Customized Lollipop Favors

Here is our latest creation from the kitchen of Two Hearts Bakery. Lollipops! This was one of the most fun and quickest projects that we have worked on. I went ahead and added gold luster dust for an added layer of interest. When working with hard candy, you can customize almost anything from the flavor of the lollipop to the color and design. Kept in a cool dry environment, these favors can be done well in advance for any wedding or event.

Tips to Working With Your Hard Candy Mixture
1) Coat your candy molds lightly with oil. This will make it easier for you to remove the candy once it is cool.
2) Make sure to package your candies as soon as possbile to protect them against humidity.
3) To remove the tiny bubles that may form in your hard candy, allow the sugar solution to cool a bit before pouring into the molds.
4) Remember that the candy solution is very HOT. Use all necessary safety precautions. I used a pair of heat proof candy gloves. (You can order this online.) This may sound simple, but I have many sugar scars to show for it.

Christmas in July - Revisting and Finding New Holiday Ideas

Recently, Two Hearts Bakery was given an opportunity to re-assess our winter holiday offerings. We try our best to work a year to half a year before the actual season. Since we are in constant development/improvement of our treats, it was fun to make winter themed items in the dead of summer. Nothing like ginger and peppermint to remind me that the winter is just around the corner.

Here are some of the items that we worked on...

Christmas S'mores, Peanut Butter Nutella Sandwiches, Shortbread Trios, High Tea Holiday Cookie Collection, Peanut Butter Cups and Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Boys.

I Feel Very Martha Stewart

This past weekend was spent with one of my handy best friends, also known as my co-maid of honor. We ran errands all Friday morning and day, running from lumber yard to the craft store and everywhere in between. Among one of our many tasks, we mapped out the menu and presentation for the wedding dessert bar.

Channeling my inner Martha Stewart, I finally decided on a combination of white wood and glass as the dessert bar presentation style. To save myself the headache of too many items that require me to be in the kitchen right before the wedding, I have opted for a confection rich menu.

Many thanks to my friend, her husband and Will who worked all a little too hard for a long weekend.

Things To Consider When Creating A Dessert Bar

• Choose a color/theme - I prefer to keep this simple. While the trays are white, sheer blue and brown ribbon (wedding colors) will trim the edge of the trays
• Build height - Stacking trays help to create visual interest
• Continue the color/theme with treats as well - We will also be integrating our wedding colors into our treats, ex. Candy Buttons
• Think in Odds - While pairing items seems most natural, thinking in threes or other odd numbers also adds additional interest, ex. please see above, three candy jars, five white presentation trays
• Mixing Shapes - Our trays are a combination of squares and rectangles
  

Cognac Cherry Cordials

At every Vietnamese wedding, it is customary to set a bottle of Cognac at the reception dinner table. I am not sure how it started and why we settled on Cognac, but for many wedding seasons now, I have been reaping the rewards of this very festive tradition.

The idea came to me the other idea regarding a treat that would mirror the flavorings of the cognac. I decided on cherry cordials. For something I have never really been that fond of, I have been really keen on making them for quite some time, and this provided the perfect excuse.

I am also trying to be fair... Before I place cherry cordials on my official list of dislikes, I have decided to make them for myself. And who knows, maybe I might actually really like them after all and our guest might end up seeing these at the dessert buffet. So here we go...

First, I soaked the cherries in cognac. (Not a bad start)

After a day to properly marinate, I carefully drained the cherries
Then I heated my fondant
Dipped my cherries in the fondant and let them set
I then dipped them twice in chocolate for good measure

Now comes the hard part, the waiting...

In order for the flavors to meld, these cordials will need a few days to weeks to mingle and liquefy. I will post an updated picture once the cordials are ready.

(Please excuse my iphone pictures. I am a horrible picture taker. I generally leave that to Will.)

Baby (on the) Brain

On a trip to Sacramento with Will, much to his protest, I dragged him through "Old Town Sacramento." No, we didn't get to take funny pictures of ourselves in old western attire (maybe next time), but I did find some inspiration for my dear friend's baby shower favors. CANDY BUTTONS! I am obsessed with candy buttons, to the point that candy buttons have officially made its way onto the wedding dessert bar menu.

First, I started by making candy button duckies (my friend's shower theme was, you guessed it... duckies). I made a sea of duckie families. And just as I was about to lament the fact that I no longer had an excuse to make candy buttons, my thoughts turned to wedding... candy... dessert bar... wedding colors... and YES...wedding colored candy buttons. So there we have it...candy buttons in vanilla, sugar, and chocolate flavors.

BTW - Will objects to the fact that the papa duckie was no where in sight in the candy button duckie family. I promised that I would add bow ties and hair ties to the duckies next time...

A Fun Way To Say Thank You Very Much - Dessert Bar Anyone?

Two Hearts Bakery of the San Francisco Bay Area is embarking on our biggest partnership yet. Theresa and Will are tying the knot! Besides "the" big question that got us here - the who, when, where, how, and most importantly... what will our guests be eating/having for dessert have been top of mind.

Luckily for us, we were able to find a Vietnamese caterer who will be helping us host a traditional eight course family style meal for the big day! Ava and her mother from Le's Catering Kitchen are a gem of a solution for those brides and grooms who are looking to blend mixed cultures.

As for the sweets... we are in process of creating our very own dessert bar, with cake of course being the main focal point. We want to thank our guests in our very own Two Hearts Bakery way and to provide the best of what we have to offer. What better way to show appreciation for those who have come from near and far than to contribute some of our time to make something sweet for everyone to enjoy.

We'll post pictures as we develop our theme, recipes, how-to(s), treats and more...

Valentine's Day

Thank you to everyone who ordered our S'mores Hearts for Valentine's Day and for helping our bakery grow! It was great to see our local support in San Francisco as well as all of you who found us through Neiman Marcus and Dean & Deluca.