Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Lindt Excellence: So Good, They're Gone

About a month ago, I received a package from the good folks over at Lindt. They had sent their two newest Excellence bars for me to try: Excellence 70% Cocoa Almond Brittle and Excellence 70% Cocoa Nut Crunch. Yum, right? As you can see here in this picture, I'm enjoying every last bite. Oh wait, there is no picture, is there? You know why? Because Mr. Goodbar infiltrated my secret stash and ate not one but BOTH bars before I had a chance to take pictures. I know that is so wrong. You don't have to tell me twice. 
The good news is, I did get to try both before he inhaled the majority of them and they were both up to the usual Lindt standards of (hee hee) excellence. I feel like an American Idol judge when it comes to Lindt. They've really mastered the type of chocolate they put out; there's nothing I can critique. But believe me, I've become more crafty when choosing my chocolate hiding spots. 

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Gummy Madness!!

It's hot and it's summer so that can only mean one thing: Extreme Gummy Invasion! I received lots of gummy samples lately, so No-Nuts and I got down to business. I'd like to say beforehand that I really do appreciate that more and more companies are trying to make better-for-you candy, particularly in the area of colors and flavors. Less artificial junk, more real stuff. That's a good thing. We took that into account when we taste-tested these gummies and gave extra points for healthiness, but flavor was definitely important.
On a side-note, I took the Sugar Baby to a little seaside candy shack a few weeks ago. I figured I'd let him pick out a few little pieces of candy. Holy cannoli, what a scam. The cheapest thing in the place was a regular-sized Hershey bar with Almonds for $1.50. The lady tried to sell me on a tiny bag of gummy worms for $4.95. She kept telling me they were made with 30% fruit juice. Apparently she didn't know who she was dealing with. Anyhow, enough of that. Onto the gummies.

Goody Good Stuff Tropical Gummies:
No picture available because we ate them without thinking. The gummies came in cute shapes, including a bunch of bananas and a palm tree. 

No-Nuts:

"The first one I tried was banana-flavored and good, especially because I don't like banana-flavored things
Raspberry/strawberry-flavored: Okay, but definitely not my first gummy choice
Palm tree: I don't know what flavor it was but I didn't like it. Too much tropical, but with no specific fruit flavor. Probably palm tree flavor."

Me:
"I was impressed with the banana ones, as banana is a difficult flavor to do well. I have to agree with No-Nuts about the Palm Tree. I'm thinking it was probably papaya or some other stinky tropical flavor like that." (Addendum: we finally figured out it was supposed to be coconut.)

Conclusion: These gummies are all-natural, dairy-free, gluten-free, gelatin-free and fat free. In addition, No-Nuts would only buy them if they were free.


Goody Good Stuff Sour Fruit Salad
These are fruit-shaped gummies with a sour citric acid dusting.

No-Nuts: "They reminded me of Peach-O's, but not anywhere near as good.
The pear flavor was different, and I liked it but ... you know."

Me: "The grapefruit was good, but I like grapefruit flavor in general. The thing with these is I was waiting to be hit with "SOUR," but they were really just like fruit slices that you'd buy at CVS for 2 for $1."

Conclusion: I was ready to give major points to these for their natural ingredients, in particular the spinach. The first ingredient is corn syrup, but it's candy for cryin' out loud. A little corn syrup never hurt anyone.
Overall, three stars out of five.

Surf Sweets Sour Berry Bears
These are little gummy bears, all red and orange. They're all-natural, made with organic fruit juice, no corn syrup, gluten-free, vegan. That covers a lot of bases.

No-Nuts: "They were pretty good."

Me: "I really liked these. They had the sour punch I was looking for."
Overall, four out of five stars.



Welch's Tangy Fruits
These are jam-packed with artificial colors, flavors and other suspicious ingredients.
No-Nuts: "I love these. Four stars."
Me: "I hate these. One star."










 Gimbal's Sour Lovers
A giant, 11-ounce bag of cute heart-shaped gummies in 12 (TWELVE!) flavors that are thoughtfully listed on the back.
No-Nuts:
    " Fuji apple :)
     Blueberry: very sour
     Watermelon: +++"
Me: These were yummy.
Four out of five stars. Would've been five out of five, but the artificial colors drop it down a notch.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Summer Candy Giveaway Winner!

Due to extreme heat conditions, I forgot to pick a winner yesterday for the Summer Candy Giveaway. But never fear! The lucky person who gets $15 worth of sweet deliciousness from Blair Candy is ... addictivecreative! Congratulations and thanks to everyone who entered. More sweetness on the way!

Monday, July 04, 2011

Ye Olde Candy Giveaway!

Happy Fourth of July! On this day back in 1776, no doubt our Founding Fathers celebrated the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a hearty licorice whip or perhaps a chunk of sugar carved from one of those funky colonial sugar cones. Here at Candy Yum Yum, we've decided to celebrate our freedom with a crazy summer giveaway!
Thanks to our friends at Blair Candy, one lucky winner will be picked to receive $15 worth of candy. Nice, right? So here's what you have to do to throw your tri-corner cap in the ring: Leave a message here telling me what candy says "summer" to you. Maybe you have a childhood memory, or perhaps there's a favorite candy you like to buy from the ice cream man. Whatever the case, leave your answer here, along with a way for me to contact you. Continental U.S. only, please. The lucky candy recipient will be chosen on July 11, noon E.S.T.