'Be my Valentine'

By Tom Harte

In the television special "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown," aired every year since 1975, Snoopy presents Sally a classic Valentine candy heart with the entire verse of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Sonnet 43 ("How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. ...") in very tiny print.

The joke resides in the fact those candy hearts are too small to accommodate even a full sentence, let alone 14 lines of a sonnet. By comparison, a 140-character Tweet seems like "War and Peace."

Humor aside, the appearance of candy hearts with messages in a popular television special illustrates just how iconic a symbol of Valentine's Day they have become.

Accordingly, they have appeared in the 1908 book "Anne of Green Gables," a 1934 Mickey Mouse cartoon and a 1993 episode of "The Simpsons," where Bart produced hearts with messages such as "U Stink."

Homemade candy message hearts are dried out for several hours before messages are written on them.TOM HARTE

Now you might think that a heart-shaped box of chocolates is the iconic symbol of Valentine's Day, and you wouldn't be wrong.

At least, that's the first thing I and other unimaginative husbands think of when looking for a gift for our sweethearts. But though chocolates outsell every other kind of candy this time of year, candy message hearts are not far behind. They make up 40 percent of the Valentine candy market.

In the month and a half before Valentine's Day each year, nearly eight billion message hearts, almost 15 million pounds, are sold. The New England Confectionary Company (NECCO), the inventor and principal maker of the hearts, manufactures on the order of 100,000 pounds of them every day -- and by Valentine's Day, they are practically sold out.

NECCO has had a lot of practice gearing up for this huge demand. It is the oldest candy company in the country, going back to before the Civil War.

Their NECCO Wafers, the precursors of candy message hearts, are the oldest American product continuously manufactured and sold in its original form, according to the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets.

Homemade candy message hearts allow for unique and personal Valentines messages.TOM HARTE ~ photos@semissourian.com

Though the idea of accompanying pieces of candy with seductive messages can be traced back to the 1820s, when French bonbons were frequently packaged with jeux de mots, American candy message hearts got their start in 1847 when Oliver B. Chase, inventor of the first candy-making machine in the United States and one of the founders of NECCO, began fabricating sugar wafers.

Not yet heart-shaped, they already included messages, first on paper and later embossed directly on the wafers.

In 1902, the wafers took the form of little hearts, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Popular as they have become, truth be told, no one buys message hearts just to eat. Resembling antacid tablets in flavor, they are an acquired taste some of us never have acquired, but it's the messages that have made them endearing, which is the best reason to make your own.

There's no better way to say, "Be my valentine" than with a customized message.

Homemade candy message hearts begin with rolled out sugar paste that is cut out into heart shapes.TOM HARTE ~ photos@semissourian.com

Homemade Candy Message Hearts

Follow this recipe, adapted from seriouseats.com, to create the most special Valentine's Day treats imaginable -- message hearts that are uniquely all your own.

With sales in the billions, candy message hearts like these have become a Valentines Day staple.TOM HARTE ~ photos@semissourian.com

• 1 package (1/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup champagne (or lemon-lime soda)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 pounds powdered sugar
• flavoring extracts or liqueurs
• food colorings
• edible food markers

Whisk gelatin into champagne and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Microwave, stirring every 5 seconds, until melted. Using a stand mixer, combine gelatin mixture with 2 cups powdered sugar, beating at medium speed until smooth. Add salt and continue beating in powdered sugar a cup or two at a time until a thick, malleable dough forms. On a surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar, knead dough until smooth and divide into four portions. Knead a drop or two of flavoring and one drop food coloring into each portion using a different flavor and color for each portion of dough. Roll out each portion to desired thickness, dusting with powdered sugar as needed to prevent sticking. Using a cookie cutter, cut dough into heart shapes, place on parchment-lined tray and let sit uncovered for 24 hours. Using edible food markers, decorate each heart with appropriate messages. Store in airtight container.