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You are here: Home / Recipes / Dessert / Candy / It’s a Chocolate Dipping Party and Candy Giveaway

It’s a Chocolate Dipping Party and Candy Giveaway

December 11, 2014 Updated July 17, 2017 15 Comments

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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.  

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Filed Under: Candy, Dessert, Uncategorized Tagged With: chocolate, contest giveaway, dipping chocolates, holiday candy, tempering chocolate

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Comments

  1. Anita D. says

    December 23, 2014 at 10:35 pm

    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

      December 30, 2014 at 6:49 pm

      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
  2. Janine says

    December 15, 2014 at 10:40 pm

    Ha Ha Ha – I always make my family do the deliveries too!!! Your chocolates look amazing!

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      December 15, 2014 at 10:46 pm

      🙂

      Reply
  3. Candace says

    December 14, 2014 at 5:54 pm

    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

      December 15, 2014 at 10:46 pm

      Thank you, Candace. I think I just need to tone done the amount I dip and just give to family not the entire neighborhood.

      Reply
  4. Frazier Family says

    December 12, 2014 at 6:57 pm

    How do you make your melting chocolate? It looks amazing! I can almost smell it through the computer!

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      December 15, 2014 at 10:45 pm

      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
  5. Shaylyn says

    December 12, 2014 at 5:31 pm

    Wow your Chocolates look amazing and I know I can smell them too. YUM

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    December 12, 2014 at 5:48 am

    Thank you for the great giveaway sure hope I win this one and I am here in the USA!
    heather hgtempaddy@hotmail.com

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      December 15, 2014 at 10:48 pm

      I hope you filled out the form at the bottom of the post.

      Reply
  7. Karen says

    December 11, 2014 at 9:42 pm

    You are truly a remarkable woman!

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      December 15, 2014 at 10:49 pm

      Why thank you. I'm thinking right now I'm not a very smart woman. I made way too many and now I have to dip them. Have a great Christmas.

      Reply
  8. Marsha A says

    December 11, 2014 at 7:21 pm

    those turtles look amazing! I have been trying to make caramel for 2 days… not going so well. LOL!

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      December 15, 2014 at 10:48 pm

      You can do it!

      Reply

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