Recipes by Frederic Monti, Photos by Jeannette Pantani
Whether you call them suckers, pops, lollys or lollipops, one thing is for sure – candy on a stick is a neat treat! While we all know that kids love candy, it may come as a surprise that 75 percent of adults in the United States reportedly enjoy eating chocolate or hard candy.1 The distinct advantage of a lollipop is the stick, of course, which helps keep little hands clean, but also allows customers to walk around with their treats – inspiring other passers-by to do the same. Lollipops are a great way to recycle product you may not be able to sell as-is. From days-old gelato to yesterday’s brownies, these left-overs can easily become attractive and marketable lollipops for your bottom line.
The origins of this worldwide favorite date back to around the turn of the 20th century when the term appeared in Charles Dickens’ novels and referred to any hard candy. As candy-making evolved in the coming decades, the Bradley Smith Company found that putting caramel on a stick made it easier to eat. The trend caught on, and two other candy-makers also joined the scene. In California, Samuel Born invented a machine to automatically insert a stick into a candy; and in Wisconsin, The Racine Confectioners Machinery Co. created a machine that could make as many as 40 candies on a stick per minute! Believe it or not, the actual term “Lolly Pop” was not patented until 1931 when George Smith, the co-founder of the Bradley Smith Company, took a shining to a racehorse of the same name and decided to make the word official. However, during the Great Depression, the Bradley Smith Company stopped making candy for several years and lost the right to their trademark, so nowadays “lollipop” is a generic term used to mean any food on a stick.2
These versatile, fun treats can be made out of pretty much anything and are great additions to your product line with little to no increase in costs. Recipes can be tailored to meet the needs of any operation. These recipes provided are a great guide to kick off your lolly line, but don’t stop there. Use these ideas to get started, then imagine your own flavors and concoctions on a stick. You can also add some flair with unique decorations like sprinkles, dried fruit, appliqués, piped letters and/or by decorating the stick or using creative packaging. Either way, lollipops will excite your customers and bring a new stream of revenue your way.
Chocolate Cherry Brownie Pops
Ingredients
115g (4oz) butter
200g (7oz) white sugar
2 whole eggs
10g (0.35oz) PreGel Vanilla Velvet Traditional Paste
30g (1oz) PreGel Cacao Togo
60g (2oz) all-purpose flour
2g (0.07oz) salt
1g (0.03oz) baking powder
40g (1.5oz) PreGel Amarena Topping (strain to remove as much liquid as possible)
Method of Preparation
- Melt butter and stir in sugar, eggs and PreGel Vanilla Velvet Traditional Paste.
- Beat in PreGel Cacao Togo, flour, salt and baking powder.
- At this point, fold in PreGel Amarena Topping (or any other PreGel Topping or Arabeschi® desired)
- Spread batter into prepared pan or mold that has been greased.
- Bake in preheated oven at 350˚F for 25 to 30 minutes. Decrease baking time for small molds; do not overbake.
- Cut into desired shape and place on lollipop stick.
- Once brownies have cooled, dip into tempered chocolate or coating of choice, and decorate.
List of Variety Shown in Photos:
Mint Umbrellas
CONTENTS: Green Mint Marshmallows, Chocolate Coating and White Chocolate Crunch Pieces
PreGel Products Used: Green Mint Traditional Paste, Albumissimo, Dextrose
Gelato Pops – Round
CONTENTS: Bubble Gum Gelato, Strawberry Coating and White Chocolate Drizzle
PreGel Products Used: Any Flavor Traditional Paste, Piucremoso, Dextrose, Totalbase® and Coriandolina Red Arabeschi®
Mini Gelato Cones
CONTENTS: White Chocolate Gelato, Chocolate Coating and Dried Raspberry Flecks
PreGel Products Used: Any Flavor Traditional Paste, Piucremoso, Dextrose, Totalbase® and Gran Stracciatella Arabeschi®
Crispy Rice Treat Lollipops – Disc Shaped
CONTENTS: Crispy Rice Treats, White Chocolate Coating and Dark Chocolate Drizzle
PreGel Products Used: Marshmallow (made with PreGel recipe using PreGel Albumissimo and Dextrose)
Chocolate Cherry Brownie Pops – Disc Shaped
CONTENTS: Chocolate Cherry Brownies, Dark Chocolate Coating and White Chocolate Drizzle
PreGel Products Used: Vanilla Velvet Traditional Paste, Cacao Togo and Amarena Topping
Helpful Pop Tips:
- Lollipop sticks can be purchased in various lengths and thicknesses from your local craft store or bakery supply.
- It is best to let marshmallow and gelato pops harden in a blast freezer, but if you do not have one, just leave the pops in their molds in your regular freezer overnight before coating.
- For frozen pops, the first layer of coating may crack due to the temperature change – try doing a light coating first to allow for a second dip.
- For marshmallow and gelato pops, wait to insert the stick until the consistency is semi-solid; otherwise, the stick may fall off-center.
- For brownie, cookie or crispy rice treat pops, you may need to use a little chocolate or marshmallow cream to cement the stick into the hole, and then allow to dry so the pop does not fall off when you are dipping to coat.
- Transfer sheets can be used to add a pattern to the outside of your dipped lollipop, simply rest the pop onto the transfer sheet immediately after dipping and remove after hardening completely.
- Flexible silicone molds are ideal for brownie, cookie and crispy rice treat pops – buy them in a variety of shapes to create a beautiful assortment.
Resources:
1 Experian Information Solutions, Inc. 2007
2 Spangler Candy Co. Archives 2010