cool and clever chocolate-pencils

look at these terrific chocolate pencils used for enhancing desserts. they were a creative collaboration between renowned boutique patissier tsujiguchi hironobu and architect oki sako for his company nendo. the set includes chocolate of varying intensity and comes with a special “sharpener” to put as little or as many shavings you like on your sweet treat!

someone clever needs to make a (tuile cookie or meringue) dessert that looks like “crumpled” pieces of “paper” that is sitting in a (cookie cup) “trash can” with the shavings sitting on the very top of the pile.

or you could just sharpen in onto your cake. whatever works best.

sadly, this special item is only available in japan right now. the best place to find it is in one of tsujiguchi’s shops in tokyo.

via cool hunting

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the cocoa room candies

look at these delicious dragées from chicago candymaker suzanne weaver for her company the cocoa room. suzanne enrobes fruits, macadamias, pistachios, sunflower seeds and more in a snug layer of chocolate, and then finishes them with a dazzling candy coating. they’re much more sophisticated (and healthy) to me than those other candy coated chocolates we know!

the candy comes in practically every color of the rainbow and lots of different combinations. wouldn’t it make a lovely party favor?

see their website for more delicious info!

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fun advent calendars (round up)

when i was a kid (do i sound like an old lady?) i enjoyed the anticipation of christmas as much as the holiday itself. having all those little doors to open on a festively colored advent calendar tacked to the window or wall was a wonderful tradition in my house, and is something i associate with the spirit of the season, good will, and the warmth of moments spent with friends and family; in other words, the essence of the holiday. please enjoy this selection of traditional, contemporary and just plain creative interpretations of this annual holiday item.

traditional german paper with glitter from strictly christmas

embroidered cotton from german artist morningflower’s dawanda shop

vintage sewn fabric from the uk artist rowsewcreative’s etsy shop

wood and mirrored tabletop from target

felt with applique and embroidery from the land of nod

painted wood from stonewall kitchen

embroidered felt from chicago artist bedside banner’s etsy shop

vintage pants and denim from german artist ebiko’s etsy shop

contemporary paper by sarah curedale at boston’s mfa shop

handmade chocolate truffles from portland’s moonstruck chocolates

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jacques torres chocolates

if jacques torres tells us to eat more chocolate, maybe we should! this award winning french master baker has had sweeping influence in his craft around the world, and continues to be a dynamic force in the industry, especially in his current role as the dean of pastry studies at the french culinary institute in new york. jacques has a scrumptious line of chocolates that are terrific for giving or keeping. yesterday when i was at bittersweet i came across them and had to share (and will if you come to visit!).

look how beautifully rich and stylish this packaging is, from the satin ribbon to the font choice. accessible flavors like white chocolate key lime, espresso and chai tea, in addition to the superior traditional truffle, set the standard and tone for quite a delicious and memorable experience. and do i need to tell you that these little pieces of joy feel like silk on the tongue?

assorted boxes of chocolate start at $18 and can be purchased at his website or at his shops (66 water street in dumbo or 350 hudson at king in manhattan). enjoy!

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fun bloomsberry and co. chocolate

i was minding my own business today, and decided to splurge and grab lunch today at trotter’s to go. when i went to pay, i discovered these milk and dark chocolate candy bars from new zealand’s bloomsberry chocolate company. their packaging is so clever, i just had to share it with you!

the bloomsberry folks were just minding their own business too, on the other side of the world, when people from all nations discovered them, consumed them and requested them. now their popularity has risen to tremendous heights, and they sell their delicious confections around the globe!

tell me you don’t love their bochox — so funny!

see more jocular selections, an informative explanation of how chocolate is harvested and a store finder on their website.

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(another) stylish load of whites

i’m not sure if it’s the summer season or if i’m going into a new thing, but for some reason, i can’t take my eyes off of white right now. it may be because i can never keep it clean and consider it a luxury in any way, shape or form…

the ela calculator from theo williams, via geekalerts

white jade, quartz and pearl bracelet at theatelier’s etsy shop

peep show wallpaper (ok, maybe it’s off-white) by gijs bakker (a founder of droog design!), via cribcandy

frost watch, via betterlivingthroughdesign

lemon myrtle, lavender, white chocolate and vanilla bianca cocoa from vosges

handmade white owl ceramic soap dish from fruitflypie’s dawanda shop

crisp, clean and delightful!

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beautiful chocolates from la dolce v

look at these delectable morsels from la dolce v — with flavors like raspberry rose, lavender honey and citrus oolong tea, how could you possibly say no? the tiny shop is in sebastopol, a place i regret not visiting when i was in california a few months ago. no website yet, but be on the lookout…

frankly, the outstanding photostyling is tasty enough for me.

click on bri’s link to read more about the sweets!

via figs with bri on tastespotting

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enstrom’s toffee: a tasty history

i love the endearing qualities (and taste of course) of old-fashioned sweet treats. some places that make them have fascinating tales of their beginnings too. this gorgeous, buttery, handmade toffee, from colorado’s enstrom family, comes from a family recipe that’s over a half century old and is a great example of both.

chet enstrom began his career as a soda jerk in colorado springs. after he got married, he moved out to grand junction and opened an ice cream company, and at the same time it grew and thrived, so did his passionate hobby of candy making. at the urging of his friends and relatives, he and his wife vernie started enstrom’s candy in 1960. the company has been making these great confections ever since.

the company remains in the family to this day, run by third generation grandchildren and their spouses. in addition to toffee, they also offer truffles, mint meltaways, toffee popcorn and fudge.

yum - for the treats and the story!

buy it on their website.

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