Tasty truffles and a discount!

Let's start 2013 off right, Yumsters! On New Year's Eve, we went to a friend's house where much food and champagne was enjoyed, but the standout of the evening was a box of Truffles by Coquette that I brought along. The Classic box contained three types of beautiful truffles: Colette (French caramel with a touch of Fleur de Sel and enrobed in 55% dark chocolate), Annie (a gooey marshmallow filling dipped in milk chocolate and topped with a mini marshmallow), and Katherine (dark chocolate ganache dipped in dark couveture).
One friend said, "I don't even like marshmallow but I love these! You have to write that!" And so, here it is. The truffles were all very smooth, very rich and the perfect way to cap off 2012. And here's some good news: Jennifer, who owns Truffles by Coquette is offering Candy Yum Yum readers a 20% discount. Check out her website at www.trufflesbycoquette.com and enter CANDYYUMYUM in the discount code field.

From Connecticut, with love

Happy Holidays, Yumsters!
If you've been following this blog for a while, you may recall that the Candy Yum Yum headquarters are located in Connecticut. It's been a tough week here  for reasons the whole world knows. I live 15 minutes from Newtown, and suffice it to say that things are different here now. There's a stillness in air wherever you go. People don't even have to talk about the situation; you just look at each other and know they're thinking the same thing you are. It's impossible to make sense of it all. I have a few friends who write Mommy Blogs, and I've been reading as they try to sort out their feelings through their writing. I've asked myself how I can possibly write about candy (such a silly, frivolous topic) when there is so much sadness and shock and grief. It just didn't seem right.
But the thing is, the link between candy and childhood is immense. I started this blog because of all the happy memories I have of my childhood that are intertwined with sweets. Candy and childhood and happiness all go hand in hand.
As we've all been scrambling to try and do something, anything for the people of Newtown, some residents sent out a message saying that they need this time to heal. They said the best thing people in the neighboring towns could do is spend time with their children. Hug them and love them and enjoy every moment.
And so that's what's been happening in the House of Yum.

The other night, the Sugar Baby and I got down to work on a gingerbread house. I'm pretty sure he ate more candy than he used, but I thought the final product was pretty sweet.  (And so does he!)
Here's wishing you all a very happy Christmas. 

(Note: There are numerous ways to give monetarily to the families of the Newtown tragedy. If you're looking for a reputable fund, I suggest the My Sandy Hook Family Fund. It is run by the parents of the children who survived. The website is: www.mysandyhookfamilyfund.com.)

What we're eating

I'm happy to say that we've finally found some new candy to try here at Candy Yum Yum. It seems like the candy world has been so slow lately. Limited Editions have come and gone and now it's just the occasional random new thing that makes its way onto the shelves. What's going on, candy makers? I'm bored! I want more!
I took the Sugar Baby to a cabaret-style play yesterday and we loaded up on the snacks. One of the fun things I brought was a bag of Snyder's of Hanover York Peppermint Pretzel Sandwich. These are round pretzels filled with peppermint filling and dipped in dark chocolate. I wasn't sure about them at first, but then I discovered that if you pry the top pretzel off with your teeth and eat that first, then you have a layer of bumpy peppermint fondant filling that you can eat next. It tasted much better to me that way. Needless to say, the Sugar Baby loved these. I wasn't paying attention to how much he was eating until I looked over at him halfway through the play and saw that he was holding his stomach. Oops.

As for Mr. Goodbar and I, we've been fighting over a bar of Lindt Limited-Edition Mocha Coconut. This new flavor was the winner of the Lindt Excellence Recipe Challenge, a scholarship contest for students at the Culinary Institute of America. According to the press release, Meredith Walker developed the concept for the bar after pairing mocha and coconut to create a birthday cake for her mother and uncle. Holy cannoli, this bar is good. Get one while you can. Check it out at www.lindtusa.com.
 

Oh fudge!

Okay people, ready or not the holidays are on their way. What are you giving this year? You don't know, do you? Well, I'm here to help. I'll be posting some ideas over the next few weeks to get you in the giving spirit. Let's start with a simple but decadent present: fudge.

Who doesn't like fudge? It's fantastic because you can just slice a little off at a time and it's enough to satisfy your sweet tooth. I recently tried a sample of SendFudge in cookie dough flavor. This is the real deal... sweet, sugary, buttery and dense. I love this as a gift idea because it's easy, it's fun and they offer over 40 flavors (like caramel vanilla, dark chocolate chili mango and pumpkin pie). Prices start at $14.99, so it's an affordable gift. Check it out at www.sendfudge.com.
Oh fudge!

Desperately seeking Elvis Reese's

Hey friends, can you help a fellow Yumster out? I received an e-mail yesterday from a reader who has started a Reese's collection. He eats the candy and then saves the wrappers. Here's his dilemma: back when the Elvis Reese's with banana was out, he tried one, but didn't keep the wrapper as he hadn't started his collection yet. Now he's kicking himself. Does anyone have a spare wrapper around? If so, contact me and we'll work out the logistics. I'm sure he'll be forever grateful!

Halloween 2012: Trick.

Here's the deal. I've tried to write a post about Halloween about three times now and I just couldn't do it. In the past, Halloween has been fodder for dozens of posts. This blog practically lives on the big three candy holidays: Halloween, Valentine's Day and Easter. But things are kooky here in the Northeast. Last year, we had a hurricane and then a snow storm. This year ... same thing. Apparently Mother Nature loves repetition. Last year trick-or-treating was postponed, but we ignored the First Selectman's mandate and went out anyway. This year, that was impossible, as most of the town was without power and trees and power lines made it too dangerous. In fact, on Halloween, I found myself going to visit my parents to see how they were doing without power. On the way there, I passed their church, which, as you may remember, is our traditional Stop #1 on the great trick-or-treat circuit. (You can get the whole background here.)
As I drove past, I noticed that there were candles lit in the windows of the rectory. I knew I had to stop. I pulled over, jumped over some fallen branches and knocked on the door. I could see Father John's big basket o' candy all set up for any potential ghosts and goblins that might come knocking.
"I'm so glad to see you!" he said. Even though I didn't have the Sugar Baby in tow, I HAD to fulfill the annual ritual. Fr. John didn't seem too hopeful about getting any trick-or-treaters that night, but I was happy to see that he had enough hope to have the candy basket stocked.

As it turned out, he had some special candy for the Sugar Baby. He'd been to Salem recently, and got these awesome chocolate rats and witches. I love the label: "Bag o' Salem Witches."

 

Trick-or-Treating in his town should be happening right now as I type, a week and a half after actual Halloween. As much as I love the holiday, it's just way too weird to celebrate it this late in the game. I hope Fr. John meets his goal of over 200 visitors, but I'm not too optimistic.

More tricks

Here's the Halloween update. Not only is the hurricane hitting as I type, but I also have the flu. Things are not looking good for Wednesday. School has already been cancelled for tomorrow and, if last year is any indication, it will be closed all week. "Well," you say, "at least you're holed up in the house with lots of Halloween candy!"
Wrong.
In an act of sheer stupidity, this was the year I decided to buy candy I don't like, so I wouldn't eat it all. (Not that there's really any candy I wouldn't eat, but a bag of Reese's would disappear a lot faster than a bag of those peanut butter molasses chews.)
So now I'm stuck with a bag of Starburst and these (which I thought were very cool, for the record.) Necco Candy Buttons in orange and grape flavors.

Why is this posting upside down? I don't have the energy to fix it.

I've never seen individual packages of candy dots and I thought they'd be fun to dole out to trick or treaters. Hopefully we'll be having a make-up day because I'm not eating a whole bag of these things.

Ominous signs

Are you kidding me? Is this some sort of cruel joke? Once again, New England is the target for some heinous weather. Due to power outages and downed trees, Halloween was officially cancelled in my town. It was truly the scariest Halloween ever.
But now the weatherman is saying that Hurricane Sandy will be arriving here on Monday. The First Selectman of my town has ALREADY declared a state of emergency. I should've known something like this was going to happen as soon as I took my Halloween cookies out of the oven:

Scary, right? I followed the directions and put the candy corns on before they went in the oven. Unfortunately, they melted into a molten mess. (I will say, however, that the texture was pretty cool. I might want to experiment with putting candy corns into other baked goods.) For the second batch, I put the candy corns on AFTER, and they came out better, although Mr. Goodbar said they were the creepiest cookies he'd ever seen.

Free candy from Lindt!

Did that get your attention? Check this out: Lindt is kicking off a new promotion ("Chocolate Beyond Compare") by giving away one MILLION bags of Lindor Truffles. How do you score one? Easy.

Just“Like” the company’s Facebook page and visit the Lindt Coupon tab. To keep up with all Lindt news, follow Lindt on Twitter (@Lindt_Chocolate), visit the Lindt YouTube page or check out the Lindt Chocolate Unwrapped blog. 

(Note: I just checked the Facebook page and it seems some people were having trouble printing out their coupons. Probably just a glitch that they're working out, so be patient.)

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.

Something different

Time to mix things up a little. I've written about all things candy: candy-scented perfume, candy jewelry, and candy vodka. But here's something totally new: sweet-flavored body creme. The folks at Yume Blush offered to send me some samples of their product which they describe as, "A luscious edible treatment (all in one) flavored body butter, massage oil, body cream and lip care." The stuff is 100% vegan and doesn't contain anything funky, unnatural, synthetic or from the center of the earth's core. What the heck? I figured I'd give it a shot. I was particularly intrigued because they said it smooths wrinkles, which are quickly becoming a major problem in my life.
I've got to say, I'm impressed. I'm always wary of beauty products that are "edible." Something about that just freaks me out. But these creams are very light, not at all sticky and, best of all, taste really good. I used the Lavender Lemon as a lip balm and had to stop myself from putting too much on. Another thing that usually bothers me: chocolate-scented anything. More often than not, the chocolate aroma is overpowering and artificial. The Yume Chocolate Raspberry cream, however, smells like a good-quality truffle.
Check it out at www.yumeblush.com. 

Sour Patch winners!

Congrats to Ellen and Axel, the two lucky recipients of the Sour Patch swag! Keep coming back ... we should have more giveaways soon!

Sour Patch Giveaway

Hey, have you heard? It seems the Sour Patch Kids are up to no good, or so it seems. Check out the Sour Patch Kids Facebook page to see all the evidence that fans have uploaded. And, in recognition of this event, the folks at Sour Patch Kids are giving away candy and T-shirts to two lucky Yumsters! Here's all you have to do: leave a comment telling me what your favorite Sour Patch Kid flavor is, and I'll select two lucky recipients. Be sure to leave an email address where you can be contacted. U.S. residents only, please. I'll pick the two winners on Saturday, August 18. Good luck!

Candy bar round up

Okay Yumsters, I have a backlog of candies that I need to review, so I'm just going to do them all in one big lump. Right here, right now. Settle in.

First up, we have Nutffles. I found these at the grocery store for .99 cents and they came in different varieties. (I tried the almond and hazelnut; there's a red velvet variety that looks a little more tempting.) I was so excited to find something new and totally different. Only they weren't that different. Turns out these are a clone of Ferrero Rocher. Same creamy center with a nut, same crunchy outside. I was hoping there would be something really snazzy about them, but they were just okay. I haven't seen them since I initially bought them about six months ago. Like I said, maybe the red velvet ones are more unique.

Next we have Jelly Belly Snapple jellybeans. Back in my taste-testing days, I used to sip all sorts of Snapple flavors. These jelly beans are pretty true to the taste of the drinks, in flavors of Fruit Punch, Kiwi Strawberry, Mango Madness, Cranberry Raspberry and Pink Lemonade. A box on the back of the package says, "We include real ingredients whenever possible to create our famous true-to-life flavors." Um, real ingredients as opposed to what? That's kind of scary. I still prefer the Sour Jelly Bellies to all the other flavors, but if you're a Snapple lover, you'd like these. 

Lindt has two new Excellence bars out: Caramel with a Touch of Sea Salt and Coconut. I was initially surprised by the caramel. The picture on the box shows a square of chocolate with flowy caramel behind it, so I assumed this would be a liquid-center bar. However, the bar had crunchy bits of caramel and sea salt crystals in it. It was delicious, to be sure, but I think some people may be very surprised if they don't read the description first.

The coconut was delicious, as far as I can remember, because the Sugar Baby and Mr. Goodbar devoured most of it. You can't go wrong with dark chocolate and coconut ...

 ... except when it's in a 3 Musketeers. I saw the 3 Musketeers Coconut at a rest stop in Maine this past weekend, so I figured I'd try it, even though I've never had good luck with limited edition Musketeers in the past. This was no exception. To my taste buds, there are two types of coconut: fresh, tropical coconut and artificial, suntan lotion coconut. Unfortunately, this bar fell into the lotion category. It was overly sweet with that grainy, malty aftertaste of a regular 3 Musketeers, with "coconut flavor" thrown in. I'm not a fan.

Hot chocolate

This heatwave we're experiencing is not exactly the best weather for chocolate (or me, for that matter). The kind folks at Alter Eco Foods contacted me a month or so ago and asked if I'd like to try their chocolate. I said yes, and they sent me a few bars. The full-on heatwave hadn't yet started when the bars arrived, so I was surprised when I opened them and found they had clearly reached a molten state at some point during their travels. I don't usually mind trying chocolate that's bloomed or melted, but these had suffered pretty badly. The foil wrapper had melted into the chocolate, so I didn't even try to sample them. When I told the company the sad news, they said they'd ship out another package, which they did. Guess what? It arrived on my doorstep on a 90 degree day. This time, though, I ran the package straight to the fridge with the hopes I could save it.

The good news is, I was able to salvage the chocolate bars. The better news is that it was fantastic. Usually a nibble or two of plain dark chocolate is satisfying enough, but this was so perfectly balanced that I kept wanting more. Even Mr. Goodbar said it was the best chocolate he'd had in a long, long time. I love the descriptions of the chocolate. The Dark Noir is "fruity and malty, smooth and rich with a firm snap, a strong bite and a hint of licorice." The Dark Velvet, with a "touch of milk," is "melty smooth, with a subtle flowery bouquet and honey finish." I love a good chocolate that has a nice snap to it, and I prefer my dark chocolate on the fruity, rather than bitter, side. These bars were so, so good. They have other flavors, including Dark Twist with crystallized orange peel and Dark Quinoa with nutty toasted quinoa. I've got to try those. The Dark Coconut Toffee was incredible. Little bits of crunchy toffee combined with real toasted coconut. Good stuff. They're available at different health food stores and Whole Foods.