It’s time to order for Valentine’s Day!
Next Monday, many people will realize that Valentine’s Day is the very next day, Tuesday. 
We’re here to help you avoid the last-minute stress. Since the mail-order nature of our business necessitates a little advanced planning, we’re good at it. So, this is my gentle reminder to you that it’s time to order now.
Even though February 14th is still a whole week away from today, the weekend gets in the way of shipping, so this really is your last chance to order luscious fair-trade gifts for the people you love. After tomorrow (Wednesday, the 8th), delivery for February 14th won’t be impossible, but it will be more expensive.
We’re ready to uncomplicate your life; at least when it comes to the pleasures of chocolate. All of your Sweetheart’s chocolate needs can be easily gratified by our delectable collection of gifts for this celebration of love–vegan chocolates, fair-trade coffee and tea, and Gourmet Coffee Gift Baskets. See? You really can send gifts to all your loved ones and friends, wherever they live, from the comfort of your own computer.
Give Love: Give Chocolate.
NEW: Vanilla-Kissed Strawberry Bark for Valentine’s Day
It’s hard to believe, but Valentine’s Day is in just three short weeks, and we’ve already received a lot of orders! Don’t leave this important holiday’s gifts until the last minute. With our delayed delivery date option, it’s never too early to order our unique valentine gifts for everyone you love.
Despite the winter season keeping us extraordinarily busy in November and December, we’ve been scheming for months to come up with something new and exciting to offer for this sweetest of holidays. We love creating festive and swoon-inducing vegan chocolates for Valentine’s Day and this year, along with our new line of Artisan Truffles and Caramels, we’re also very excited to introduce you to our latest creation: Vanilla-Kissed Strawberry Bark. As gorgeous and delicious as it sounds, this smooth and creamy vanilla-strawberry bark will have you dreaming of strawberry fields.
Don’t wait to order your own unique valentine gifts for all the most important and chocolate-loving people you hold dear. Other February favorites include cherry chocolate organic brownies, double chocolate chunk organic cookies, and our elegant Chocolate Lover’s Gift Set. Order now!
For the Love of Chocolate
You’ve waited patiently all summer while we tested and perfected our new line of vegan fair-trade chocolates. Well, your wait has finally come to an end. This week we’ll be unveiling our completely reformulated and even-more-gourmet vegan peanut butter cups, peppermint creme patties, luscious artisan truffles and caramels and peppermint bark just in time for the holidays! 
But why, you may ask, did we go to all this trouble reformulating chocolates that were already top of their class? The answer is perfection. Here at Allison’s we’re always striving for perfection and we knew that, as good as our chocolates were before, we could do better. As Allison put it a few days ago, “Our chocolates before were great, these are as close to perfection as I’ve ever taste (and I’ve tasted a LOT of chocolates)!” Amidst all the craziness of launching a new product line, I sat down with Allison last week to get the whole chocolate story from her. Here’s what she had to say:
I love chocolate, but until recently my love affair extended only to tasting and enjoying chocolate in its many forms. Over the past 15 years, as Allison’s Gourmet has grown from a simple vegan bakery to a complete confectionary and gift boutique, I have delighted in creating new decadent goodies to add to our repertoire. The only thing that seemed beyond my patience to master was chocolate. Although I am a supertaster and an accomplished chef and baker, when it came to the realm of the chocolatier, I was intimidated. It’s true.
You see, chocolate is complex and temperamental; it needs to be treated with great care and respect to allow for the fullness of its beauty to unfold. Perhaps that’s why women adore chocolate so–it’s our mirror! There are numerous subtleties involved in chocolates and one false move could land one in the dreaded territory of seized chocolate. The exactitude of the craft make it pretty much impossible to create quality vegan chocolates exclusively by trial and error, and in the past I wasn’t prepared to learn everything I needed to know to be a true chocolate expert. So, in 2005, when I decided to add chocolate gifts to our Allison’s Gourmet family of sweets, I turned to a professional chocolatier to create our products.
This worked well for some time, but as the years passed, I continued to dream about offering chocolates of my own creation with varied flavors and ingredients that matched my predilection. I have a well-developed palate and had eaten enough chocolate in my years of business that I could taste something and tell you what I liked about it and what I would change. I had even helped a friend perfect her chocolates, but still, I hadn’t experienced the art of making chocolates myself. So what’s a perfectionist to do in this scenario? Obey the nagging of my palate and take a Chocolatier course, delve into volumes of research, hours of practice, and weeks of recipe testing of course! And like a good palatal (of or relating to the palate) slave, that’s just what I did.
The chocolate course I embarked on proved immeasurably useful, and the sheer scope of information I learned about chocolate was astounding. It’s been months in the making and I’m pleased to announce my new line of vegan chocolates, lovingly handmade with only the highest-quality ingredients in the exact flavor profiles that delight my palate.
Throughout the last couple of years we’ve sampled a lot of vegan chocolates in our quest for chocolate greatness, and in my opinion, the truffles and caramels she’s created are by far the best I’ve ever had. If you loved our chocolates before (or even if you didn’t) you simply must try these new versions of our classic favorites and some exciting new flavors that we’ve had so much fun experimenting with. 
Our abundant 20-piece chocolate assortment includes eight alluring varieties. Four truffle flavors: Coconut Joy, Orange Blossom, Peppermint Snow, Raspberry Blush and four caramel flavors: Pure Vanilla, Salted Chocolate, Butterscotch Pecan, Mocha. We’d love to know what you think of our new formulas for luscious vegan peanut butter cups and peppermint creme patties, too.
Welcome to the AG Chocolate Revolution!
Salted Confections Gift Set: The Photo Shoot
Little known fact: we do all our own photography here at Allison’s Gourmet. And I don’t mean we hire some pro photographer to come take pictures for us. Nope, all those gorgeous photos you seen on our website? All us (not to toot our own horns too much, but I do think we’re pretty awesome for amateurs). Recently we had a photo shoot for the new Salted Confections Gift Set. You can see the finished photos along with our other holiday gifts online at our website and in last week’s post.
Here’s a little peek behind the scenes:
Allison and I seem to be ridiculous perfectionists in similar ways, which makes us perfectly matched to work together. Everything we produce is absolutely top quality whether it’s corporate food gifts, heavenly confections or monthly cookie flavors, so we want the photos of these things perfect too. 
This photo shoot of just one image took us several hours. That was partly because we’re breaking in a new camera and had to learn how to use it. But seriously, the process goes something like this. We take a few photos, go look at them on the computer, go back to the studio table, make minute changes, take a few more photos… And the process continues with tiny changes in angle, number and spacing of salt crystals, plumping up and balancing of caramels and carefully melting chocolate with a heat gun.
Luckily, we’re great friends and we love the work. We also have similar tastes in chocolate (which really keeps us going). Between the chocolates on the side, and the peanut brittle and caramels that were lying around everywhere, we were pretty loopy by the end of it all. 
In looking through the final photos, we had a fit of hysterics over this photo, see if you can figure out why…
August’s Decadently Delicious Flavors Shipped
After expounding on the amazing perks of monthly club membership last week, I’m happy to announce that another delicious shipment of new monthly flavors went out on Monday. 
Our lucky club members this month are receiving gorgeous tropical Toasted Coconut Brownies, classically rich and decadent Original Fudge and ultra-elegant Cinnamon Snickerdoodle organic cookies. Hungry yet? You too can enjoy August’s distinctively delicious array of out-of-this-world compassionate baked goods. Order them individually or become a monthly club member today to receive a 15% discount along with your awesome sweet treats.
Already a monthly club member? Looking for ways to put that discount to work? Our gourmet Gift Samplers and Gift Sets make perfect presents for August birthdays and vacation treats. 
Since the warm weather this time of year makes shipping vegan chocolates risky, we recommend non-chocolate goodies for those summertime special occasions. Save yourself the time in the kitchen by serving our organic cookies and brownies for dessert at your next picnic or barbecue and wow both your family and guests by filling your candy bowl with all our outstanding assorted flavors of our individually wrapped caramels.
What are your favorite vegan hot dogs or other favorite vegan barbecue fare? We’re always looking for new and exciting grill items, and we love Allison’s All-American Potato Salad to round out a perfect summertime meal.
Summer Heat and Chocolates Don’t Mix
It’s been a whacky weather year here in California. We had an unusually snowy, wet winter, and we’ve had a ridiculously long, cool spring (we’ve even had some confused trees with their leaves turning colors already!) But the sun has finally come out, and I’m hoping that we might soon catch up to the rest of the country and have some real warm weather.
The prospect of summer heat has me smiling big time, but it also reminds me that summer is a hard time to ship vegan chocolates.
Even with a chill pack and 2-day air shipping, chocolates do not always survive the intense heat in many areas of the country during the warmer months. So, now that temperatures are really heating up, we’re recommending that you use caution when ordering chocolate items like vegan peanut butter cups, peppermint patties, cherry truffle hearts, and cherry almond bark. Check the weather for your shipping destination and if it’s going to be over 65ºF, consider ordering something less perishable.
Some non-meltable but still chocolate-y alternatives for summer gift-giving include organic brownies, Double Chocolate Chunk cookies, drinking chocolate (great in shakes and smoothies or as chocolate milk), and individually wrapped caramels in several chocolate and vanilla flavors. Cookies and brownies with chocolate chips in them are also a slight melting risk, but melted chocolate chips, while messy, won’t be a catastrophe. If your chocolate chip baked goods arrive melted, simply let them cool somewhere below 65º for a few hours before devouring them.
P.S. Remember to order your Father’s Day gifts this week. Dad will thank you!
Salted Is the New Sweet
Kelly’s salted Margarita Biscotti recipe from last week’s Friday with Friends got me thinking about how much I love the salty/sweet flavor combination not just in gourmet cookies, but in vegan chocolates and confections too. I’ve always loved to contrast salty and sweet tastes; on late nights in college I would go back and forth, eating candy, then chips, then candy… But I was still skeptical when Allison first suggested that we try tests of salted caramels and brittle. I thought “I love salty, and I love sweet, but both at once?!” 
If you haven’t yet tried the salted confection phenomenon, maybe you’re thinking the same thing. Let me assure you, then, that these aren’t some super-salty, sickly sweet aberration. Just the right balance of salt added to a sweet confection enhances all the flavors therein, making salted chocolate caramels taste more chocolate-y as well as sweeter and saltier. But tasting is believing, and with hand-crafted vegan confections of the highest quality as ours are, you’re in for a real treat.
In the past year or so Allison has developed several salted confections and there are more in the works. 
Available right now are her unbelievably delicious salted chocolate and vanilla caramels as well as you-won’t-believe-’em-until-you-try-’em salted lavender caramels and salted chocolate brittle (my personal pick for best Father’s Day gift idea). Salted confections make wonderful treats for those with salty palates like mine or for people who love to try new things.
What are your favorite unorthodox flavor combinations?
Order Now for Mother’s Day (It’s This Weekend!)
Spring is finally really starting to spring here in Northern California. We have oak trees putting out bright green leaves, the lilacs and redbud bushes are beautifuly in full bloom, and all the new seedlings are starting to push up in our gardens. 
Amidst all this growing and flowering, it seems a perfect time of year to celebrate all the strong and beautiful women in our lives: the mothers of all kinds who nurture and support us.
Mother’s Day is this weekend, and there is still time to order decadent vegan chocolates, melt-in-her-mouth vegan fudge and 
our luscious new Salted Lavender and Chocolate Rose Caramels in time for Sunday. Order before 9am on Wednesday and choose 2-day air shipping to guarantee on-time delivery.
What are your Mother’s Day plans? Any wildflower walks or sunny meadow picnics in the works? We’d love to hear your ideas and recipes!
Here Comes Spring!
Although it doesn’t feel like it yet, Spring is just around the corner and with it comes Easter only a month away. Whether you’re shopping for kids or kids-at-heart, now is a great time to start thinking about vegan Easter gifts, and you’ve come to the right place. 
Starting in April, we’ll be offering an assortment of fair-trade, organic and vegan chocolates for Springtime including nut butter, ganache and caramel filled chocolate eggs, solid chocolate eggs and adorable solid chocolate bunnies. Our Easter & Springtime vegan gift basket includes all of the above plus an assortment of chewy cookies and elegant green “grass” filling.
Worried you might forget to order in time for Easter? We will begin shipping these Springtime items in early to mid-April, but you may pre-order your vegan chocolates and vegan gift baskets now using our delayed delivery date option. Simply choose the date when you’d like your gifts to arrive and we’ll ship them accordingly. Easy and hassle-free, pre-ordering lets you get ahead of the game so you can start thinking about other things like planting your gardens and spring cleaning.
It’s Your Last Chance to Order for Valentine’s Day!
This really is it,
Today is the day,
It’s your last chance to order
For Valentine’s Day!
In the spirit of love
Share gifts with your friends
Gourmet coffee gift baskets
And sweet chocolate blends
Can you see how the love
Spreads from one to another?
Send treats to your family
Mom, dad, sister, brother
Don’t waste a minute
It’s your last chance this year
Give luscious chocolate truffles
To all you hold dear.
