Hello,

I am sorry to announce that BonBonBar will be closing down.  I would like to thank each and every one of you for your support throughout this candy bar-making adventure. When I started up the company in 2007, I was rather terrified by how people might respond to my products and company, but I have been so grateful for how many people have taken BonBonBar to heart. It has been a pleasure to make candy for you.

In honor of your enthusiasm, I would like to end BonBonBar as it began — with Malt Bars!  We haven’t offered them in over two years, and I know I’d like to taste one again.  They feature a creamy malt ganache atop a crunchy shortbread and enrobed in dark chocolate.

All orders must be placed by this Thursday, October 6th, and all orders will ship by Wednesday, October 12th.  This will be the last opportunity to get or to give BonBonBars, including Single Malt Scotch Bars, Bourbon Bars, Caramel Nut Bars, and Caramallows.

In other news, my candymaking cookbook is out!  Sweet Confections: Beautiful Candy to Make at Home features my take on traditional candy recipes, such as toffee, marshmallows, peanut brittle, and a host of others.  A limited number of signed copies are available on the BonBonBar website, and otherwise the cookbook is available on sites such as Amazon/Barnes & Noble as well as in bookstores across the country.

Again, thank you for four exciting years!

Nina
Founder & Chief Chocolatier, BonBonBar

I can’t believe that it’s been so long since I’ve updated the blog.  I’ve been super busy running BonBonBar and have become spoiled by Twitter.

But I am planning on updating more frequently because there’s lots going on that’s blogworthy!

I have signed a contract to write a candymaking book that’s scheduled for release in the Spring of 2011.  It is tentatively titled Beautiful Candymaking, and it will feature my take on candy recipes of all sorts — from bark and brittle to taffy and toffee.  It’s very exciting and fun to be working with so many varied ingredients and making them into so many forms of candy.  And I feel very lucky to have this opportunity, especially in the context of this blog.  When I look back at my first blog entries that were during culinary school in 2006, when baking and confectionery were completely new and somewhat curious to me, it’s nice to feel that I kinda, sorta know this subject pretty well now and feel kinda, sorta comfortable explaining it.  Being able to share it in a book form is just amazing to me.  I also want to share a bit about the experience of writing the book and developing different forms of candy on this blog… so woohoo, Sweet Napa lives on in a pretty cool way.

Also, I did a radio interview on Dining Around with Gene Burns today on 810AM that you can listen to here.  I start at around 25:40.

And if you’re in San Francisco this week, I will be featured at The Candy Store at 1507 Vallejo St this Thursday, August 26, from 5-7pm for their Confectioner Showcase for a tasting of BonBonBar candy.  There will be bubbly, candy, me, and the wonderfulness of Diane, Brian, and Liana at their equally wonderful store (where I like to stock up on candy myself!).

And you can also tune in to ABC7 News this Friday, August 27, if you’re in the Bay Area.  BonBonBars will be featured in a segment…

More soon!  I promise, promise, promise…

Caramallows, ready for action

Hello,

Happy Holidays!  Even though I have been quiet on the newsletter front, it has been busy at BonBonBar.

The most exciting news is that I have been hard at work writing a cookbook! It is called Beautiful Candymaking, and it is due out in the Fall of 2011 through Sterling Publishing.  The book will feature my take on a wide range of candy recipes — from toffee to fudge to caramel corn — along with candymaking tips/techniques and gorgeous photography courtesy of The White on Rice Couple.

After developing so many recipes for the book, I thought that it would be a good idea to recharge and seek new inspiration for the company’s confections.  So, BonBonBar will be closed from December 23 to February 1 as I eat my way around France, Italy, Brazil, and California.  I am looking forward to returning with refreshed ideas for new products, but it most likely also means that, unfortunately, some candies will be rotated out in the new year.

As always, thank you so much for your support and enthusiasm.  Happy customers have always been my favorite part of this BonBonBar adventure, and you have given me the amazing opportunity to run a truly artisan food company that will be going into its fourth year. I am grateful, and lucky.

All the best for a happy and sweet holiday season, and I hope that BonBonBar treats will be a part of it!

Thank  you!

Nina

Founder & Chief Chocolatier,BonBonBar

MORE BONBONBAR NEWS

So far, our candy bars are being featured in Fine Cooking, DailyCandy, and The Huffington Post’s 2010 holiday gift guides.

If you would like to place your holiday orders in advance of when you would like them to ship, please let us know in the comments of the order.

All orders placed during the break will ship after February 1.

Probably one of the most common questions at my farmers markets is whether I have — or can possibly have! — caramel covered marshmallows.  So, for Easter, I’m devising my own twist on them — BonBonBar’s Vanilla Marshmallows wrapped in Salted Chocolate Nut Caramel (which contain roasted almonds, walnuts, pecans, and cocoa nibs).

I’m pretty in love with these… The simple combination of the good vanilla and good chocolate is so wonderful and rich, and these treats will also highlight that I recently started using my own housemade vanilla extract in my marshmallows (in addition to fresh organic beans, for reasons that deserve another–rather more eccentric–post).  And the texture of chewy caramel, pillowy marshmallow, crispy nuts and, flaky Maldon salt is so unique and fun to eat.  And most importantly to me, the sweetness of normal caramel wrapped marshmallows is cut back and made more complex by the magic of salt, chocolate, and nuts.

Though… I do need to figure out a good, brief-yet-descriptive name for them soon!

I’ll probably only keep them for the Easter holiday and special orders because it’s rather time consuming to make and package them.  But intrepid customers in the future could always buy a bag of caramels and a package of marshmallows… and unwrap, flatten, wrap, and eat at will.

And actually, the variation of these that I’m looking forward to trying myself involves Scotch — I love drinking my Hot Chocolate laced with Single Malt Scotch and garnished with a Vanilla Marshmallow.  So, a quick dunk in Scotch could be pretty amazing.  I’m willing to find out…

Below is a special offer that I sent out to my mailing list, so I thought I’d pass it along to my blog readers, too…

March 19, 2009 Hello, It seems like no matter where you turn, you hear more details about these tough times and see people you care about struggling.  So, I thought BonBonBar could help you spread a little cheer to friends, family, and co-workers all across the country.  I’m offering a 20% discount on all orders sent as gifts until March 25.  Handmade Chocolate Candy Bars,  Caramels,  Marshmallows, & Hot Chocolate Mix!  Accompanied by kind words… or funny words!  Such a surprise might not fix the world in a snap, but it certainly does perk it up. Coupon code: candycomfort *All orders must be accompanied by a gift message.  The only limit to the coupon is time — you may order as many gifts as you would like until March 25… yes, even gifts to yourself!  Shipping is excluded. Thank you so much! Nina MORE BONBONBAR NEWS Our Vanilla Marshmallows will now be made exclusively with housemade Vanilla Extract as well as Organic Vanilla Beans. And hot weather is on its way!  Some locations are already above 74F, and last year, April 15 marked the beginning of hot weather packaging across the country. Unfortunately, this year, I will have to include a surcharge for the insulation and gel paks due to increased costs, so you may want to order to order soon. I am expanding our wedding favor selection to include more unique and special treats. BonBonBar products are now being carried by Dean & Deluca, Bi-Rite Market, The Hoboken Candy Shoppe, and The Sugar Cube. Peanut Butter Candy Bar Peanut Butter, Strawberry Jam, Caramel, & Honey Candy Bar Assortments Malt, Caramel Nut, Orange, Cherry, Peanut Butter, Scotch… Single Malt Scotch Bar Chewy Caramel, Malt Ganache, & Maldon Salt.