Hammond's Candy Blog

Delish Demure Photo Shoot

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:57:00 GMT

Thanks to Delish Demure, Nicole Marcelli Photography, and these beautiful ladies, our candy looks even more stunning than usual! Check out all the beautiful photos.

{module_photogallery,35509,5,,18,,,true}

Spring into Leap Year!

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:34:00 GMT

In honor of Leap Year, a Denver radio station had listeners call in to finish this riddle: “Women were asked what they'd most like to do on leap day, and the #1 answer "spend time with family." For men, the #1 answer was...”. After many calls with such guesses as “golf”, “sleep”, and “watch TV”, one listener responded, “spend time with family”…and they were correct!

With Spring Break right around the corner, make sure to continue to spend some extra time with the family. If you’re a local, visit Hammond’s factory for a free tour. We promise all the kids will be begging for more quality family time! If you live a bit too far to see how those beautiful lollipops and ribbon candy are hand pulled and twisted, order some of our springtime favorites, like Fashion Mixed Pillows and Straws. Then, get the family together and make some sugary spring flowers – flower cookies that is. The instructions are easy and filled with fun:

1.) Find your favorite sugar cookie recipe (or purchase a mix at the store). Let everyone take turns stirring!

2.) Once the dough is rolled out, cut into large flower shapes and bake according to recipe directions.

3.) Immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven (while they are still on the baking sheet), insert a long, wooden stick/skewer into the side of the cookie.

4.) Once cooled, frost the cookies and decorate with Hammond’s Fashion Mixed Pillows, Straws, and more!

Visit the Hammond's Factory Store Before April 15th and Save

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 08:42:00 GMT

Bring this coupon in to our Denver, Colorado factory store and get a litle something sweet for nothing. Use it for $2 off your in store Hammond's next purchase. This coupon is valid in store only and expires April, 7 2012. Offer excludes current offers and oops candy.

Try our new line of exotic chocolate bars today. New gourmet dessert dip flavors coming soon!

The Perfect Cup of Cocoa

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:07:00 GMT

It might be 77°F in Miami right now, but the rest of the country has certainly been experiencing some cold weather. If there’s anything that comes with cold weather it’s either a bunch of snow or a bunch of colds and coughs…sometimes both.

Whether it be a few feet of the flurries or the kids staying home to cure a fever, we know how to add some sweet love with the perfect cup of hot chocolate. First rule, get a good cocoa mix. This could mean making up your own batch or getting one already made with natural ingredients like pure sugar and Dutch cocoa powder. Of course we’d recommend our Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix, not just for it’s amazing taste, but also for it’s good source of iron and rich in flavonoids, which have many great health benefits! Then, stir in some flavor with Cocoa Stirrers. Available in vanilla, peppermint, or cinnamon, there’s always a flavor to please the whole family. Top with a few of Hammond’s own homemade marshmallows and you have – as we promised – the PERFECT cup of cocoa! Get your cocoa kit, or one for a friend at:

http://www.hammondscandies.com/sweet-gift-ideas/rocky-mountain-breakfast-gift-box

Sweet Designs, A New Book by Amy Atlas - Candy Couture Sneak Peek

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:49:00 GMT

We recommend taking a look at Amy Atlas's new Book Sweet Designs: Bake It, Craft It, Style It. Below is a sneak peek of the Candy Couture section of this awesome new book. This is a Candy Glossary which gives Amy's fashionable descriptions for some of her favorite candy and how to use candy when you are styling desserts.

From the little black dress of candy to holiday wear only candy, she didn’t sugarcoat anything in this Candy Glossary. Make sure to read all of the candy descriptions because each candy has a personality of its own! She had so much fun giving each candy its own private label! Amy will be sharing more visual pages from the book (and there is so much), but she wants to mention that the book is jam packed with amazing editorial content with all of her tips and this is just a sneak peek of it.

You can pre-order the book at Barnes and Noble Here.
Don't forget to check out Amy's Blog!

Chocolate Raspberry Smush Valentines Day Cookies

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:28:00 GMT

Here is a special valentines cookie recipe. Your sweetie will be loving these smushed sensations! Raspberry buttercream filling sandwiched between yummy chocolate cookies and then rolled in crushed Hammond's Chocolate Filled Raspberry Candy Canes.

The recipe is quite simple and you can store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.

INGREDIENTS

Cookies:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg

Filling:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon raspberry extract
2 drops (or more) pink food coloring
1/2 cup crushed Hammond's Chocolate Filled Raspberry Candy Canes (about 2 canes)

PREPARATION

For Cookies:

Whisk flour, cocoa, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Beat in egg. Add dry ingredients; beat until blended. Refrigerate dough 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out dough by level tablespoonfuls, then roll into smooth balls. Place balls on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Using bottom of glass or hands, flatten each ball to 2-inch round (edges will crack). Bake until cookies no longer look wet and small indentation appears when tops of cookies are lightly touched with fingers, about 11 minutes (do not over bake or cookies will become too crisp). Cool on sheet 5 minutes. Transfer chocolate cookies to racks and cool completely.

For Filling:

Using electric mixer, beat powdered sugar and butter in medium bowl until well blended. Add raspberry extract and 2 drops food coloring. Beat until light pink and well blended, adding more food coloring by drops if darker pink color is desired. Spread 2 generous teaspoons filling evenly over flat side of 1 cookie to edges; top with another cookie, flat side down, pressing gently to smush. Repeat with remaining cookies and raspberry filling.

Place crushed candy canes on plate. Roll edges of cookie sandwiches in crushed candy canes (crushed canes will adhere to filling).

ENJOY! HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Hammond's Snack Ideas for Super Bowl XLVI

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:35:00 GMT

Because the Denver Broncos shouldn't be the only ones sitting around getting fat on Sunday, we've come up with the top 10 Super Bowl snack ideas. For some reason, the Super Bowl is synonymous with eating and eating a lot! Forget the diet for one day and enjoy all the great party foods that come with having a whole day dedicated to the big game.

Don't forget that some guests - mostly the "non-football type" come for the snacks first and the game second! It’s not all about pizza and hot wings. Remember that during the game people like to snack on the crunchy, salty sweet stuff too!

So here they are, the top 10 Hammond's Candies Super Bowl Snack ideas.

New Year, New Line of Gourmet Chocolate Bars

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:23:00 GMT

What do S’mores, Toffee Brittle, and Peanut Butter and Jelly have in common? They are all delicious flavors in Hammond’s new Chocolate Bar collection launched just this month. With a brand new year comes a new line of milk and dark chocolate bars – each flavor so unique, they will enchant the child inside of you.

Whether it’s filled with sea salt caramel or bits of our peppermint candy, every gourmet bar is sure to please taste buds of any age. Try all ten flavors or get a box of your favorite…there’s plenty to choose from, all handcrafted just as every candy and chocolate at Hammond’s is created.

Though a lot has changed in the past 90 years, it’s nice to know that the tradition of making beautiful, fun and delicious candy by hand hasn’t at Hammond’s.

The new line of bars are available in these unique flavors:

The Real Candyland

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:14:00 GMT

Chris Cole, Executive Chef at Embassy Suites in Loveland, Colorado, has some BIG ideas – you might even say ‘life-size’. While many spend the season baking cookies for neighbors or decorating little sugary houses with the kids, Chef Cole and his team of ‘little helpers’ spend 350 hours constructing a 96-square-foot gingerbread house.

The house stand 14-feet tall, has 8-foot walls, two doors, and four windows. There’s also a doghouse out front for Max!Before constructing this sweet dream house, the catering staff prepares weeks in advance baking more than 1200 gingerbread ‘bricks’ made from 600 pounds of flour and more than 900 pounds of sugar! Each brick is stuck together with royal icing by the engineering team and then decorated with Hammond’s own ribbon candy and candy canes.

If you get the opportunity to visit Embassy Suites, the gingerbread house will be up until after the New Year…or be inspired by Chef Cole’s work and start a house of your own – finish it off with Hammond’s pillows, straws, mini ribbon candy, and much more. Start your shopping with some Chocolate Filled Peppermint Straws!

Sources Cited:
ReporterHerald.com - Loveland News: ‘Home (really) Sweet Home’ - Shelley Widhalm

9NEWS Talks to Andrew Schuman About Hammond's Candy Cane Festival

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:58:00 GMT

Andrew Schuman, president of Hammond's Candies, stopped by 9NEWS Saturday morning to talk about the 11th annual Hammond's Candy Cane Festival. Thanks for having us and enjoy the sweets!

Original story can be found on the 9NEW.COM web site.

Andrew Zimmern Thanks Hammond's for Making Great Hanukkah Candies

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:01:00 GMT

Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel talks a little about Hammond's nostalgic history and reviews their line of Hanukkah Candy. We've recently released a great deal on this Hanukkah Candy for Andrew's OpenSky Shop. Thank you for the shout-out and enjoy the deal! Deal can be found in Andrew's store on the OpenSky web site.

View Hammond's full line of Hanukkah Candies here.

The original deal can be found in Andrew's store on the OpenSky web site.

5280 The Denver Magazine - Thanks for Visiting

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:02:00 GMT

5280 (The Denver Magazine) recently visited the factory to see how handmade candy canes are made. Narrated by President and CEO of Hammond's Candies, Andrew Schuman you will not only see handmade candy canes being made but also hear a little bit about our fun company and the way we like to do things around here.

Thanks again to Jeff Panis and Daliah Singer over there at 5280 Magazine for visiting the Denver Colorado Candy Factory and shooting this great video!

Original Story from 5280 Magazine (The Denver Magazine)

Inside Hammond's Candies Denver Colorado Candy Factory: The Making of a Gourmet Candy Cane

Victorious Holiday Shopping

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:19:00 GMT

The holidays seem like miles away...perhaps for many visiting family and friends this year, they are, but reality hits us with only four weekends for holiday shopping without being taken down by Black Friday crowds and night owl procrastinators. With time being of the essence, there's got to be a better way to conquer the season!

Just ask Lewis Paine, senior vice president of GfK Consumer, one of the world’s largest research companies who encourages ‘bundling’ to make this year’s shopping easier. With this in mind, we at Hammond's have created a brand new line of holiday gift boxes; we call it "Bundling Pure Sweet Goodness"! We’ve taken out the guess work so all you need to do is decide between chocolate or peppermint...or peanut butter...or marshmallow – with so many delicious choices, this might be harder than we anticipated! A better idea: buy a few, for the office, neighbors, parties, and relatives. See the entire selection at www.hammondscandies.com/sweet-gift-ideas for special pricing and more.

Hammond's Stresses Food Safety

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:24:00 GMT

For 90 years the Hammond’s brand has been synonymous with high quality. The dedication that accompanies creating our handmade confections the old fashioned way has continued to draw visitors, tour guests and consumers from all over the world. This dedication is demonstrated party through our commitment to safe, quality food.

Hammond’s Candies has been working diligently on its latest comprehensive food safety audit. This audit will satisfy regulations through the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), an internationally recognized standard of quality. The completion of this audit will mark another milestone in Hammond’s Candies’ continued commitment to the highest quality confections. While endeavoring to obtain a passing score on this audit, all of us at Hammond’s have worked tirelessly to clean, organize, and perfect our quality systems to satisfy the stringent requirements of this audit. This focus on safe, quality manufacturing is compounded by the overwhelming volume that must be produced before Christmas.

Why is food safety and quality so important? These days, it’s easy to take for granted that the food we eat is safe. Occasionally we’re reminded, as with the outbreak of Listeria in cantaloupe, that food-borne illness, commonly called food poisoning, is a very real threat to all consumers. Preventing food-borne illness – called food safety, is a matter of every manufacturer having and implementing the knowledge and tools to produce safe food. Regulatory bodies such as the FDA and USDA monitor and certify certain high risk manufactures for products like beef, poultry and dairy but rely on smaller non-government certifiers to monitor the majority of low-risk products, like candy. When Hammond’s Candies passes this audit it, will be internationally recognized for their safe, quality food.

What does this mean for you? From the retail to the wholesale customer, we at Hammond’s Candies know you will be delighted by products. You will continue to benefit from the time and effort dedicated to each small batch and our tireless efforts to produce the highest quality confections.

Don't Miss the Annual Hammond's Candy Cane Festival

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:39:00 GMT

Enjoy a day of holiday fun and start a family tradition at our Annual Candy Cane Festival on Friday, December 9th at 12pm-5pm and Saturday, December 10th from 9am-5pm. Sample candy made fresh before your eyes during the FREE tours of the candy factory. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be showing up to meet the kids.

There will also be cookie decorating, face painting, arts and crafts for the kids. Adults will enjoy caroling, trolley rides, mini factory tours and more! See you there!

UPDATE: We will be starting the 2011 Candy Cane Festival one day early this year to help manage crowds. On Friday, December 9th at 12pm-5pm the Festival will be running with limited special events. To take advantage of all the above activities please come see us on Saturday the 10th, from 9am-5pm.