You win some, you lose some

Yes, Easter came and went without a peep (no pun intended!) from Candy Yum Yum! I took lots of pictures of some of the new candy that I saw on the shelves, but I just wasn't motivated this season. Even the Easter Bunny didn't really pull through for the Sugar Baby. He brought some jelly beans, some gummies and a chocolate rabbit, but overall it wasn't a big sugar rush here. I guess I've just been in a candy funk lately. That doesn't mean I haven't been eating candy, of course. It's just that there's not much to say about eating half a bag of Hershey Kisses, especially when you only meant to eat four.

In any case, here's something new that I tried recently: a Trader Joe's PB&J Milk Chocolate Bar. My first thought was, why ruin a peanut butter cup with jelly? But then I tried it. It's a different taste experience than a peanut butter cup. Obviously, first of all it's a bar. The peanut butter is very smooth and creamy and the jelly is more like the liquid filling you find in "fancy" candy bars, like the Godiva raspberry bar. It wasn't overly sweet, which I liked. I would definitely do this one again.
However, the same can't be said about the Snickers 3X Chocolate. Snickers with three times the chocolate? What's not to love, right? Well, let me just say that this bar was a dud. It was actually 2 mini bars inside one package. I like that concept, because sometimes you just don't want a whole candy bar. The description says "milk chocolate, chocolate flavored nougat, chocolate caramel and peanuts." All of that adds up to, well, practically no taste difference between the ingredients. I missed the lip-puckering maltiness of the regular Snickers nougat and the chocolate caramel just seemed blah. I really uphold Snickers as probably the most iconic candy bar, so this was a huge disappointment.

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.

Disappointment at Trader Joe's

Standing in line at Trader Joe's the other day, I nearly dropped to my knees and wept with joy. There, in the checkout line, were bags upon bags of their new Milk Chocolate-Covered Potato Chips. When I worked at the chocolate shop in college, we had chocolate potato chips that were sublime, a perfect balance of sweet chocolate and salty chips. The chips used were Ruffles because, I was told, they didn't get soggy once they were dipped. The result was something akin to a Nestle Crunch, only with a hint of salt. They were $10.95 a pound back then (I'm shivering as I now realize that was 16 years ago), so I can only imagine what they go for now. Seeing them at TJ's for less than $3 a bag made the purchase a no-brainer.
After I distracted the Sugar Baby with a granola bar, I surreptitiously stole a potato chip out of the bag for myself. I bit into it, expecting to hear angels sing. Instead, I got "wah, wah, wahhhhhh." The chip was stale-ish tasting. It didn't mesh well with the chocolate. It was so not good that I still have the entire bag, untouched, in my pantry. Believe me, something's got to be pretty bad to stick around here.

My other purchase from that trip was the Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Caramel with Sea Salt. Again, this seemed like an instant win. The bar is super thin, which made it very difficult to break into sections. In fact, I ended up getting caramel all over the wrapper because it was impossible to get a clean break. As for the taste, well, it was much better than the potato chips, but it's not one of my favorite TJ's chocolates. The problem with this was that the chocolate was too dark (70%) for the rather large salt crystals. To me, it bordered on savory.

Trader Joe's Comes Through Again With Candy-Coated Licorice

I was just sitting here thinking, "I wish I had some candy. Why don't I have any candy? What is wrong with me? I should have some candy." And then I remembered: the box of Trader Joe's Candy-Coated Licorice that I bought the other day. Hallelujah! The night is saved.

I love the retro box. How cute is that? I have to admit, I was a bit scared to try them because my past few experiences with "natural" candy haven't been great. Fortunately, this time was different. The candy shells are crisp and the colors are bright. (Candy companies are really doing a good job recently with making all-natural colors. No more dull orange and green.) The licorice is just the way I like it, sharp but sweet. (I'm definitely not a licorice snob; I just can't get into that salty Swedish stuff.)




I've forgotten how much these are, but I think they were $1.99 or something like that. In any case, I'd highly recommend them to Good & Plenty lovers. "Patti says, 'Really rings a bell!'"

Happy Easter!

I hope the Easter Bunny was good to everyone this year. In the House of Yum, the Easter Bunny went kind of easy on the candy since he knows that the Sugar Baby has a second appointment this week to get some cavities filled. Apparently he did a lot of shopping at Trader Joe's, too, as there were TJ's gummy bunnies, malted milk eggs, peanut butter eggs and jelly beans in the basket, along with some Lindt chocolate carrots. And with that, we say good-bye to candy season as things start to wind down. From here on out, our holidays are mostly candy-free and more focused on burgers and potato salad. It's the circle of life, folks.
But what about you? What was in your Easter basket?

The Best Candy of 2010 (and the Worst, and the Strangest)

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Looking back at 2010, I feel like it was kind of a low-key candy year. There weren't a lot of new candy releases, and there wasn't much that totally rocked my world. But, having said that, there were some definite highlights to the year.
Worst Candy of 2010
Let's get the negative stuff out of the way first. Unfortunately, it's usually pretty easy for me to pick the year's worst candy, and 2010 was no exception.The Sugar Baby got a nasty expired Chick-o-Stick and Cow Tale in his trick-or-treat bag, although I can't really claim that was the worst, since it had everything to do with the date and nothing to do with the product. So the winner (or loser, I suppose) is Haviland Wintergreen Mint Patty. I don't feel too bad saying that, since the product has since been discontinued. Their Orange Mint Patties, however, are delicious.

Most Unusual
The most unusual candy I tried this year was a Shiitake Mushroom Truffle. What was even stranger than the truffle was the post I wrote about it.

Other candies of note that I tried this year included:

Some more deliciousness from Q.bel (which was the Best Candy of 2009).

I took one for the team and sampled some Sorbee Sugar Free Chocolate.

There were near-riots in the house between me, Mr. Goodbar and No-Nuts over See's Easter Truffles.

I was excited to try Toblerone Fruit and Nut.
I loved the whole concept and taste of South 'n France Bon Bons (especially the coconut ones).

Wonka impressed me with their new bars, Marvels and fruit jellies.

While not my all-time favorite M&M flavor, the Pretzel ones were fun to try and a good option for dieters.

A company I'd never even heard of before-- DeMet's-- surprised me with their yummy caramel Treasures, and the fact that they're made just a few towns away from me.

Best new packaging goes to Crown Nuggets Creme & Liquor-Filled Caramels.
People
2010 was a year for personalities. The Sugar Baby introduced me to "Mr. Candy," an invisible (hopefully) character in his life. He came up in several conversations before fading away.

I made some new friends this year. Kendra from Ontario, I still owe you some chocolates! I haven't forgotten. You're the sweetest!

The Candy Professor brought some real street cred to the candy world.

I was so psyched to be able to interview April Winchell, a.k.a. Helen Killer from Regretsy, about her father's role as the Tootsie Pop Owl voice.
And someone actually wanted to interview me! I love Jen's blog, My Morning Chocolate.

A fun event for me was a conversation about candy that actually turned into a three-part news story.

And what a way to end the year. Yumster Philly sent me a photo of a cupcake that she created from my drawing of Mr. Candy Corn! How awesome is that?!

Birthdays

2010 was the year of the big 4-0 for me and lots of my friends. Candy buffets and gifts were plentiful.
There was also the Sugar Baby's 4th birthday which was a candy theme.
And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. What was the best candy of 2010? I've narrowed it down to the following:

Green & Black's Organic Milk Chocolate Peanut: caramelized peanuts with sea salt in creamy milk chocolate.
Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Nutty Bits: "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."
Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate with Strawberry Creme: Creamy, crunchy and tangy.
Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Shortbread Stars: Lovely dark chocolate and crunchy cookies.
Trader Joe's Pound Plus Milk Chocolate: Seriously creamy, decadent milk chocolate.

Hmmm. Notice a trend here? Trader Joe's did a bang-up job this year in the confection department. I suppose I have to disqualify the chocolate stars, though, as they are really cookies. I loved the Ritter Sport Strawberry Creme, but I still prefer their Cornflake version, so that rules that one out. I think I have to say, based on taste, uniqueness and all-around good lovin', I'm going to choose Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Nutty Bits as the Best Candy of 2010. Would you believe I don't even have a picture? It just so happened that I tried these during a time when I was having camera woes. In any case, I would have preferred to choose a candy that is readily available throughout most of the U.S., so my apologies to you Yumsters who don't have a TJ's near you. Perhaps 2011 will be a more all-inclusive year.

Here's hoping that 2011 will be the sweetest year yet!

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?

Cocoa with 6 Grams of Fiber?!

A few more Trader Joe's updates. First, they have "Coins of the World" which are much cooler than the regular old drugstore bag of geld. Here, the Sugar Baby has made a Christmas tree out of his (after he won all of my coins in a rousing game of dreidel).Second, check this out. Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate. Sounds delish, right? Well check out the nutritional info, too: 6 grams of fiber, baby! I'm not sure how that's even possible, given that the ingredients are cocoa powder, cane sugar, chocolate liquor and cocoa butter. Any nutritionists want to give us some insight on that? Because I'm all about six grams of fiber.

Minty Mallows and ... Announcing My New Gig!

It's that time of year again ... the time when I can't go to Trader Joe's with an empty sugar tooth because they have all their holiday yummy things out. They have cute snowflakes made out of milk, white and dark chocolate; holiday jelly beans in red, green and white (with no artifical colors or flavors); lots of truffles and fleur de sel caramels, chocolate-covered Joe-Joe's ... it goes on and on. I decided to go for the Dark Chocolate Minty Mallows. Want to know more? You know you do! Check out my new food blog, EatDrinkShopCook! I've accepted a gig as the food writer for a group of local papers, which means my postings here may be a bit sparse for a while, until I get my bearings over there.

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!

Best Milk Chocolate. Ever.

Mrs. Connection called me last week from Costco to find out if I wanted some strawberries because they were such a good price. Since the Sugar Baby's diet consists solely of fruit, chocolate, yogurt and expensive cheese which must be cut into little pumpkin shapes with a cookie cutter, I told her to go ahead and pick me up some.
Holy cannoli, these were the biggest strawberries I'd ever seen. I'm sure they were spliced together with genes from whales or something, because they were just enormous. Clearly these were not toss-into-a-smoothie strawberries. These berries were made for dipping. Since I had a party to go to that night, I figured chocolate-covered strawberries would be perfect. I happened to have on hand a block of Trader Joe's Pound Plus Imported From Belgium Milk Chocolate. (I had planned to use it at Christmas in the chocolate fountain, but, as you may recall, I was sick with what I was sure was N1H1; it turned out to be a sinus and ear infection.)
In any case, I melted a bunch of the chocolate down and dipped the berries and then proceeded to lick the spoon.
Let me just state for the record that I stopped in my tracks. The chocolate was phenomenal. I mean, I've had it before, but I never stopped to really notice just how good it is. In its warm, melty state, it seriously was as close to pure chocolate bliss as I could imagine. It's smooth and creamy without giving that throat burny-feeling you get from cheap chocolate.
Trader Joe's has these big slabs in dark chocolate, too, although I remember when they used to have an almond and a crisped rice version as well. I don't know what happened to those and I don't know who makes this chocolate, (if I did a little research I could probably find out, but American Idol is about to come on), but I have to say, this is definitely a contender of my favorite plain chocolate. Now it is gone and I never want to see it in my house again, for it appears to be my kryptonite.

Wacky Candies! Chocolate-Covered Pomegranate Seeds and Blueberry Yogurt Discs

One of the good things about Christmas is that I'm more apt to "splurge" on little things that I wouldn't necessarily buy on a normal day. Little Gretl von Schokolat loves pomegranates, so naturally when I saw these chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds at Trader Joe's, I had to get them. She doesn't like dark chocolate, but she said they were really good. "First it tastes like dark chocolate," she said, "but then you get this pomegranate burst."
I asked The Baron what he thought about them and he said he didn't like them, but then admitted that he was just shoving fistfuls of them in his mouth and not really enjoying the pomegranate experience. I still have no sense of taste, so I can't give my two cents. I have a feeling that, as a novelty for a pom lover, these are fun, but if you're looking for some serious chocolate, these wouldn't satisfy the need.The other thing of interest was this tin of Blueberry Blast yogurt candies. I bought these for the Sugar Baby because a) He's into planets (especially Saturn, but who isn't, really?); b) he loves blueberries; and c) I thought the tin was cute.
I actually thought these were going to be little dried blueberries with a yogurt couverture, but nope, they were so not that. I really think the front of the tin should give some indication that you're getting actual candy, not something yogurt-covered. They were little compressed sugar disks, like miniature Sweettarts. If you like blueberry, you'll love these. The berry taste was right on and the yogurt gave it a nice tang. I don't have the package here next to me, and to be quite honest, I'm just too lazy to go upstairs and get it, but if you're looking for a compressed candy that has no artificial flavors or colors, this is for you. I'd love to see these in other flavors, like orange or lime. In any case, the Sugar Baby chowed them all down in one sitting. Portion control is not his strong suit.

Trader Joe's PB&J Bar: Chocolate + Potato Chips

Knock on wood-- we're doing better here at the House of Yum. Wait until you see what I made for the Sugar Baby's party at school tomorrow. I'm just waiting for it to set up.
In the meantime, let's talk about this here Trader Joe's PB&J candy bar. I've looked at this numerous times, but it never really sounded very good to me. PB&J just says sandwich, not sweet. But then, on a whim, I decided to get one a few weeks ago, and just yesterday got around to trying it.
Sweet Caesar's Ghost! What a fantastic bar. The chocolate is creamy, the peanut butter rich (with crunchies in it) and the jelly firm and fruity. This was a candy bar that made me say "Wow." It shouldn't have come as a surprise, really, since I loved the Trader Joe's Lumpy Bumpy Bar.
It wasn't until after I ate it that I read the box. Here's the description:

"PB&J are sandwiched between milk and dark chocolate then sprinkled with crushed potato chips. Potato chips? Yes, crisp, delicious potato chips. This means you have it all-- sweet and salty, smooth and crunchy. Lucky you!"

Lucky me, indeed. Potato chips! No wonder it tasted so good. The mention of milk and dark chocolate is perplexing, however. It seemed like it was all dark chocolate to me. Maybe if I'd read the box I would've paid closer attention.
At around $2 a bar, this isn't every day eating. And at a whopping 300 calories, it's more like a once a year treat. But this, my friends, just may be a contender against Chocorooms for the candy of the year. We'll have to see.

A Love Letter

Dear Trader Joe's Lumpy Bumpy Bar,

I know we've only know each other for a day or so, but ... I love you.

There. I said it.

I love everything about you.

I love how you come in a box. I love your dark chocolate coating and your soft, sticky caramel. I love that you contain peanuts. And most of all, I love your nougaty goodness.

I love you through and through. So for that reason, please don't ever come to my house again, because I just can't say no.

Yours, always, Madame Yum Yum

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!"