Hello, Hello!

Hello! Have you met, um, Hello? This is the new line of chocolate from Lindt available at Target. The packaging and flavors are a whole departure from Lindt's usual conservative (although very delicious) offerings. For example, most people are familiar with their round, foil-wrapped truffles. Very rich, very proper. Now, however, we have all new forms: sticks, bars, mini-sticks and these cute little shapes:

 The first one I tried was the Caramel Brownie bar (milk chocolate with hazelnut and caramel brownie filling). It was extremely rich and sweet, although I'm not sure I got much "brownie" taste out of it. In any case, it had the traditional creaminess that one would expect from Lindt with a more aggressive sweetness. Next, I tried the box of chocolates which, in addition to Caramel Brownie, also featured Cookies & Cream and Crunchy Nougat. I'm usually not that into cookies & cream flavored things, but I really liked these. Inside the heart was white filling with little bits of crunchy cookie. What's not to love? The Crunchy Nougat reminded me of European candy bars with hazelnut filling. The last one I tried was the Berry Affair, described as white chocolate with a cherry and blackberry yogurt filling. I've got to be honest here. I hated this bar. There was just too much going on-- sweet, sour, creamy, seedy. It wasn't for me. The Sugar Baby, however, loved it, so there you go. We're a house divided.
If I had to guess, I'd say this new line of chocolates is aimed at a younger, hipper crowd. Perhaps because I'm "of a certain age," I prefer Lindt's traditional line, but I know that young whippersnappers, like the von Schokolat's and No-Nuts, would love these.

What we're eating

I'm happy to say that we've finally found some new candy to try here at Candy Yum Yum. It seems like the candy world has been so slow lately. Limited Editions have come and gone and now it's just the occasional random new thing that makes its way onto the shelves. What's going on, candy makers? I'm bored! I want more!
I took the Sugar Baby to a cabaret-style play yesterday and we loaded up on the snacks. One of the fun things I brought was a bag of Snyder's of Hanover York Peppermint Pretzel Sandwich. These are round pretzels filled with peppermint filling and dipped in dark chocolate. I wasn't sure about them at first, but then I discovered that if you pry the top pretzel off with your teeth and eat that first, then you have a layer of bumpy peppermint fondant filling that you can eat next. It tasted much better to me that way. Needless to say, the Sugar Baby loved these. I wasn't paying attention to how much he was eating until I looked over at him halfway through the play and saw that he was holding his stomach. Oops.

As for Mr. Goodbar and I, we've been fighting over a bar of Lindt Limited-Edition Mocha Coconut. This new flavor was the winner of the Lindt Excellence Recipe Challenge, a scholarship contest for students at the Culinary Institute of America. According to the press release, Meredith Walker developed the concept for the bar after pairing mocha and coconut to create a birthday cake for her mother and uncle. Holy cannoli, this bar is good. Get one while you can. Check it out at www.lindtusa.com.
 

Candy bar round up

Okay Yumsters, I have a backlog of candies that I need to review, so I'm just going to do them all in one big lump. Right here, right now. Settle in.

First up, we have Nutffles. I found these at the grocery store for .99 cents and they came in different varieties. (I tried the almond and hazelnut; there's a red velvet variety that looks a little more tempting.) I was so excited to find something new and totally different. Only they weren't that different. Turns out these are a clone of Ferrero Rocher. Same creamy center with a nut, same crunchy outside. I was hoping there would be something really snazzy about them, but they were just okay. I haven't seen them since I initially bought them about six months ago. Like I said, maybe the red velvet ones are more unique.

Next we have Jelly Belly Snapple jellybeans. Back in my taste-testing days, I used to sip all sorts of Snapple flavors. These jelly beans are pretty true to the taste of the drinks, in flavors of Fruit Punch, Kiwi Strawberry, Mango Madness, Cranberry Raspberry and Pink Lemonade. A box on the back of the package says, "We include real ingredients whenever possible to create our famous true-to-life flavors." Um, real ingredients as opposed to what? That's kind of scary. I still prefer the Sour Jelly Bellies to all the other flavors, but if you're a Snapple lover, you'd like these. 

Lindt has two new Excellence bars out: Caramel with a Touch of Sea Salt and Coconut. I was initially surprised by the caramel. The picture on the box shows a square of chocolate with flowy caramel behind it, so I assumed this would be a liquid-center bar. However, the bar had crunchy bits of caramel and sea salt crystals in it. It was delicious, to be sure, but I think some people may be very surprised if they don't read the description first.

The coconut was delicious, as far as I can remember, because the Sugar Baby and Mr. Goodbar devoured most of it. You can't go wrong with dark chocolate and coconut ...

 ... except when it's in a 3 Musketeers. I saw the 3 Musketeers Coconut at a rest stop in Maine this past weekend, so I figured I'd try it, even though I've never had good luck with limited edition Musketeers in the past. This was no exception. To my taste buds, there are two types of coconut: fresh, tropical coconut and artificial, suntan lotion coconut. Unfortunately, this bar fell into the lotion category. It was overly sweet with that grainy, malty aftertaste of a regular 3 Musketeers, with "coconut flavor" thrown in. I'm not a fan.

Easter's on its way!

Hey Easter Peeps! It's been a while, I know, but rest assured: candy is still always on my mind. Of course, the big day is coming up and I've been on the lookout for something new and fun to try this Easter. I was very excited to find coconut Hershey Kisses. I liked these a lot. They don't have an overwhelming suntan lotion flavor like many coconut-flavored things tend to have, and they had bits of toasted coconut mixed in the cream filling, which gave them a nice texture.
Last week I had wisdom tooth removed, so the night before I thought I'd finish off my last meal with some Cadbury Mini Eggs. Man, was I disappointed. For some reason, the candy shells weren't crunchy. I don't know if it had anything to do with the freak warm weather we were experiencing or what, but it didn't make for the chocolate orgy I had been anticipating.

And last but not least in my Easter stash is a Lindt Gold Bunny. This is my favorite bunny to give and receive. The chocolate is smooth and creamy and, although it's hollow, it's got pretty thick walls. This year, Lindt is doing something that's really cool. They're donating 10 cents for every bunny purchased to Autism Speaks, a science and advocacy organization. They're also donating $1 for every free Lindt Easter e-card sent. Check it out at www.lindtgoldbunny.com. 

Let the giving begin!

Let the countdown to Christmas begin! I'm going to start posting some ideas for holiday gifts here, so let me know if you have any ideas or are looking for something specific. In the meantime, here's Gift Idea #1 for Christmas 2011:

Lindt Bear
I think these bears are adorable and make great gifts because a) they're good-quality chocolate, so they feel like a real gift rather than just some last-minute purchase and b) they're a nice price (around $4 for the big bear). I was sent some samples from the company, and I fully intended on putting the little bears in the Sugar Baby's stocking. (You know, in case Santa forgets the chocolate.) But one night I heard the sweet Siren call of the chocolate bears and I couldn't resist. Oh yes, there was plenty of chocolate in the house, but for some reason, a little hollow bear seemed to be just the thing I needed. I was quite surprised when I peeled back the foil and was just overcome with the most perfect, intense chocolate aroma. It was like the good old days at the chocolate shop when I'd come home from work and sniff my hair which was permeated with the smell of cocoa. I thoroughly enjoyed my little bear, so much so that there aren't any left. Looks like Santa had better remember to bring some more with him. 

Spicy chocolates for Thanksgiving

There's definitely been a void in the confectionery department when it comes to Thanksgiving. It seems like every holiday has at least one special candy to call its own, but Thanksgiving has always been lacking. Not any more. Check it out, Yumsters. First, we have Lindt Holiday Spice truffles.
Let me just say that I love cinnamon. It's my favorite spice. But, like pumpkin, I've never really found it to be a good compliment to chocolate, so I was a little afraid to try these truffles. I feared they would taste like a Yankee Candle.
No worries, though. These are a nice balance of Lindt's sweet, creamy chocolate and just enough spice to make it interesting. These would be great for the Thanksgiving table.

I was in Target the other day and was surprised to find Cinnamon M&M's. As is often the case with Limited Edition M&M's, these are larger than Plain M&M's. The colors are pretty fall-inspired oranges and browns. Again, I was afraid they might be too cinnamony, but in fact, they were nicely balanced. I wouldn't call them subtle, but they weren't in-your-face, either. My mother-in-law gives them two thumbs up. Mr. Goodbar, on the other hand, feels that all Limited Edition candies are an affront to candy world. He likens it to cable tv. Too many channels (or in this case, flavors). "They're diluting their own brand," he says. I can't say I disagree, but it's also fun to try something new.
What will you be serving as your Thanksgiving chocolate?

Celebrations and Lindt Double Lait

I have someone new to introduce you to. Well, actually not new. I've written about my friend Kristina-from-Florida-now-from-New Hampshire before. (You might remember; she's the one who works at Lindt and is in charge of making sure the bunny car doesn't hop off.) In any case, she got married last weekend so she has a new name! She's now Mrs. Chocoletti. Well, not in real life, but her new name is pretty darn close and that's how she'll be referred to here from now on.

 Mrs. Chocoletti is in ecstasy over the thought of getting out of this dress and finally eating some chocolate after a six-month hiatus.

As you might guess, she had Lindt chocolate as the favors for her wedding. All the guests got to chow down on dark raspberry truffles while she ran around and said hellos and did dances and made toasts. A couple of nights before, however, the girls went out to celebrate her last few days of being able to own cheques with Hello Kitty on them pre-marriage bliss and she gave me the most enormous bag of truffles you'd ever want to see. There is no picture because I forgot to take one and the truffles have since been divided up, hidden and otherwise stowed away. But there must have been ten pounds of truffles in that bag. In amongst the mint, milk chocolate and white truffles were these:

Double Lait. Allow me to describe: a milk chocolate shell with a smooth, tangy white filling, almost like a yogurt. In there are some little crunchy bits. Creamy, crunchy, tangy. I love these. LOVE these. Quite surprising, because I would've never picked them out on my own, but I couldn't stop eating them. I think I've finally had my fill though. Now about those other nine pounds of candy ... that's another story.

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. 

Happy Easter!

I hope the Easter Bunny was good to everyone this year. In the House of Yum, the Easter Bunny went kind of easy on the candy since he knows that the Sugar Baby has a second appointment this week to get some cavities filled. Apparently he did a lot of shopping at Trader Joe's, too, as there were TJ's gummy bunnies, malted milk eggs, peanut butter eggs and jelly beans in the basket, along with some Lindt chocolate carrots. And with that, we say good-bye to candy season as things start to wind down. From here on out, our holidays are mostly candy-free and more focused on burgers and potato salad. It's the circle of life, folks.
But what about you? What was in your Easter basket?

More Easter Sweetness

Marshmallow seems to be a big thing this Easter. I had high hopes for these 3 Musketeers Marshmallow squares. I was fantasizing that they'd be soft and slightly gooey, like marshmallow tends to be. Sadly, they were not. The insides were just like a regular 3 Musketeers-- that kind of whipped, slightly nougatey/fudgey texture-- and had that strange 3 Musketeers throat burn. The marshmallow part was, I guess, the flavor, but I'm thinking that if you gave one of these to someone without telling them what it was, they'd say it was a plain ol' Musketeers bar.I have the chocolate-covered Peeps Peepsters on my list for this week. They're on sale at CVS, if I can ever get over there.In the meantime, Mr. Lindt Easter Bunny is anxiously awaiting spring. It's taken all my will power this week not to chomp off his ears. Hopefully my strength will hold out until Easter, although I wouldn't bet on it.

Lindt & Wine: Say no more

Plastic Lockable Brick Man (non-TM) suggests a Lindt truffle for your after-dinner sweet

Back in the days (you know, the 20-something days when life was all wine, cigars and knowing everything about everything), we did a winery tour with friends. All I remember is that it was lots of fun and that, at one winery, the winemaker gave us each a little piece of dark chocolate to nibble with our red wine. He explained how they balanced each other out, how the bitterness in the chocolate brought out the fruit in the wine. It was a fantastic combination. Oh yes, those were the days.
That memory was spurred on by a new contest that Lindt is hosting. At LindtExcellence.com you can enter to win a wine tasting trip to California or lots of other prizes. The website also offers wine and chocolate pairing suggestions. The one suggestion that really sticks out to me is their Excellence with a Touch of Sea Salt paired with Riesling. Really? I would never have put those two together, so now I'm intrigued. I'll put it on my to-do list for this weekend.

Valentine's Day is on its way!

This morning the Sugar Baby decided to play "grocery store" and he unloaded everything from my pantry onto the bookshelves in my living room. Stacked in the front window are boxes of Rice Krispies, Apple Jacks and taco shells. There's condensed milk and applesauce in front of the home repair books, and frosting, red beans and Sleepytime Tea in the fiction section. The only candy present is a bag of leftover Halloween candy, mostly lollipops and Smarties. The stash of Christmas goodies has diminished to the point that I'm ready to take on the next holiday: Valentine's Day. Yes indeed, it's right around the corner. Are you ready? Have you thought about what you're going to give your sweetie?
This year, Lindt has come out with some Valentine's-themed packaging. It used to be that you could only get a few basic brands of chocolate in heart-shaped boxes at regular old supermarkets and drug stores. Thankfully that's all changed now because, really, who doesn't love a heart-shaped box?

Holiday Gift #1: Lindt Ornament Boxes

There's no denying it. We're officially into "that" time of year when we buy gifts for everyone-- the teachers, the mailman, the garbageman, the coach, the hairdresser, the mean bus driver-- and we get squat the joy that comes from giving. And so we kick off the Candy Yum Yum Holiday Gift Guide, full of great ideas for all those people in your life whom you'd like to give a little treat to.
Idea #1: These cute Lindt ornament boxes. Hang the little ones on the tree and they're at-hand when your father's second cousin twice-removed shows up on Christmas Eve. The bigger ones are perfect for someone you'll actually see again.

More on Lindt and King Leo

Listen up, people. We have got a LOT of ground to cover. Not only are we smack in the middle of the best candy month in the year, but I also have some serious reporting to do of my recent Candy Extravaganza in New York. But first, let's tie up a few loose ends.

More feedback on the Lindt Excellence Touch of Sea Salt bar: Mr. Goodbar said, "That is the best chocolate I've ever had." Go Lindt!

And more on the King Leo's candy: I gave some Soft Peppermint Sticks and Soft Pomegranate Puffs to Sue MKAFFGGF and she wrote me an e-mail stating the following:

King Leo's soft peppermint sticks are my new favorite food! They are so delicious and they have a really awesome texture. They are exactly like larger versions of those soft pastel after-dinner mints that restaurants used to put in bowls to take on your way out ... only no one does that anymore because they discovered how terribly unsanitary it was. So now, even if I see that style of mint, I never take one because all I can think of is everybody's unwashed hands all over them. Anyway, those peppermint sticks are awesome. No one seemed to like the Pomegranate Puffs. They were just strange.... The thing I don't get is that on the package it says something like "King Leo's Pomegranate Puffs are soft, right out of the package." Previously did you have to leave them on the counter, or cook them in the microwave until they reached the desired softness? Why would their soft quality be a good thing?

Exactly what I said, Sue MKAFFGGF. (Apparently she missed that post. We'll forgive her.)

Happy Birthday to Me!

The doorbell rang on Friday and I was psyched to see two boxes on my step. One was really big, like the size of a box of copier paper, and the other was smaller, about 8"x8". What could they be?
I opened the giant box first. Inside was a big styrofoam cooler. Inside that was another box. And then, inside this Russian nesting doll box was: taadaa! A single Lindt chocolate bar with a tiny decorative glass bottle full of salt. Can you say Holy Packaging, Batman? But I was excited to try it. The flavor: Lindt Excellence A Touch of Sea Salt. The aroma is deliciously chocolatey, like walking into a candy store at Easter. I was nervous to sample it, though, because it had the possibility of going terribly wrong. If the salt crystals were too big, or the chocolate too bitter, this could be a bad thing. No worries, though. This is a mighty yummy bar. The salt is strong, but it goes well with the surprisingly creamy dark chocolate. You know what this would be ideal with? A croissant. Get a nice, flaky, buttery croissant, warm it up and melt one of these bad boys in the center-- heaven! With a cup of coffee, oh man. I'm thinking I need to do this a.s.a.p. On its own, a little square with a glass of red wine would be fantastic.
So what was in the second box? A red tin packed to the brim with "Pralines by Leon." Funny, I thought, I wasn't expecting any samples of pralines. Then I saw the gift card from Memaw and Grandpa David. A birthday present! Hooray! The pralines are an assortment of flavors: Bourbon, Jack Daniels, Amaretto and original. These little sweeties are chock full of nuts and are super sweet, not unlike fudge. They taste of cream and butter and sugar ... what could be better?
(Sidenote: the Sugar Baby was thrilled to see the tin of pralines, because they're one of the candies mentioned in the now-famous candy book. Later that afternoon he called me upstairs during his nap to say, "New Orleans-style Pralines are a kind of candy!")

Two New Reviews: Lindt Raisins & Nuts and Nestle Cranberry Raisinets

My goodness, I've had a lot on my candy dish lately and barely any time to write about it. The summer is whizzing by quickly. Before you know it, Halloween will be here. (In fact, that's what the grocery stores would have you think; they've already stacked out the cases of candy corn. I haven't even had a Pixy Stick or a Circus Peanut yet, for cryin' out loud.)
So, given my backlog, this is going to be a rambling, random post full of miscellany.

The Internet candy world has been abuzz with the latest candy bar from Lindt: Raisin & Nuts. Several people have done comparisons between this new Lindt bar and the classic Cadbury Fruit & Nut bar. I used to love the Cadbury version, until some brilliant rocket scientist decided to change the recipe. What used to be a creamy, milky chocolate is now gritty and flavorless. So I was excited to taste the Lindt version and see how it compared. I was not disappointed. The chocolate was smooth, creamy and sweet with a good mix of almonds and hazelnuts. My only complaint is that I wish the almonds were whole, but in the long run, it didn't matter. I wolfed that thing down. Thank you, Lindt, for restoring my faith in fruit and nut candy bars.Speaking of fruit and chocolate, another big buzz has been Nestle's Cranberry Raisinets. Oh how I wish I bought stock in the cranberry industry right before they decided to start selling dried cranberries. It used to be that cranberries were only for Thanksgiving. Now they're everywhere, including chocolate. I passed along a few packs of these to some family members for tasting. The consensus: Eh, they're fine, but nothing great. My mother said, "When I want chocolate, I want CHOCOLATE." Good point there. These little nibblies might be better in say, a cookie, than eaten alone. I love Craisins, but I think I'd still pick the classic Raisinet over the cranberry version.
And lastly these delicious chocolates. Ho, ho. I'm just joking. These aren't edible, they're candles, silly! The Ice Cube Queen was in town last week and she found these candles that are just perfect for the Candy Yum Yum homestead. My favorite is the one with the walnut.

And what about you, dear Yumsters? What has your candy land been looking like lately?

Lindt Straccitella: No Matter How You Pronounce It, It's Yummy!

I've recently discovered the joy that is Straccitella. A new gelato place has opened nearby, and I've fallen in love with this traditional cream-and-dark chocolate flavor. I suppose you could compare it to chocolate chip ice cream, but it's just so much better.

At the evil WalMart the other day, I saw a bag of Lindt truffles that included a sample of their new Straccitella flavor, so I had to get it. Even though I'm not big on white chocolate, this is one tasty confection.

It's creamy, milky and sweet with little flecks of nibbly dark chocolate. So good.

I gave the bag of truffles to No-Nuts and told her she should allow me to have one truffle a night. She woke up this morning and said that was a bad idea; she'd already eaten two before breakfast.