Spice season

You've got to be cautious when you combine chocolate with fall flavors. I love the traditional brown spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger. When they're blended together, they create a magical taste. But when you add chocolate, things can go south very quickly. With that thinking in mind, I was hesitant to try the new Pumpkin Spice m&m's that are out on the shelves now. I figured if I didn't like them, I could always stick them in a candy dish at work. I'm happy to report, however, that they were a big hit with the Sugar Baby. These are milk chocolate m&m's with pumpkin spices. The flavors are subtle enough so that they don't scream "SPICE!" They're more like milk chocolate m&m's with a little pizzazz. Were these my favorite? No, but I wouldn't turn them away, either.

A less successful example of chocolate and spice can be tasted in the new Starbucks Chocolate Chai Tea Latte. I thought, "Yum! I love chai, and I love chocolate!" Yeah, well, turns out they aren't exactly a match made in heaven. The spices are too off balance here. If I had to guess, I'd say the nutmeg and the chocolate are fighting against each other. I'll stick to the regular chai next time.

A candy miscellany

Let's just pretend I posted this pictures all cuckoo on purpose. Call it artistic expression. I'm working with Windows 8 now, and I don't think I've ever hated a piece of technology more. I borrowed a copy of "Windows 8 for Seniors" from the library, but I only got halfway through before it was due. Clearly I need a tutor. In any case, this is just a random post of some recent goodies.

As you can see, I found a bargain at Target. I got a Sweet & Salty Bark and a Candied Orange Bark for 48 cents. (They weren't close to expiring, so I figured I was safe. I'm guessing these are going to be discontinued.) I actually really liked these. They were a good amount of chocolate without being too much and I liked the combination of flavors. My only regret is that I should've bought more.

And here, if you turn your computer upside down, you can see the new m&m's chocolate bar. It's a candy bar with mini m&m's embedded in it. There's not much you can really say about that except, yum!

And these beautiful truffles from See's. I really love See's candies because they taste great, they're American-made, they ship well and are affordable. They're definitely a permanent selection on my gift-giving list.

Lastly, there's this deliciousness: Alter Eco Dark Quinoa Organic Chocolate. I wrote about some of Alter Eco's other flavors here, and I loved them so much that I knew I had to try the quinoa one when I saw it at Whole Foods. This chocolate is so fruity and smooth and the quinoa gives it a nice crunch. I only wish that Mr. Goodbar hadn't found the second half in my secret drawer and eaten it.  

Breaking News: Carrot Cake M&Ms!

I just got a text from the Baroness. She found white chocolate carrot cake m&ms at her local WalMart. She is a carrot cake expert and said the m&ms taste just like the real thing. You can try to find them by typing in your zip code at this page: http://see.walmart.com/mms-easter. Sadly, it appears they're no where near me.

Candy Corn M&M's

I rarely go to Shop Rite, just because it's not the closest grocery store. But the other day, I felt like I was being drawn there, so I went. Guess what was pulling me there? Candy Corn M&M's! I heard about these last year, but couldn't find them anywhere, so of course I grabbed them this year.
The M&M's are the large size, like the peanut butter ones. They are white, orange and yellow and the inside is candy corn-flavored white chocolate. I didn't really think I'd like them, as I'm not a big fan of white chocolate and the idea of candy corn flavor kind of freaked me out. I have to say, though, they're really good. The flavor is subtle. There are times when I was eating them that I really had to concentrate to get the candy corn flavor instead of just generic white chocolate sweetness. I like the ratio of crunchy shell to creamy insides. I wonder what a regular plain M&M would taste like if it was in this bigger form. I think I would love those, but you never know. In any case, I definitely recommend these to get you in the fall spirit.

Mmmm, mmm, Mint M&M's

I love mint. I love dark chocolate. I love M&M's. Therefore, I love dark mint M&M's. That's all I have to say.

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?

Oh the anticipation! New candy bars on tap from Mars

Breaking news from Mars! Check this out candy lovers. There's some good stuff here!
1) 3 Musketeers Coconut will hit the shelves in December. Unlike other coconut bars that I so looked forward to (Twix Coconut, for one), this one scares me a little. I'm not sure it sounds that good, but I'm certainly willing to check it out.
2) M&M's Dark Chocolate Mint. Now these, I'm anxiously anticipating.
3) In May, 2012, look for M&M Snack Mixes. Milk Chocolate Candies Snack Mix features milk chocolate M&M’s, mini chocolate chip cookies, mini pretzel twists and peanuts; Dark Chocolate Candies Snack Mix comprises dark chocolate M&M’s, raisins, almonds and mini pretzel twists; Peanut Chocolate Candies Snack Mix has peanut M&M’s, mini shortbread cookies, almonds and mini pretzel twists. YUM!
4) Snickers 3X Chocolate 2 To Go bars (that's a lot of numbers in a candy bar name) will feature peanuts in chocolate caramel on top of chocolate nougat, covered in milk chocolate.

Product of the Year!

This really doesn't come as a surprise, but M&M's Pretzel Chocolate Candies were named the 2011 Product of the Year in the candy and snacks category by Product of the Year USA. If someone were to ask me (and no one has, but that's okay), I'd say they succeeded on several different levels. One, I love the packaging. So cute. Two, who doesn't love pretzels and chocolate? An obvious choice for M&M; just surprised it took them so long! And three, they are a dieter's friend. At 150 calories per bag, you can have your daily dose of chocolate without the guilt. Congrats to Pretzel M&M's!

Marathon Training for Halloween

It's the big countdown to Halloween! Just six more days until I stuff the Sugar Baby full of carbs so we can cover as much trick-or-treating territory as possible. Have I told you about his costume? He's going as "The World" and he's pretty much made it himself. We'll see how this all pans out. It will be hard to beat last year's Fly Agaric Mushroom.
In any case, I have a lot of stuff to clean off of my desktop in preparation for The Big Day, so here we go.
Last weekend, we took the Sugar Baby into New York City. I planned on it being a simple trip ... take him to Times Square, let him look at the buildings, have lunch and that's that. He, however, had different ideas. We stopped at the hellish Toys R Us that is three or four floors of pure overindulgent child madness. There's a Candy Land area and a Wonka area that, had it not been so crowded, might have interested the Sugar Baby. But, not unlike Dylan's Candy Bar, it was just too much of a scene. He couldn't be bothered with the vats of gummy bears and giant lollipops. We splurged on a ride on the giant Ferris wheel, and, although we got stuck riding in the Barbie car, it was actually well worth the $4. We were on that thing for a long time, and I got to listen to two spoiled brats lovely little girls extol the virtues of Wonka candy over all others.
We got out of that madness and then headed over to M&M World, which was just as insanely crowded and ridiculous. Two floors of M&M-themed everything, but where were the actual M&M's? Strangely enough, they were hidden on a third floor that you had to take a secret Narnia door to. The M&M's were divided by color, and were $12.95 a pound. (Or, you could just go to your local warehouse store and buy a 4-lb. bag for less than $20.)
After all that insanity, we finally acquiesced to the Sugar Baby's only real desire, and that was to see the Flat Iron Building. Go figure. Then, for some reason, all of the uptown trains weren't working, which meant we had to walk the 20 or so blocks back up to Grand Central Station. The Sugar Baby did great, and so I kind of look at it as training for Halloween. If he can walk 20+ blocks, he can handle a couple of neighborhoods and maybe even a party or two.

I Got Presents!

If you think I'm looking a little more fashionable lately, it's not a trick of the eye. Check out this super cool backpack that Gretl von Schokolat made for me. She made this beautiful bag, complete with Chips Ahoy, Fun Dip and M&M wrappers, from her own wild imagination. Totally cute, right? She is one talented Chiclet.And then today, No-Nuts said, "I have a present for you." I had just driven to the far stretches of Connecticut, along one of the longest, most boring roads you could ever imagine, to dump off her mattress, box spring and bottles of booze she left in my freezer "Collected Works of Shakespeare." Yes, she has flown the coop and entered the real world. So she handed me this bag:Oh how sweet! A Pandora bracelet. Or necklace. Or ring. Or ... a bag of Skittles Fizzl'd Fruits and two very sketchy pieces of candy she got from the international crowd she works with.I've pondered trying the Skittles for a while now, but was never motivated enough to actually seek them out. The flavors are Berry Punch, Melon Berry, Raspberry, Strawberry and Wild Cherry. They look like regular Skittles, except they're covered in a powdery substance that actually does fizzle on your tongue, similar to the center of a Zotz. I thought the Berry Punch was pretty gross, but the other flavors were good. I wouldn't choose these over Sour Patch Kids, but I wouldn't turn them away if someone gave me a package for, say, lugging their crap halfway across the state.
The other two candies have nary a trace of English on them, nor do they have a recognizable fruit. Given my recent experience with international candy, I'm hesitant to try them. I think I'll save them for another night when I'm feeling a bit braver, or after I've had a few shots of Shakespeare.

Talking Vintage Movie Theater Candy With Guest Blogger Alexis Bonari

Today's post is from Yumster Alexis Bonari. She took a look back at candy at the movie theater.
Going to see a movie simply wouldn’t be the same without candy. From Sour Patch Kids to Nonpareils, there are nearly endless options for topping off your movie experience with a sugar-induced coma. While candy has always been standard fare for moviegoers, popular candies have changed over the years. Here are some examples of vintage movie theatre candy:

1940’s -M&M’s Plain Chocolate

M&M’s were first introduced to combat a decline in chocolate sales. After their success, the M&M Mars Corporation shortened their name to M&M’s. Thanks to the breakthrough candy coating, M&M’s were marketed as a “melt-free” chocolate. Movie theatres played a major role in the initial introduction of M&M’s onto the market.

1950’s- Chocolate Cigarettes

Until the late 1960’s, cigarette smoking wasn’t touted as unhealthy. Most children would have grown up with one or both parents lighting up on a regular basis. Kids generally like products that allow them to mimic the adults around them. It’s no surprise then that candy cigarettes were all the rage during the 1940’s and 1950’s. Movie theaters, carnivals, and dime stores all sold chocolate and gum renderings of cigarettes and cigars.

1960’s – Astronaut Ice Cream

The Apollo Project and other space missions were the height of cool in the 1960’s. In response, the producer of freeze dried foods for the space missions capitalized by making Astronaut Ice Cream available to the public. Ice Cream ingredients were freeze dried at -40 degrees F into edible cubes. These marvels of modern science were sold as promotional items during science fiction movies.

1970’s- Fizzies

One of the first true novelty candies, Fizzies were tablets that a child (or adult) could use to create their own soda pop. The directions were simple: combine one Fizzies tablet with a glass of ice water to create a new taste sensation. Flavors included root beer, blue razz, and lemonade.

The theatres that sold Fizzies undoubtedly paid the price in sticky floors after the fact, as the fizzing action could get a little bit out of hand.

Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She often can be found blogging about general education issues as well as information on college scholarships. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

The Sugar Baby's Candy Blow-Out!

The Sugar Baby is officially 4!

Wait until you see the candy buffet I made for him.

Just wait ...

Wait for it ...

Here it comes ...

Oh.
Guess what I forgot to take a picture of? Can you even believe it? I've been obsessing over this dang candy-themed brouhaha for weeks now and I forgot to take a picture of the sugary spread. Here's what I had: Haribo Raspberries, Haribo Strawberries & Cream, Haribo black licorice spirals, candy buttons, Mike & Ikes, gumdrop kabobs, Grapevines, wax bottles, M&M's, jelly beans, Ring Pops and sour fizzy marshmallow cones.It's hard to say who liked it more-- the kids or the adults. My Partner-in-Crime called me the next day to say that her husband got into bed that night with a goodie bag he made for himself,
complete with wax bottles. Awesome.

The day started off very stormy, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to hang my decorations, but the sun came out just in time. I got some colorful balls and wrapped them in cellophane to look like candies. (I had also tried to make giant swirly lollipops out of foam board, but gave up halfway through.)
Since the Sugar Baby is into mushrooms as much as he's into candy, I tried to make a mushroom-shaped cake, but instead we ended up with this hot mess:
It tasted pretty good, though. Lemon cake with lemon frosting. I figured we'd need a break from chocolate.

In other news, I found Pretzel M&M's at the store and bought some for The Baroness to try. She looked at the package and said, "Only 150 calories for the whole package!"
That's something I forgot to mention. Yes, 150 calories, but there were a lot fewer in there than in a bag of peanut M&M's.
I talked to Alexandra Super Shopper today and she also has tried them. Her comment was that the chocolate/pretzel ratio should be more like a peanut M&M. I totally agree. She liked the idea of mixing them with plain M&M's. Perhaps there will be an M&M Fun Mix in the future?!

Pretzel M&M's in the House!

Finally. I've been waiting with baited breath all week to get my hands on the new Pretzel M&M's. As I mentioned before, I think the package is really cute. But would the candy stand up to my ideals?
First off, these M&M's are fat and round like gumballs. I tried to put them on a slanted surface and they rolled right off. My impression of these evolved as I made my way through the package. With the first M&M I thought, too dry. Not enough chocolate. Second taste: these are good, but yes, definitely need more chocolate. These would be great mixed in with a bunch of plain M&M's. Third bite: good salt/sweet balance. Last piece: where'd they all go?!
I tried eating them several different ways-- crunching straight into them, sucking on the candy shell and chocolate to get to the pretzel, and biting them in half. These are good, and I'd definitely buy them again, but next time this is how things will go down: I'll get a big bowl. I'll pour in the pretzel M&Ms and then add some plain M&M's in a 60/40 ratio. Then I'll wonder how they disappeared so fast.
These should be hitting the stores this week (if they haven't already), so keep your eyes peeled for the blue wrappers. Let me know what you think!

Tying Up Loose Ends Before Sugar Shock '10

I figured I should post now before the candy flood gates open up in, let's see, five days. That's when the Sugar Baby's candy-themed birthday party will be in full swing and no doubt he'll be wound tighter than a yo-yo from all the sugar and plethora of grandparents and cousins.
This weekend was a carnival at his school, so I donated a basket full of candy goodies. In some sort of karmic retribution, it turns out that the Sugar Baby guessed the correct number of animal crackers in a jar, so we have 500 cookies headed our way. Oh my.
In other news, I'm anxiously waiting on pins and needles for samples of new Pretzel M&M's. It's been a long time since I was this excited for a new candy. I hope it lives up to my expectations. I love the package, which is surprising because I generally don't like the M&M characters for some reason, but the pretzel X-ray is pretty cute.

M&M Color Distribution: A Non-Peer Reviewed Study

I got this memo from Mr. Goodbar. Please remember, he is NOT an accountant, nor is he a scientist. This information is provided for entertainment purposes only and is not admissible in a court of law.

I was cleaning up my files and I ran across the Peanut M&M tally sheet. It ran from March through December, and included 51 bags from the vending machine. The final spread for the average bag is as follows:

Orange - 4.98 pieces - 23%
Blue - 4.27 pieces - 20%
Green - 3.93 pieces - 18%
Yellow - 3.75 pieces - 17%
Red - 2.66 pieces - 12%
Brown - 2 pieces - 9%

Isn't it interesting that brown -- boring as it is -- is the least representative, presumably because it is the most expensive to produce. Does anyone really crave brown? Why not spend the money on additional red pieces to bring their total up to about 20% like all the others?

Well, Mr. Goodbar, you raise a lot of good questions there. Some I'm sure one or two many other people have had.

You assume several things in your assessment. First, you state that brown is "boring." Some may agree, but others, such as myself, enjoy the brown ones. In fact, I mourn the loss of tan M&Ms, which were replaced by-- ick!-- blue. Is brown more expensive to produce? I have no idea. But brown was one of the original M&M colors (along with red, orange, yellow, green and VIOLET! in 1941). So, in fact, brown has rightly earned its place in today's M&M packets. You suggest ditching the traditional brown in favor of more red. I'd like to bring your attention to this nugget of information, straight from The Lord God Himself , Encyclopedia Brittanica , Oprah Herself Wikipedia:
"Red candies were eliminated in 1976 due to health concerns over the dye amaranth (FD&C Red #2), which was a suspected carcinogen were replaced with orange-colored candies (this despite the fact that M&M's did not contain the dye; the action was purely to satisfy worried consumers). By 1987, the public had forgotten the scare, and the red candies were reintroduced, but they also kept the orange colored M&M's. They currently contain Allura Red AC (FD&C Red #40, E129). In Europe, Allura Red AC (E129) is not recommended for consumption by children. It is banned in Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, and Norway."

I hope this answers some of your questions, although I know that the only thing I've managed to do is to assure that you'll never eat a red M&M again.

Revisiting M&M's Premiums

I try not to use the self-checkout at the grocery store because 1) I want to create jobs for people, not reduce them and 2) Something always goes wrong and I have to wait for the wasteoid stoned teenager with the scraggly goatee to come help. I didn't have much choice the other day though when I was buying the incredibly stereotypical milk, eggs and bread. It was either wait in a ridiculously long line for a human check-out person, or do the self-serve. As I was trying to scan my card, I noticed a box top popping out from the other side of the impulse purchase rack. It was a small box of M&M's Premiums in Triple Chocolate.
I've written about the Premiums before. Here I was shocked at the price. In this post, the Baroness bought some mint ones and I decided they tasted like a peppermint patty. Then the Baron shocked us all with his review, and then Liesl set the record straight and said she really liked them.
Frankly, I couldn't remember what I thought of them, so I grabbed a box. (Very impulsive of me.)
Here it is, my final decision: these are wrong.
To be labeled an M&M, in my book anyway, you must have a hard candy shell. I was taken aback by the waxy soft coating on these. It was shocking, kind of like if you guzzle a glass of water only to find out that it was pure vodka, as a certain guitar store owner's three-year-old daughter did recently.
These are fine as stand-alone candies, but as "M&M's," they just don't work. You need that combination of crunchy slick shell with creamy milk chocolate.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Chocolate For the Cause

I don't usually write about marketing press releases, but this is a different situation because it combines two really good things: Dove chocolate (which I unabashedly love) and breast cancer awareness. According to the press release,

Dove Chocolate is teaming up with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors, to raise breast cancer awareness. The Susan G. Komen partnership also includes M&M’S Brand pink blends.
DOVE Chocolate will be printing messages directly from survivors inside the wrappers of DOVE Promises of Hope so that survivors may share their stories and messages of hope to support others battling breast cancer.

How To Pick Up Chicks, Sugar Baby-Style

The Sugar Baby started preschool this week and is practicing his social skills. Herewith, a conversation he had with a little girl named Carolyn.

SB (walking up to her in the hallway): "M&Ms!"
Carolyn: "That's silly. There are no M&Ms here!"

I think they're going steady now.

Hail to the Chief! (Or Reason #932 Why I Love Barack Obama)

So check this out: you may not even be able to get a package of peanuts on your cross-country flight to visit the relatives, but if you're a guest on Air Force One, you get a bangin' box of special M&Ms. According to the New York Times:

"The patriotic individual-sized boxes containing red, white and blue peanut M&M's were handed out on the plane Saturday. On one side: the presidential seal and Obama's John Hancock scrawled in gold. On the other: a yellow M&M marching with an American flag."

How unbelievably cool is that? Since I don't have any plans of traveling aboard the presidential airplane any time soon, I sent our esteemed Commander-in-Chief this e-mail today:

Dear President Obama,
I just read in the New York Times that you hand out special Presidential Edition M&Ms to visitors aboard Air Force One. As far as I'm concerned, this absolutely confirms that you are the coolest president ever. The reason for this letter is because I have been writing a blog about candy for the past six years. (www.candyyumyum.net) I believe that everyone has some sort of happy memory connected to candy, and the confection business is a strong part of the American economy. (In fact, it would seem to be thriving in this dicey economy.)
Is there any way possible I could get one of these boxes of M&Ms? I promise I will not sell it on e-Bay or do anything else unethical with it. I would just love to have one, and it would make me the coolest candy blogger on the block.
Sincerely yours, Madame Yum Yum
P.S. Even if you don't send me one, I still think you're the hippest prez ever.

Brilliant Blue: M&Ms as medicine?

WOW. I was tipped off to this piece of exciting news by a friend who has spinal cord injuries. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that when they injected Brilliant Blue G (the same color used in blue M&Ms) into rats with spinal cord injuries, the rats were able to walk again, albeit with a limp. This of course doesn't mean that chowing down on a bag of blue M&Ms will cure spinal injuries, but it's exciting information-- and hope for the future! Read more here.