today i had the complete pleasure of visiting a local chocolate maker, raymer's homemade candies, in doylestown, pa. mark and sue raymer have been in the candy business for years. mark learned the trade from sue's dad, and many of their recipes date back to the 1880s and have been passed down in the family. (i tried to get some secret recipe info out of mark....no luck : )
my visit this morning included a tour of their shop and work space. they work only with real belgian chocolate and make everything on site. and when i say everything...i mean everything. they make their own caramel, all their own fillings, and they even roast their own nuts! but the real secret to their success - besides fabulous chocolate - lies in their dedicated customer service. not only did they take two hours of their time (4 days before valentine's day) to meet with me, but they also sent me home with over 2 pounds of their delectable treats! (a pound for me and a pound for one lucky reader. yes...you read right. a 1lb box of their delicious homemade chocolates could be yours! get excited : )
my fave treats of the several i was lucky enough to sample today:
-peanut butter meltaway - amazingly buttery, creamy pb center enrobed in silky milk chocolate. to die for.
-salted caramel - literally the best caramel i have ever tasted. very smooth, not too chewy and made from real cream (you can definitely taste the difference)
(fyi: both are included in the 1 lb sampler that could be yours!)
besides their standbys, mark also experiments with adventurous items. like cinnamon, chipotle chocolate bark made with 72% cacao. i tried it, and it was fabulous! perfect balance of rich chocolate and subtle heat. awesome.
if you are ever in the doylestown area, you need to stop by raymer's. not only are their chocolates and candies amazingly delicious, but sue & mark completely love what they do and welcome you into their shop like it's their home. (...or...of course, you can always have their chocolates shipped...)
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| raymer's one pound sampler = divine |
