My Cravings for Sweets...

If there is one thing the author of this blog is known for, it's for having a GIGANTIC sweet tooth.  So is it a surprise to find a whole passel of Cherry Jolly Ranchers on my desk?  What do you have on yours?

How often does your candy jar stash change in flavor, type, color, or variety? Some days I crave hard candy, some days chocolate.  Some days I want a surprise, some days I want something reliable.  Some days Taffy, some days Gum. What about you?

The world of candy is as expansive and creative as your imagination.  So go ahead and fill that dish on your desk with the candy of choice for the mood you're in. Because as we like to say, candy is good for you - it makes you smile and laugh, and those things are what life is all about.  Right?

Caption Me?

Oh what I could say about you!

When you see a picture of something you enjoy, what comes to mind right away?

We recently asked this question about this picture on our Facebook page for our Chocolate store and got some cute responses that we enjoyed reading. The interaction with our fan base was stimulating, and the responses were thought provoking.

The picture is of a just completed, fresh as can be, batch (or as we call it, a loaf) of our Creamy Chocolate Kansas City FudgeTM. Next to it lies one of the tools of our trade. The loaf is approximately 23lbs and measures nearly 4 feet long.

What do YOU say about it?

Christmas Candy!!!

Oh boy!!  It's here and we are sooooo excited!!

Christmas is one of the best times of year for candy: colors, shapes, flavors, and emotions come alive with such a broad variety of candy.  Mellowcreme, chocolate, gummi, malt, and lots lots more.

One of our favorite new candy selections is our Christmas Mix from The Jelly Belly Company, which includes some of the best holiday candies to sink your sweet tooth into: Mellowcreme Santa's and holiday shapes, speckled malted milk chocolate balls, dark chocolate foil balls, pectin mint drops, chocolate Dutch mints, and Jelly Belly's in Red Apple and Sour Apple.  And not only does it taste great, but we just looooove the colors it brings out on our shelf.

Our Holiday candy selection includes over 25 new candies that have filled our shelves, including everything from sweet to sour to chocolate and all things in between.  We are thrilled to have new product, love the festivity it brings our store, and even better, love the joy it brings to people when they proclaim their joy for such a wonderful candy experience.

We look forward to welcoming you during the Holiday season..

I Voted.

Despite the grueling lines that formed even before the voting station opened, despite the cool weather that we waited in outside, despite the laundry list of things that I need to do, and despite my claustrophobic nature - I waited, I stood in line, I voted.

I took part in this election, as I do each and every year. I vote at every opportunity, every election, every time, without fail.

And I'm proud to do it.

Too Old to Dress Up?

What, you're too old to dress up for Halloween?

When did having fun become optional for adults? Here is your chance, perhaps one of the best chances, at being 10 yrs old again and totally getting away with it. Why not?

Office parties, neighborhood gatherings, family events, whatever. You can usually spot someone in costume just driving around!!!

So why not dress up, at least a little, and have some fun? If you do it in public chances are no one will recognize you, even!!

Have a little fun this Halloween - you won't regret it!!

Giant Krabby Patty

Okay, SpongeBob fans, this one's for YOU!!!!!

One of our most beloved modern cartoon icons has his own gummy candy, and if you haven't heard of or seen it, please be sure to pick up some of these Giant Krabby Patty's on your next visit.

Each candy piece is individually wrapped and comes in it's own package.  Sealed for freshness, we found the candy to be flavorful, chewy, and hard to stop at just one.




Fun to eat and great to give, SpongeBob Giant Krabby Patty Gummy candy is available in both traditional gummy fruit flavor...









...and 4 individual flavors/colors (cherry, grape, blue raspberry, and green apple).  Either way, the SpongeBob fan in your life will certainly enjoy their own piece of Krabby Patty happiness with these.




 

Chip's Candy Factory is pleased to include SpongeBob's Giant Krabby Patty in an inventory including over 450 different candy items.  Stop by on your next visit to Crown Center and your sweet tooth will thank you!!

Thirtysomething...

You meet a lot of people when you've been in business for nearly 30 years.  So who do we recognize as we approach our 30th anniversary?  Well, that's both easy AND difficult to answer...

Over the years we've met, entertained, smiled, laughed, negotiated, haggled, persuaded, comforted, talked to, and otherwise interacted with, well, a whole lot of people.  A basic estimate puts the number of people who have walked through our doors in nearly 10,900 days of doing business at over 2 million.  That's a lot of samples!!

We have customers every week who tell us their memories of visiting with their parents when they themselves were children, who are continuing the tradition by bringing in their own children.  It's especially endearing when they say they remember seeing one of our staff members in particular as a child who is still with us today.  These conversations are special, and a lasting currency of our efforts to be the best we can on every opportunity.

We've seen good, bad, ugly, and most things in between; and if we'd have the chance to do it all over again we would unequivocally respond with "YES!!".  What a journey we've had, and how fortunate we are to have the support of vendors, employees, bankers, city officials, landlords, and most importantly, our customers.

On this occasion of our 30th year, while it's nice to reminisce and reflect, what we most passionately understand and care about is the importance of our future.  We understand that to have the opportunity to celebrate 30 years takes incredibly hard work, buckets of sweat equity, and certainly some luck; we also understand that to celebrate ANOTHER 30 takes twice as much of what it took to get us here.

So how do we stay relevant, current, and on the leading edge of our business?  By taking to heart a special poem that includes the saying "Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a Mystery.  Today is a Gift. That's why it is called the present".

Thank you for being a part of something we hold near and dear to our hearts - now won't you join us for another 30 years?

Smelling Roses

Ever feel like life passes you by, and the only way you noticed was seeing it in the rearview mirror?

Ditto.

So do something for yourself today and take just a moment to stop and take in something spectacular that is probably hiding right in front of you in plain sight.  Just do it - you'll be glad you gave yourself the 5 minutes.  A blooming flower, an eye catching view of downtown, couples holding hands, your favorite dessert, whatever; Just take a few minutes to stop, look, absorb, and appreciate.  Then get on with your day...

The photo pictured was taken at a local lake that is literally next to my commute. The morning mist rising from the lake was particularly interesting, so I took the 5 minutes to appreciate it; I am so glad I did. Isn't it georgious?

Salt Water Taffy

Need a neat gift for a Salt Water Taffy lover in your life?  This gift box from the Sweet Candy Company is not only cute, but filled with Sweet's award winning taffy in State Fair favorites: Buttered Popcorn, Cotton Candy, Red Licorice, and Bubble Gum.

Ever hear of the legend of Salt Water Taffy?  Well...

Atlantic City Candy store owner David Bradley's shop was flooded during a major storm in 1883, and as a result, his entire stock of taffy was soaked with salty ocean water. A young girl came into his shop and asked if he had any of the taffy he advertised for sale, he is said to have offered some "salt water taffy".  Bradley's mother was in the back and heard the exchange, fell in love with the name, and so salt water taffy was born.

Chip's Candy Factory proudly features Sweet Candy Company's Salt Water Taffy in bulk, assorted selections, and specialty packaged gifts.

Peppermint Bark

What would winter be like without Peppermint Bark?  We don't want to know, so make it year 'round!!
There are a number of ways it's made, and many are quite delicious. This is a house fave so we sample it at every opportunity wherever we go.  What makes our different is a combination of the Swiss Chocolate we use PLUS the use of both Peppermint Oil and crushed Candy Cane.

Made in layers, we start with a dark base, then a crushed candy cane layer, then the white chocolate top with some additional candy cane for visual effect. We won't tell you when or how we add the Peppermint Oil, but we will caution that due to it's strength we advise extreme caution in applying it. Even a drop too much will ruin your batch.

We believe that Quality In means Quality Out.  So while we end up making a bit more work for ourselves, we make every batch of Bark in small quantities to ensure we hit our recipe marks perfectly.  We have spent unknown numbers of hours toiling over each recipe until we hit on what we feel it an ideal representation of the flavor we're trying to create.  Hence, when we make the batch, it's in small, manageable amounts that we can duplicate time and again with precise measurements and exact procedures.

We hope you enjoy our Peppermint Bark as much as we enjoy making it.  We proudly feature Peppermint Bark amongst our daily line-up of 10 different flavors including M&M, Cranberry Almond, Mint Chocolate Chip, Rocky Road, and more.

They Won't Notice

Ever find yourself rationalizing a recent raid on the children's candy stash?

You know the deal, Mom. Kids head to the bus stop, you have a few extra minutes before you need to hit the road, and those M&MS they got the other day are just screaming at you...

Dad, the kids' Halloween candy needs inspection once.....daily, that is. Right!?!?

Well we're here to support you, parents. We understand that you, like your children, have that urge, that undeniable crave, for something sweet and yummy that you can find in one certain spot - the kid spot.

And this time of year with Halloween candy coming?? Oh dear, those kids better watch out!!!

Don't be ashamed, don't beat yourself up. Ask your colleagues at work...

You're not alone, we got your back.

Our motto is "I Want Candy", after all...

3ft Hissee Fit

Now THAT's a tantrum...

Actually that's a gigantic 3 foot gummy candy snake!!!

Distributed by The Foregn Candy Company and dubbed as the "World's Largest Gummy Snake", this multi-colored treat is available in three flavors; Blue Razberry Bite, Apple Attack, or Cherry Chase.

If you didn't get your very own, would you throw a big giant Hissee Fit??????

Candy Corn and Jelly Belly

From Green Apple to Strawberry Cheesecake to Buttered Popcorn to Very Cherry, the Jelly Belly Candy Company makes over 30 million pounds of jelly beans annually. As the weather turns and new seasons come, so do new flavors and goodies from our friends at Jelly Belly, such as the season's all time fave - Candy Corn!!

Candy Corn, developed in the 1880s by the Wunderlee Candy Company, is a candy made primarily from sugar, corn syrup, wax, and coloring. Resembling kernels of corn, it is obviously really popular in the fall and strongly associated with Halloween.  Don't you remember eating these at Halloween time as a kid?

And the Candy Corn Jelly Belly? A wonderfully crafted jelly bean that tastes EXACTLY like candy corn!!  We aren't sure the secrets behind the taste-smiths at Jelly Belly, but what a remarkable job they do in crafting real, true to life flavors of our most favorite things.  These may become your new fall once you try them!

Candy Corn and Candy Corn Jelly Belly Bean are sold in bulk at Chip's Candy Factory, but will be in stock for a limited time.  Please call ahead (816.283.8225) if you need to reserve or ensure we have these in stock for your next visit.

Hello Kitty Cake Pop

Hello Kitty Cake Pops, custom made for a customer party. Aren't they adorable?

Made without the use of any die, mold, or prefabricated device, these treats were made entirely by hand, from start to finish.

Would the Hello Kitty fan in your life love some?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge

Behold the glory of chocolate chip cookie dough, in bite sizes, loaded to the MAX in chocolate fudge. Welcome to Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Kansas City FudgeTM!

After a 2 year hiatus we've decided to open the vault and bring this popular flavor back for the fall and winter. With over 45 flavors in our arsenal, we rotate based on season, trend, and demand; some flavors are perennial offerings, while others make brief appearances from time to time. This flavor is wildly popular, fun to make and great to eat, and we're just thrilled to have it back on our shelves.

In terms of stability, understand that simply making cookie dough and adding that to fudge will definitely NOT work. Think "shelf stable" and you'll understand. While we won't divulge our cookie dough secrets, we will tell you that the cookie dough inside our Kansas City FudgeTM is not only suuuuuper yummy, but it's as shelf stable as the fudge itself. No need for special care and handling, simply store at room temperature and consume or freeze within 14-21 days.

Timing the ingredients is everything here - when slicing the completed loaf of fudge, we want to see the cookie dough pieces as whole and not melted into the hot fudge. Remember Red Riding Hood? When adding the cookie dough, the fudge must be neither too hot nor too cold, but juuuust right. The cross sections in the pictures are great representations of what an ideal slice of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Kansas City FudgeTM should look like.

It takes about 45 minutes from start to finish to create a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough fudge, which should tip the scales at approximately 25lbs. Each slice weighs approximately 8oz, and is recommended to feed up to 4 people per slice.

You may purchase this delicious flavor, and up to 35 more, in our retail store at Crown Center - Chip's Chocolate Factory, home of Kansas City FudgeTM, or online in a number of gifts and assortments at www.shop.kcfudge.com. Use coupon code CHOCOLATE online at checkout for 20% off your order.

Little Love

Amaretto, or 'little love' in Italian, has a wonderful story of love and admiration.  Are you familiar with it?

Legend states that the recipe originated from Saronno, Italy, as a gift of love and admiration.  It is believed that the gift was from a woman, reputed to be the lover, of the famous Italian artist Bernardino Luini (c. 1480-1532).

True to its name, this recipe is indeed a "little love".  Delicate almond flavors blend with ripe cherry, and when savored with chocolate, there are few elixirs that compare.  Our Dark Chocolate Amaretto Truffle, or our Milk Chocolate Amaretto Kansas City FudgeTM, each with a heart of romance and full body flavor, will certainly make a believer out of you.

Chewy Coconut + Chocolate = Mmmmmmm

Ever wish you could go back in time to meet the person who discovered that the Coconut was food? 

While we didn't invent the idea, we sure do love blending Coconut and Chocolate.  Whether it's German Chocolate Fudge or a Coconut Cake Pop or Haystacks, we won't argue with the sweet result of a perfect blend of these two ingredients.

One of our signature confections is indeed the Haystack.  Resembling a stack of hay in a farmer's field that may be a bit on the shaggy side, these beauties are a gift to your sweet-tooth that keep on giving.  Made from fresh chewy coconut and our imported Swiss Chocolate, we hand make our haystacks so they tower to approximately 2-3 inches.

Easier said than done, Haystacks may look shaggy, but we work hard to blend the ingredients and bring them to just the right tempurature to allow us to hand craft the appearance of each one.

Made in Milk, White, and Dark Swiss Chocolate, Haystacks are a regular item in the chocolate cases at Chip's Chocolate Factory.  Need some when you're on the go?  Find them online at www.shop.kcfudge.com.

Poor Baby

Like it sour? Well you're in luck, kids, 'cause this kind of sour will make you pucker like a pro...

Cry Baby Tears: shaped like a tear because they're so sour you'll cry! Small tear shaped candy in an array of bright and eye catching colors AND flavors (orange, berry, apple, cherry, watermelon, and lemon). The sour punch is not a delayed effect, it comes the instant the candy hits your tongue, and the fruit flavor is intensified with the sour sugar.  Prediction: A medley of fun fruit flavors with a wallop of sour punch will make you both fast friends.

Cry Baby Gum: all the sour punch of a Tear in a chewy gumball. Individually wrapped and available in all the yummy fruit flavors of their counterparts, CB Gum is a fun way to get an intense sour punch with gumball.  Avalable in orange, berry, apple, cherry, watermelon, and lemon.




Formerly known as Tear Jerkers and now manufactured by Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc., Cry Baby Tears and Gum are part of a wide selection of sour candy offered at Chip's Candy Factory.

 

Fringe Benefits

Employment at one of our stores has some sweet benefits, including this hand-made-quadruple-dipped-and-adorably-decorated Hostess Ding Dong Birthday Cake for our Candy Factory Store Manager.

All together now: "Mmmmmmm-mmmmmmm!!"

Happy Birthday!!!!

THAT Kind of Party

If you watched Super Bowl XLVI in January of this year you likely saw the global introduction of the newest M&M character - Ms. Brown. While the color may be nothing new, the character behind the color is full of sass and intrigue - much like the brand behind this wonderful candy.

Available in 21 individual colorsa distinctively delicious flavor, Mars' M&Ms brand candy are a terrific sweet treat with nearly endless combinations when it comes to color matching themes for parties of any kind. Powder Blue, Hot Pink, Black, Cream, etc., the options are plenty and the solution is as far reaching as your creative imagination.

Seasons are welcomed opportunities for the use of candy and color decorating. No, the colors don't taste any different from each other, but pull together some Cream, Orange, Black, and Yellow and you'll have a really inviting fall candy bowl that guests won't keep their hands out of. Throw some Brown in that bowl and you'd have a nice side dish for  Thanksgiving. Hanukkah? That's easy - get some Blue and White. A Sweet 16? Why not Dark Pink, White, and Cream...

Get the idea? Customize in any way you'd like. Candy as a centerpiece or a highlight for gatherings is nothing new, but combine your imagination with some delicious and extremely popular M&Ms in your choice of colors, and voila, you just might have yourself a picture perfect display.

Oh, and be sure to keep some in a private stash for the host/hostess!!!

---Chip's Candy Factory is a proud M&M authorized retailer offering all 21 colors of M&M brand candy.

A Bold New Look: Sixlets Shimmers

Whether planning a Wedding, Graduation Party, or Sweet 16, your candy color matching efforts must include Sixlets Shimmers.

A visual update from the Sixlets we've enjoyed for years, these little gems are still the same chocolate balls coated in a crisp candy shell - but these Shimmers colors really POP!!! 

Sixlets, in case you need refreshing, are small candy-coated chocolate-flavored candy.  Made by SweetWorks Candy Company, the chocolate centers have a signature malted flavor due to their mixture of chocolate and carob.  Traditionally offered in a variety mix including red, yellow, green, brown, and orange, they have been enjoyed for years in small tubes of either 8 or 20 pieces, not to mention the bulk option.  

The Shimmers line is available in a variety of impressive colors including Bright Pink, Lavender, Lime Green, Powder Blue, and more.  They are a striking display of eye-catching color that really must be considered for any event you have planned.

 Mix and match or stand alone, these new comers to the candy color market are making a big splash with audiences far and wide.  And did we mention that they are a more economic option to another well known individually colored candy? 

Try one on for size, you just may find yourself impressed!

Caramel + Apple

How lucky we are to have an opportunity to feast on the ever so yummylicious caramel apple...

Tradition holds that a caramel apple starts with a crisp Granny Smith style apple. It just makes the perfect blend of sweet, sour, tart, and chewy.

Other apples that are good replacements if the tart Granny Smith isn't for you include the ever popular and perfectly sweet Red Delicious and the sweet and slightly tart Pink Lady.

Many other apples have good flavor, but just aren't, in our opinion, good options for the Caramel Apple confection. They either have a soft interior and don't hold the wooden stick well, or they brown too quickly and have a short shelf life. There are few things more discouraging than slicing open an apple only to find it has browned. A local produce manager at a well known grocery chain recommends a 7 day shelf life for an apple, but we cut that in half just to be extra safe.

Whether you eat it sliced or straight from the stick, few things are more pleasing than an apple drenched in sweet caramel. How lucky we are, indeed!!

Do you agree? When was your last caramel apple?

Fun with Chalk and Seasons

Earlier this year when we gave our shop a facelift and some modern features, one of our 'must-haves' was a large chalkboard. We wanted something to feature special items, but more importantly, something where our staff could express creativity and a passion for our brand in a fun way.

We update our board approximately every 2 weeks. Taking inspiration from the season, we give our staff plenty of leeway when deciding what the final display will look like. In July it's patriotic, in August it's school related, in September it's fall or Halloween related, etc.

We hope our customers enjoy the fun artwork our employees create - we're a chocolate and candy company, we SHOULD be having fun!!

Until next time, eat your dessert!!

Spicy and Sweet

Sure, we all ate Jalapeño sandwiches as kids and occasionally partake in the spicy salsa at our fave Mexican restaurant. But Red Chili, Habanero, and Jalapeño candy?

Proudly featuring the full line of Hotlix Chili Lix, you can indulge your curiosity with these spicy sweets, and others, when visiting us at Crown Center.

Would you eat one?

I dare you...

Honk If You Love Bark!

So what exactly IS bark?  And we're not talking about recipes that call for 'almond bark' or 'bark coating' that you might melt at home to make a chocolate something.  We're talking about the confection known simple as "Bark".

Taking its name from the shape of tree bark, the confection known as "Bark" comes in as many different flavor combinations as you can imagine.  Once thought to be a clever way for chocolatiers and candy shops to make best use of leftover or extra chocolate and miscellaneous ingredients, bark has grown to a mainstream confection highly sought after for its wide and nearly limitless flavor combinations.

Bark is melted chocolate blended with nuts/fruit/cereal/cookies/popcorn/you name it, and poured on a nonstick sheet to cool. Once done, the nonstick sheet is bent/pulled, which renders the now cool chocolate into random broken pieces and shapes that resemble tree bark - hence the name. Of course you can make bark in a shallow pan, lined with a food grade pan liner, and cut into squares or rectangles if you prefer (this is the method we use to the bark will properly fit into our display case).

Bark variety is as limitless as your imagination.  One of our more unique flavors of bark is our Chocolate Bomb Pop bark we introduced this past summer. We try to develop 3-5 new flavors of bark each season; some stay, most will go, but we have a great time thinking/creating/sampling!

Bomb Pop Bark is a special blend of raspberry flavored/blue tinted white chocolate, strawberry flavored/red tinted white chocolate, with straight up white chocolate. The end result is a bit psychedelic, very funky, and super tasty.

Making this bark presents a tough challenging as it requires three separate chocolate ingredients to be individually blended/prepped/ready simultaneously, then for those chocolates to be carefully blended together produce the signature three color separation of a Bomb Pop.  We want every bite to include at least some of each flavor, so we give it our signature swirl as we make it to ensure the flavors blend top to bottom, and to help give it some "WOW" factor.  Of course, to top it all off, we add Red, White, and Blue sprinkle stars for final effect - well it is patriotic, right?

Like a kid in a candy store, we're just trying to make the very best chocolate for you, and have a really great time while doing it.  See you soon, sweets!

Triple Power Push Pop

Three push pop super flavors combine for the Triple Power Push Pop!

All that can really be said about this super sucker treat is: thank you Bazooka for making such an awesome pop!!!

Are you a fan?

Chocolate + Peanut Butter + Fudge

If we had to pick a universal favorite fudge flavor, the Top 3 would definitely include Chocolate Peanut Butter.

A regular since we opened in 1983, Chocolate Peanut Butter is a blend of our world famous Creamy Chocolate Fudge, and organic peanut butter. We want pure peanut flavor, and none of the preservatives, additives, and other 'stuff'.

Not only does the other 'stuff' affect the flavor, but it also has a significant effect on how the sugar in the fudge 'sets up'. In other words, when we use regular peanut butter, the fudge sets too quickly and has an undesirable grainy texture.

Kansas City Fudge is known for being smooth and creamy - without the use of butter, marshmallow cream, or preservatives. Chocolate Peanut Butter is no different, and we make every effort to ensure each hand-made batch meets our expectations.

From the sweet blend of chocolate and organic peanut butter, to the signature vein of peanut butter in the middle of each fudge loaf, we think you'll find this to be a must-try with your next visit.

And if you can't make it in, be sure to use code CHOCOLATE at checkout for 20% off when ordering online from www.shop.kcfudge.com.

See you soon!

The Other Red Meat

Mind over matter...

Preferred by Vermilingua everywhere, ants are a great source of protein and must have a...wait a second - you aren't an Anteater!!!!

But seriously - would you eat a candy with a bug inside?  What if your friends or family dared you to?

With a healthy does of "OMG!!!", bug candy is actually quite good to the taste.  Available in many verieties and flavors, if it weren't for the bug inside you'd likely not take a second thought about enjoying one.  From ants to scorpions, bug candy offers something for anyone willing to give it a try.

Would you?

Remember, mind over matter!!!

Pumpkin Pie Kansas City FudgeTM

Pumpkin Pie fans rejoice!

A classic recipe that we've made for over 25 years is back! Made with real pumpkin and pumpkin spice, this fall classic is as unique as fudge varieties come, and is one of the more "persnickety" flavors we make.

"Persnickety" in the sense that it maintains different characteristics than our other flavors, cooks to a much different tempurature, and has a peculiar hand-feel during the final hand-paddle process.

All 40+ flavors of Kansas City FudgeTM are affected by temperature, humidity, moisture, and air pressure.  Based on the time of year, the outdoor weather conditions, relative humidity, and so forth, the batches of fudge will commonly set different from day to day to day.  An experienced confectioner will always be keenly tuned to the various measures we need to evaluate as we make each batch of Kansas City FudgeTM so that our final product looks great, has a superior taste, and a true creamy texture.

We are thrilled to welcome Fall, if not for the cooler weather, then certainly for the wonderful array of flavors, textures, colors, and smells that fill our store everyday.  Come on down and ask for a sample of our Pumpkin Pie Fudge.  You may just find yourself a new Fall fave!!

Halloween and Cake Pops

It should be fun, inspiring, and memorable.....And eating them should be pretty cool, too!!

Cake Pops are a delightful creation that combine the best of cake, cupcakes, and truffles. A cake pop adventure is a fun family activity that lets your imagination run wild - and making them for Halloween is no exception!!

We make a variety of Cake Pops with different flavors, textures, and colors, but what we always aim for is a "WOW" on the first bite of every pop.  Hand rolled, stuck, enrobed, and decorated, each confection has a heaping helping of love from start to finish thanks to a custom recipe we developed after LOTS of trial and error, focus groups, tastings, and more.  And because each batch is made entirely by hand, we are constantly tweaking aspects of our recipe to squueze as much awesomeness out of it as possible.

Of course we'd prefer you get your Cake Pops from us, but if you do them at home, or are planning on doing them at home, here are a few tips that we find useful:

-do not skimp on your ingredients. Quality in, quality out.
-a small ice cream scoop is worth it's weight in gold.
-when dipping the cake, make sure it's at room temperature. Tempered chocolate constricts as it cools, and cool cake expands as it warms. You don't want your pops to crack upon completion, right?
-mix your cake and icing while warm. In fact, do it right out of the oven as soon as the cake has finished baking.  Warm cake blends really well with the icing and helps ensure uniformity of the ingredients.
-most importantly, take the Chef's privilege and be sure to keep a few aside for yourself.  Besides, quality is #1, right???

Have yourself a sweet day, and if you're undertaking a Cake Pop adventure, Good Luck!!!  (And give us a call if it doesn't turn out so well...)

You Want WHAT Dipped in Chocolate?

Oh dear, that couldn't possibly be edible - could it!?!

Never say 'never' when it comes to putting the worlds most popular sweet on top of, well, just about anything.

From the mundane to the extreme, these are actual items we've been asked to dip in chocolate:

Bacon
Pickles
Ritz Crackers
Night Crawlers (yes, still alive!!!)
Crickets
Shrimp
Hush Puppies
French Fries
Bananas
Grapes
Broccoli
Raw Asparagus
Hot Dog and Bratwurst
Pancakes
Pasta Chips

And the list goes on...

What do you crave in chocolate?

To the Stars!

They're baaaaaaaack!!!

Available in a special 1.5oz candy store exclusive, these delightful suckers have made a triumphant return to an excited audience.

Three layers (passion fruit, cherry, and pineapple) combine in a cone shaped sucker that originally was designed to inspire the imagination of kids on the subject of space.

Brands and products that we once enjoyed as kids but disappeared over the years are steadily finding their way back. From Astro Pops to Mary Jane and Zagnut, the nostalgic candy market is strong and growing.

Can't find your childhood fave? Chances are that it's no longer made, but if you're patient, it's return may not be far off.

Find Astro Pops and other nostalgic favorites in our Candy Factory, or online at www.chipscandyfactory.com.

'Tis the Season...

When did it become okay to eat Sour Gummi Brains and Gummi Spiders?  When the calendar went from summer to fall, and Halloween popped up on the horizon - that's when!!!  'Tis the season...

Each change of the season generates excitement as new products arrive and hit our shelves.  New colors, textures, concepts, pairings, and more.  From the delicate to the "OMG is that real", these are times when candy and chocolate really come alive.

One of our new Fall selections at the Candy Factory is the Sour Gummi Brain - a pink, brain looking piece of candy that is fruity flavored with just the right finish of tart and sour.  Made by our friends at the Jelly Belly Company, this is a well made treat that combines the right balance of texture, appearance, and superior quality.  Though it may be a little odd to look at or even imagine, it sure is fun to eat!  You just may need to imagine the ghouls and goblins as you do it!  You've been Triple-Dog-Dared...