweet at us (@CandyUSA) with a picture, or just describe it in the comments below.

Happy early Thanksgiving everyone! The holiday is almost upon us and with it comes hand-turkeys, stuffing, and grandma's pumpkin pie. We give thanks for the blessings in our lives and make sure the youngest members of our Thanksgiving tradition understand the historical importance of the day. After all, its not just about eating yourself into a food-coma and watching football. Although that is a very important aspect of the festivities. 

My favorite part of Thanksgiving is a tie between spending time with my family and the great food. Being a food fanatic I have always wondered what the food at the first thanksgiving tasted like. I have been taught Thanksgiving history in school, watched the reenactments on the history channel, and read up on the food present at the first Thanksgiving online. Despite knowing all the facts the thought still lingers: what did the food taste like?

Since my quest for a time machine is far from over I will happily settle for an authentic colonial chocolate experience thanks to American Heritage Chocolate. MARS, Incorporated manufacturers the historically accurate treats, which are made only with ingredients available during the 17th century. I may not be able to taste the entire 17th century Thanksgiving meal, but I'll settle for tasting some historical treats! The chocolate is available to order online and American Heritage Chocolate has even posted some great historical recipes.

Curious how chocolate was made with only hand tools during the 17th century? Check out this great American Heritage demonstration video here! 

Here is the recipe for my favorite, American Heritage Chocolate Cheesecake!

Ingredients:

• 14 oz. ginger snaps, crushed fine
• 6 oz. butter, melted
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 Tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 Tsp. salt
• Three 8 oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 Tsp. vanilla
• 4 Eggs, separated
• 1 cup cream
• 1/2 cup milk  
• 1-1/2 cups American Heritage Finely Grated Chocolate Drink
• 3/4 crystal (candied) ginger, chopped fine

To Make Crust:

Preheat oven to 325*F. Place gingersnaps in food processor and process until fine crumbs form. Move ginger crumbs to small bowl and add melted butter. Press mixture into bottom of a 10" springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. 

To Make Filling:

In a large bowl mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, salt and cream cheese. Add vanilla and mix for one minute. Separate egg yolks from whites. Place egg whites into small glass or metal bowl. Add egg yolks to cream cheese mixture, one at a time, mixing well after each yolk. 

Add cream and milk and mix for one minute. Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold egg whites into cream cheese mixture. Gently fold in grated chocolate and chopped ginger. Pour mixture into springform pan. 

To Cook:

Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. Let cool in oven with door shut for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool for one hour. Place in refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours -- it is best if left overnight to cool and blend flavors. Makes 12 servings.

Here is a great photo of some the awesome people from the National Confectioners Association and American Heritage Chocolate at the New York City Chocolate Show: 

Have you tried American Heritage Chocolate? Have comments on the cheesecake recipe? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting at us @CandyUSA! 

IMG_0753 by Candy NCA

IMG_0755 by Candy NCA

I love starting a chilly winter morning with a mug of creamy hot chocolate. I not only wake up with it, but find myself drinking another mug around 3:00 p.m. to finish my day strong. Hot chocolate makes me feel energetic and puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day. I don't need more of reason to drink it, but if you need a reason to justify indulging your sweet tooth just look to Askinosie Chocolate.  

Askinosie Chocolate is a chocolate company that deals directly with coco farmers to create high quality chocolate products. The company has now started to sell Tableya, a Filipino hot chocolate beverage made of roasted coco beans, which is from the Davo region of the Philippines. While visiting the source of his coco beans Shawn Askinosie, founder of Askinosie Chocolate, was inspired to sell the product.

During his visit to the area Shawn Askinosie was educated on the malnutrition affecting many young students of the region. To help fund a school lunch program Askinosie Chocolate purchased 800 units of locally packaged Tableya and plans to sell the product in their store. 100 percent of the profits from each unit sold will go directly to funding a school lunch program for the malnourished students. According to an article if the Tableya sells as expected it could raise enough money to supply more than 111,000 school lunches for students.  

I for one am a huge fan of hot chocolate, and with the winter months fast approaching I will need to stock up on some hot chocolate mix. So why not stock up on some delicious hot chocolate and help a great cause? 

hot_chocolate by stephbond 

Were you in New York City this weekend? Do you love chocolate? If you answered yes to these two questions and didn't stop by the 14th Annual Chocolate Show, which was held November 10th to the 13th, you missed out. I had a great weekend watching football, hanging out with friends and eating some great food. But after seeing pictures of the amazing chocolate themed exhibits from the show I'm searching for a way to go back in time and attend this delicious and educational event. 

The show is the world's largest event dedicated solely to chocolate and is one of the tastiest events of the year. This year the show was sponsored by over 65 brands and had numerous exhibits organized by both big and small chocolate brands. The exhibits ranged from product launches to demonstrations on how chocolate makers transform coco beans to chocolate bars. The show also had some cooking demonstrations, book signings and a chocolate fashion show that featured edible chocolate outfits. After looking through the event pictures was most impressed by the chocolate sculptors who took chocolate to new artistic heights. 

Were you at the event this weekend? Run into any of the representatives from the National Confectioners Association? Let us know your experience by tweeting @CandyUSA 

Chocolate Truffles by ajagendorf25