Sweet Reminiscence: A Chocolatier’s Easter Memories
I grew up in the kitchen. At least that’s how I remember it. My father was an early pioneer in the boxed cake mix business, and Mom made numerous cakes, brownies, muffins, biscuits and other products every day. She ran the test kitchen for his business out of our own kitchen. This was before the time of automated ingredient measuring. If an employee left out the baking soda or baking powder the product would have been a failure for the company purchasing it. Every batch of product was tested before being shipped. So, playing in the kitchen, trying new recipes, and having fun has always been a part of my life.
When people ask me how long I have been making candy, that’s an easy question. As long as I can remember. As a young child, my mother and my Granny made Easter Eggs at Easter. They were simple, but had the basic elements I use today. However, they used bitter chocolate to coat the eggs, which my sister and I didn’t like. When we were in our teens, we started making the eggs and made them better. We lived in Maryland, and after making the fillings and shaping them, they had to sit out overnight so they could be dipped in chocolate. We had cookie trays all over the house filled with eggs.
We used semi-sweet chocolate except for peanut butter eggs (think Reeses!), and we experimented with all different kinds of flavors. We made hundreds of eggs every year and decorated the top of each candy so everyone knew what flavor they were choosing. Each year we improved our skills and people really loved some of our new flavors, such as maple walnut or cranberry orange. Also, Pecan Logs (marshmallow cream covered in caramel and pecans) were a great favorite. But we didn’t know how to make that candy yet. So, everyone would get a tiny piece of one and we all savored them. We also took several classes at a local candy shop and improved our skills. I still have some of the tools we bought back in the early 70’s.
Easter Dinner was always a special time. With my large family, there were lots of people squeezed around the table. That made dessert and all the Easter Eggs very fun indeed. Everyone had their own favorite flavor, so there was lots of trading of eggs back and forth.
Over the years, as my own passion for making candy grew, I tried to convince everyone I could to make chocolate with me. Many folks both here and in MD were very agreeable to try, but then they usually didn’t pursue it as I did. They preferred to have me make them.
But I found my passion, and people are always willing to try a bit of chocolate. Then, during the pandemic a friend suggested that we enroll in an online course and become certified chocolatiers. It was a wonderful opportunity to grow my skills even more. It was a very strong program, and each time we had an assignment we had to write all about it – what worked, what didn’t, etc. I think I must have made 20 batches of caramel before I got it right. Once I perfected it, people kept asking for it, and that’s when I created Marny’s Chocolates. I am honored that Renfroe’s wants to sell these treats, and I love making them for them. ~ Marny Needle ~
Marny Needle is a Certified Chocolatier who has a passion for making candy. So many folks love her Honey Sea Salt Caramels that she formed a small business and works with Renfroe Pecan Company where they are manufactured by hand and then sold in their stores during the Christmas holidays. All of Marny’s Chocolates are made at Renfroe’s Fairfield plant, batch by batch.