Pioneer’s Famous Caramel Apples, for FREE!

Pioneer Candies & Ice Cream is pleased to announce its free caramel apple giveaway Saturday, October 29^th from 3:00 – 10:00pm. Celebrate Halloween early and bring your kids by our store at 2350 E. Harmony Rd. Suite 104 and get your free caramel apple!

If you plan on heading to Estes Park this Halloween, Pioneer is eager to continue with its tradition in Estes Park at its sister store, Laura’s Fine Candies at 129 E. Elkhorn Ave. Laura’s will also be giving away free caramel apples on Halloween day from 5:00 – 9:00pm. Owner of Pioneer and Laura’s says, “We are proud to support Northern Colorado residents this fall season by dishing out a tasty treat!”

“Our free caramel apple giveaway has been a tradition of Laura’s for eight years, and we are now excited to bring this Halloween fun to Fort Collins with our newest store, Pioneer Candies & Ice Cream,” says Director of Marketing, Brent Pauly. With over 30 years of gourmet candy making experience Pioneer offers Colorado’s finest almond toffee, gourmet fudge, exquisite chocolates, and homemade ice cream. Pioneer’s famous caramel is made from scratch in old fashioned copper kettles, and now is your chance to taste one of their delicious Colorado traditions for free! Hurry in because the caramel apples will go quickly!

Pioneer is proud to be a part of the Northern Colorado community, and invites you to celebrate with them. Stop in this weekend, or visit Pioneer online at www.pioneercandy.com for more delicious treats and gift ideas.

Happy Halloween!

It’s not too early to think Holidays!

For all of you holiday procrastinators, Pioneer is here to help! Pioneer has been bringing Colorado’s finest almond toffee, gourmet fudge and exquisite chocolates to Fort Collins for over a year now. Our new 2011 Holiday Catalog is filled with great holiday and corporate gifting ideas for everyone on your list, so pre-order now and reward those you love with a delicious piece of Colorado this holiday season.

It’s so easy it’s ridiculous! When ordering, simply give us the date you want your items shipped. Your gift will arrive when you want it to, on time, fresh, and without any last minute gift searching stress.

Click here to download the 2011 Pioneer Holiday Catalog, or here to receive one by mail.

Order online at www.pioneercandy.com, or by phone at 1-800-550-3740

All you need to do is give us your list, and we take care of the rest!

The sleeve includes your logo and a personalized holiday message, and we offer the most competitive volume discount pricing around. Click here to download our new 2011 Holiday Catalog. If you would like a hard copy, click here to request one in the mail, or you can call a gifting specialist at 1-800-550-3740.

Click here to buy tickets for the 1st Annual Art Walk, and get all the information on this amazing event. Proceeds benefit Turning Point.

Who:   The Villagio

What:   Presents Arte di Villaggio

When:   Thursdays 9/1/11, 9/8/11, 9/15/11, and 9/22/11

Time:   6:30 – 8:30pm, Tours will be at 6:30pm and 7:30pm

Why:   To support local business, celebrate local artists, give something unique back to the community and benefit a wonderful cause.

Cost:   $25/person or $40/couple, admission includes two drink tickets/person, appetizers and a wonderful evening of art. Proceeds benefit turning point.

Where:   At the Villagio on Harmony and Snow Mesa – Wine and appetizers will be served. (Starts and ends at 2350 E. Harmony Rd in front of Rustic Oven and East Moon)

Tickets:  www.turningpnt.org   970-567-0885

Toffee Making

Are you a toffee lover? Maybe you are stressing about what to get that someone as a gift this holiday season. Pioneer in now bringing Colorado’s finest Milk Chocolate Almond, Dark Chocolate Almond and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut toffee to Fort Collins! Perfect for corporate and holiday gifting, we are offering amazing volume prices on our Fort Collins toffee this season.  Click here to visit our website to see what we have to offer.

Chocolate Covering

Our toffee is hand crafted in Estes Park, using old fashioned copper kettles. It is poured onto our cooling table right out of the kettle, and then covered in our delicious chocolate.

Almond Topping

Almonds are then liberally sprinkled on top. We then flip it, and cover again in chocolate and nuts to achieve our perfect Fort Collins toffee. Stop into our Fort Collins store today to try a sample. Click here to find our retail locations.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

A Gourmet Peanut Butter Cheesecake…Mmmmmmm!!!

Crust:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch fine salt

Filling:

• 2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoons vanilla paste or extract
• 2 cups chopped Pioneer Candy Fudge

Directions:

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.

For the crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt in a medium bowl.  Melt the butter, covered in the microwave or in a saucepan over the stove on medium heat.  Brush a 9-inch springform pan with some of the butter.  Stir the remaining butter together with the crumb mixture.  Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan.  Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.  Allow the crust to cool.  Wrap the bottom and up the sides of the pan with foil and put in a roasting pan.

For the filling: Using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.  Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Slowly beat in the sour cream, peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla.  By hand, fold in the Pioneer Candy Fudge making sure to separate the chopped pieces when adding to the mixture.

Bring a medium saucepan or kettle of water to a boil.  Gently place the roasting pan in the oven.  Pour in enough hot water to come about halfway up the side of the springform pan.  Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 10 minutes until the outside of the cake sets but the center is still loose.

Turn the oven off, cook the cheesecake in the residual heat in the oven for 1 hour.  Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan to a rack.  Run a knife around the edges and cool to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Bring the cheesecake to room temperature 20 minutes before serving.  Remove the springform ring.  Dip a knife in warm water, wipe dry before slicing each piece.  Serve with a topping of crumbled Pioneer Candy toffee, if desired.

Serves 12

Toffee Cheesecake

A Gourmet Toffee Cheesecake Recipe That’s Guaranteed to Satisfy!!!

Crust:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch fine salt

Filling:

• 2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• ¾ cup sour cream
• 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoons vanilla paste or extract
• 2 cups coarsely chopped Pioneer Candy Toffee

To Serve:

• ¼ cup crumbled Pioneer Candy Toffee for garnish, if desired

Directions:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.

For the crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt in a medium bowl.  Melt the butter, covered in the microwave or in a saucepan over the stove on medium heat.  Brush a 9-inch springform pan with some of the butter.  Stir the remaining butter together with the crumb mixture.  Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan.  Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.  Allow the crust to cool.  Wrap the bottom and up the sides of the pan with foil and put in a roasting pan.

For the filling: Using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.  Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Slowly beat in the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla.  By hand, fold in the Pioneer Candy Toffee.

Bring a medium saucepan or kettle of water to a boil.  Gently place the roasting pan in the oven.  Pour in enough hot water to come about halfway up the side of the springform pan.  Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 10 minutes until the outside of the cake sets but the center is still loose.

Turn the oven off, cook the cheesecake in the residual heat in the oven for 1 hour.  Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan to a rack.  Run a knife around the edges and cool to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Bring the cheesecake to room temperature 20 minutes before serving.  Remove the springform ring.  Dip a knife in warm water, wipe dry before slicing each piece.  Serve with a topping of crumbled Pioneer Candy toffee, if desired.

Serves 12

It didn’t seem like much at the time, but when I look back and the fact that I remember these small conversations must mean that they have had some profound impact on me. The craziest thing about it is, that it’s the times that I’m eating a fudge brownie, chocolate chip cookie or a big bowl of ice cream that these emotions come to surface…It’s the nostalgic emotion of tying dessert and sweets in general to these father-son moments.

Don’t get me wrong there was more to my father’s and mine relationship than these conversations held over chocolate desserts. There were the times that after my soccer games or baseball games that we would be driving home and we would talk about how I played and the game, but these are the expected conversations that every father and son have during the course of our adolescence.

It makes wonder if he knew what he was doing or was he simply being a good father by wanting to spend quality time with his son?

To be completely honest and blunt, I don’t care. For whatever the reason behind these dessert time conversations is of no importance to me, the fact that they occurred is all I care about.

In any event, I will always cherish those conversations and every time I sit down for a bowl of ice cream or order a slice of chocolate fudge cheesecake I will eat it with a smile as I think about my father.

Share Your Nostalgic Father’s Day Story or Nostalgic Chocolate Story …

Share your story in the comments section below and take the time to remember what it feels like to be a kid again…

Ingredients:

• Soft butter, for greasing the pan
• Flour, for dusting the buttered pan
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar, sifted
• 1 cup brown sugar, sifted
• 8 ounces melted butter
• 1 ¼ cups cocoa, sifted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup flour, sifted
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 oz Plain Chocolate Fudge from Pioneer Candy Co.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.  Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.

Fudge should be cut into small cubes and then chilled before mixing into brownie batter.
Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8-inch square pan and bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness with the tried-and-true toothpick method: a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean. When it’s done, remove to a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to cut into it until it’s mostly cool.

Ingredients:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup chopped Pioneer Milk or Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Line a 13 by 9-inch glass pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang and then spray with nonstick spray.

Whisk flour and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand held mixer, cream butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy.  Slowly add eggs, 1 at a time until thoroughly combined.  Add milk, vanilla extract, peanut butter, and chocolate chips and continue to mix.  Incorporate dry mixture into wet mixture in 3 separate additions.  Using a spatula, fold in Pioneer Toffee bits.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake in the center rack of the oven for 20 minutes.  Remove when toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.  When cool, use cookie cutters to create fun shapes.