I can't decide if this is cute or freaky. Check it out at Moist Production Shop.

Shut Up and Let Her Talk! (Be patient, this really is about candy)

No one can ever accuse me of being narrow-minded. Let it be known here and now: I am the talk radio queen. My evening ritual consists of this: scour the shelves for my end-of-the-day chocolate reward, walk past the front door and don't stop to see if it's locked because I'm daring like that, go upstairs, look for Henri in his crib (not unlike searching the cage at the zoo for the tiger; you know he's there, sometimes he just blends in with his surroundings), go to the bathroom, brush teeth, pop pill, pee again for good measure, then settle down into bed with my Walkman. Yes, my Sony Walkman. I know, who even has a Walkman these days? I had an iPod, but it just didn't serve me well because, you see, I'm a talk radio addict. Every night I lay down on one side and put the ear phone over my other ear (yes, I know! An ear phone! Not even an ear bud!) and turn on, tune in and drop out. What do I listen to? Anything that will come in, which means I listen to everything from the ridiculous (Bill O'Reilly, who spins more than a cotton candy machine) to the sublime (Clark Howard, "Save More, Spend Less and Avoid Getting Ripped Off").

Sunday evenings present a particularly interesting line-up, which starts with old-timey radio dramas and comedies and then goes to what is quite possibly the worst talk radio show ever, the Joe Mazza Show with his wonder dog Sebastian. Imagine if you will, the dad from Family Guy. Thick Boston accent, not too many synapses bouncing around. This is Joe Mazza. Now, I don't mean to be insulting or rude, but seriously, this show is so bad you almost think it's a parody. Anyhow, I was asleep last night, with the sounds of talk radio weaving in and out of my dreams when I suddenly sprang awake. The conversation had turned to candy.

He was interviewing a woman from Australia who had called in and he asked her what the temperature was there now. She said 17 degrees C. This sent him into a tizzy and he had to know what that translated to in Fahrenheit. She actually Googled it and told him it was about 60 degrees, which then sent him into another tizzy, because he didn't realize it was winter there. Anyhow, she was commenting on how much she loved the States, but was sadly disappointed in our candy bar offerings. WOW! I would've thought that we had more of a selection than Australia, but apparently not. She said she really missed one candy bar in particular-- it was either called Crispy or Crunchy (I can't remember and not surprisingly, the website for the show is not working). She started describing the candy bar, comparing it to a Violet Crumble, but then Joe Mazza cut her off to AGAIN ask her what the temperature was.

Now I'm even more intrigued by Australian candy. If you're a true Candy Yum Yum devotee, you might remember way back when (holy cow, almost five years ago) that I did a candy exchange with my friend Debbie. Such fun! I'll have to talk to her and find out some more about candy down under. I think she's holding out on me.

Name That Candy Bar!

Okay, all you Yumsters out there. I just got this e-mail from a reader:

My favorite candy (between 1945 and 1950) was a wafer bar dipped in milk chocolate. The wafers and filling were vanilla. I can not remember the name of them, although I have racked my brain for a long time. They came in a box like Power House and Baby Ruth candy bars did. If I remember correctly, the price was five cents for this big candy bar. They were crunchy and soooo good!

If anyone remembers the name of them, I would love to know.

Anyone? Anyone? I have no idea, but if you know, let us in on the name!

Chocolate Skittles? WTH? (Just trying to keep it family-friendly)

I've seen these Chocolate Skittles around and I've always thought I should pick some up and try them, but I just find it hard to get excited about chocolate "flavored" things. So I was totally psyched when My Connection hooked me up with a package. Not willing to trust my own judgement, I got No-Nuts and Mr. Goodbar involved in the taste test. Herewith, the proclamations from No-Nuts, which I totally agree with:

Brownie Batter: "It tastes like chocolate-flavored Chapstick."

S'mores: "Tastes like S'mores Pop Tarts." (Actually, I've never had those, so I can't say if that's true or not. But they didn't taste like S'mores to me.)

Vanilla: "Why are these in the chocolate mix?"

Chocolate Caramel: "Tastes like a Tootsie Pop."

Chocolate Pudding: "It's accurate, but it has a grassy aftertaste."

And this, from the Killjoy Mr. Goodbar:

"The problem with Skittles is that they're the epitome of something that tastes artificial. You know it's not real. So why would I eat those over these?" (He says as he stuffs a Licor de Cafe Borrachito in his mouth.)

Meet My Connection

I mentioned before that the Sugar Baby's future father-in-law procured for me a bag of Aero Bubbles (which I inhaled) and I hadn't even met him. I finally had the good pleasure of getting liquored up dining out with him and the future mother-in-law last weekend during a blissfully child-free evening, where The Future MIL presented me with a gem that she unearthed during a cleaning frenzy. It's a cookbook, simply titled, "Candy Cookbook." This is a brilliant little publication from the year MCMLXVI (I was absent the day we learned Roman numerals, so this could be a gift from the future for all I know) and it includes every possible date nut roll and fudge recipe you could ever want.

The first chapter is an instant draw: "Candy Favorites From First Ladies." Apparently it's a requirement that you know how to make candy if your husband is to be the president or governor. (Which begs the question, if Hilary had won, would Bill have had to put on an apron and start whipping up some peanut brittle?) Then it moves on to chapters of beaten candy, fruit candy, drop candy and, my favorite, nut confections. Take, for example, these two randomly chosen pages where you'll find the following recipes:

Brown Sugar Pralines

Buttermilk Pralines

Best Creamy Pralines

Creamy Brown Sugar Pralines

Cream Pralines

Creamy Pralines

Creamy Pralines (no, not a typo; there are two Creamy Praline recipes)

Creamy Creole Pralines

Creamy Praline Patties

Louisiana Cream Pralines

Creole Pralines

(and then, if you turn the page, Delicious Pralines, Easy Pralines, Mexican Pralines, Orange Pralines, etc., etc.)

Let me tell you, this book has it all. But perhaps the very best part is the introduction. In case you can't read it, here's what it says:

"Candy is Fun Food ...

... fun to make and fun to eat. And candy is energy food for young and old alike. The things that candy is made of-- sugar, corn syrup, molasses, honey ... butter, eggs, milk, cream ... chocolate, nuts, fruits, jams-- contain the basic proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals that children and adults need in their daily diets."

Didja get that?! CANDY IS ENERGY FOOD! Woohoo! Yes, dear reader, this is your official license to eat candy! Hey, it must be true because the Candy Cookbook says so!

So today, the future MIL came over for a playdate and she had a surprise for me-- a bag of chocolate Skittles. "The Connection found these at the train station on his way home," she said. "I asked him if he tried them and he said, "Oh no, they're for Ms. Yum Yum," causing her to wonder what he might've had as his afterwork commute snack. I'm quite sure it was a banana or perhaps a bottle of water and some celery sticks. I haven't tried the Skittles yet. I'm going to wait until No-Nuts gets home from work so I can get her opinion, too.

Whoopie!

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon a blog that extolled the virtues of Maine whoopie pies. I don't even remember which blog it was, but I sent the link to the von Schokolats because this company offered lots of different flavors, including a chocolate-covered one and it looked YUM. (For those not familiar, a whoopie pie is traditionally two round layers of chocolate cake filled with vanilla cream. It's a Maine specialty, but apparently Oprah got a hold of one or two so now they're a "thing.")

The von Schokolats didn't waste any time and they hopped on the highway to procure some of these mystical beasts.

Without further ado, here's their review:

In short, a person from away might think these are "GREAT." But we polled true Mainers, and no one we talked to gave them a thumbs-up over a traditional homemade chocolate one with lard-filled white icing. Their downfall was that the cake was too spongy and tasted like preservatives. The company has a store in shopping hell-- Freeport, Maine. It was not easy to find unless you are looking for it. It is not on the main drag, but it is down a side road. I would not have found it if we were not looking for it. Save some time. Avoid Freeport and go to most of the gas stations in Maine. They can be found next to the lottery tickets, cigarettes and cash register.

Strawberry Whoopie - Tasted just like a Little Debbie "Jelly Log". Gretl's favorite. No chocolate

Orange Cream - Tasted just like an orange creamsicle.

Red Velvet - YUCK!!! Very Dry. The Baron could not even swallow his test sample. Spit it out. (Editor's note: I'm not sure I believe this.)

Vanilla Bean - Vanilla cookie with icing. Blah.

Banana - Tasted like a banana bread/muffin with cream filling. Does not taste like a Whoopie pie. Because of the new taste it was good.

Raspberry - Kinda like a Bismark (Maine dessert). Tasted like Vanilla Bean whoopie pie, but the more you chewed it the stronger the raspberry got.

Chocolate-covered Whoopie Pie - Liesel liked this one. Too much chocolate. It looked like an Oreo covered in chocolate. My opinion, give me an Oreo and some milk. The best one was the 72-ounce, larger than birthday cake size, traditional chocolate with vanilla icing. 17 Maine kids agreed and devoured it in one sitting.

Gretl's Webkinz Candy Yum Yum Room!

The wee von Schokolats have discovered Webkinz, which are some sort of stuffed animal/pet rock/computer game thingies, I guess. All I know is I see signs for them everywhere although I don't think they've quite achieved Beenie Baby status. In any case, Gretl designed this room which is made entirely of candy. Hooray! I particularly like the "Yum" gum.

Newfangled Fancy M&Ms

My local Stop & Shop is going through a total re-do because they have to compete with the sassy new Big Y that opened up on the other end of town. Today when I went grocery shopping it was like the apocalypse had happened-- the shelves were empty, the bread was moved to the center of the store instead of the perimeter and the veggie burgers were hidden between two shelves of ice cream. Needless to say, I have no idea where the candy aisle went, but at the checkout counters there were two big displays of new M&Ms. Fancy-schmancy M&Ms in boxes, not bags. The candies are bigger than normal and they're sort of metallic and come in funky flavors like mocha, mint and raspberry. I was so psyched to try them until I saw that they're (get this!) $4.49 a box! And not a big box, either. What the heck is this all about?! Who in their right minds is going to pay that much for M&Ms. (You'd think I would, since I usually don't have any qualms about laying out some green for chocolate, but times are tough. It cost me $60 to fill my tank yesterday. I know you know what I'm talking about.) So there's no review here. But if you've got money to burn and feel like trying something new, get thee to your local store and then report back!

More on Favorite Childhood Candy

There were some great responses to my previous post on Favorite Childhood Candy. Interestingly enough, the Ice Cube Queen mentioned a candy I've never heard of: Peachstones. What are these?? And Bazooka Betsy said her favorite was Baby Ruth or Oh Henry, "which are the same thing, right?" First of all, I'm shocked that this was her favorite. I would've bet money on a Reese's. Second, any candy lover will tell you they're not the same thing, but what is the difference exactly? Off the top of my head, I'd say the caramel in a Baby Ruth is softer and thinner and the nougat sweeter, but I can't say for sure. It's been a long time since I've had either. (Admittedly, the last time I had an Oh Henry! was after my baby shower in which they were given out as favors. I guess I sort of overdosed on them because I haven't had one since.) In any case, I'll be conducting an experiment soon to determine a more accurate decision.

Public Service Announcement: Just Say No to Marshmallows

The Baroness just finished a CPR course where she learned this very important bit of information: don't give full-sized marshmallows to little ones. Not only are they a choking hazard, but they're also impervious to the heimlich maneuver because they're all puffy and full of air. So if you're going to use marshmallows, make 'em mini!

B is for Candy Buttons

The latest in my candy paintings series. There's something very cathartic about painting rows of little dots. Isn't it funny how almost everyone has experienced the pleasure and pain of candy buttons? They're so colorful and welcoming, but they have a dark side, too. In order to get at the candy deliciousness, you have to be able to manipulate your mouth, teeth and tongue just right, or else you end up with gob full of paper.

Favorite Childhood Candies

I took an informal poll of some moms and asked them, "What was your favorite childhood candy?" Here are the results:

Fun Dip (loved the sticks!)
Candy cigarettes
Bulls eyes
Bar None
Pay Days
3-cent Jelly Royals
Wax Lips
Crunch
Marathon
Snickers
Licorice-- any kind, strings, wheels
Skor
Whatchamacallit

What was your favorite?

Happy Father's Day to all the Pops out there!

Candy Culture

Have you noticed the proliferation of candy-themed stuff lately? The Ice Cube Queen sent me this cute Tootsie Roll giant paper clip. Yay!

No-Nuts and I have been pounding the pavement looking for a job for her. At Steve & Barry's, I looked around while she filled out the ridiculously long application. They had really cute candy-themed T-shirts. And then at some other store there was a shirt with a monter on it that said, "I like you ... and candy." Hooray!

Say It With Me: Borrrrrrrachiiiiitos!

Sue MKAFFGGF can't stop saying "Hitachino! Hitachino!", the name of a beer she likes. Likewise, I can't stop saying, "Borrachitos!", a type of Mexican candy made by Crown Nuggets.

I was sent two sample boxes of these candies. Visually, they're mucho tasty-looking. Kind of like little cinnamon-sugar cruellers, or maybe log-shaped bulls-eyes. The taste is completely unique.

These come in two flavors: Licor de Cafe and Tequila. Allow me to stray a bit here and explain that, on the Madam Yum Yum taste continuum, coffee is at one end and tequila (shudder) is at the other.

Madam Yum Yum has been drinking coffee since the age of, oh, five or so, when she'd sit on her mother's lap and steal sips. (After four other kids, Madame Yum Yum's mother had bigger and better things to worry about than the purported growth-stunting properties of caffeine, such as bailing her sons out of trouble for lighting fireworks and ripping open leaf bags.) Madame Yum Yum gave up coffee for nine long months, but is now in a co-dependent relationship with Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. So it's safe to say that anything coffee-flavored is a-okay!

On the other end of the scale, Madame Yum Yum had one of those famed life-altering experiences with tequila in college. She doesn't remember much, just sitting around a kitchen table with a mighty cheap bottle of swill, fighting for space at the porcelain god with Mr. Goodbar, and something about riding a bicycle in a parking lot at 2 a.m. The rest of her memories end with laying in bed for two days, begging for mercy. It took many years before Madame Yum Yum could even say the word "tequila," which she had to do when she got not one but two assignments to write about tequila.

So back to the candy at hand. Naturally I opened the Licor de Cafe ones first. The texture was completely different than I thought. These babies are very soft, almost gelatinous. The sugar adds a nice contrasting texture. I can't think of anything else to compare them to. Next, the taste. Mmmm, nice boozy kick. Mr. Goodbar likened them to that Christmas favorite, rum balls. In fact, Mr. Goodbar has since co-opted the box and has a piece every night after work. Happy hour in a candy!

As for the tequila flavored ones ... Okay, I have to be totally honest here and say I just couldn't do it. I really thought I was over my aversion, but apparently not. I couldn't bring myself to try them. But I passed them onto a friend who is a tequila aficinado and she said the aroma alone was heavenly. You can check these out at the Crown Candies website.

Sweet Relief

Aaaah. A monster storm blew in last night and while that totally sucks for my neighbors across the street (a ginormous tree fell down across their driveway, bringing all the electrical wires with it), for me it means things have finally cooled down. Now I can get back to my regularly scheduled chocolate regimine. Except I can't, because No-Nuts has declared a challenge: she has to gain weight, and I have to lose weight. Who gets the short end of the stick on this, I ask! Although she did say that chocolate would be allowed on her "plan" for me, so we'll see. But here is evidence why she weighs a mere 100 pounds: her lunch, a chicken marsala Lean Cuisine. Now, I'm a Lean Cuisine advocate. They taste pretty good, considering they're frozen processed food, and most don't contain any artificial preservatives. I personally prefer the Lemon Chicken with rice. It's usually pretty filling. But check this out: that's her lunch, on a dessert-sized plate. That piece of chicken is TINY. It's smaller than her hand! But for dessert: dark chocolate caramels!

I Can't Even Come Up With a Clever Title, It's That Bad

Dear Reader,
I'm completely humorless at this point. For the third day in a row, it's been oppressively hot and humid. They even closed the schools early! The anti-snow day. I have no desire to do anything, even eat candy, believe it or not. In fact, I think yesterday was the first time in who-knows-how-long that I didn't have a single nibble of candy. Seriously. That's cause for concern.
The only saving grace of this weather is that it lulls the Sugar Baby into a very sleepy state. Unfortunately, it does the same for me. So I have lots to write about, I really do, but I just can't even muster up the energy.
Thank goodness for the correspondents out in the field. Alexandra sent me this exciting news of what she found at the drugstore:

"DOTS Elements Earth (Pomegranate). According to the box there is also Fire - Cinnamon, Water - Green Tea and Air - Wintergreen." She gave the Earth Dots to her parents and apparently they've said they're flavorless. I'm just not so sure about that package. It looks a little creepy/alienesque to me.

And speaking of news from the field, I sent the von Schokolats out on a road trip this weekend. More to come! (If it ever cools down. If it doesn't, this might just become Watermelon Yum Yum.)

No-Nuts is in Da House!

Yesterday was an exciting day in Yum Yum Land, because we have a new member: No-Nuts! My niece is going to be spending the summer with us because that's what every 20-something wants: to spend her summer with her freaky aunt and uncle who listen to weird music and go to bed at 9. She presented me with this lovely "Fudge Love Truffle" which took all of my willpower not to eat on the 3-hour ride home. But I was strong and I waited just long enough to take a picture. It was yummy-- a hunk of chocolatey fudgey-truffle covered in more chocolate. Fantastic!

I'm thinking of having a special feature for the summer: "The No-Nuts Weight Watch." Right now, she's teeny-tiny (which is good, since I didn't have any adult-sized hangers for her closet, only Henri's little wee ones), but I wonder how she'll fare after spending a few months in the Candy Yum Yum offices. She needs some meat on her bones! My hope is that she'll be my new taste tester and I can simply live vicariously through her. Yeah, right.

Ab-Not-So-Fab

I don't know about you, but these "Abdominal Muscle" chocolate bars are just a wee bit freaky. According to the website, with these you can enjoy a "crisp dream body." Ooookay. I mean, really, who wants to be thinking about abs when you're eating chocolate??

Motherhood: A Thankless Job

Those pictures of Alexandra's waffle have been haunting me, so this morning I decided to give the Sugar Baby a special treat and make pancakes. With chocolate chips. Just a few. So I sat him down at the table with one while I made the rest. I peeked into the diningroom and what did I see? He was picking out the chips whispering, "Thank you Chaka!"

Notes From the Field: Alexandra Goes to Max Brenner

Somehow Alexandra was able to escape from her two boys and spend a recent Sunday in New York with her hubby. Can I just say: LUCKY! In any case, she set out on a mission to find some chocolatey goodness, so I suggested she visit Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man. She did, and sent some yummy-looking pictures.

Here are her notes:

Popsicle Fondue: Vanilla ice cream popsicle served with a side of pure melted chocolate, crunchy chocolate wafer balls and candied hazlenut crunchy bits for your dipping pleasure. One/Two - $7.50/$12.90

This was Rich's dessert - his one complaint - too little ice cream to go with all the "condiments" As a non-chocolate lover (is there really one? yup, i live with him!) he did say that the chocolate was smooth and he likened it to a fine malt scotch! So he did enjoy this chocolate.

Eskimo: Selection of 2 scoops of ice cream (dark, milk, white chocolate or vanilla) in a crispy sugared waffle cone served with warm chocolate sauce, crunchy wafer balls and candied hazlenut crunchy bits, so you can create your own unique experience $8.00

This was my dessert. Yum! It was a good amount. I liked the vial of chocolate sauce - it was whimsical and yummy! I wish I could've taken it home with me! (Editor's note: Alexandra, have I taught you nothing?! That's why you always carry a bag with you!) My complaint? I didn't get to choose the flavor of ice cream, i think it was a chocolate and a vanilla. Could've been white chocolate.

After Party Breakfast: Warm waffles topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries and white chocolate chunks. Served with a side of toffee bananas and creme fraiche. Comes with citrus maple syrup or pure melted chocolate to pour on top. $11.95

New Dove Chocolates

Dove has a new line of chocolates out. As I've said before, I really like Dove chocolate. It's perfect for those times when you really want to go on a chocolate binge. So I was really looking forward to the new bars: Roasted Hazelnut and Cranberry Almond in particular. I have to say, though, they were kind of disappointing because the fruit and nuts are chopped up so tiny that they lose something. There's nothing like biting into a big almond covered in chocolate. Why, oh why couldn't these have had bigger pieces in them? Tragic.

The Bananas Foster "Desserts," however, are pretty darn yummy. They're the same size and shape as Dove Promises, but they're filled with a soft oozy yumminess. The banana isn't too pronounced and in fact it almost tastes like a really buttery caramel. Definitely yummy.

Other new flavors in the series are Peanut Toffee Crunch (made with chopped up Munch bars), Blueberry Almond, and Extra Creamy Milk. In the desserts line, they also have Dark Chocolate Tiramisu.

Flavor Tripping with Miracle Fruit!

You've got to read this article from the New York Times about "miracle fruit." It's a berry which, according to the article, "rewires the way the palate perceives sour flavors for an hour or so, rendering lemons as sweet as candy." So, so cool. Apparently there are "flavor tripping" parties where guests are given a berry and then led to a buffet of all sorts of foods. One dude quoted in the article said that a scoop of lemon sorbet in a glass of Guinness tasted like a chocolate milk shake. I've got to try this.

Saving the Best For Last

After the corn dogs and Cletus's Salt Pockets, we determined it was finally time to procure us some moonshine. So I jumped in the car with the Baron and the Baroness and we headed out to the big city. In addition to the Piggly Wiggly, the town also sported a dollar store, which I begged the Baroness to stop at.

Here's the deal: up north, dollar stores can be mighty frightening. Sometimes in a good way (like the time I found stickers with photos of people doing their jobs, like a phone repair dude and a lab technician), but most of the time they're frightening in a bad way (horrendous plaster doves -n- wedding bells). Needless to say, I never ever NEVER buy candy from the dollar store, no matter how cool it is. That just creeps me out to no end. Anyhow, it occurred to me that a dollar store in the south might have some truly, ahem, unique items, maybe with a hunting or four-wheelin' flair.

Oh ho! How wrong I was. We walked in and-- taa daa!-- it was dollar store paradise. Not a single bejeweled tchotcke to be found. Instead, it was row after row of pretty decent stuff-- toys for the Sugar Baby's return flight, pony tail holders for moi and Gretl, mini popsicle molds perfect for a 2-year-old, stickers upon stickers ... and then I heard the Baroness say, "Hey! Get over here!"

And there was the candy aisle, a shiny mecca of totally new and weird candy, the likes of which I've never seen. First, the Limited Edition 100 Grand with Peanuts. Of course I had to get this and I made the Baron get his own when he started oogling mine.

Next, a bag of miniature Razzles. I can't tell you how much I love this. I've never seen treat-sized Razzles before. A six-pack of fruit Chiclets-- how very awesome. A "Wildlife Clik" candy dispenser with Smarties Bubble Gum. (Note that the package says, "Save our wildlife, every effort counts. 3% of our total proceeds will go to the Wildlife Conservation Society." Hmm. Three percent is a bit stingy, especially when it only cost $1).

Then this gem: edible paper with edible candy gel. Gretl shoved that whole thing in her mouth, but I forgot to ask her what it tasted like. And lastly, a Mounds lip balm.

Believe me when I tell you, I could've spent a lot more time (and money) there, but the Baroness was all like, "The bus is leaving!" and I certainly would've never found my way of that town and I'd be forced to get a job at the crazy little shack/liquor store on the side of the dirt road.

For Me? You Shouldn't Have! (But I'm So Glad You Did!!)

Candy is the universal currency of friendship. Why do I say this? Because my friends are always on the lookout for new candy for me to try.

Like my friend Kris. We've known each other pretty much forever. When we were teenagers (before we drove our bitchin' cars-- a Chevette and a Skylark), we'd ride our bikes to McDonald's and I'd get a hamburger which, being all OCD, I'd eat into the shape of a crescent moon. Then we'd hang out at each other's houses and read Sweet Valley High books. Oh, those were the days. Now she lives in Florida and leads an exciting "Sex in the City" kind of life. (Without the city or the $700 shoes.) On one of her most recent jaunts, she went to New Orleans and, despite having many Hurricanes and etouffe, she thought of me and sent me some Blue Frog Chocolates. Yum! This was a nice assortment: raspberry, white chocolate coconut, peanut butter, orange, cappuccino and mint. My favorites were the orange (very citrusy and not too sweet) and the mint, which was so good I wished I had more of, but I'm glad I don't because I'd just eat them all.

And speaking of mint (ah, a nice segue!), I got a surprise from the Sugar Baby's girlfriend's dad. (Yes, he's two and has a girlfriend--Lilly. They were smooching in the sand box the other day. ) I've never met Lilly's dad, but apparently he's a fellow candy aficionado and look what he bought for me: mint Aero balls! WOOHOO! I was so excited. I've been wanting these forever. I'm not a huge fan of Aero bars, but my friend Melissa told me that the balls are totally addicting and yummy ... and she was right. These not only taste good, but they're fun, too. Put one in your mouth and suck on it, and all the air escapes leaving you with a flattened piece of chocolate, like a deflated playground kickball. Hmmm. That's not a very appealing description, is it? But trust me, they were YUM. As evidenced by the fact that they're all gone.