Easter baskets. As parents, it’s our responsibility to fill them with things like candy and chocolate. I put a lot of thought into what my kids might enjoy in their baskets, even though they are both only toddlers. Truth be told, they would probably be happy with anything at this age, but mommy strives for perfection. (Clearly, I have issues.) While searching the web, I came across a picture of a Braille chocolate bar. I had never considered that chocolate could contain Braille! I placed the picture on Blind Motherhood’s Facebook Page and I was absolutely inundated with requests from mommies looking for a place that they could purchase these confections for the holidays.
Two Ways to Get Chocolate Braille Bars
- You can make your own.
- You can purchase them from a chocolatier.
Both “The Braille Bookstore” and “Maxi-Aids” sell chocolate molds that allow you to create your own “sweet” Braille gifts. For $4.95 and free shipping, you will get a “two-sided mold” that will make “two” different greetings (Happy Birthday/Love You, Have A Nice Day/Thank You, Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays).
Craft stores and online retailers like Amazon.com sell candy melts in various flavors. Once melted, you simply pour the chocolate into the mold and then place it in the refrigerator for them to harden. This particular option makes “two” 4 oz. bars, measuring 6.5”x4”, which are a pretty good size.
This Easter, I personally went the chocolatier route. I found listings for a few chocolate shops that offered Braille Bars, but many of them had gone out of business or were no longer producing these items.
Pictured: Two wrapped Braille Bars in Easter Egg bags.
The Chocolate Vault, in Horton, Michigan did make Braille Bars.
They offered the same “6” sayings as options for purchase: “Happy Birthday,” “Love You,” “Have A Nice Day,” “Thank You,” “Merry Christmas,” or “Happy Holidays.”
Prices range from $9.95 to $12.95 per bar. They are also available in milk, dark or white chocolate.
I ordered two “Love You” Braille Bars in milk chocolate. I called The Chocolate Vault prior to placing my order online and their customer service was excellent. I explained I was a blind mom who thought this would be an excellent addition to my children’s Easter baskets, considering I am learning braille. The woman I spoke with told me to go ahead and place my order online and she would make sure I had the bars in hand for Easter.
I ordered on a Friday and the chocolate arrived via Priority Mail on Wednesday.
For about $30.00 I was able to get two bars, one for each of my girls.
The box was wrapped impeccably, filled to capacity with styrofoam peanuts. It also contained two slips of paper. One meticulously reviewed ingredients used in the Chocolate Vault’s recipe and the other explained how to best preserve my chocolate until I was ready to give it to my kids.
Each bar was individually boxed and tied with a ribbon. The bars are about the size of a woman’s evening bag or a small clutch purse. The Braille itself is very intricate, highly raised, and easily decipherable.
The bars also had the written equivalent for the braille. For example, my bars said “Love You” and had those words written above the dots, with two hearts on each side.
Overall, I was very satisfied with the bars themselves. I chose to remove them from the original packaging and place each of them individually into cellophane bags adorned with an Easter egg print. I then tied off each bag with a green ribbon. I thought it was more decorative for my girls, but definitely not practical for shipping.
Although I have not tasted the actual bars as of the time of this post, I did purchase an additional item from the Chocolate Vault, also made from milk chocolate. It was very tasty and I have no doubt these bars will be the same.
Feel free to check out my YouTube review of The Chocolate Vault’s Braille Bars.
If you’re looking for a unique gift for someone who is visually impaired or perhaps for someone who works with the blind, consider making or purchasing a Braille chocolate bar. Easter, Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduations… nothing could be sweeter! Happy Easter!
Pictured: “Love You” Braille Chocolate Bars.
How large are the Braille cells on the chocolate? I’ve found with residual vision they may be easy to decipher but often times they are difficult for totals to read if they are huge.
Hey Ashley: I would say each dot is about the size of your pinky nail, maybe a tad smaller.