Chocolates | Stutz Candy Blog

Winter Doldrums? Enter Chocolate Fondue!

Christmas and New Year’s Eve have come and gone, and the start of spring seems like a few years – and not just a few weeks – away.

This is a time of year where you’re tempted to simply hole up and hibernate until it’s warm.

But we’d like to suggest that one of the best ways to combat the winter doldrums is to socialize. And because Stutz is a company that makes chocolate, we’re going to recommend you socialize with a chocolate fondue party. There’s nothing quite like a sweet dessert made of rich, warm chocolate on a bitter winter night.

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12 Chocolate Treats for 12 Days of Christmas

Christmas chocolates You’ve probably heard the song “The 12 Days of Christmas,” but have you ever wondered how much you’d need to spend to buy all of those gifts?

PNC Wealth Management has. Since 1984, the bank has maintained The Christmas Price Index, which tracks the real world cost of everything mentioned in the song. This year, it was $34,130, or $155,407 if you assume the “true love” in the song was rebuying all the previous day’s gifts after the first day.

Your holiday budget is probably somewhat less than $34,000, which is why Stutz Candy is happy to recommend its own list of gifts for the next 12 days. (We realize the song is about the period after Christmas, but we have your shopping schedule to consider.)

We’ll add a new product every day – trying to keep with the number theme of the song whenever possible –so be sure to check back in again over the next two weeks. Enjoy!

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To Your Health: The Facts on Chocolate

A lot of things have been labeled “superfoods,” from seaweed and kale to blueberries and chia seeds. Why not add chocolate to that list?

We’re not saying it should replace fruits and vegetables in your diet, but a number of studies have shown that eating chocolate can have health benefits, from lowered blood pressure to happier babies.

Here are five reasons chocolate can be good for you:

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Cooking With Chocolate

Chocolate is one of the kings of the dessert world, but there’s no reason it only has to be used to make sweet things.

Watch enough cooking shows or read through a few food blogs, and you’ll see that there are elegant, delicious ways to incorporate it into savory sauces, vegetable dishes and entrees.

Here are three recipes that use chocolate as a key ingredient:

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What’s Handmade Got to Do with It?

Locally-sourced food may be a popular trend these days, but it’s something the Stutz Candy Company has prided itself on for decades.

Just ask Paul Bugg, our head candy maker. He’s been in the business for 33 years, going back to high school when he helped a friend’s mother in her fudge shop.

What he liked about that job is the same thing he likes about his current job.

“It’s hands on,” Bugg says. “I like making things with my hands. You get to see something versus…well…no offense to computers, but I can see what I made.”

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Mother’s Day Gift-Giving Traditions Around the World: Celebrations

Did you know that Mother’s Day, which is now an internationally celebrated holiday, has its roots right here in Southeastern Pennsylvania?

It was a Philadelphia woman, Anna Jarvis, who is said to have made a promise at her mother’s gravesite that she would create a day during which all moms, both living and deceased, would be honored.

That was in May 1905. Less than a decade later, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed into law a bill that declared the second Sunday of May an official U.S. holiday. And Mother’s Day was born.

Today, the concept of celebrating the unconditional love, support and strength of mothers is recognized all around the world. Naturally, our Mother’s Day gift-giving tradition at Stutz Candy usually involves a gorgeous gift basket or dark chocolate, shipped directly from Montgomery County.

But here’s how sons and daughters around the world choose to commemorate the May holiday:

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7 Ways to Woo With Gourmet Chocolate and Candy Gifts

While many people associate the giving of chocolate with holidays and birthdays, the truth is that chocolate is a universal gift. In fact, chocolate can be given as a great gift for just about any occasion, and at literally any time of year.

To help you woo the most important people in your life, we’ve put together a list of seven potential recipients who are sure to love a gifted chocolate surprise.

Follow these tips for picking the perfect chocolate-based gift. Whether you’re going all out for a special occasion or simply saying “thank you” to a great employee, we’re sure your recipient will be thrilled by the gesture.

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The Easter Bunny’s Favorite: Stutz Candies

Easter baskets have been providing joy to children in the United States since the 1700s when the tradition was brought by the same German immigrants who introduced the Easter bunny.   Although Easter baskets are closely associated with Easter Sunday for Christians, they actually have pagan roots that go back to ancient times, celebrating Spring and the renewal of life long before the birth of Christianity.

The tradition of feasting on a large Easter meal symbolizes the end of Lenten fasting, which takes place over the forty days before Easter. In earlier times, the Easter feast was brought to church in large baskets to be blessed by priests. Thereby, the link between a religious holiday and Easter treats was created.

Today, the National Confectioners Association (NCA) has estimated that nearly 80% of parents in the U.S. assemble Easter baskets for their children. The NCA also reports that chocolate Easter bunnies are the most popular Easter basket item, with around 90 million sold every year. Jelly beans come second with a staggering 16 billion jelly beans sold annually.

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Lighten the Mood with Dark Chocolate

As we get deeper into the first month of the new year, the natural question we ask others and ourselves is “what is your New Year’s resolution? Of the top ten New Year’s resolutions of Americans, according to statisticbrain.com, number four and five are “Enjoy Life to the Fullest” and “Stay Fit and Healthy” respectively. Americans seem intent on improving mental wellbeing, including thinking positively, laughing more, and enjoying life, and at the same time getting physically healthier, including reducing the signs of aging and decreasing the risk for cancer.

If only there was one thing, a magic ingredient, that can help achieve both mental and physical wellness goals. Could such an elixir actually exist?

The short answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Dark chocolate has recently been discovered to have a number of health benefits—both physical and mental. The basic ingredients of dark chocolate include cacao beans containing resveratrol, an antioxidant also found in red wine. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, which are destructive molecules that are implicated in heart disease and other ailments. Free radicals are implicated in the aging process and may also be a cause of cancer, so eating antioxidant rich foods like dark chocolate can protect you from many types of cancer and slow the signs of aging.

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A New Year’s Resolution for Chocolate: Reconnecting With Loved Ones

Boxed Chocolates Gift Tower - Corporate Gift Gifing — A chocolate gift tower is a great way to stay in touch with friends, family or clients.

The new year often brings resolutions for how we will improve ourselves, take care of our bodies and better our lives. For many the focus is inward, on the person in the mirror. Yet January is also a great time to take those last minute gift ideas from December and make them into an out-of-season thoughtful gesture. Whether you start to think about friends, family or business associates, here are some ways that gift baskets and towers from Stutz Candy can provide a little smile during the coldest time of the year.

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