Classic Candy Bars That Are Perfect For The Holidays

Candy has existed in one form or another for thousands of years. Ancient peoples enjoyed honey right out of the hive and later combined it with nuts and fruits to create tasty confectionary treats. Sweets were typically served at the end of a meal for dessert or were eaten as a snack. For most of its history, candy made from sugar was too expensive for commoners. It was a delicacy only the rich could afford.

After the Spanish rediscovered cacao, from which chocolate is made, in Mexico in 1519, the price of candy fell precipitously. By the 17th century, hard candy was wildly popular in North America and chocolate was all the rage in Europe. Large factories were suddenly springing up on both sides of the Atlantic. Though the chocolate bar was invented in England in 1847, it was popularized by an American company at the dawn of the twentieth century.

The Hersey Company introduced the first wrapped chocolate bar in 1900. Its success encouraged countless candy makers to develop their own candy bars. The Hershey Bar has been one of the best-selling candies on earth for most of its history. However, it is not the company's most popular product. Miniature chocolate droplets called "Kisses" were introduced in 1907. The Hershey Company ships about sixty million of them each day! Their diminutive chocolate bars, Hershey's Miniatures, are also extremely popular with chocolate lovers everywhere.

Holiday Candies

Chocolate bars have never been particularly popular during the holiday season. As you might expect, the nearly ubiquitous candy cane is the most common holiday treat. According to reliable estimates, about 1.76 billion of them are made each year! But chocolate bars and candies have gained a loyal following of late.
Hershey's Kisses

As we mentioned, Hershey's Kisses are one of the most popular products in the history of chocolate. Tens of billions of them are shipped and sold each year. Though annual sales peak just before Halloween, they also spike during the holiday season. They are so popular, in fact, that Hershey's produces a special holiday edition of its famous candies wrapped in festive red, silver and green foil. With 7 ounces of milk chocolate, the Giant Hershey's Kiss has also become a trendy stocking stuffer and holiday gift.

Hershey's Holiday Miniatures

Modeled after their original chocolate bar, Hershey's Miniatures are a common holiday gift. Whether deposited into stockings or left out in bowl, miniatures make for a tasty treat when the weather gets cold. Just like their more famous cousins (the Kisses), Hershey's Miniatures are wrapped in festive foils for the holiday season. They are sold in variety packs at most major supermarkets and department stores.

Advent Calendars

The holidays are a hectic time of year for any parent. Crowded stores, annoying in-laws, and boring office parties make the season a chore for most. Of course, most parents forget all about those minor frustrations when their kids open their presents. An easy and affordable way to prolong the air of magic and mystery that surrounds the holiday season is to give your little angel an advent calendar.

The standard advent calendar contains twenty-four doors, and behind each one is a tasty milk chocolate treat. Most calendars also include information about the holiday, so that your child can learn the story and meaning of Christmas as the big day approaches.

Chocolate Ornaments

As popular as candy canes are, they are rarely eaten. Sure, the kids might have one or two of them. But if you decorate your tree with dozens of cane-shaped candy treats, most of them will probably end up in the trash. We're not saying that candy canes have fallen out of fashion, but a little variety never hurt anyone. Chocolate ornaments wrapped in festive foils are an attractive and tasty accessory for any tree. And don't worry, they will not melt!

Chocolate Dreidel

A dreidel is a popular toy Jewish children play with during the holiday of Hanukkah. The four-sided spinning top is used in a gambling game where contestants bet raisins, chocolate, pennies or candies. Chocolate dreidels may not spin like their wooden brethren, but they are far tastier!

Holiday-inspired chocolate candy bars can be purchased from reputable sellers on the internet.

David Shirey is a freelance writer who writes about shopping and food products including candy bars.

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A Brief History of the Candy Bar

Most people have had a craving for a candy bar at some point in their life. They're easily accessible at work, at home, or at the supermarket. It can give you a "pick me up" for a burst of energy. If you're hungry, it can curb your appetite until lunch or dinner. When you're feeling down, eating one can put a smile on your face. Chocolate, the prominent ingredient, has been around for hundreds of years, but it wasn't until the nineteenth century that it was developed into a candy bar. Here is its brief history:

1500 BC to 400 BC - The Olmec Indians of the Eastern Mexico lowlands are thought to be the first people to grow cocoa beans as a domestic crop. It took hundreds of years before cocoa became widely used as a remedy and as an aphrodisiac, and so it became known as a food from the gods. The Aztecs used cacao beans as currency and as a drink for people with high social status. Europeans were first introduced to chocolate as a beverage, and they loved it so much that a chocolate house was opened in London in 1657 where drinks were served to the upper class. Within twenty years, chocolate was found in tea cakes and other sweets. It took almost ninety years after Europe discovered chocolate before it was introduced to the United States. Dr. James Baker and John Hanan built America's first chocolate mill, and soon after, they were making Baker's chocolate.

1830- A kind of solid chocolate was developed by a British company called Joseph Fry & Sons.
1847- Fry's chocolate factory molded the first chocolate bar.
1866- The Fry's Chocolate Cream bar is produced for mass sale.
1900- Milton S. Hershey introduces the first Hershey milk chocolate bar in the United States. It sold for a nickel.
1920- The Baby Ruth candy bar is first sold. There is still an ongoing dialogue whether is was named after President Cleveland's daughter or Babe Ruth.
1923- Mounds, a double chocolate coconut concoction, is first made.
1924- Milky Way is introduced.
1928- Heath Bar, a chocolate coated toffee is introduced.
1936- The 5th Avenue Bar is created.
Hundreds of candy bars have come and gone. Some popular ones are: 100 Grand Bar, Almond Joy, Charleston Chew, Chunky, Clark Bar, Goo-Goo Clusters, Marathon Bar, Milkshake, Mr. Goodbar, Nestle Crunch, Oh Henry, Powerhouse, Seven-Up Bar, Skybar, Snickers, and Three Musketeers. Most candy bars are made with chocolate, but an occasional non-chocolate one becomes a favorite, such as Payday, Zero, and Zagnut. Time will tell which ones will be favored by future generations.

Bridget Sweeney is the owner of Woodstock Candy, an online store that specializes in retro and nostalgic candy gift boxes. Please visit Woodstock Candy for all your favorite old time candies.

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The History of Truffles

The chocolate truffle today is at the top of all the collections of self-indulging delicacies and has remained a superior chocolate candy in France, Italy, Switzerland, North America, and the rest of Western Europe for more than a century. Thanks to the invention of the cocoa press and the ideas of a few prestigious chocolatiers, the history of truffles remains a very rich one. By definition, a truffle is not just a truffle unless it contains Ganache inside, which is a paste of dark chocolate and heavy cream.

Chocolate started out as a beverage for the Aztecs during the Maya civilization dating all the way back to 400 AD. It ws introduced and spread all over Europe after some Kekchi Maya nobles were escorted by Dominican Friars to Spain in 1544 to visit Prince Phillip. The Kekchi gifted him with many gifts including their chocolate beverage which they called "Chocolatl". Since then large shipments into Europe of cocoa beans allowed Royals to enjoy Chocolatl and different chocolate beverages as an elite drink.

Eating chocolate alone was not possible due to its very bitter taste. When the Cocoa Press was invented in 1828, the process of separating the cocoa solids from the cocoa butter in the beans gave chocolatiers the ability to add sweeteners and other ingredients and shape them into candy. The first edible chocolate bar was introduced in 1847 by Fry Chocolate Factory in Bristol, England. In 1879 Swiss chocolatiers Henri Nestle and Daniel Peter added two ingredients to the chocolate: powdered milk and sugar, making the now famous milk chocolate. Continued experimentation of adding other ingredients back in France and Switzerland lead to the mixture of heavy cream and cocoa powder, which was named Ganache. Check out what the cocoa press looks like here.

One christmas day in 1895, French Patissier Louis Dufour in Chambery, France had run out of ideas for his christmas confections. Instead of going to suppliers to get more sweets, he put together the Ganache mixture, rolled it into a ball, dipped it once in melted chocolate and then into cocoa powder. It looked just like the rough round black mushroom truffles grown in the deep forests of France, so these chocolate ganache balls were named right after the mushrooms, Truffles.

The recipe was brought back to London by Antoine Dufour and introduced in his new Prestat Chocolate shop in 1902 in order to take advantage of its growing popularity in England. He named the cocoa powdered truffle the "Napoleon III", after the 19th century Emperor that spent many periods in exile with his loyal chef. The shop made chocolates for Queen Elizabeth II and many other future royals including Princess Diana.

Chocolate truffles were considered an exquisite dish to be enjoyed by the royal wealth due to the high costs of imported cocoa beans. Today it is still considered a luxury, however it is rejoiced worldwide and in different varieties. Decorated in powdered sugar, chopped nuts, or shredded coconut are just a few of the kinds of coatings truffles are dipped in and relished.

Ana Gonzalez
Vanillana.com - The Art of Chocolate
For more information on chocolate history, the Maya Civilization and their chocolate legend, click here.

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