Sugar, Corn Syrup, Corn Starch, Dextrose, Gelatin, Glycerin, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Vegetable Gums (Tragacanth, Xanthan, and Arabic), FD&C Colors (Yellow 5, Blue 1, Red 3, Red 40 (Contains Soy Lecithin), Yellow 6).
The sugary sweet candies have become synonymous with Valentine’s Day — but why is that?
With Valentine’s Day approaching comes various options to choose to buy for your partner: flowers, mixed chocolates and Val-o-gram messages, among several others.
However, there’s another holiday treat that’s been around for a very long time and still remains as well known to this day: Sweethearts candies.
The sweet heart-shaped candies — also called conversation hearts — have been synonymous with the holiday for over a century. And they still sell well on store shelves, as more than 8 billion Sweethearts candies are sold within the six-week period prior to Valentine’s Day, per Smithsonian Magazine.
Additionally, according to Smithsonian Magazine, Sweethearts fill up 40% of the Valentine candy market, just falling behind chocolate.Related
To make the iconic candy hearts, sugar is pulverized and placed in a large mixer. Corn syrup, gelatin, and dextrose are then added for color and flavor. After a few minutes of mixing, the candy is ready to be shaped. The batches, which weigh over five hundred pounds, are pressed and stamped with the familiar sentimental phrases.
Classic phrases like ‘be mine’ and ‘marry me’ have been the same for years and continue to be put into circulation, but in the early 1990s, Sweethearts began to update the sayings each year, retiring some while adding others. For example, the first new phrase was ‘Fax Me’, which has been updated to ‘Call Me’ and ‘Text Me’.
Even though everyone celebrates Valentine’s Day differently, there are certain staples we all recognize: the heart-shaped box of assorted chocolates, the bouquet of roses, and, of course, the classic candy hearts. The tiny hearts sporting classic phrases like ‘be mine’ and ‘love you’ have been around for quite some time, but how do they become a sweet heart for your sweetheart?
The history of how candy hearts are made dates back to the mid-1800s when lozenges were all the rage to soothe sore throats. At the time, making lozenges was a lengthy process that required mashing sugar and medicine with a mortar and pestle, mixing the dough, rolling it out, and cutting the disc shape. In 1847, English immigrant Oliver Chase invented a lozenge-cutting device to speed up the process.
In 2023, Sweethearts sent a “sweet-and-desist” open letter to all social media platforms to stop using the heart as a ‘like’ button. The company believes that the like button has lost its meaning because of Big Tech. The company urges people to share likes in real life instead by giving Sweethearts this Valentine’s season.
Learn How Sweetheart Candies are Made – Martha Stewart
FAQ
What are the ingredients in candy hearts?
Did they stop making Sweetheart candy?
What were candy hearts originally made from?
What candy is like Sweethearts?
Who makes Sweethearts?
Sweethearts were made by the New England Confectionery Company, or Necco, before being purchased by the Spangler Candy Company in 2018. They were also previously made by the Stark Candy Company. Necco manufactured nearly 8 billion Sweethearts per year. Similar products are available from Brach’s and other companies.
How are sweetheart candies made?
The Atlantic spoke with Hugh B. Albert, production manager at NECCO, about how Sweetheart candies are made to this day, which involves 10 steps: 1. Get the ingredients. Gather sugar, cornstarch, corn syrup and the appropriate amount of flavors and colors together. 2. Mix the ingredients together. 3. Chunk the mixture.
Are sweetheart Candy Hearts cheeky?
The Sweetheart Candy Hearts on the market in the late ’90s and the beginning of the 2000s have always been pretty cheeky. Sayings like “Honey Bun” and “I Got U Babe” have been spotted on the tiny candy hearts, with later additions incorporating social media phrases and sayings more common in the current day.
When do sweetheart candies come out?
By the early 1900s, small hearts established their rightful place as the number one style. More than eight billion Sweetheart candies are sold in the six weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day. In order to make enough, production begins almost a year in advance, in late February, and continues until mid-January.