February 14th is a big day at Dean’s Sweets, as you might imagine. For weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, we are prepping like eager cupids, making ganache for the truffles, pouring chocolate into cute little heart-shaped molds, tying pretty red ribbons on anything in sight. We ordered our fancy heart-shaped boxes in September this year,…
Read More.
Category: Chocolate
Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day, Palentine’s Day… it’s all about sending out love to the ones you love. Valentine’s Day chocolate gifts are not just cupids and hearts for romantic partners anymore. Besties, buddies, bros, we all want those love arrows! Valentine’s Day Chocolate Online Gift Guide It’s not always easy to shop online for the…
Read More.
We are big fans of Marketplace business news around here. Not only because Kristin was on the show once or twice (or six times really . . .(check out her stories here)) but also because the show is fun and informative and hits just the right balance on both. Kai and Molly, two of the…
Read More.
If you had a test kitchen for chocolate, what would you make? What ingredients would you pull off the shelves and put in the mixing bowl to produce the best chocolate confection ever? How do you predict what might sell? In attempting to answer these questions over the years, we’ve come up with some the…
Read More.
I have a dear friend Nancy who lights up when the subject of “shipping” comes up. It’s how I react when someone says “Champagne.” You might think it odd that the subject of how to send chocolate in the mail would even arise between friends, but because she and I discuss all aspects of life,…
Read More.
I don’t know about you, but whenever I see a headline that touts the health benefits of chocolate, outwardly I say “yay – eat more chocolate!” and inwardly, I say “really, is that true?” I wonder: how much chocolate do I have to eat to get the health advantages? Does it need to be 80%,…
Read More.
What’s the difference between milk, dark, and white chocolate? We get variations on this question *a lot*. Some customers ask purely out of curiosity. Others ask with a hint of worry in their voice, as if preferring one kind of chocolate over another says something about them as person. Maybe they’ve heard or read reviews…
Read More.
Maine-made chocolate. Sounds good already, doesn’t it? Here in Maine, we’ve got miles of rocky coastline and cool, clean mountain air. We’ve got lobsters and blueberries and maple syrup. You’ve probably heard of all these wonderful things. What you might not know is what makes Maine-made chocolate stand above the rest. Why is Maine chocolate…
Read More.
One of our favorite things is when a child comes into one of our stores with his or her family—and it’s the first time they’ve ever been in a chocolate store. Their eyes open wide, and they smile the brightest smile. They look in amazement at the truffles, caramels, and all the other confections lined up neatly…
Read More.