Posted by
Sweet T on Thu, Feb 16, 2012 @ 08:55 AM
Now that we're past Valentine's Day, people often turn away from toffee for their night time dessert, afternoon snack or late morning toffee treat. But why? We can't seem to figure out what these other treats offer that toffee does not. Let's take a look!
Round 1: Raffles Toffee vs. A Hershey's Chocolate Bar
Hershey's takes a quick swing with her left throwing her smooth chocolate at the gourmet toffee. Toffee is there to match that swing and throw in a quick jab with some fresh crushed pecans...an easy victory for Raffles Toffee.
Round 2: Raffles Toffee vs. Twix
Feeling confident, toffee gets out to a quick start by throwing out that smooth buttery center, surrounded by milk chocolate. Twix is quick to react and matches the blow by dealing out milk chocolate with a carmel inside. It's a tough battle, but in the end Raffles Toffee takes down the match with it's perfect amount of "crunch".
Round 3: Raffles Toffee vs. Peppermint Bark
This match starts off at a fast pace. Both are filled with a milk chocolate rage. The peppermint bark has a bit of a sparkle, throwing around it's unique flavor. However the toffee, fends it off with it's perfect buttery center. The contest lasts for days, and then weeks. But in the end, the toffee wins the battle. The peppermint faded (just as it frequently does after the holiday season) and Raffless Toffee stood the test of time...it's simply delicious all year round!
Grab some today!
Posted by
Sweet T on Fri, Feb 10, 2012 @ 09:41 AM
Happy Friday everyone! Hopefully your February is off to a great start and you're getting ready for Valentine's Day. Gentleman...don't procrastinate too long before buying your sweetie some english toffee. Ladies...fear not! Even if you man doesn't get you any, you know you can always pop over to our order page and treat yourself.
However, it's not quite the big day yet, so we wanted to leave you with a few laughs for the end of your week:
- If you’ve got melted chocolate all over your hands, you’re eating it too slowly.
- The problem: How to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car. The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.
- The 12-step chocoholics program: NEVER BE MORE THAN 12 STEPS AWAY FROM CHOCOLATE! – Terry Moore
- Stress wouldn’t be so hard to take if it were chocolate covered.
-
Mom: Fred, there were two chocolate cakes in the larder yesterday, and now there’s only one. Why?
Fred: I don’t know. It must have been so dark I didn’t see the other one.
- A man found a bottle on the beach. He opened it and out popped a genie, who gave the man three wishes. The man wished for a million dollars, and poof! There was a million dollars. Then he wished for a convertible, and poof! There was a convertible. And then, he wished he could be irresistible to all women… Poof! He turned into a box of chocolates.
Have a good one!
Posted by
Sweet T on Thu, Feb 02, 2012 @ 09:29 AM
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, Raffles Toffee is giving back some love by giving away tins of Raffles Toffee.
All you have to do is send us prose, a sonnet or just a couple of lines that tell us about who you love or what you love. Even though we are hopeless romantics here at Raffles Toffee and look forward to hearing about your true love, we also are intrigued by the other loves in your life.
We know that some of you love your Broncos, Cubs or even Cardinals, and some of you love your car, your Harley, your boat. There is that favorite fishing rod, racket or jacket. Your favorite pizza, restaurant or Raffles Toffee.
Tells us about the loves in your life and we will draw names on Feb 14 and send our winners a gift of love from us, your own tin of Raffles Toffee.
Ways to respond:::
- Leave a comment right here on the blog!
- Comment on our Facebook Page
- Stay anonymous: email cathy@rafflestoffee.com
We look forward to hearing from you!
Don’t forget to order now for your favorite Valentine.
Posted by
Sweet T on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 @ 09:29 AM
First, let's start with toffee in general. As we discussed last week, we aren't certain about the origin of the word toffee, but most everyone can agree on a few things: toffees are hard or chewy candies that are usually made with sugar, water and butter and sometimes include flour or cream.
Many confectioners add nuts, typically almonds, to the molten mixture. While still boiling and liquid, the Toffee is poured into a shallow pan or over a marble table for cooling. Once cooled it is broken into pieces for dipping or enrobing in various chocolates and sometimes finished with another coating of nuts.
The British actually favor a recipe made with brown sugar or molasses which gives a darker flavor. American toffee is usually made with white sugar, which brings out the buttery qualities.
What's called English Toffee in the United States is a hard sheet of toffee that is broken up into chunks. This can be made with milk chocolate or dark chocolate.
Of course here at Raffles Toffee, we make English Toffee with milk chocolate. It's crunchy. It's buttery. And, most importantly, it's super delicious!
What's your favorite type of toffee?
Posted by
Sweet T on Thu, Jan 19, 2012 @ 08:47 AM
There are actually quite a few theories floating around about the history of toffee. You'd think we would have nailed it down to two or three possibilities, but there are actually six theories about where toffee comes from:
- The origin of the world is debatable - the word was first published in 1825 in the Oxford English Dictionary, but it is thought that the word exisited before it was put in the dictionary and the origins of the word are not clear
- Some believe that the word is derived from the word "tafia" which is actually West Indian rum. Cheap rum used to be used to flavor candies.
- In the native Creole language, toffee is a mixture of molasses and sugar. Harold McGee, a food writer, originally said this. Unfortunately, he did not mention which Creole language he was speaking about so we don't actually know.
- A third theory says that toffee's earlier spelling, "toughy" or "tuffy", was actually meant to refer to it's chewy toughness. The term is said to have come from a southern British dialect.
- Some think that English toffee is a variant of a 19th century candy. Because slave labor drastically lowered the prices of sugar and treacle at the start of the 19th century, the key ingredients needed to create toffee became available to average people. Seeking a frugal solution, two english ladies decided to combine these two ingredients and created a wonderful treat.
- Toffee comes in many different forms and varieties. Because there are so many different types and mixtures, its hard to say where it really originated from.
So, what do you think? Which of the six theories do you think is correct?
Want to try our version? Click here!
Posted by
Sweet T on Fri, Jan 13, 2012 @ 12:06 PM
Here at Raffles Toffee, we're passionate about gift giving. However, we've noticed that people are very heavy on the gift giving between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is great! But, we also think its important to think of others year round.
Giving client gifts randomly throughout the year can actually be more impactful then during the holidays. People expect gifts and nice gestures during those times and you can really leave a positive mark by sending them an unexpected gift!
Obviously, we would recommend sending some toffee their way, but we really just want to make the point that gift giving isn't a once or twice a year deal. Gift giving is a great way to stay in touch with clients...especially your larger ones. Try sending your top customers a gift or two throughout the year and see what kind of reaction you get. We think you'll be delighted!
What do you think? Are we too focused on gift giving during 2 months out of the year and not enough all the time?
Posted by
Sweet T on Thu, Jan 05, 2012 @ 08:34 AM
We all hope you had a great New Year and are looking forward to a great 2012! Here at Raffles Toffee, we couldn't be more excited. Hopefully, you had time to kick back over the holiday season, maybe enjoy your english toffee with a coffee or a hot chocolate!
We want to thank everyone who ordered some toffee over the holiday season. We know a lot of it was sent out as gifts and we think that's really special. We're honored and grateful that you think our toffee is worth giving our to your friends, collegues, business partners and loved ones.
As we get rolling into 2012, we want to leave you with some great quotes to get you thinking, inspired and ready for a great year:
Good luck!
Quote Credit: Brainy Quotes
Posted by
Sweet T on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 @ 10:25 AM
Good question! There are plenty of places that you can buy English toffee online. However...we feel that Raffles Toffee is the place to do it! There are hundreds if not thousands of stores that sell toffee, so what makes toffee unique?
- The quality
- What kind of chocolate is used?
- Are there nuts? What kind?
- The texture - how crunchy is it?
Raffles toffee is a gourmet toffee that uses milk chocolate. The toffee is dipped in the chocolate and topped with fresh pecans. The toffee has a smooth, buttery center and isn't too thick. It's the perfect treat for any occasion. As proponents of our own toffee, we think this is the best combination out there. However, we'd love to hear from you as we continue to build out our product line. Right now, we only use milk chocolate, but we want to get your input on what you'd like to see.
What kind of chocolate is your favorite to have in toffee? Describe your ultimate treat below and we'll make note of it for the future. As always, thank you for staying connected with us and have a fantastic 2012!
Posted by
Sweet T on Tue, Dec 20, 2011 @ 03:26 PM
To celebrate the holiday season, we're launching a new product: The Tower of Toffee! We actually launched it a couple weeks back, but wanted to make a formal introduction.
So here it goes:
Toffee blog readers, this is the Tower of Toffee - 6 pounds of mouth watering toffee, all wrapped up neatly with a bow and separated into 3 tins. Its' 6 times the toffee, but less than 4 times the cost.
Tower of toffee- meet our wonderful blog readers and customers. They are passionate toffee lovers and will treat you well. Some may hide you from friends and family, but we understand...sometimes even 6 pounds isn't enough to go around!
So, here's to the beginning of a great friendship. Cheers!
With introductions out of the way, we had a few questions for you to ponder:
If you had 6 pounds of toffee in your hands right now, how much would you be willing to share and how much would you keep for yourself?
How many gallons of milk do you need to get the right toffee/milk ratio for 6 pounds of toffee?
Skim, 2% or whole milk? =)
In all seriousness - we want to wish you Happy Holidays from everyone here at Raffles Toffee. We appreciate your business. We're so glad you enjoy our family toffee recipe and we're glad you're following along with us on the blog.
Please leave any comments or questions below - we'd love to hear from you! Happy Holidays!
Posted by
Sweet T on Wed, Dec 07, 2011 @ 09:44 AM
Ahhh, the age old question - should you buy toffee or make your own? Well let's take a look at the pros and cons of buying vs. making.
Here are some reasons to buy toffee:
- You are pressed for time
- You don't have the expertise
- You don't have a good recipe
- You are sending it as a gift and want to rely on a trusted source
Here are a few reasons you might want to make your own toffee:
- You loving cooking and baking
- Buying the ingredients and making your own will cost less
- You have a recipe you know you like
- It's a family and friends type of activity
Depending on your situation, you may find yourself buying some of the time and making the rest of the time. Here at Raffles Toffee, we LOVE making toffee so that you can share it and enjoy it.
However, we know that some of you have some awesome toffee recipes and we'd love to hear from you. We don't want you to give away your secrets, but what kind of toffee is your favorite? Milk chocolate? Dark chocolate? Crunchy? Buttery?
Describe your favorite toffee in the comments below. We'd love to hear from you!