Tag: caramel

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Chocolate Bars

Our Confections Series: Chocolate Bars

Chocolate Bars

If you have ever wondered what exactly a Truffle is, or what different flavors of chocolate bars we sell, this series will provide all of the answers to your questions. Over the next couple of months, I will be writing separate blog posts as part of a series on the different types of confections we offer including Truffles, Cremes, Chocolate Bars, etc.  To read our post about Truffles, the first installment in this series click here. 

Today we will be talking about one of our best selling products; Chocolate Bars!

So what exactly is a Chocolate bar? A chocolate bar is formed using a mold that can be filled with nuts or fruit or a variety of other items. All of our bars are handmade, hand-wrapped and hand-labeled with no chemical preservatives used in the process. However, we have not always produced Chocolate Bars here at Branson’s Chocolates. Click here to read more about my story of how I made my first chocolate bar.

If you enjoy our Chocolate Bars but are looking to try something new, you may also enjoy our Clusters. We produce four different types of clusters including Hazelnut, Peanut,  Coconut and Raisin Clusters.

Each individual bar can be purchased for $3.25 with a discount on our six piece box(website only). Many of our bars, along with many of our other products, can be purchased here on our website or in our retail location at 1662 Siskiyou Blvd in Ashland, OR.

We have 22 different flavors of Chocolate Bars, and if you find we do not have a flavor you want we offer the option of customizing your ideal bar!

Almond 

Our Almond Bar contains whole roasted salted almonds in the center of a milk chocolate or semi-sweet 58% (dark) chocolate bar.

 

Blueberry 

Our Blueberry Bar contains whole soft dried blueberries drenched in layers of semi-sweet 58% (dark) chocolate.

Blackberry 

Our Blackberry bar is created by cooking a seedless marionberry (Oregon Blackberry)  preserve combined with a semi-sweet 58%(dark) chocolate reduction covered in layers of semi-sweet 58% (dark) chocolate.

Caramel 

Our Caramel Bar is created by using our soft and chewy caramel covered in milk chocolate.

Cayenne Cherry 

Our Cayenne Cherry Bar uses soft dried cherries in semi-sweet 58% (dark) chocolate that has a cayenne pepper kick.

Cherry 

Our Cherry Bar envelops soft dried cherries in white chocolate.

Coconut 

Our Coconut Bar uses our creamy coconut center covered with layers of semi-sweet 58% (dark) chocolate.

Cranberry 

Our Cranberry Bar uses our soft dried cranberries and smothered in milk chocolate.

English Toffee 

Our English Toffee Bar uses our Old-Fashioned English Toffee and surrounds it with semi-sweet 58% (dark) chocolate.

Espresso 

Our Espresso Bar uses locally roasted and finely ground espresso beans gently stirred by hand into either milk chocolate or semi-sweet 58% (dark) chocolate.

Hazelnut 

Our Hazelnut Bar uses dry roasted Oregon Hazelnuts with layers of either milk chocolate or semi-sweet 58%(dark) chocolate.

Honey Comb 

Our Honey Comb Bar use pieces of Honey Comb (toasted expanded sugar) in a semi-sweet 58% (dark) chocolate bar.

Krunch 

Our Krunch Bar contains gluten-free brown rice Krispies covered in either milk chocolate or semi-sweet 58% (dark) chocolate.

Macadamia Nut 

Our Macadamia Nut Bar contains direct from the farmer in Hawaii, chopped macadamia nuts covered in milk chocolate.

Midnight 

Our Midnight Bar contains solid bitter-sweet 72% (darkest) chocolate.

Mint 

Out Mint Bar contains Seely Family Farms (Clatskanie OR) peppermint oil combined with semi-sweet 58% (dark) chocolate.

Peach (Seasonal) 

Our Peach Bar contains Beebee Farms (Central Point, OR) peaches, reduced to a preserve and reduced more using white chocolate and covered in dark chocolate.

Peppermint 

Our Peppermint Bar uses Peppermint candies mixed into White Chocolate with a touch of locally sourced Peppermint Oil.

Pumpkin Spice (Seasonal) 

Our Pumpkin Spice Bar uses a house blended pumpkin spice mixed into a white chocolate bar.

Solid 

Our Solid Chocolate Bar comes in milk chocolate, semi-sweet 58% (dark) chocolate, sugar-free milk chocolate or sugar-free semi-sweet 58% (dark) chocolate.

Salted Caramel 

Our Salted Caramel Bar uses handmade soft chewy caramel surrounded by Milk Chocolate or Bitter-Sweet 72% (darkest) Chocolate, topped with flakes of sea salt.

Strawberry 

Our Strawberry Bar uses a strawberry preserve and milk chocolate reduction smothered in layers of Milk Chocolate.

 

Thank-You Bars 

Our Thank-You Bars are engraved with the words “Thank You” into your choice of a milk chocolate espresso, milk chocolate or semi-sweet 58% (dark) chocolate bar.

 

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Whiskey Caramels

Local’s Guide: June 2016

Immortal Spirits Single Barrel Whiskey Caramels

For June, we are featuring our Immortal Spirits Whiskey Caramels, which are dipped in our delicious and rich Dark Chocolate. They are made with Immortal Spirits Single Barrel Whiskey, which is a four year, limited numbers whiskey. From their website, “It’s rested three years on new charcoaled American Oak, and finished for one year on our used Oregon Oak whiskey barrels. This is a very dark whiskey and a fine treat to offer.” http://www.immortalspirits.com/products Immortal Spirits Whiskey Caramels are a delicious addition to our Gourmet Line.

Be sure to catch our June Chocolate Talk video on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/BransonsChocolatesAshland . Our videos are directed and shot, as always, by Brian Goodwin, and feature our Item of the Month—Immortal Spirits Whiskey Caramels. Check us out every month to catch me making our latest product and talking, of course, about chocolate. You can also find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bransonschocolates , where you’ll find out all about our latest events and happenings, and if you follow us on Instagram at https://instagram.com/bransonschocolates/ or @bransonschocolates, you know that’s where we post mouth-watering photos of our delicious chocolates.

If you want to catch us out and about in June, here’s where we will be:

  • Sunday June 5th, 12pm – 6pm, we will be at the Southern Oregon Grape Fair in downtown Talent. “Southern Oregon Grape Fair is a walking fair of wine, food, art, and entertainment: wine tasting from the region’s best wine producers; delicious food from our area’s most talented purveyors (that’s where we will be); live music from some of the valley’s most loved entertainers; People’s Choice and juried wine competition; and a chance to meet winemakers.” http://southernoregongrapefair.com/ Come enjoy the best of the valley, and pick up some of our chocolate; it’s especially delicious when paired with wine. See you there!
  • And the most important event of June is, of course, Father’s Day, on Sunday the 19th! Be sure to stop by during the week to get some chocolate for your dad because we will be closed on Father’s Day so that our staff can celebrate this special day with their fathers. We want to wish everyone a wonderful Father’s Day!
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Caramel Cherry Cordials

Local’s Guide: February 2016

Caramel Cherry Cordials

Our February Product of the Month is Caramel Cherry Cordials. Imagine a sweet cordial cherry, dipped in handmade caramel, then coated in our rich semi-sweet chocolate. Perfect for a sweet Valentine’s Day gift, or a delicious treat anytime. Be sure to check out this month’s Chocolate Talk video on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/bransonschocolates and YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/c/BransonsChocolatesAshland to see how we make them.

And our Valentine’s Special is back by popular demand. When you buy our red heart-shaped box of delicious Truffles, we throw in a single red rose. So sweet! So romantic! (Limited availability)

This month we are celebrating two years of retail sales, and we would like to thank our many, many customers, some of whom enjoy our delicious handmade chocolate almost daily, while others not quite so often. To all of our retail customers, we say Thank You!

Previous to having our retail space, we sold our chocolate wholesale for many years. We would like to take a moment to also thank all our loyal wholesale customers. Branson’s Chocolates are sold locally and more at Ashland’s Shop ’n Kart, B Cazwell’s Floral Dezines, Enchanted Florist, Made in Oregon stores, Slugs ‘n Stones ‘n Ice Cream Cones (Brookings), Talent Liquor/Market, and Troon Vineyard. And many local businesses such as Anderson Auto Body and Blue Giraffe Day Spa and Salon give Branson’s Chocolates as ‘Thank You’ gifts to their customers.

Our chocolate is also sold privately labeled, at the Grange Co-op (all locations), Black Bear Diner (Mt. Shasta), Craterian Theatre, English Lavender Farms, Greenleaf Restaurant, Grizzly Peak Winery, Handy Stop Spirits (N. California), Hi Lo Café (N. California), IFA Country Stores (25 locations across the western states), Kriselle Cellars, Mountain Silverado gas stations (5 N. California locations), Old 99 Road Wine Shop & Specialty Foods, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Paddington Station (all 3 locations and our longest-standing customer, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!), Paschal Winery & Vineyard, Phoenix Gift Boutique, Schmidt Family Vineyards, Sew Creative, Sports & Spirits (N. California), Tudor Guild Gift Shop, Weisinger Family Winery, and 12 Ranch Wines.

 

And we privately label ‘Thank You’ chocolates for many fine businesses like AmeriTitle (Ashland & Medford), Ashland Insurance, Bayberry Inn, Butler Automotive Group, Edward Jones Investments (Larry Steiner), Farrell’s Glass Service, Iris Inn, Living Opportunities, Main Street Inn, Pear Blossom Association, Siskiyou Endodontics and Scott Valley Bank.

We are honored to have so many amazing wholesale and retail customers. Whether you buy cases of chocolates, or a single truffle, we thank you all!

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Caramel Apples

Local’s Guide: October 2015

Caramel Apples

One of the best parts of fall is all the seasonal treats, and one of the best fall treats is Caramel Apples. Of course the best place to buy Gourmet Caramel Apples is at your local Branson’s Chocolates, because all of our caramel is handmade. We use a very old recipe, the highest quality creams and sugars, and cook our caramel in copper pots the old-fashioned way, all to achieve the best blend of sweet and gooey caramel. According to our customers–

“That’s the best caramel I’ve ever had.” –Dan McKillop

“You have mastered the blend of caramel with amazing flavor and chocolate.” –Joanne Turner

For our Gourmet Caramel Apples, we start with crisp, tart Granny Smith apples, dip them in our handmade caramel, and top them with either chocolate chips, chocolate stripes, chopped peanuts, chopped Oregon hazelnuts, or sea salt. If you’re a caramel apple purist, don’t worry, we’ll have a few original-style apples just for you.

We are proud to announce that in the very near future, Branson’s Chocolates is expanding! We’ve grown so much in the two years that we have been at our current location, 1662 Siskiyou Boulevard, that we need more space. But we love where we are, so instead of moving, we are expanding into the space next to us (formerly The Rogue Bicycle) which will double our shop space. We will keep our retail area, and have more room for all the creating, cooking, and packaging of our delicious chocolates and confections, including, of course, our Gourmet Caramel Apples.

Be sure to catch October’s Chocolate Talk video on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/BransonsChocolatesAshland , and pick up some of my Gourmet Caramel Apple secrets. Brian Goodwin directs and shoots our Chocolate Talk videos every month, where I discuss our newest Product of the Month confection, chocolate tips, and how I make our products.

We’re often out and about at many of the local wineries and events. For the latest updates and schedules, check us out athttps://www.facebook.com/bransonschocolates . If you’d like to see us at one of your favorite local events, you can contact us on our Facebook page or email us at [email protected] . We’d love to hear from you!

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Caramel

Local’s Guide: June 2015

Caramel

At Branson’s Chocolates, we make our caramel, and everything else, by hand.  We use a very old recipe, the highest quality creams and sugars, and cook our caramel in cooper pots the old-fashion way, all to achieve the best blend of sweet and gooey, without being sticky, caramel.

We serve our caramel plain or sea-salt; dipped in milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, or nothing at all, in sticks, squares, bars, and in our turtles with pecans or cashews.  In other words, there’s a caramel for everybody.

Our Product of the Month for June is Smoked Salted Caramels — five squares of delicious caramel, dipped in semi-sweet chocolate, and topped with smoked sea salt — simultaneously sweet and savory, all boxed up perfect for Father’s Day, or any day.

If you are a Father, or know a Father; or you might be going to a smoky, salty BBQ for Father’s Day; or maybe you just like smoky, salty BBQ’s or even smoky salty, sweet caramel, especially when they are dipped in delicious semi-sweet chocolate, you should definitely get yourself down to Branson’s Chocolates and pick up some of your soon-to-be-favorite caramels, for yourself and for your favorite Father.

If we haven’t convinced you yet to come in and buy some caramel for yourself, let these quotes from our customers convince you…

“If you haven’t tried Branson’s Chocolates, you should do so immediately.  I bought some p-nut cups and turtles for my wife… shared them with the family this weekend.  Quote from the mother-in-law: ‘that’s the best caramel I’ve ever had'”   ~Dan McKillop

“I bought two turtles last spring and still drool when I think of how amazing they were — and my friend agreed completely.  You have mastered the blend of caramel with amazing flavor and chocolate.” ~Joanne Turner