Philadelphia has long held a place in the history of the United States as one of the cornerstones of our Nation’s birth. It was the first Capital city and the place where the words of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were first heard emanating from Independence Hall. But did you know that it was also the hub of all things chocolate in Colonial and Post-Colonial America?
Continue reading The History of Chocolate in Philadelphia →
A new year is upon us, and like many people, you might be thinking about turning over a new leaf.
Waking up at 6 each morning to run a few miles. Quitting coffee or cigarettes. Or maybe even better.
To which we say: Have you tried our dark chocolate, Bucks County?
We’re not asking that to tease you. The fact is, dark chocolate has numerous health benefits. Read on to learn more.
Continue reading Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate: It’s Good for You! →
Spend enough time reading our thoughts on dark chocolate, and you’ll realize that we love talking about the history of our favorite confection.
Regular readers of the blog know that history stretches back to the pre-Colonial Americas, when the Mayans and Aztec enjoyed an unsweetened chocolate drink that they’d flavor with things like hot peppers and corn meal.
In fact, we get the word chocolate itself from the Mayan word for “bitter water”: xocoatl. The Mayans saw cacao – the chief ingredient in chocolate – as a valuable symbol of life.
So valuable, in fact, that they may have used chocolate as currency.
Continue reading Paying With Chocolate: A Sweet History Lesson Experience →
It’s hard to compete with Halloween when it comes to candy, but every year, Easter gives October 31 a run for its money.
In 2018, we as a nation bought more than $2 billion worth of marshmallow chicks, jelly beans and chocolate eggs and bunnies. There’s no reason to think Americans won’t repeat that pattern this year. (At least we in the Bucks County chocolate molds world hope they will.)
But how did this happen? How is it that Easter – which began as a religious celebration of new life and rebirth – become a reliable source of revenue for candy makers?
It’s time for one of our candy-related history lessons. Let’s look at the connection between Easter and Easter candy.
Continue reading Easter Candy: What’s the history of these spring sweets Today? →
This Valentine’s Day, people will give their sweethearts countless sweet gifts, including milk and dark chocolate. Montgomery County is filled with people searching for just the right gift.
And maybe during their search, they stop and ask themselves “Why do we celebrate this day? And who was Valentine, anyway?”
Some people have come to deride Valentine’s Day as a “Hallmark holiday,” but it’s actually a tradition that goes back more than 1,500 years.
This is the story of Valentine’s Day.
Continue reading Who was St. Valentine & what does he have to do with candy Celebrations? →
The holiday season has officially arrived, which means it’s almost time to start putting together your annual list of New Year’s resolutions. If staying healthy or losing weight have been on your mind, “Making fewer visits to the candy store near me” may very well be one of your intended goals for the year ahead.
But believe it or not, you might actually be on the wrong track with that resolution—at least as far as your health is concerned.
Indeed, numerous studies looking at the health benefits of chocolate have been conducted over the past few years, and many of them have shown that a moderate diet of chocolate—dark chocolate in particular—can actually be good for us in a number of different ways. And thankfully, higher-end chocolate isn’t necessarily hard to find.
There’s a candy store near me—a couple of them, actually—that sells the good stuff, and at reasonable prices, too. Of course, shopping online at Stutz Candy or visiting one of their stores is a no-brainer, if only because their selection is so enormous and all-encompassing that you will literally never fail to find what you’re looking for.
Continue reading Here’s to Your Health: Don’t Give Up Chocolate This Year, Indulge Wisely! →
We may never know who discovered cocoa in the Amazon 4,000 years ago, but we owe them a debt.
Without that person, we might not be here writing this post. The Stutz company might have made shoes or sold insurance.
But how did we get from the cocoa prized by the Aztecs and Mayans to the boxed chocolates we all enjoy today? It’s the start of the school year, so here’s a history lesson on the evolution of chocolate.
Continue reading Chocolate History: The Evolution of This Sweet Treat Over Time →
Are you craving dark chocolate, Bucks County? Don’t feel guilty about your sweet tooth. Dark chocolate is actually good for you, at least in moderation. Here are just a few of its health benefits.
Continue reading 6 Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate →
As we’ve written before, we find chocolate fascinating. That’s probably good, given what we do for a living. But it’s true. Our favorite food has a long history and a remarkable story. Here are some interesting chocolate facts that you might not know.
Continue reading 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Chocolate →
Salt and sweet are an amazing pairing.
That’s apparent to anyone who’s ever enjoyed a box of chocolate covered pretzels or secretly – or not so secretly – dunked their French fries into a milkshake.
And maybe after you were done that pretzel or that ice-cream-coated fry, you asked yourself the eternal question of the satisfied diner:
“Why does this taste so good?”
As a long-time supplier of candy in Bucks County, it’s a question that interests us, so we did some digging. Here’s what science tells us.
Continue reading Why Salt and Sweet Are a Perfect Pair →
