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.

Hot chocolate

This heatwave we're experiencing is not exactly the best weather for chocolate (or me, for that matter). The kind folks at Alter Eco Foods contacted me a month or so ago and asked if I'd like to try their chocolate. I said yes, and they sent me a few bars. The full-on heatwave hadn't yet started when the bars arrived, so I was surprised when I opened them and found they had clearly reached a molten state at some point during their travels. I don't usually mind trying chocolate that's bloomed or melted, but these had suffered pretty badly. The foil wrapper had melted into the chocolate, so I didn't even try to sample them. When I told the company the sad news, they said they'd ship out another package, which they did. Guess what? It arrived on my doorstep on a 90 degree day. This time, though, I ran the package straight to the fridge with the hopes I could save it.

The good news is, I was able to salvage the chocolate bars. The better news is that it was fantastic. Usually a nibble or two of plain dark chocolate is satisfying enough, but this was so perfectly balanced that I kept wanting more. Even Mr. Goodbar said it was the best chocolate he'd had in a long, long time. I love the descriptions of the chocolate. The Dark Noir is "fruity and malty, smooth and rich with a firm snap, a strong bite and a hint of licorice." The Dark Velvet, with a "touch of milk," is "melty smooth, with a subtle flowery bouquet and honey finish." I love a good chocolate that has a nice snap to it, and I prefer my dark chocolate on the fruity, rather than bitter, side. These bars were so, so good. They have other flavors, including Dark Twist with crystallized orange peel and Dark Quinoa with nutty toasted quinoa. I've got to try those. The Dark Coconut Toffee was incredible. Little bits of crunchy toffee combined with real toasted coconut. Good stuff. They're available at different health food stores and Whole Foods.

Ladies and Gents, the Moment I've Been Waiting For: Coconut Twix

Ever since I first learned that Twix was going to be releasing a coconut version, I've been obsessed. I was envisioning a stick-like version of a Girl Scout Samoa--cookie, toasted coconut, caramel and chocolate.
This week, a box arrived on my doorstep with some cool Twix swag and a single, solitary Twix Coconut bar.

Here's the deal. When I opened the package and took a whiff, there was no overwhelming coconut aroma like I expected there might be. I broke one of the fingers in half and looked for the coconut, but there wasn't any. Turns out, the caramel (or maybe the chocolate, but I think it's the caramel) is coconut flavored. I gotta say, I was kind of disappointed that there wasn't any real coconut in it. But it is what it is, which is a Twix with a twist. It was good. I enjoyed it and yes, I'd eat another one, but at the end of the day, I have to admit, I prefer the plain original version.

Let the Easter reviews begin!

I must admit, I've been in a huge candy rut lately. Nothing has excited me. My sugar soul is weary. Fortunately, Easter candy has arrived! My first foray into the land of springtime candy is Dove Coconut Creme eggs. I was not thrilled that they were covered in milk chocolate; doesn't every candy aficionado know that coconut goes best with dark chocolate? In any case, I wanted to try these. The Sugar Baby had one last night and said, "Coconutastic!" He likes them.
Then I handed some over to the Easter Island statues that have taken up residence in my home. They seemed suspicious at first. The Rapa Nui king had this to say: "They are tasty, but unfortunately have that sort of fake coconut/suntan lotion flavor. If they had been made with dark chocolate, they would be better. Also, I wish the creme was fluffy instead of the same consistency as the chocolate. Still, they're better than a kick in the head."

Breaking News: Twix Coconut on the Horizon

Oh yes, you read that right: in April, Mars will be launching a limited edition Twix coconut. Just when I thought I'd become immune to the excitement of new products, along comes this. I. Can't. Wait.

Candy Tidbits: A Little of This, A Little of That

(First, sorry for the craziness with the font size. I'm having issues...)

The Sugar Baby got a little Russell Stover heart from his grandma for Valentine's Day. Inside was a chocolate fudge, caramel and a coconut cup. This led me to think: why doesn't Russell Stover make a box of just coconut cups? Everyone always goes for those first. So then I went to the Russell Stover website and voila!
They also had other cool things, like boxes that you can personalize with a photo and bags of candy-covered chocolate pieces in custom colors. Who knew?

We have a missive from the field. Alexandra has found a new fave candy bar. Here's what she had to say:


"Walgreens has them for 3/$1 - so I thought, why not? OMG! They are about the size of Twix bars, the chocolate is pretty - it's almost as if there's a design in it on the bottom of the bars. The inside of the bars is like merengue or freeze dried texture. It's not a messy candy bar. It's described as "Whipped-up truffle on a crisp layer enrobed in real milk chocolate. Each bar is 85 calories and every time, I say just have one, but they're like potato chips - you can't eat just one! But you really should, because halfway through the second one, it gets to be a little sicky sweet. I'm thinking of freezing one to see what happens... (I have a liitle supply of these).

More news on the Mr. Candy front: The Sugar Baby and I were driving along and he just randomly said, "There was a gummy fish on the ground. It was in the dirt." It took me a few minutes to realize that he was talking about the Swedish Fish he saw at his school a gajillion weeks ago. So I said, "Oh yeah! The Swedish Fish that Mr. Candy put there." But then he corrected me. "No," he said. "I don't think it was Mr. Candy. It was Miss Gail." So the mystery continues. Is Mr. Candy somehow related to his teacher Miss Gail? Are they partners in crime? Or is Mr. Candy Miss Gail's alter ego? Stay tuned. I'm sure there will be more adventures. I'm not sure when I had my first chocolate-covered pretzel, but I'm pretty sure it was a life-changing experience. When done properly, with the perfect ratio of chocolate to pretzel, there's nothing better. Except maybe adding some peanut butter to it. That's what Snyder's of Hanover figured out. They make a whole line of chocolate-covered pretzels and peanut butter-filled pretzel sandwiches. I had no idea! When they offered to send me some samples, I said, "Heck yeah!" They use Hershey's chocolate and these babies are sweet... sweet enough so that one or two fulfills a chocolate craving.I took the Sugar Baby to the Yale Peabody Museum last week to see the dinosaurs. I think the concept is still a little lost on him, although his friend (who shares the same name as the Sugar Baby) loves dinos as much as *someone* loves candy and mushrooms. We stopped in the gift shop afterwards and I found these:
KSCHOKOLAT Dark Chocolate Mintettes. I thought these were going to be flat mint squares, so I was quite surprised to see they were little balls. (I would've known that had I read the package which says, "Mini nuggets of natural mint fondant encased in rich dark chocolate.") Here's the thing with these: they're really tasty, but at $2.95 for 1.23 ounces, you have to really savor them. These are the type of candies that should come in a big bag so you can eat them by the fistful.

Aren't these beautiful? I sat and stared at these Oliver Kita chocolates for a long time before trying them. They taste as good as they look.

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.

Pass Me Another Bon Bon, Darling

Yes, I can truly say now that I'm sitting on my couch, eating bon bons. This tin of South 'n France Bon Bons arrived on my doorstep last week. Lots of candies pretend to be "bon bons" (and of course, there's the ice cream variety, too), but these are truly worthy of the name.
Exactly what is a bon bon? According to the website, the direct translation is "goody goody," but in this case, to be more specific, they're balls of doughy confection-y stuff dipped in chocolate. It's not easy to describe actually. You'd think they'd be like truffles, but the center isn't soft ganache. It's more cakey than creamy.So here's the deal: each bon bon is a decent size. Two bites, maybe even three. They come in the following flavors: Cafe au Lait, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Coconut, Cookies 'n Creme, Peanut Buttah (love that!) and Pistachio.
The first one I tried was coconut and, lawd have mercy! It was one fine piece of candy. The chocolate shell was snappy and the coconut was creamy and chewy. All of the flavors are true to their names, although the Peanut Buttah did stop me in my tracks. It wasn't just peanut butter in the center; it also included cherries, dates and sugar. I'm not so sure how I feel about that. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was good, but I'm a purist. It kind of freaked me out to have other stuff mixed in with the peanut butter.
(Here's an item of note: four of their flavors are gluten-free.)
The factory is located in Wilmington, N.C. and I wish I could go there for one of their Bon Bon Parties. This looks like the coolest thing ever: you get a bunch of friends together, bring some wine or champagne, and you learn the secret art of bon bon making. And-- get this-- it's only $25 per person. How cool would this be for a bachelorette party or, hmmm, maybe a 40th birthday party?
So now that February is here and we're on our way towards Valentine's Day, I highly recommend these as a gift. (Especially the coconut!)
www.southnfrance.com

Coconut-Chocolate Bread

Look, I'm sorry. I know you're on a diet. I'm on one, too. But it's been snowing here and I love to bake and I just happened to find Jim Lahey's book "My Bread" at the library. When I saw this recipe for Coconut-Chocolate Bread, well, there went all my will power. I had to try this to see what it was like.
This isn't a quick bread, so it isn't cake-like at all. Actually, it's based on the No-Knead Bread recipe that took the foodie world by storm a while ago. So what you end up with is a loaf of seriously crusty, chewy bread with bits of sweet chocolate and coconut throughout.
I followed the recipe to the T, and sadly, I overcooked it. (My oven is playing tricks with me lately; it knows I have no respect for it.) Luckily I was able to salvage much of it, though.
My comments: I used sweetened coconut, because I had that on hand. I thought it might give the bread a more sweet flavor, but in fact, you really can't taste the coconut at all. You just get the texture. Next time, I'd just leave it out.
I used Ghiradelli chips because they're bigger than normal chips; that was a good idea. Next time I might just chop up some chocolate.
And of course, the baking time. I'd cut it down to 30 minutes initially and then go from there.
This is definitely a unique taste. Not too sweet, but not savory, either. It actually reminds me of the Eszet chocolate sandwiches we had when the von Schokolats came back from Germany.

Chocolate-Coconut Bread

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons bread flour
2 cups loosely packed unsweetened large-flake coconut
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon instant or other active dry yeast
11/4 cups cool water

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, half of the coconut, the chocolate, salt, and yeast. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hands, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the surface is puffy and the dough is more than doubled in size, 12 to 18 hours.

When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface with bran or flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Using lightly floured hands or a bowl scraper or spatula, lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.

Place a tea towel on your work surface, generously dust it with wheat bran or flour, and sprinkle it with 1/2 cup of the remaining coconut. Gently place the dough on the towel, seam side down. Lightly sprinkle the surface with the remaining 1/2 cup coconut. Fold the ends of the tea towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place it in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, it should hold the impression. If it springs back, let it rise for another 15 minutes.

Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F, with a rack in the lower third, and place a covered 41/2 - to 51/2 -quart heavy pot in the center of the rack.

Using pot holders, carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven and uncover it. Unfold the tea towel and quickly but gently invert the dough into the pot, seam side up. (Use caution—the pot will be very hot.) Cover the pot and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep chestnut color but not burnt, 20 to 25 minutes more.

Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to carefully lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly.

Santa, Why the Blank Stare?

I figured it was time to get into the Christmas spirit, since, you know, Thanksgiving is almost here. I wouldn't want to get behind the trends and all. I decided my Christmas cheer would take the form of a Russell Stover Coconut Cream Santa. I can't say as I've ever seen these before, but it may be just because my affection for coconut is a relatively new thing.
Here it is. One chocolate-covered "Santa." Methinks this is akin to a Fudgey the Whale cake-- they've got to use this mold for other holidays. It could be a mummy for Halloween or a leprechaun for St. Patrick's Day. You can't really claim it's a rabbit, but maybe a chick for Easter. Maybe I'll buy a bunch of these and add some details for the annual Wombat Day celebration.**
What would you re-package this as?

**OMG. I just realized I forgot to celebrate Wombat Day this year! For some reason, I always think it's in February. Darn!

Atkinson's Coconut Long Boy: What is This Thing?

This is an Atkinson's Coconut Longboy. Until yesterday, I'd never had a Long Boy (coconut or otherwise; they come in regular and chocolate, too). In fact, I didn't even know what a Long Boy was, just that I'd heard of them and knew they were some kind of candy that are special in the hearts of many.

After a little intense research, I discovered that Atkinson's is located in Texas, and they're proud of their southern heritage. Probably why I'd never had a Long Boy before-- it's a southern candy.

I only bought one of these at a local coffee shop and now I'm sorry I didn't buy two, because Mr. Goodbar would totally dig these. It's caramel (very much like a Bull's-Eye type caramel) with little flakes of coconut throughout. Even though I'm not big on caramel, I could see these becoming an addiction. We're off to Vermont tomorrow, so perhaps I'll get a chance to stop at the Vermont Country Store where, no doubt, they'll have some.

But what about you, Yumsters? Do you know about Long Boys? Are these a candy from your childhood? Come on, share with us!

Like a Blind Man Reviewing a Movie

The Baroness bought me these on her recent trip to Florida:They're Coco Rhum Bites-- "Delicious Rum Flavored Coconut Treats-- Crushed Vanilla Wafers and Cocoa Dipped in Rich Chocolate." Don't they sound yummy? (Although I think they probably meant to write "Coconut," not Cocoa on the package. I mean, that sounds kind of weird to have chocolate-covered cocoa, and then leave the main ingredient-- coconut-- off the description.)
Well, I've been told they are delicious (by Mr. Goodbar) but I can't tell you myself because ... well ... I sort of gave up chocolate for Lent. I know, I know! I've heard it already-- how am I supposed to write this blog if I can't eat chocolate for 40 days? First of all, I have a back log of posts, so this will be a good time to catch up. And second, I'm being kind of specific in my giving-upedness. I've actually given up candy BARS, not necessarily "candy." So technically I could try one of these Coco Rhum Bites, since it isn't a bar but more like a ball. But there's something to be said about cleansing one's palate (and intestines) of chocolate for a bit. Let's look upon this as an experiment. When the 40 days are up, will chocolate taste different? Will I gorge on candy bars, or will I be more selective? It will be interesting to see. But the real question of course is, can I really do it?
This weekend Mr. Goodbar and I went out to dinner after our guitar lessons (more on this later, perhaps) and the woman at the table next to us was enjoying a glass of wine. "Six days into Lent," she said, pointing to the glass. "I gave up alcohol. I couldn't do it. Now I'll just give up the hard stuff."
So I suppose when it comes to self-imposed abstinence, we all fudge it a little. (Mmmmm, fudge!)

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!"

The Little Blogger That Could

I've cleaned off my desk; now it's time to organize my desktop in preparation for the new job. Can I even write it without hyperventilating? Okay, here goes:

I'vetakenapositionastheEditorinChiefofawomen'shealthmagazineOMGOMGOMGIcandoit,Icandoit. (No comments from the Peanut Gallery about the candy/health conflict please.)

There. So I've found some miscellaneous candy items that I
just haven't gotten around to writing about yet. Here we have a Kit
Kat Caramel that No-Nuts bought and devoured. Okay, yes, she did share with me. It was better than I expected. For some reason I thought the caramel would be stiffer and chewier, but this was more soft and flowy, like a Caramello. It was yummy.
And kudos to Nestle for not spelling caramel with a
"K."

Those little pink things are Russian candies from my mother's neighbor. I'm not sure what flavor they were, but there was some sort of little berry printed on the wrapper. They were chewy, like taffy.

Lastly, we have a Choxie dark chocolate coconut bar. I had high hopes for this one, but it tasted overwhelmingly like suntan lotion. Why the fake coconut flavor, Target? I bought this bar when I was with Susan (not MKAFFGGF), and she bought some sort of toffee variation that was way better.

(What's up with this wonky lay out? Mercury must be in retrograde.)

Yes, we have no bananas

So I was cruising through the grocery store yesterday trying to get in and get out in record time, when I noticed that the Easter candy had been replaced by the "summer" candy. Of all seasons, summer is just the worst when it comes to candy. It's all gumdrops and Circus Peanuts. But there, in the middle of the aisle, was a display of Necco Wafers Smoothies. Maybe these have been around for a while, but it was my first time seeing them. I stood in front of that stupid display for much longer than I should have, contemplating whether or not to buy a package. (Because at 69 cents, it was a huge investment.)
I'm not a fan of Necco Wafers, but there's something so comforting and quintessentially "candy" about them. And since they're made in New England, I felt like I should do my part to support the company, so I bought a pack. The package says the flavors are blueberry, banana caramel, tropical, peach and strawberry creme. The only one I was really interested in was the banana caramel. Sadly, that was the only flavor that I DIDN'T get in the package. But more about that later.
The first one I tried was peach, and I generally hate all things peach flavored except for real off-the-tree peaches. But I must say, this was pretty pleasant. In fact, after eating one, I found I wanted another. Lucky for me, the second wafer was also peach. But then so was the third, and the fourth. Okay, I thought, maybe they've stacked all the same flavors together. So I tore off the whole wrapper and what did I find? The majority was peach, followed by strawberry, a few tropical, ONE, yes ONE, blueberry and, as I said before, NO banana. What's up with that? Hey Necco, how about some quality control?
The strawberry creme was pretty good, although I'm not a huge strawberry fan. The tropical was pleasant; it tasted like a pina coloda. I was afraid it would be too coconutty/suntan lotion tasting, but it was pretty balanced with a hint of pineapple. The lone blueberry one was tasty, but I wouldn't say it tasted like a blueberry. More like a mixed berry kind of flavor. But alas, I will probably never know what the banana caramel tastes like, unless some kind soul feels like sharing theirs with me.

Want samoa?

I couldn't resist buying one of the 1oo Grand bars with coconut. Yesterday, I split a piece of it with a coconut aficianado. "You know what this tastes like?" I asked him.
"Wait," he said as he chewed. "Yep, just like a Girl Scout cookie."
Yes, the 100 Grand with coconut tastes just like a Samoa. The first thing I noticed about it was that the caramel seemed softer than in a regular 100 Grand. The toasted coconut kind of blends with the crisped rice giving it that cookie taste. Pretty good.
In other news, Hershey has said that it's going to cut down on its Limited Editions. Apparently they were good for drawing attention to the original candy bars, but not so good as overall sellers. But that Elvis peanut butter cup is still scheduled to come out this summer.

Homemade Mallo Cups

The Snicker's Dark reminded me of an experiment I conducted a few Christmases ago. I wanted to see if I could make a homemade Mallo Cup with dark chocolate. I got some good-quality Belgian chocolate and melted it, then lined little foil cups with it and let it harden in the fridge. I toasted some coconut and mixed it with marshmallow fluff, then filled the cups with it and topped them off with more melted chocolate. Verdict: they were YUMMY!