How Did It All Start?

Like many addictions, it only takes once and you’re hooked. Entire generations have fallen to the lure of homemade hand-dipped chocolates.

Back sometime in the early 1960’s, which is after the Spanish conquered the new world and took the cacao bean back to Europe and ruined it by adding sugar and figuring out how to mold into bars to addict innocent children and lonely women; my mother learned how to turn her kitchen into a devilish addiction factory.

It was Myrtle Rappeley!* She is to blame. Just as the Spanish introduced xocolati to the unsuspecting royal courts in Europe, Myrtle introduced my mother and her best friend Mona Brown to the art of hand dipping chocolates. If I remember the details correctly as they played out some 60 years ago, (I don’t dare ask my siblings if this story is true because those older than me have lost their minds and those younger were too young to pay attention.) our local church congregation was participating in the building of a new chapel and everyone was expected to contribute a certain amount of money to the construction. The group of Relief Society women, as they are called, were asked to generate a portion of the assessment. As my mother was one of the leaders of this local group of women. It was suggested they make homemade hand-dipped chocolates and sell them to fund their portion of the new building’s construction.

When Myrtle suggested they make hand-dipped chocolates my mother responded saying, “I don’t know how to make hand-dipped chocolates.” Myrtle quickly said, “you will.” How prophetic she was.

The chocolates were not only wildly popular but the fund raising effort was wildly successful. The tradition of hand dipping chocolates began.

My mother’s sisters, all magicians in their own kitchens, went all-in as well. This art of hand dipping chocolates spread quickly through my mother’s family. To this day, the tradition lives on.

This past Christmas season, fourth and fifth generation grandchildren participated in the process of making hand-dipped chocolates, including my sons and daughter. I’m not talking about just the eating part of the process, my young grandchildren, nieces and grand nieces are quite proficient at hand dipping.  And of course we’ve all mastered the eating process as well.

Thank you Mom.

*Quote from Myrtle’s obituary – “She was especially famous for her hand-dipped chocolates, buttercream mints, and toffee.”

Obituary of Myrtle (Hess) Rappleye