Girl Scout Cookies + Nestle Crunch

Remember the good old days when limited edition candy bars seemed to come out one after the other? That's certainly slowed down lately, so when Nestle announced it would be releasing candy bars with a Girl Scout cookie theme, people went crazy. I admit, I was one of them. I love Thin Mints. I love them so much that I don't buy them, because I can eat a whole sleeve in one sitting. I couldn't wait to try the Nestle candy bar version.

When I opened the package, the aroma was definitely similar to a box of Thin Mints. The bar is made up of wafers and chocolate and the top is sprinkled with crushed cookies. So how did it taste? It was good, but ... I found myself wishing that I just had the cookies, not the candy bar. The second one I tried is modeled after the Samoa, with coconut and caramel. This is my second favorite Girl Scout cookie. Again, I thought it was good but not great. The last one I tried was Peanut Butter Creme, an homage to the Tagalong. Strangely enough, I never really liked Tagalongs, but I liked this bar the best.
The bars are exciting in that they're something different for the summer, but overall, I'd rather have a plain Nestle Crunch and a box of cookies.

Good friends, good cookies

Say what you want about Facebook. Is it an invasion of privacy? Yes. Is it a stalker's playground? Yes. But it also brings some good into the world. For example, through the magic of social networking, I reconnected with an old friend from my high school and Mr. Goodbar's college. Turns out she was in town a few weeks ago, so after 20 or so years, we actually met up with each other again. It was wonderful to meet her family and to reminisce about old times. It was a great visit. Oh, did I mention she brought cookies?
Berger cookies. Ever heard of them? I hadn't. They're a Baltimore thing. The cookies are vanilla and cakey. Not as spongey as a black-and-white cookie, but definitely soft. Each cookie is dipped in thick fudge. They definitely reminded me of something but I still haven't been able to put my finger on it. My first thought was that the fudge was similar to the chocolate center of a Stella Dora Swiss Fudge Cookie, but I don't think that's it. In any case, the cookies are so sweet and so rich that just one will take care of any sweet craving you might have. (Unless, of course, you're me, in which case two is even better.)
You won't find these cookies in a store near you unless you live in the Baltimore area, but you can order them at www.bergercookies.com.

And just a note. Yes, I realize that I didn't take any pictures of my friend and I together, but I did take two pictures of the cookies. So, so lame.

Happy Valentine's Day! (And some new bars from Trader Joe's)

Happy Valentine's Day, Yumsters! What did you all get from your sweeties this Valentine's Day? I want to hear all about your giant hearts filled with chocolates since I don't have one of my own. (I did, however, get something *almost* as good; Mr. Goodbar replaced one of my kitchen cabinets, which have been down in the basement for a year.)

I haven't been eating much candy lately, but I did score some new bars at Trader Joe's recently. One was Dark Chocolate filled with Chocolate Buttercream. The other was Dark Chocolate filled with Speculoos (Cookie Spread). Yes, you read that right. Cookie spread. Can you imagine anything more delicious? First I tried the buttercream bar. The chocolate was good, but not stellar, like in their giant 3 pound bars. The filling was really sweet. It reminded me of a cream-filled chocolate from a box of candy.
I was really excited to try the speculoos bar, because I've never had cookie spread before. I don't know that I can really compare it to anything, but it was sweet and creamy and a nice treat. Not anything that I'd have to have again, but it satisfied my sweet tooth.

Clodhoppers for dessert!

I realize I've fallen way behind in all matters candy-related. My apologies. Number one, I've been really busy writing about all things edible except candy, and number two, I've got to say, there hasn't been much candy news that's jazzed me lately. Is it me, or is something going on? Is there some sort of candy dry-spell happening? Did all the fun candy get raptured when we weren't looking? Where are the new products? The oldies-but-goodies? The Sweets & Snacks Expo is happening later this week in Chicago and, while I won't be going, I'm hoping that some fun things pop onto the candy scene.

Actually, one fun thing did happen last weekend. We were up in Vermont and having dinner at Ninety-Nine. The kid's meal came with dessert, and one of the options was a package of Clodhoppers. These little bits of graham cookies mashed up in chocolate are made in Canada and they are a rare find. I was psyched to see them on the menu. I managed to stash them in my bag before the Sugar Baby knew what was going on. (For the record, he busy devouring everyone else's desserts.)

And speaking of the Sugar Baby, did I show you what I made for his class? A giant Rice Krispy Treat! The kids were surprised that it was so crunchy. See, that's why homemade RKTs are so much better than the prepackaged ones, which are much too soft and squishy. The perfect RKT is crunchy, a little crumbly and chewy. Yes, I could've eaten that whole 5 myself.

Baking with Hershey's

I don't know about you, but this crazy winter has made me want to bake like a crazy lady. And I've been whipping up some crazy stuff. I finally turned to Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious cookbook out of desperation with the Sugar Baby's eating habits and started whipping up brownies with spinach and carrots (very yummy), cookies with chickpeas (not bad), muffins with peanut butter and squash (very tasty), black bean brownies (good at first, then pretty gnarly after they cooled down) and chocolate chick pea cake (a hit with the Sugar Baby; not so much with me).
Before I went on this baking frenzy I received a package from Hershey's with their dark chocolate and traditional cocoas. (It was a sign!) Actually, they weren't reading my mind. They were kicking off their "Iconic Recipe Sweepstakes." They're looking for chocolate lovers to vote for the most iconic recipe. What would you pick? Cocoa Crinkle Cookies? Chewy Peanut Butter Blossoms? Chocolate Truffles? Head on over to the website to vote and you may just win a trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Oreo Bark! (Need I say more?)

What do you do when you receive a package containing a piece of chocolate Oreo bark? You devour it, of course, and then realize you didn't take a picture for your blog. A company called 2 Chicks with Chocolate makes not only Oreo bark, but also milk chocolate pretzel bark and coconut lime bark. They also make adorable chocolate frogs for Valentine's Day, and you can make your own custom bar or Valentine box. I'm loving this company. You can check them out at www.chocolate.com, where you'll find a plethora of other Valentine's ideas, too!

Yee-Haw!

There's a fancy little "grocer" a few towns over that sells ridiculously over-priced goods that you can get for a few bucks cheaper at the more plebian grocery store down the street. While places like this generally turn me off, I have discovered the true beauty of this place: their bakery. I haven't tried any of the big things, like the cakes or pies, but the individual pastries have all been delicious and astonishingly reasonable. Take, for example, this Cowboy Cookie that was $1. Made with oats, coconut, toasted pecans and chunks of chocolate, it was well worth every penny. All one hundred of them. I wrote it about it here.

My New Obsession: Dark Chocolate Stars

My P.I.C. and I decided that, this year, instead of getting gifts for each others' kids, we'd splurge and give presents to each other. Nothing big, just something fun. Well, howdy doo, guess what I got? A veritable candy feast of Trader Joe's goodies. There's Fleur de Sel caramels, chocolate-covered edamame, chocolate-covered peppermint Joe Joe's and-- hold onto your hats-- dark chocolate-covered shortbread stars.
Back in November, there was a woman behind me in line at TJ's who was buying a whole bunch of boxes of the stars. She said she learned her lesson last year when they sold out. I didn't think much of it, because I'm not a huge shortbread fan. But these are beyond compare. They really don't taste like shortbread. They don't have that huge butter taste and are more thin and crunchy than thick and crumbly. The chocolate is delicious. If these were a candy, they just might be voted the best of 2010. Now I know. Next year I will hoard them.
What about you? What treats did you get for Christmas?

Get Ready for Christmas Baking With Hershey's!

Oh my, we're quickly descending into holiday season, aren't we? Here's something cool that Hershey's is offering. From now until Nov. 15, you can visit www.HersheysCookies.com to apply for a chance to host a Hershey's Cookie Exchange Party. If you're chosen, you'll get a big box of baking goodies, like Kisses, Hershey's Cocoa, Baking Chips, Toffee Bits and more. Even better, when you visit the site you can enter the Bake Share and Win promotion, where one lucky grand prize winner will get a kitchen makeover for themselves and a friend. Man, I'd love that. I think they'd first have to bring in an exorcist to rid my kitchen of its evil karma, though, and I'm not sure that's part of the package.

Not Candy, But Still Fun

Just in time for the fall, Oreo has released new football-shaped Oreos! They are very cute and, of course, being Oreos, they're yummy. I'd post a picture, but you know ... the evil electronic force field is still surrounding my house.

When Cookies and Chocolate Collide: Stix in the Mud and Twix Triple Chocolate

It was almost a year ago when I found a package of Funley's Stix in the Mud at a little grocery store in Vermont. They were little clusters of "cookie bits" covered in milk and dark chocolate. I had an e-mail exchange with the owner back then, but to be honest, I kind of forgot about them. Then, just a few days ago I received a package in the mail from Funley's, with samples of their original Stix, as well as their peanut butter and caramel varieties.
The clusters come individually wrapped in tent-style boxes. Some might balk at the individual wrapping but I love it. The box says, "Individually wrapped for self control," and you know what? That's exactly right. If these were just dumped in the box, I could probably eat the whole thing in one sitting. But this way, I can have one (or two) a night and be perfectly content.
I've found that I've been gravitating toward the caramel variety the most. Don't get me wrong; the peanut butter is good, but it has that same old problem that all peanut butter candies have: they can't compare to Reese's. But the caramel ones are very complex. If it were up to me, I wouldn't call the insides "cookie pieces," because they're much crispier than you'd think. They almost border on chip-style crispiness. These kind of remind me of something I had when I was a kid ... I think it was a Little Debbie product ... Cosmic something or others?
In any case, not only are these little patties yummy, but they're also all natural, with no trans fats or preservatives. A big hooray for that!
I have to give Funley's credit. These are definitely unique. I'm having a hard time trying to describe them (of course, that could just be because of the cough medicine with codeine that I'm nursing in an effort to get rid of this dang cold). You'll just have to try them for yourself and see what you think.
While I'm talking about cookies and chocolate, I should also mention that I finally tried a Twix Triple Chocolate bar. I had bought it in Maine when we were there for the Baroness' birthday, but we were so sugared out that we didn't have a chance to try this there.
In this Twix version, the cookie is chocolate and so is the caramel. I thought I'd love this, but I found myself just really wanting a good old plain Twix. Maybe there just wasn't enough contrast between the three tastes, or maybe it was that the texture of the cookie was different. Whatever the case, I'll stick with the original. Hopefully by tomorrow I'll be feeling a bit better so I can fill you in on the Candy Mystery that has popped up in my life. It's a story just rife with intrigue. You won't want to miss it.

Death by Cinnamon-Chocolate Chip Butterballs

This year certainly isn't like the days of yore when my sisters and nieces and mother and I all got together, cranked up the stove early in the morning, and baked cookies until the sun set. Eight hours and literally hundreds of cookies later, we'd still be thinking about making one more batch. I have no idea how we ever did that. I just finished two batches of cookies and I'm wiped out.First, the cookie I'm sort of known for: iced sugar cookies. For some reason, people seem to really dig these. I don't know-- to me they're no big whoop, but I've gotten enough requests that I guess they really are tasty. (Check out the rogue gingerbread man in the corner; he was a test cookie.)
And this year's new recipe from the Betty Crocker Christmas Cookies publication. I bought it at the checkout counter as a gift for the Ice Cube Queen, but the Sugar Baby got a hold of it and you can guess the rest. So I decided to make these, because they sounded so good. Here's the deal: the recipe says "the mixture will be crumbly." Well that's an understatement.You're supposed to essentially take this dry sugar sand and some way, some how transform it into petite little snowballs of deliciousness. This, my friends, was not an easy task. I managed to form them into lumps and somehow got them to hold together-- barely. These little morsels are incredibly rich. So rich, they'll no doubt make their presence known on the scale the next day. But people have been asking me for the recipe, so here it is. Bake at your own risk.

Cinnamon-Chocolate Chip Butterballs

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In large bowl, mix flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and salt. Cut in butter, using pastry blender or fork, until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips and vanilla (mixture will be crumbly).

Using hands, shape dough into 1-inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheet, place balls 1 inch apart.

Bake 6-8 minutes or until set but not brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool slightly, about 20 minutes.

In small bowl, combine powdered sugar and cinnamon. Roll cookies in sugar mixture, shaking off excess.

Funley's Stix in the Mud

We've been going up to Vermont a lot this summer where we're building a glorified shed cabin. The highlight of each weekend is to see if I can find some sort of new candy at the little local grocery store. I was thrilled to find these: Funley's Stix in the Mud. The little bags contain bite-sized drops of chocolate-covered cookie pieces. There's also a peanut butter and a caramel variety.
According to the website, the chocolate is a mix of dark and milk, although they don't specify exactly what the cookie pieces are.
I'm always excited to try something with a chocolate/crunchy combination, but I'm often disappointed. I think it must be difficult to maintain the crunch once the chocolate is added. On a scale of one to ten (with ten being the yum yummiest), these are about a 7. They're good, and I might try them again, but when it comes to chocolate-covered cookies, nothing beats a Twix or Jordan Crackers in my book!

(P.S. Please be patient with my terrible photos; camera issues continue to haunt me.)

My new love

We've already determined that I love candy and sandwiches. I'd say the other item in my top trifecta of taste is cookies. Oh, how I love cookies. Chocolate chip, oatmeal, peanut butter, Milanos, sugar wafers, you name it, I love them. When my friend Deb sent me a big package of goodies from Australia, I went gaga over the cookies she sent. They're called Tim Tams and they're chocolate-filled chocolate-covered cookies that are so darn yummy I can't stand it. I ended up ordering a bunch from a place in Texas a while back, but I scarfed them all down so quickly that I knew I couldn't order more. I thought I had found the ultimate cookie. That is, until the von Schokolats arrived with their European bounty and introduced me to the cookie perfection that is the Stroopwafel.

I've seen these before at Starbucks and a few other places, and I remember thinking, "Who would buy one of these? They're flat and boring!" But oh ho, the secret lies in the filling which is imperceptible at first glance. Imagine: two waffley crisp cookies with an oozy, soft, caramel-cinnamon center. They're traditionally placed on top of your coffee so the steam gets them all warm and melty. Ours were a little stale, so the Baroness stuck them in the microwave for a few seconds. These things are fabulous, FABULOUS! Needless to say, they're really reeking havoc on my stupid diet.