The aptly-named See's Awesome Walnut Square Bar

This is how I originally started this post:

"It's not often you see candy bars with walnuts in them. In fact, I can only think of two. The British Walnut Whip and ..." (insert long pause here).

I was about to write 5th Avenue. But then I second-guessed myself and looked up 5th Avenue which I haven't had in probably decades. This was a candy bar that regularly appeared in our house, even though it was a dud of a treat. For some reason though, my mother liked these and bought them. I distinctly remember, though, that they were topped with a chocolate-coated walnut half. Yet, when you look at the picture and ingredients of them now, there are no walnuts. Am I imagining this? Am I thinking of another candy bar? It's a mystery! Please chime in if you know what I'm talking about.

In any case, walnuts are rare in the candy world, so I've been intrigued by See's Awesome Walnut Square Bar. When I was offered the opportunity for a sample, I jumped at the chance. The bars come 8 to a box and are individually-wrapped squares. The description on the wrapper says, "Chewy caramel and crunchy walnuts coated in dark chocolate." The chocolate is thick and smooth and the filling is dense and chewy. It's definitely a unique bar. The closest thing I can liken it to is a Goldenberg's Peanut Chew, except that there's more chocolate and the walnuts give it a bitter contrast unlike the peanuts in the Goldenberg's. I loved these little bars. They're a step up from your everyday drug store candy bar, but still down-to-earth and satisfying. In fact, that's what I love about See's candy in general. It's not foofy candy laden with exotic spices. It's good, old-fashioned candy that tastes great and is special. Check them out at www.sees.com.

Gail Ambrosius Pralines: Mais Oui!

You'd think I would have learned my lesson by now. I simply cannot leave any good chocolates sitting on my desk because they mysteriously disappear overnight. I know it's not the cat, because he's too lazy to get up on the desk. It's not the Sugar Baby, because he has access to his own sweet shelf. So that leaves only one other culprit in the house who's been eating my chocolate, the most recent acquisition being Gail Ambrosius Parisian Pralines. When I first heard "pralines," my thoughts turned to the New Orleans variety-- brown sugary pecan patties that are usually overwhelmingly sweet. That's not the case here. These were influenced by French chocolates, the kind that make you go "ooh lala!"
Visually, the chocolates are stunning. Each piece is like a mini architectural masterpiece. They seem to shout Frank Lloyd Wright.
But it's the taste that matters, right? The flavors are Pecan, Pistachio Bomb, Hazelnut and Orange Almond.
I went for the orange almond first, and was actually surprised that it wasn't more citrusy. I was expecting a tang, but instead the texture was what really stood out. The filling was crisp and nutty, very unlike any other chocolates I've had recently. My favorite was the pecan, which was like a tiny, crunchy pecan pie. They were all excellent and, like I said, beautiful to look at. Unfortunately, before I had the chance to really take any notes on the subtleties of flavor, Mr. Goodbar the Chocolate Thief had eaten through the whole box. I suppose that, in itself, is the best review possible.

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.

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate with Raisins & Pecans

Surprising as it may seem, I don't always remember every candy bar I've tried. It took me a while before I stopped being surprised by Reese's Dark. For some reason, they always looked new to me, and then after buying them I'd remember that I'd already had them.
So here's the deal: I bought a Trader Joe's Organic Dark Chocolate Raisins & Pecan bar the other day, not remembering if I'd tried it before. I was about to go through the Candy Yum Yum archives, but then I thought, wait, let me write a review first. Then I'll go back and see if I've written another review about it and how they compare. Here goes nothing:
I actually hesitated about this bar because pecans are not my favorite nut. If this was raisins and almonds or peanuts, I would've scooped it up in a minute. But pecans? Eh, not so much. The chocolate is 57% which is low on the dark chocolate snob scale, but I find I really like this percentage. It was a very fruity dark chocolate, which I also like. The raisins were appropriately sticky and chewy and the pecans were a nice balance. I really, really liked this bar.
Now let me go back and look. Nope, I guess I haven't had this one before. Thumbs up!

Let's Talk Fruits and Nuts

There was a time when I wouldn't touch a candy bar (or anything else for that matter) with raisins in it, but in my old age, I've come to believe that the raisin/nut/chocolate combination is quite possibly the most perfect blend of ingredients a candy bar can have.
It started with Cadbury Fruit & Nut bar. I don't remember when I first had one, but it changed my thinking on the whole raisin situation. (This was back when Cadbury chocolate actually tasted good. These days, I find it to be too grainy to enjoy.) And of course there are Chunkys, which I haven't had in forever, but I'm thinking I need to re-try soon. So when I saw that Toblerone came out with a raisin nut bar, I was ecstatic.
Like the other Toblerone bars, this one is composed of little triangular pieces that are easy to break off. I'm guessing the theory is that you would eat one triangle at a time. I, however, have yet to experience an occasion when I could eat just one. I love the rich creaminess of the classic Toblerone, and this bar continues that tradition. The chocolate is smooth and flecked with bits of honey almond nougat and raisins. I dare you to eat just one piece.