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.

And there was much rejoicing…

My polycarbonate molds finally came in from Belgium, via my supplier in Buffalo NY, and the Peanut Butter Candy Bar is now available.

Here’s what I wrote for my BonBonBar mailing list…

The Peanut Butter Candy Bar is finally ready! It may well be the ultimate candy bar. Each of its five dark chocolate compartments contains a Peanut Butter filling matched with a favorite topping. The outer two compartments contain handmade Strawberry Jam, the inner two contain Caramel, and the middle contains Wildflower Honey.

Our Organic Valencia Peanuts are from New Mexico. From the Santa Monica Farmers Market, we use Bill’s Bees Wildflower Honey as well as Organic Strawberries and Lemons to make our own jam.

The Peanut Butter Bar is a delicious treat for peanut butter lovers everywhere!

In other news, the Cherry Candy Bar will be available indefinitely, thanks to positive customer response. It has a Vanilla Almond Nougat enrobed in Dark Chocolate and topped with Organic Cherries.

BonBonBar’s array of products has never been more exciting — we now offer 6 Candy Bars, 5 Chewy Caramels, 2 Marshmallows, and Hot ChocolateMix as well as a variety of gift options at www.bonbonbar.com!

Thank you for your support!
Nina

**Our peanuts have not been affected by the recall.

Still busy running around and making candy… but I hope to write another proper blog post soon.  I’ve only had time for quick Facebook updates recently, so if you’re on Facebook, definitely add me!

Here’s a copy of the email I sent to my BonBonBar mailing list…

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Our Cherry Bar has arrived for Valentine’s Day! A fluffy Vanilla Almond Nougat is enrobed in Dark Chocolate and finished with Dried Cherries. This limited edition seasonal candy bar highlights the best of California’s organic cherries and almonds, accented by the richness of Tahitian vanilla.

You can sweeten the gift by ordering our Cherry Bars as part of a Valentine’s Day Collection: the Cherries & Chocolate Collection also includes Salted Chocolate Nut Caramels and the Cherries & Scotch Collection also includes Single Malt Scotch Bars and Caramels.

Thank you!
Nina

MORE BONBONBAR NEWS

This Valentine’s Day season also marks the debut of our new candy bar labels. Check out our new look!

There’s still time to bid — until December 31!

I am just starting to pull out of the holiday candy rush at BonBonBar, and I feel especially bad for not posting about this sooner, as I’ve been looking forward since last year to contributing to Menu for Hope’s holiday campaign, which benefits the UN World Food Programme.  For more details, you can read Chez Pim’s FAQ.

I am contributing a BonBonBar Tower for the raffle.  The code is UW23.  This fabulous assortment of handmade BonBonBar treats includes:

* 3 Caramel Nut Candy Bars
* 3 Malt Candy Bars
* 3 Orange Candy Bars
* 3 Single Malt Scotch Candy Bars
* 12 Vanilla Marshmallows
* 12 Passionfruit Marshmallows
* 1 Container of Hot Chocolate Mix

Donation Instructions:
1. Choose a prize or prizes of your choice from our Menu for Hope at Chez Pim and MattBites.
2. Go to the donation site at http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhope5 and make a donation.
3. Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. Please specify which prize you’d like in the ‘Personal Message’ section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code.
For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02. Please write 2xEU01, 3xEU02
4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.
5. Please allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win.  Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

And I’m off to go back to the kitchen!