My kind of vote

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Vermont? On our last trip up there, we went to the charming (albeit overpriced) Vermont Country Store and what did we find? This.













A contest to vote on candy! Talk about being in the right place at the right time. When we stepped up to the table, this nice lady Bev said, "Looks like we have some candy experts here." I told her, "You have no idea!"

Some of the candies on the ballot were gummi butterflies, sour lips, green apple candies, sea salt and chocolate almonds, S'mores, and ZOTZ. The Sugar Baby sampled them all, of course, and voted for the butterflies. I thought I'd go gaga over the almonds, but the S'mores really won me over. I don't know which one won in the end, but it was a fun way to kill a few minutes before we went into the store and dropped a wad of cash on even more candy. (I had a salted caramel truffle that was excellent. No picture, though. I ate it too soon.)

Luxe Milk: It's All Natural, Baby

The folks over at Ghirardelli apparently have been pretty busy. As you may recall, here at Candy Yum Yum we recently gave away four beautiful baskets of Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate, and now the company has released their new line of 100% All Natural Luxe Milk Chocolate. The four flavors are plain milk, almond, hazelnut and toffee.
To me, Ghirardelli has a distinct taste to it. I find that the dark chocolate is less fruity than some other dark chocolate brands, and the milk is more cocoa-y and less creamy. What do you think?
In the past, I've had issues with the size of the almond pieces in chocolate, but I was okay with these. The pieces, while still chopped up and not whole or even halved, seemed substantial enough to me, making for a satisfying little treat.
Now is a great time to try Ghirardelli if you haven't before, because for every package marked with a special pink ribbon, they'll donate $1 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. (All you have to do is enter your package code on their website.) The company is donating $50,000 and will donate up to another $50,000 from the package codes. That's pretty cool and a great way to treat yourself and feel good doing it.

Possible 2010 Candy of the Year: TJ's Dark Chocolate Nutty Bits

Seriously, I'm beginning to think I'm one of those people who have some crazy magnetic/electric field thing going on, because it seems that there's always something going on these days. First it was my computer, then my camera, then back to the computer, then the camera and now, the computer again. Hence, my lack of posts and also the future lack of pictures until I get this situation straightened out.
As a reward for your patience, though, I'm about to reveal my latest find that is so wonderfully crunchy/salty/sweet, so chocolatey good that I think this is very definitely a contender for the 2010 Candy of the Year.
Yumsters, may I present to you...
WAIT! Where have they gone? I just went to the closet to get the bag and it's not there. This is not a good sign. Methinks Mr. Goodbar has been in the pantry again. I can't even tell you how sad I will be if I find out they are all gone.
"They" are Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Nutty Bits. (And just to confirm, yes, I just fished the empty bag out of the garbage.)
The description says, "Our Dark Chocolate Nutty Bits are a crunchy mix of almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, pistachios and sweet toffee. They're kettle cooked in small batches, then dipped in rich, dark chocolate and sprinkled with just a touch of Fleur de Sel, for a superbly sweet and slightly salty treat."
I mean, honestly, does it get any better than that? These babies have everything I look for in a candy: smooth chocolate (not too sweet, not too bitter; it's 60% cacao), nuts and salt. If I recall correctly, they were about $3.50 or so for a 7 oz. bag. Kinda pricey, but so worth it.
Like I said, I have no pictures due to the alien chip that's been implanted in my wrist, but they're every bit as lumpy delicious as you'd expect. Run, don't walk to get these. In the meantime, I'm calling Mr. Goodbar and telling him he'd better stop at TJ's on his way home, if he knows what's good for him.

I Call It "Almond Joy Cake"

(Not a pretty picture. It looked a lot better before it was hacked up.)

Maybe I should be doing a cake-of-the-week post. With all this snow we've been getting and some sort of social activity planned every weekend, I seem to be doing a heckuvalotta baking. This past weekend, it was a cake that Almond Joy lovers would, well, love: ground almond meal, coconut and bittersweet chocolate topped with chocolate ganache. Tonight, Mr. "I-Don't-Like-Cake" Goodbar was getting a bit hysterical, really, when he couldn't find the leftovers in the fridge. In fact, I think he was darn near accusing me of cake theft. (Turned out it was under the pancakes.)
This recipe is from "125 Best Chocolate Recipes" by Julie Hasson. I give her props; I've tried many of her recipes and they're almost always flawless.

Almond Chocolate Coconut Torte
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan, then line bottom with parchment paper.

7 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used Ghiradelli chips)
1 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract

Chocolate Glaze
5 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup whipping (35%) cream

In a large microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Microwave, uncovered on medium (50%) for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until soft and almost melted. Stir until melted and smooth. (Let Sugarbaby lick the spoon.) With a clean spoon, stir in brown sugar until smooth. Let cool slightly. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition. Stir in vanilla and almond extract.

In a small bowl, mix together almond meal, flour, coconut and salt. Add to chocolate mixture, stirring until smooth.

Spread batter in prepared pan, smoothing top. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. (I used a smaller pan, so cooking time was about 10 minutes more.) Top of cake will be puffed (do not overbake). Let cool completely in pan on rack.

Chocolate Glaze: In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and cream. Microwave uncovered on medium (50%) for 1 minute, stirring every 30 seconds, or until cream is hot and chocolate is starting to melt. Stir well until chocolate is melted and mixture is thick and smooth. If chocolate is not completely melted, return to microwave for another 10 to 20 seconds or until chocolate is soft and melted. Stir well. If glaze is very thin, let stand for a few minutes to thicken slightly.

Invert cake onto a platter and remove parchment paper. Pour glaze over top and spread with spatula, letting glaze drip down sides. Refrigerate until glaze is firm.

Judging a Candy By Its Cover

What does it mean when I really don't have much to say about a candy? I bought this Seattle Chocolates Cappuccino Crunch bar at the grocery store because they were being discontinued. I'd looked at it numerous times, but never had enough desire to actually buy it. Since it was half price, I decided it was time. The description says, "Milk chocolate truffle bar with toffee and almonds." Yep, that about sums it up. It was good, good enough to eat, but not good enough to wow me.
Here's the thing, though. I can't get past the packaging. As a stand-alone design, I love it. But for a chocolate bar, it does nothing for me. It doesn't say creamy or smooth or rich or crunchy. It says funky, but it could just as easily be a bar of soap or a notepad. I wonder if, subliminally, the packaging influenced my experience? Would I have liked it more if the package were say, a dark brown, tan and gold design?

Trader Joe's Almond in the Coconut

I'd been eyeing these babies the past few times I went to Trader Joe's. I'd pick them up, put them back. Pick them up, put them back. Finally I decided enough was enough and I bought 'em. Here's what the label says (since my photography skills are so bad): "Crunchy almonds and a creamy coconut center enrobed in milk chocolate."
Yeah, I know. Milk chocolate. That's why I kept putting them back. It seems that the only acceptable chocolate for almonds and coconut is dark, not milk, although obviously the success of Almond Joy speaks differently. So I decided to give them a chance anyway.
Here's the deal. They're good, don't get me wrong. The coconut is nice and chewy and the milk chocolate is quite good. But the almonds are chopped up into little pieces-- big strike on that one. And, try as I might to like these just the way they are, I can't help but wonder how much more delicious they'd be in dark.
And so, half a container still sits hidden amongst the flour and sugar in the cabinet, waiting for Mr. Goodbar to find them. But I reckon he'll have the same response. "Milk chocolate? Oh man!"

Bark From the Doghouse

It seems that The Connection is in the doghouse.
See if you can relate:
Spouse looks up at you sheepishly, bearing a gift of some sort.
"Look!" Spouse says. "I bought you a gift! For no reason! Just because I love you!"
Suddenly, somewhere, far off in the land, alarm bells start ringing. Brrrring! Brrrrring! Whooot! Whoooot!
You know something's up.
This was the scene a few nights ago at the Connection household. Apparently, the Connection put a few Ebay bids on expensive camera lenses, not thinking he'd really win them.
HAHAHA!
Okay, ladies, raise your hand if you HAVEN'T been in this situation. Let's see, I believe the Baron's big "oops" was for an antique coin. For Mr. Goodbar, it was a car. (Oh, my bad. Make that several cars.)
In any case, Mrs. Connection benefitted from this eensy-weensy mistake-- she got a nice box of Li-Lac Chocolates.*
(This is the point in the universal conversation where Partner #1 says, "You spent money buying me something to cover up for the fact that you spent a fortune on yourself?!")
Anyhow, Mrs. Connection, being the embodiment of pure kindness and selflessness, actually saved a piece of this extreme deliciousness for me!
Now, I've heard of Li-Lac chocolates, and you have to understand-- I live a mere hour from New York City-- but I've never had any of their chocolates. Where have I been? Check out their website; you'll be drooling in no time. I particularly love this:

Li-Lac's Continental Assortment: Continental at Li-Lac
refers to our exotic selection of chocolate-covered pecans, walnuts, pistachios, filberts, almonds, cashews and macadamia nuts. Unique in the way they are made, using antique molds, the nuts are visible through the chocolate, leaving no surprises. Available in either milk or dark chocolate.

Doesn't that sound like the ultimate chocolate/nut experience?!
Back to the bark. It was good. I mean, reeeaallllllly good. Toasted almonds, dark, fragrant chocolate. Fantastic. If I gave ratings, this one would've been a 10. Or an A+. Or a Golden Pegasus with a rainbow and a peace sign and an American flag and Obama.
Kudos to Mr. Connection for knowing how to work it.
And kudos to Mrs. Connection for sharing.

*She explained that this is the gift of choice in the Connection household. "Wouldn't you much rather get a box of these chocolates than a dozen roses?" she asked me.
Well, yes, Mrs. Connection. But some of us have had to settle for smaller things, such as, oh, I don't know, a single piece of lint-encrusted licorice which, turns out, is full of lead goodness.

The Knight of Roca Thins, Reversed*

Oh crap, I posted this picture upside down. Well, you get the drift. This was part of my recent chocolate re-stocking that I did about a week ago. These are Roca Buttercrunch Thins-- a tray of thin, dark chocolate-covered toffee fingers. When I saw these, I thought, "Oh yum! Gotta get these!" and I was all excited to offer them to No-Nuts. When I held the box out to her, she gave me one of her evil death stares. "Nuts," she said. Oops. I forgot. Seriously, I don't think I could live a complete existence if I couldn't eat nuts. Peanuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios-- things of total beauty and happiness. (Of course, there is that slight problem I have with Brazil nuts-- they make my lips puff up and my throat close, so I've never had Ben & Jerry's Rainforest Crunch, but no biggie... ). So you'll only get my opinion for these bad boys. They taste just like regular ol' Almond Roca, except the dark chocolate adds a nice bitter taste, which is good, because the toffee is really sweet. Almost too sweet. I like the size of the fingers, because they're just enough to satisfy an after-dinner craving.

*If this were a candy tarot card, it would mean you crave sweetness in your life, but you're afraid of happiness

Time to Floss!

As we've already established, I love almonds. So when a package arrived the other day with a bag of Dove Milk Chocolate with Almonds, I was giddy. Dove is the ultimate P.M.S. chocolate-- it's so rich and luxurious and satisfying that it's a good cure for an extreme chocolate jones. Naturally I thought that the inclusion of almonds would make it even better, but I was wrong. The problem is not with the chocolate, but with the almonds which, in this case, are chopped up into itsy-bitsy, teeny-tiny shards of nut. One of the beautiful things about almonds is their dense crunchiness, which gets totally lost when you downsize them. It almost feels as if you're in danger of getting little rogue almond slivers caught in your teeth. I was very disappointed. But then again, that's just my opinion. Cybele at Candy Blog gave them an 8 out of 10, so it's up to you to decide!

A Day of Chocolate Culture, and Why I'm a Bad Mommy, Part I

Alexandra and I decided to take a field trip the other day, so we brought the boys to the Bruce Museum to see their exhibit on the history of chocolate and chocolate in advertising. One room had a recreation of a cacao tree, an exhibit where you could test your nose on various aromas, and even a pretend chocolate shop where kids (or Alexandra, see above) could dress up in aprons and hats and pretend to sell chocolate. The ads from the 1800s were particularly humorous. Here's what they had to say:

• The special "automatic machinery" that Cadbury used, "obviates the necessity of its being once touched by the human hand." Wow, what a difference from today when we place such high value on "hand-crafted" chocolates!
  


• Cadbury Hot Chocolate is "specially rich in flesh-forming and strength sustaining principles." Uh, flesh-forming? Ewww.
  


• Also, "It is a gentle stimulant, and sustains against hunger and bodily fatigue." Take that, Power Bar!

Here are some other tidbits from the exhibit:

• A Spanish proverb: "Ideas should be clear and chocolate thick." Hear, hear! (Or is it Here! Here! I can never remember.)



• In 1894, big tin vending machines shaped like animals and people were used to allow customers to sample the quality of chocolate from particular shops. The demand for vending machines became so overwhelming that it led to the formation of the Deutsche Automatengesellschaft Stollwerk, or the German vending machine association.
  
  

After browsing the rest of the exhibits (including a sheep in formaldehyde, which apparently represents a "glance at the past, a look at the future," or some such drivel ... all I see is a gnarly dead sheep in a glass case, and I was an art major!), we attacked the gift shop. The little old ladies didn't see us coming, I assure you.

Between all the yummy chocolate and really cute kids' stuff, we had a field day. Alexandra bought Wilbur Buds: they're dark and milk chocolate drops, bigger than chocolate chips, squatter than Kisses, and veryyyy yummy.

I bought this little box of The Cocoa Room's Eclectic Dragees. Now, as you know, I'm not one for "fancy" chocolates. It's safe to say that I'd take a plain bar of chocolate over a hoity-toity gold-leafed black pepper and mangosteen truffle any day. But there was something about these that spoke to me. They reminded me of both art nouveau and pebbles in a stream. There are big chocolate-covered almonds that look like they're foil-wrapped, but that's really the sugar shell. And then there are teeny-tiny little teal and purple colored drops that I assumed were just chocolate. Which leads me to explain why I am a Bad Mommy.

We brought our purchases outside and sat at a little table. The boys could sense something was up, so they started getting antsy. Alexandra was prepared and had a fruit snack for Ian. I, on the other hand, thought, "Well, these are just chocolate. I'll give Henri one." So I gave him a little teal drop, which he proceeded to get all over his lips. Then Alexandra and I tried some. "They're like Rice Krispies," she said. "Yeah," I agreed. They were good! It wasn't until I got home and actually dissected one that I realized they were chocolate-covered sunflower seeds! Aaaah! Any mom these days knows that giving your kids nuts or seeds before age 2 is equivalent to Britney Spears driving with her baby on her lap or Michael Jackson dangling his baby over the balcony.

Bad Mommy! Fortunately, he didn't have any sort of reaction. (Except the "I want more and I want it now!" reaction.)

Anyhow, these are not only lovely but really, really yummy. The almonds are crisp and smoky and I surprisingly liked the sunflower seeds. (I've seen chocolate-covered ones before and thought, who would eat those? Well, I guess the answer would be me!)
I went to The Cocoa Room's website to see if I could find out any more about these little beauties, but the website is strangely uninformative. But I'd definitely recommend them as a gift.

Harry Potter and the Mystery of the Red Raspberry Dollars

After an exhausting day of chasing the H-man around the house (note to self: no more sugar cereal for the boy!) I was able to extricate myself and spend a blissful three hours at the movies. Sue, my kick-ass firefighter, garden guru friend picked me up and we went to see Harry Potter. I, of course, had the diaper bag stocked with Dark Raisinettes, Sno-Caps, Red Raspberry Dollars and a seltzer bottle filled with Tom Collinses. Like most people, I don't usually pay too much attention to what I'm eating during the movies, instead preferring to just shove goodies into my gaping maw. But when I took the first bite of a Raspberry Dollar, I thought, "Whoa, now. What's going on here?" The chew was softer than I remembered and the flavor was not as berry. I tried another one. Yep, there's definitely something different about these. I can only assume that the recipe has changed to make way for cheaper ingredients. Very sad.

In other news, I finally got to the Newtown Chocolatier this weekend. I took a photo of my selections, but I can't seem to access it. The store is a cute little jewelbox in a strip mall. The windows are covered with black curtains to protect the chocolate, but frankly, it feels like you're walking into a less-than-reputable house of business. The selection is small-- just one case of chocolates-- but they're all handmade and delicious looking. I got a dark chocolate covered orange peel cluster that was lovely: fresh and fruity; a dark vanilla cream: again, very fresh and a very distinct vanilla taste; an espresso truffle-- strong and dark; a champagne truffle-- yum!; and an almond caramel cluster which was divine. So good in fact, that I'm about to make a Candy Yum Yum! pronouncement:

Almonds are the ultimate candy nut

Everything about them is perfect for combining with chocolate. They're smoky and flavorful. They have great texture and crunch. They go well with milk or dark. I heart almonds.

Hippity, hoppity, Easter's on its way

I haven't been eating too much Easter candy because frankly, I haven't wanted to buy big bags of stuff. I'd love to have a few malted milk eggs, some jelly beans and maybe a Peep or two, just to be festive. But I don't want mounds of Easter goodies sitting around tempting me. So alas, it's been a spare year. I haven't even made Henri an Easter basket. He can't eat it, of course, so I figure I might as well give myself a break before holiday madness sets in next year.
Betsy bought me a little Easter surprise, though, that I've been loving. She went to Chelsea last weekend to go gallery hopping, only to find that the galleries are closed on Sundays. Instead she spent her day going to the funky shops. Oh, how I miss those days! Anyhow, she found a shop called Three Tarts and bought me this cute little Easter box full of chocolatey almonds. Talk about addictive. The almonds are toasted so they have that nice warm nutty flavor. They are so delish.

She also brought me back one of their little pamphlets and apparently they make all sorts of little sweet yummies. Some things that look especially good to me: Peanut Butter Cookies sprinkled with Sea Salt; Cassata Parfait: chocolate-studded ricotta cream, fresh orange and crunchy biscotti garnished with chopped pistachios (oh YUM!); Lemon Coconut Yumballs: vanilla and lemon cake held together with cream of coconut and rum, rolled in white chocolate and shredded coconut; and marshmallows in the following flavors: chocolate, vanilla bean, rosemary, yuzu, raspberry and seasonal.

This sounds like a funky place. Someday I'll get back to the city...