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It’s a Chocolate Dipping Party and Candy Giveaway

Updated 15 Comments

This the season…

Every year for 35 years I spend at least 2 weeks making candy.  The holiday season does not begin in our home until the chocolates are dipped!  I then package the candy for delivery.  I carefully wrap each box, tie it with a bow, and adorn it with a tag saying “Merry Christmas From The Barton Family”.  
Every year I have my family deliver the candy to friends and neighbors.  If I delivered them, I would probably throw the box and them and say, “Merry Christmas, here’s your damn candy!”  
I would walk away sobbing, hunched over while eating the chocolate from under my fingernails that has been there for the past 2 weeks.   
Well…
This year I decided to mix it up.
It’s time for a change baby.

This apron will not be covered in chocolate.
The caramels are made and cut almost perfectly.

Trays are fulled with centers ready to be dipped.

I only use pecans from Sunnyland Farms in Georgia.  

This is a picture from last years dip.  My hands have looked like this for 34 years.
Not this year.  Because…

I rented a commercial candy kitchen.

No more hand tempering for me.

Chocolate tempered.

This is the cutest little enrobing attachment.

My solo chocolate dipping has turned into a chocolate party.

Money cannot the great friends I have that gave up a day of their crazy, busy lives to help me.

I love them.

Just a little chocolate my apron and a little on my sleeve.
During a normal dipping year I can find chocolate in very strange places.  Behind my ears, on my elbows, feet, on any phone, on every knob in my kitchen and even on the toilet. (I do wash my hands)
Not this year.
The ladies and I, oh and one dude, managed to enrobe almost 800 pieces of candy in milk chocolate.  
This weekend will be spent enrobing in dark chocolate.  Lucious, beautiful dark chocolate.  Heaven.
I have some surprising changes for my dark chocolates this year.  Cross your fingers and hope they work.

This is my 35th year of candy making and chocolate dipping.

Enjoy the chocolates my friends because it might be your last.

I’m seriously considering retirement.

It’s giveaway time!

I’m giving away 4 one pound chocolates this year.  Simply complete the form below.  Share your holiday traditions.  I love reading about your fabulous holiday traditions.  They just warm my heart.  I will ship outside the USA (it costs me a fortune, but I love my world wide readers)

Contest ends Dec. 17, 2014 at noon MST.  

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anita D. says

    As always I love each and every post that you make. I check multiple times a week just to ensure I don't miss anything. I live in New Brunswick, Canada and Oh, how I would love to be a helper in your kitchen. I look forward to further posts on candy making. I am gearing up to try my hand at it. Thank you so much for all of your tips, recipes and all the photos. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

    Reply

    • Janet Barton says

      Thank you so much for all of your kind comments. I would LOVE to have your help in my kitchen. I could really have used you during candy making. Have a great new year in New Brunswick.

      Reply

  3. Candace says

    Oh Janet, I drool over this post every year! Your past tips have really made me a better candy maker, too! How fun that you rented a commercial kitchen! You may want to think twice about "retiring"!
    Happy Holidays!

    Reply

    • Janet Barton says

      I use Couverture chocolate. Nothing to make, just melt, temper, dip. Well it's not that simple. Tempering is a pain and can be difficult. I'm still learning the science of chocolate.

      Reply

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