Tag: ZINGERMAN’S CANDY MANUFACTORY
A terrific taste of the 19th-century American confectionery
Peanut brittle as we make it and know it is seemingly an American product, dating to the 19th-century American South. That said, it has culinary cousins in Spanish turrón, Persian pashmak, and French croquant. Thanks to George Washington Carver, the popularity and availability of peanuts grew rapidly in the early 20th century, and peanut brittle became a confection one could make at home for family and to give as a gift. Here we use the classic ingredients: lots of Virginia Runner peanuts, sugar, a little sea salt, and baking soda. We do a particularly dark toast to take advantage of the benefits of the Maillard effect, caramelizing the sugars much as we do with the Butterscotch Pudding at the Roadhouse or the darker crusts (my favorites) at the Bakehouse.
We also do another version: the Candy Manufactory’s incredible, darkly toasted peanut brittle dipped in dark chocolate. Great peanuts, dark chocolate, a bit of butter, and a snippet of sea salt—what could be bad? This stuff is delicious! In fact, the only negative thing I can say about it is that if you’re not careful, you’ll eat the whole package in one sitting. It’s a perfect snack—something to stick in your pocket if you’re hopping on a flight or going for a long drive. (It’s just not good for hot-weather picnics!)
The Peanut Brittle is actually excellent with cheese, like aged Gouda or Parmigiano Reggiano, and it goes really well with coffee, too. (Try some of the Colombian that’s the Roaster’s Pick right now—they make a marvelous pairing.) Crumble it up on an ice cream sundae, or, for some sweet-and-savory action, sprinkle small pieces on your next salad!
Local. Ethical. Sustainable. These words guide the bold mission of Conexión Chocolate, an award-winning Ecuadorian specialty chocolate maker that works hand in hand with the country’s small farmers of fine-flavor cacao.
The company’s founder and owner, Jenny Samaniego, and operations manager, Mario Remache, paid a special visit to Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory on Saturday, April 25, for the store’s first-ever “Meet the Maker” event. Located at 3723 Plaza Drive, the Manufactory is one of Zingerman’s Southside Shops, once aptly described by a guest as “the Diagon Alley of Ann Arbor,” in a nod to the magical district from Harry Potter.
A full house showed up for the 90-minute talk and tasting, which was hosted by Manufactory Production Manager Jamie LeBoeuf, whose own J. Patrice Chocolate Studio already possesses a strong connection to Conexión.
“We’re currently using Conexión’s Abundancia couverture in all of our milk chocolate products, and we’re working to use more of their couverture in the future for our dark chocolate and white chocolate as well,” LeBoeuf noted in her opening remarks. (“Couverture” refers to a high-quality, professional-grade chocolate that contains a higher percentage of cocoa butter, often used in candy and pastry making.)
Samaniego then delivered a powerful presentation on the global cacao industry and her unlikely personal journey into the realm of chocolate. After studying hospitality in her home country of Ecuador, she traveled to New York City in the early 2000s and began working for a restaurant distribution company that did business with Anthony Bourdain, the late chef, author, and TV personality. It was Bourdain’s sous-chef at the time who introduced Samaniego to a New York–area chocolate maker.
“I knew zero about chocolate or cacao, but he said, ‘You look like a nice person,’ and he hired me anyway,” she recalled with a laugh. “It was an amazing experience, because I was able to really learn everything from the ground up. I learned about sourcing, about cacao genetics. And for me, being from Ecuador and understanding how the supply chain works over there, everything just got connected.”
Samaniego eventually launched her own operation, Porcelana Chocolates. And in 2016, she returned home to Ecuador with a passionate purpose: to become a direct bridge between the nation’s cacao farmers and the wider world. Accordingly, she renamed the company “Conexión.”
Ninety percent of the five million tons of cacao produced globally each year are traded as a “faceless bulk commodity,” Samaniego explained. This industrial focus on volume strips beans of their genetic identity while subjecting farmers to the price volatility of the international marketplace.
Conexión exists to combat this commodification and break the corporate chocolate monopoly. Based in Quito, Ecuador’s capital, the company works closely with four cacao cooperatives and more than 4,500 legacy farming families to preserve the country’s pure Arriba Nacional variety, from harvest to couverture. Only 5% of the cacao grown worldwide is considered to be “fine flavor,” and Ecuador’s crop belongs to that rarified class.
Samaniego has also assumed an ambitious public advocacy role, empowering farmers with information and training, and launching the first Cacao and Chocolate Summit in 2019. The event, whose seventh edition was recently held in Quito in December 2025, gathers producers, chocolatiers, investors, and researchers to support a more sustainable, inclusive future for the cacao industry both in Latin America and elsewhere.
“We really want everyone to know what’s happening behind all the chocolate they’re buying,” she said, emphasizing the vital importance of transparency and traceability.
Guests at the Candy Manufactory had the opportunity to sample Conexión’s premium chocolate during a tasting led by Mario Remache, who worked as a chef in Europe before coming back to his native Ecuador and joining Samaniego at the company.
“In the massive chocolate industry, they say, ‘It’s chocolate—it tastes like chocolate,’” Remache said. “No. No way. Cacao from different regions has totally different flavor profiles. That’s the richness we have around the world.”
Remache put this richness on full display, sharing five Conexión couvertures—the dark chocolates Esmeraldas (70% cacao), Manabí (70%), Los Ríos, and Ecuador (55%), plus the milk chocolate Abundancia (40%)—as well as two of the brand’s own chocolate bars.
Along the way, he guided attendees in the delicate process of exploring the chocolate: examine its surface texture, smell its aroma, snap it in half next to one’s ear to hear the sound it makes, and then place it on the tongue and let it dissolve. Fruity, nutty, woody, savory—just as with wine or coffee, each cacao variety offers a unique tapestry of flavors.
As a point of comparison, guests also tasted a handful of mass-produced chocolate chips, whose waxiness and artificial sweetness—the result of industrial mixing and chemical additives—stood in stark contrast to their single-origin, heirloom counterparts.
For a final treat, LeBoeuf shared one of her handcrafted J. Patrice bonbons—a delicious pink Himalayan sea salt caramel made with the Abundancia from Conexión.
“The caramel really brings out the caramel flavors of the Abundancia cacao,” LeBoeuf explained. “And there’s a little bit of sea salt on the outside that also enhances the cacao flavors and opens up your palate.”
Beyond Ecuador, Conexión operates a warehouse in Traverse City, Michigan, which provides direct distribution and support for the company’s Midwest partners. One of those partners may soon be Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory.
“We’ll be transitioning in the next few months,” LeBoeuf said after the event. “We’ll be using the Ecuador 55% that we tasted tonight, and also the Abundancia for milk chocolate. When you work with such high-quality chocolate, and when you’re trying to give farmers really great prices, that translates to us having to pay a little bit more for it. But we think it’s worth it, and our customers clearly think it’s worth it.”
As for Samaniego, whose path to chocolate was a circuitous one, she now can’t imagine doing anything else with her life.
“Making chocolate is my passion,” she said. “I love the equipment, the post-harvest, the genetics, the flavors, the people. But how do we keep all this going in the future? I once heard, ‘Without cacao, there is no chocolate.’ For me, there’s no chocolate without farmers.”
Conexión is doing the good work to ensure that these farmers survive and thrive for generations to come—all while producing some of the finest chocolate you’re likely to find anywhere.
A magical new spring confection from the Candy Manufactory
In her wonderful new book, Bread of Angels, rock icon Patti Smith shares one of her most meaningful childhood memories.
Once, when I was about five or six years old, I was on the way to school and took a shortcut through the forest. There was a little pond. I sat there for a moment, and a huge snapping turtle crawled out of the water. He was, to me, giant—the king of tortoises.
We looked at each other for a long time and just communed. It wasn’t unnatural to me because I communed with my siblings that way, without words. As a child, it seemed totally natural to commune with an animal, a dog, a massive snapping turtle, your brother and sister, without words.
But I must have been there a long time in tortoise consciousness because when I finally got to school, everyone was in an uproar.
I, of course, can’t say how large Patti Smith’s tortoise friend actually was. I can say, however, that if you swing by Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory on Plaza Drive, we have some beautiful little dried-cherry chocolate turtles on hand—small in size, but massive in flavor. And we’re all in a bit of an uproar here about how delicious they are!
Some of you may be very familiar with chocolate turtles; perhaps you’ve been eating them most of your life. Others may be curious, even confused! Well, here’s the dope: Chocolate turtles are not new. They date back to the World War I era, when they were formally rolled out by a confectioner in my hometown of Chicago in 1918. Candy companies have been making versions of them ever since—and this is ours.
Pastry chef and food writer Elizabeth LaBau confirms what I usually say: “Because few ingredients are needed, each is very important to the final flavor, so use good-quality pecans and chocolate. Homemade caramel is always best.”
No surprise, then, that it’s the Candy Manufactory’s much-loved, handmade Muscovado brown sugar caramel that contributes so much to the complexity of the turtle’s flavor. Then dried Michigan cherries are added, pecans are mixed in, and it’s all dipped in delicious dark chocolate. As you eat and enjoy, let your mind wander a bit. Maybe muse on Patti Smith if you like. See where your magic turtle takes you.
At the end of Smith’s story, after her parents have realized she wasn’t lost, her mother asks her where she was. Her response is one I probably gave my parents a hundred times as a kid, too: “Nowhere.”
Smith’s father scores some big points in my leadership book, though, when he follows up with a brilliant tactic I would be wise to keep in mind. He doesn’t argue; he simply reframes the question, asking, “Can you show me your nowhere?” Smith does just that, and they sit there together, father and young daughter, communing and connecting.
My “nowhere” for the next few weeks will be standing within a few feet of the candy case at the Manufactory, directly communing with these beguiling little dark chocolate turtles.
Launched last summer, our Tastemaker Series spotlights influential culinary voices through highly personal product collections that reflect how they cook, eat, and gather. Every few months, a new individual collaborates with us and individually curates a special Zingerman’s Mail Order gift box. If, like me, you love knowing what foods fellow foodies are into, these collaborations will be right up your alley. Past tastemakers have included Jon Kung (Ortiz tuna), Dan Pashman (Zingerman’s Sea Salt Potato Chips), Matt Rodbard (Zingerman’s Pimento Cheese), and Abra Berens (Sour Cream Coffee Cake).
Each time we collaborate with a tastemaker, they get to hand-pick an armful of their favorite foods from our shelves—it needs to fit into a box so we can ship it to you after all. The lineup is always different, we all like different things after all, but they always reflect a shared passion for seriously flavorful food. Each Tastemaker Gift Box is around for a limited time (like our newest one with Anna Hezel!), so you’ll want to make sure to catch each one while you can.
Anna Hezel x Zingerman’s Tastemaker Box
Anna Hezel is a Buffalo-born, Brooklyn-based food and culture writer, and a big fan of fancy snacks that come together in no time, but make any meal feel special. That’s actually the theme of her latest cookbook, Party Tricks, and of this special collaboration. As Anna explains:
“When I set out to write my latest cookbook, Party Tricks, I wanted to create a cookbook for the modern host—someone who has access to an ever-expanding array of international ingredients packed with flavor and character. I realized that stores like Zingerman’s (famous for its cheese, conserves, and cured meats) have changed the way we cook and host parties.
People who love to entertain can rely on this one-stop shop for all of the ingredients that do the heaviest lifting for a party. This selection of goodies is my ideal party in a box, where someone else has done all of the work of catching, cooking, and marinating the sardines, or curing and smoking the meat, or skinning the hazelnuts.”
Not only does Anna’s box include a plethora of party-ready nibbles, but it also includes two of her recipes! Ready for a sneak peek? Here’s everything you’ll find inside, along with why Anna’s so smitten with them:
- Broadbent Prosciutto: “I love prosciutto, Serrano, and Iberico hams, and I think it’s so cool that Broadbent is doing their own take on this cured pork in Kentucky, incorporating their smoking technique.”
- Portuguese Sardines: “A classic tin of Portuguese sardines can become a rice bowl, a buttery pâté, or just a fortifying snack with a pile of crackers and some pickles.”
- Tempesta ‘Nduja: “This spicy, silky-textured sausage can do so many tricks in the kitchen. Melt it into a tomato sauce, use it to tinge a brothy soup red, or spread it on toast. In my book, I toast oyster crackers in melted ’Nduja for a peppery party snack.”
- Pistacchiosa Cream: “All summer long, I’m either spooning this into chia pudding or turning it into a magic shell ice cream topping by melting it with a spoonful of coconut oil.”
- Piedmontese Hazelnuts: “Toast these lightly in some butter to serve with the Broadbent Prosciutto (or your cured ham of choice). The next morning, your oatmeal will be happy to have any of the leftover butter-toasted hazelnuts.”
- Spanish Red Wine Vinegar: “Red wine vinegar may seem like the most basic pantry staple, but once you start to cook with a good one, like this one, you can’t believe you ever made vinaigrettes any other way.”
- Taralli Olive Oil Crackers: “Not too salty or rich, taralli can fit in at any party. Even when I’m just ordering pizza with friends, I love to set out a bowl of olives and a bowl of taralli, nestled among shards of Parmesan.”
- Zzang!® Candy Bar from Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory: “Every time I buy a candy bar at a gas station or pharmacy, this is what I’m actually craving.”
Ready for a snack-tastic experience? Ship yourself (or someone special) a shindig.
Peanut brittle and dark chocolate from the Candy Manufactory
One of the most commonly asked questions I get over the years is, “What’s your favorite of the Candy Manufactory’s artisan candy bars? Here’s the answer: Peanut Butter Crush! A touch savory and subtly sweet, with dark chocolate and shaved slivers of artisan peanut brittle. What could be bad?
If you’ve never experienced a Peanut Butter Crush, I invite you to stop by and give one a try. The bar starts with shards of the Candy Manufactory’s marvelous peanut brittle blended with a touch of milk chocolate and a sprinkling of crisped and then crushed rice into a coarse-textured paste that reminds me a bit of eating good halvah, or maybe a peanut-based marzipan. Either way, it’s a truly terrific piece of modern confectionery art.
Essentially, it’s made by deconstructing chocolate-covered peanut brittle and turning it into a melt-in-the-mouth candy bar that lights up your tongue with just the teeniest touch of sea salt, offset against the dark Colombian chocolate with which it’s coated. Over the years, I’ve watched loads of people take their first bite, almost every time they emit something between a deep sigh and a solid “Wow!” They are really that good. I’m not typically a sweet eater, but even I get caught up in feeling compelled to eat another bite of this amazing artisan confectionery.
If you’re going somewhere this spring where a gift of chocolate might brighten someone’s day, consider these. You can also cut one into very small bites and savor along with a cup of the El Regalito coffee from Guatemala (this month’s Roaster’s Pick at Zingerman’s Coffee). While gifts for birthdays or anniversaries, of course, count, I guarantee an unexpected gift of artisan candy bars to someone you care about, accompanied by a card of appreciation on a random Tuesday, will evoke a response far greater. Unexpected generosity is pretty much guaranteed to hit the spot. Or maybe, in this case, I should say, crush it!
Crush a couple
A suggestion to serve two eggs “over Easter” with toast and bacon
Pretty much any holiday-related candy evokes positive memories. Even industrial offerings, confectionery that isn’t really of particularly high quality, can still bring smiles to faces and warm hearts. We made these last year for the first time and people really loved them! Now they’re back and just as darned delicious! Seriously, if you’re having a gathering at home or work, buy a bunch, put them out as they are, and watch people’s faces. First curiosity—who doesn’t love chocolate? Then a tentative taste—they look good, but what’s in them? And third, for most of us, a big smile as the complex flavors of sweet and salt and bitter all begin to unfurl at the same time.
The good news here, though, is that these peanut butter-filled chocolate eggs that Jamie LeBeouf and the crew at the Candy Manufactory are crafting are both emotionally engaging Easter eggs and amazingly delicious regardless of anything to do with Easter. Whatever your motivation, they’re remarkably tasty!
About a centimeter thick, peanut butter-filled dark chocolate shells, the “eggs” really are exceptionally delicious. You get the slightly sweet dark flavors of the Guittard chocolate, set off against the slightly savory, terrificness of the St. Laurent Brothers peanut butter from Bay City inside. A small bit of sea salt takes the flavor up even further. The eggs are decorated for the holiday by Jamie and the craft crew at the Candy Manufactory!
In the spirit of the great, but all too often underappreciated European combination of bread and chocolate, I used the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs to create a confectionery version of “eggs on toast with bacon”! It takes just a couple of minutes to make it, and it’s both pretty darned fun and flavorful.
To make it, start by toasting a small slice (a bit bigger than the chocolate egg) of Bakehouse Better than San Francisco Sourdough, Rustic Italian, or French Baguette. Spread with butter—I used that great Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter we have at the Bakeshop, Roadhouse, and Deli. Then, lay the chocolate egg on top. In the spirit of many people’s passion for chocolate and bacon, serve small bits of Nueske’s (or other artisan) bacon arranged on the side! And if peanut butter and jelly is a particular passion for you, put a small dab of artisan jam on the side as well! I tried all this out last year and it worked really well—a lot has changed in the world in the last 12 months, but here the culinary song combo remains the same. The combination comes together as well as ever and the idea of it is guaranteed to make your guests smile.
Alternatively, if you prefer to take a pass on the meat, you can use small slices of the amazing chocolate cigars we stock from the folks at Venchi in the north of Italy—they will look a lot like circles of just-cooked breakfast sausage.
The whole dish is truly delicious, lovely to look at, and pretty much a guaranteed conversation starter. If you serve one chocolate egg per person after dinner, you’ll have an amazing dessert! All that said, you can also just do what I did the other evening. Appreciate the artisan artistry of Jamie and the Candy Manufactory crew, eat the egg in small, tasty bites, and enjoy it just as the world-class work of confectionery art that it is.
And, hey, if you’re in a hurry, just pop one into a Bakehouse brioche bun, order a cup of coffee, and enjoy your “egg sandwich” for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!