Dairy Free Chocolate Coins

The current trend of using chocolate coins for promotional purposes or to celebrate special occasions is most likely derived from the tradition of Hanukkah gelt (Yiddish for "money"). Long before there was interest in dairy free chocolate coins, Jewish adults gave monetary coins as gifts to children to enhance their holiday experience. In the twentieth-century, American chocolate makers caught on to the coin idea and began producing chocolate gelt, candies shaped and stamped like coins and wrapped in foil. The coins often come bundled in small, net-like bags, and are used in place of real money in dreidel games.

Recently, this ancient traditional (like so many others) has been embraced by a secular crowd looking for a unique medium to reach their target audience. It is not uncommon to find chocolate coins sprinkled around a wedding table, or used to add a touch of pizzazz to a dinner party. The corporate world, always eager to find a new way to advertise their products, have begun branding chocolate coins with company logos, or using them as an incentive program for employees. New technology even allows for images or a message to be transferred onto the coin's surface.

Making your own dairy free chocolate coins is a simple process that doesn't require any fancy technology. First, procure for yourself vegan chocolate chips, and melt them down over medium heat. Online retailers sell a wide array of molds that will shape your dairy free chocolate coins. Pour the melted chocolate into the molds, allow to cool, wrap in foil, and voila! Your very own dairy free coins to distribute as you wish.