Do you start thinking about the holidays as soon as the weather gets cool? As magazines and store displays tempt us with holiday decor and goodies,we start thinking about our own plans. Candy is always part of the plan — a big part. Karen makes her pecan pralines, and I make caramel pecan turtles, but sometimes gift lists run long and time runs short. This year, I’m looking for quality candies to help round out gift bags and for holiday gatherings.
I recently found a bag of Koppers milk and dark chocolate sea salt caramels in a specialty shop, and of course, it called my name. These candies are a real treat. The caramel strikes the perfect balance of creamy chewiness, the sea salt counters the sweetness of the caramel. and yummy, creamy chocolate covers it all. Kudos to Koppers for pleasing both milk chocolate and dark chocolate fans in a single package! The chocolate sea salt caramels would be great for a dessert buffet, in a gourmet gift basket, or as a simple stocking stuffer.
Koppers Chocolate was founded in 1937 in Greenwich Village, New York. Seventy-five years and three generations later, the company is still family owned and operated. They pride themselves on combining the best of old world quality and modern techniques, and are recognized as innovators in the industry. I was very surprised to learn they were the first to manufacture small disks of chocolate covered in colorful candy shells – the predecessors to M&Ms! They started drenching espresso beans in chocolate more than 40 years ago. Their current incredible array of chocolates includes such unusual selections as chocolate covered pink peppercorns and eggnog cordials. Be sure to check out CNN Money’s report on this historic American candy company on Koppers website.
Koppers offers some of their most popular candies on their website, and there is an even wider selection available on Amazon, although many selections are available only in 5 or 10-pound bags. That might not be such a bad thing! Koppers also customizes candies for weddings and other events.
Footnote: As I did a final review of this post, we were watching news reports of Hurricane Sandy moving into the New York area. I started to reschedule the post since Koppers is located in New York City, but decided to publish it as planned. Koppers and many other artisan, specialty and gourmet food producers in the path of the storm could be facing some big challenges just as the busy holiday season begins. Power outages can cause loss of perishable inventories, flooding can damage or destroy facilities and equipment, and employees who face their own personal and family challenges may not be able to focus on their jobs. Food businesses that can resume operations quickly after the storm may face reduced demand from customers in their immediate areas. Please support food artisans in the northeastern seaboard area this holiday season.
Foods We Love 