My kind of vote

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Vermont? On our last trip up there, we went to the charming (albeit overpriced) Vermont Country Store and what did we find? This.













A contest to vote on candy! Talk about being in the right place at the right time. When we stepped up to the table, this nice lady Bev said, "Looks like we have some candy experts here." I told her, "You have no idea!"

Some of the candies on the ballot were gummi butterflies, sour lips, green apple candies, sea salt and chocolate almonds, S'mores, and ZOTZ. The Sugar Baby sampled them all, of course, and voted for the butterflies. I thought I'd go gaga over the almonds, but the S'mores really won me over. I don't know which one won in the end, but it was a fun way to kill a few minutes before we went into the store and dropped a wad of cash on even more candy. (I had a salted caramel truffle that was excellent. No picture, though. I ate it too soon.)

Best Candy Bar You're Not Eating

The candy company Just Born is most famously known for Peeps, but here's what I have to say: they make the most underrated candy bar in America today. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Goldenberg's Peanut Chews are one of my all-time favorite candy bars. According to the company's website, they were developed in 1917 and used in World War I as a ration bar. My memories of them go way back to when I was a kid and my mom stashed them in the candy cabinet in the livingroom.

Just Born is rolling out a new campaign, "Chewin' it Old School Since 1917." I hope this attracts a new generation of Peanut Chew lovers, because they are so darn good and there's no other bar to compare them to. Yes, they have peanuts and chocolatey coating like other candy bars, but there's something truly magical about the molassesy chewy center. The traditional chews are dark chocolate, but there's also the newer milk chocolate variety. They can be hard to find, but if you put your zip code into the finder on their website, you can get directions to the nearest Goldenberg's dealer.

Lindt Vanilla White Chocolate Truffles

You don't run across vanilla candy too often. White chocolate, yes, but vanilla, not so much. Lindt, which makes superb milk and dark chocolate, has now entered a whole new territory with its Vanilla White Chocolate Truffles. A few weeks ago, I received a big, purple box with a pretty white bow.  I opened it to reveal lots of the new truffles. I was pretty psyched to try them. The Sugar Baby, however, was even more enamored with the box. "It looks just like a present," he said. Well, yes, I guess it did.

 Like their other truffles, these have a hard outer shell and a decadent, rich, soft inner core. Mr. Goodbar is the vanilla aficionado in the house, and apparently he really enjoyed them, because I watched the box dwindle pretty rapidly. I love the purple wrappers, which would make them really fun for a party or a wedding.

The rumors are true! Nestle Crunch Girl Scout Candy Bars

There's big news in the candy world today. A few months ago, rumors started flying around that Nestle Crunch was going to come out with a Limited Edition bar incorporating Girl Scouts Thin Mints. People went wild, including me. I love Thin Mints, so much so that I can't have them in the house. I can down an entire sleeve in no time flat.
Well people, here's the announcement we've all been waiting for. (I'm giving it to you straight from the press release):

Today Nestle Crunch confirmed it has created the new Nestlé Crunch Girl Scout Candy Bars, designated “the world’s most valuable candy bars” by the world’s largest auction house of collectibles, Heritage Auctions. Having officially authenticated the first set of the three limited edition Nestlé Crunch Girl Scout Candy Bars, Heritage Auctions has appraised the bars at $500, an amount almost 200 times greater than the bars’ suggested retail price -- making them the most valuable candy bars currently in existence.

The bars will come in three varieties:

·         Thin Mints™ – Dark chocolate cookie wafers and mint chocolate crème, topped with airy crispies and a rich, dark chocolatey coating

·         Caramel & Coconut – Cookie wafers layered with coconut caramel crème and chewy caramel, topped with toasted coconut and drizzled with caramel stripes

·         Peanut Butter Crème – Cookie wafers layered with smooth peanut butter crème, topped with airy crispies and a creamy, chocolatey coating

Beginning tomorrow, May 9, you can log online to purchase the candy bars through a special, limited supply pre-sale program at www.Facebook.com/NestleCrunch while supplies last. After the pre-sale, the Nestlé Crunch Girl Scout Candy Bars will be available as limited edition candy bars this summer at participating retail stores nationwide, beginning June 1 through September.

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.

Welch's Filled Licorice

When I was in college, I had three wisdom teeth removed. It was a nightmare experience and I always swore I'd never have the last one removed. Then, low and behold, at my last dental cleaning, the hygienist looked at my X-rays and said, "You have a cyst behind your last wisdom tooth. That has to come out." Fantastic. I explained that there was no way in heck I was going to do it, but then the thought occurred to me: Could this be causing my vertigo? Long story short, I had the tooth removed. It was a much better experience than the first time, although it didn't affect the vertigo at all. What does this have to do with candy, you ask?
The day the tooth got pulled, I received some Welch's Filled Licorice samples. What a tease. The Concord Grape and Strawberry licorice sat on my desk for weeks taunting me while I subsisted on a diet of popsicles and rice pudding. The Sugar Baby kept asking about them. I desperately wanted to try them, but my teeth were so sensitive that even the thought of licorice caused me to cringe. Finally, I couldn't wait anymore. I took small nibbles and chewed on the opposite side.

For some reason, I thought the licorice would be filled with a drippy, gooey liquid. It turns out that the inside is more like a jelly (that shouldn't be a surprise, I guess). The flavors are good, classic "candy" grape and strawberry. Gretl von Schokolat tried them and said she was shocked. She thought they'd be sour but they were sweet. Not too sweet, just sweet enough. I'm not sure the filling made much of a difference. The flavors and textures seemed to blend together, but overall, they were pretty yummy and were rather teeth-friendly. Red licorice lovers should find these to be a tasty alternative to the usual.

Allergen-free candy from Gimbal's

I don't often run stuff straight from a press release (Candy Yum Yum is one place where I can be blissfully free from marketing banter), but in this case, I was impressed enough to want to share this info with you. (And, coincidentally enough, I happened to buy a bag of Gimbal's jelly beans the other day specifically because they're made in the U.S. and don't contain high fructose corn syrup). So here you go. Check this out:  

"Gimbal’s Fine Candies confectionary is one of the only major confectionary manufacturers in the USA that has committed to be free of the eight major food ingredients that are responsible for over 90% of food allergies. These food allergens include peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish. In order to eliminate risk of cross contamination, these eight foods are not included in Gimbal’s recipes, nor are they permitted inside their production and packaging facilities.  

Additionally, the company is proud to manufacture all its confections right here in the United States, so people know when they purchase any candy, they are supporting American made products and jobs."

Easter's on its way!

Hey Easter Peeps! It's been a while, I know, but rest assured: candy is still always on my mind. Of course, the big day is coming up and I've been on the lookout for something new and fun to try this Easter. I was very excited to find coconut Hershey Kisses. I liked these a lot. They don't have an overwhelming suntan lotion flavor like many coconut-flavored things tend to have, and they had bits of toasted coconut mixed in the cream filling, which gave them a nice texture.
Last week I had wisdom tooth removed, so the night before I thought I'd finish off my last meal with some Cadbury Mini Eggs. Man, was I disappointed. For some reason, the candy shells weren't crunchy. I don't know if it had anything to do with the freak warm weather we were experiencing or what, but it didn't make for the chocolate orgy I had been anticipating.

And last but not least in my Easter stash is a Lindt Gold Bunny. This is my favorite bunny to give and receive. The chocolate is smooth and creamy and, although it's hollow, it's got pretty thick walls. This year, Lindt is doing something that's really cool. They're donating 10 cents for every bunny purchased to Autism Speaks, a science and advocacy organization. They're also donating $1 for every free Lindt Easter e-card sent. Check it out at www.lindtgoldbunny.com. 

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.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Yumsters! I hope you all had wonderful holidays with lots of candy goodness. Here's a picture of some mini "donuts" made from Cheerios that we left for Santa's elves. (After all, they do all the work while Santa reaps all the cookie benefits.)
I wanted to check in and let you know that Candy Yum Yum will probably be a bit sporadic for a while. As I mentioned before, I've been dealing with some crazy vertigo and-- well, I'm just going to come out and say it-- I'm cutting back on the sugar to see if my diet will change anything. Believe me, I am not thrilled at the prospect of cutting chocolate out of my daily food plan, but if it will stop the spins, then I have to do it. I hope you'll check back from time to time and drop me a note if you see anything exciting, unusual or distressing in the candy world.

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.

Candy Empire State Building!

I'm not exactly sure why I thought going to the top of the Empire State Building last weekend was a good idea, considering I've had vertigo for four months and it was one of the busiest weekends in the city all year. Nevertheless, up we went. It was great and all, but the real treasure was at the bottom. A candy replica of the sky scraper! So very cool.

Christmas Gift Idea #2: Made in the U.S.A. candy canes!

You've heard me complain about candy made in China before and at this time of year I always seem to get a few e-mails from people asking about candy canes. I was so excited when I received a press release yesterday about a new candy cane on the market. Check this out: True Blue Candy Canes are red, white and blue candy canes for a cause. Twenty-five percent of profits from the candy canes benefit the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, which assists children who have lost a parent in the Marine Corps by allowing them to pursue higher education.

In 2009, Alexander Lynn—just 18 at the time—vowed to help families of U.S. service members after his cousin returned home from a nine-year assignment in the Marine Corps. It was just two weeks before Christmas, and Alexander glanced at his Christmas tree laden with candy canes, and the idea of True Blue Candy Canes dawned on him.

Each True Blue Candy Cane is handcrafted by Hammond’s Candies of Denver. True Blue Candy Canes can be purchased online at truebluecandycanes.com. 

 

Now, as is usually the case, these are more expensive than made-in-China candy canes. They're $9.99 for a box of three (don't choke!), but it should be noted that these are big and substantial. (I haven't tried them, so I can't comment on the taste.) And, of course, $2.50 goes directly to the charity. So it all comes down to how strong your political leanings are.

Let the giving begin!

Let the countdown to Christmas begin! I'm going to start posting some ideas for holiday gifts here, so let me know if you have any ideas or are looking for something specific. In the meantime, here's Gift Idea #1 for Christmas 2011:

Lindt Bear
I think these bears are adorable and make great gifts because a) they're good-quality chocolate, so they feel like a real gift rather than just some last-minute purchase and b) they're a nice price (around $4 for the big bear). I was sent some samples from the company, and I fully intended on putting the little bears in the Sugar Baby's stocking. (You know, in case Santa forgets the chocolate.) But one night I heard the sweet Siren call of the chocolate bears and I couldn't resist. Oh yes, there was plenty of chocolate in the house, but for some reason, a little hollow bear seemed to be just the thing I needed. I was quite surprised when I peeled back the foil and was just overcome with the most perfect, intense chocolate aroma. It was like the good old days at the chocolate shop when I'd come home from work and sniff my hair which was permeated with the smell of cocoa. I thoroughly enjoyed my little bear, so much so that there aren't any left. Looks like Santa had better remember to bring some more with him. 

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?