Remember when we covered the funny Cadbury ad featuring the drumming gorilla (Cadbury gets a gorilla for its spokesperson)? If not check it out, but there is a new installment as well, this time, no gorilla, and no candy actually, but airport vehicles racing. Doesn't that scream "CANDY!" to you???
The word 'piedras' means stones in Spanish. Spanish Largueta almonds are toasted and covered in dark chocolate, then rolled in cocoa. They come in a 3.5 oz. package, holding about 12 pieces.
We're going to coin a new term here at Candy Snob - "mousse-y" - because that's the only way to accurately describe the Chocolate Mousse truffle we just ate from Ethel's Chocolate Lounge.
Its a darker mousse than what you might see in a normal chocolate mousse desert. Nor is it fluffy like typical mousse, its really more like ganache (we're not complaining!).Take the fantastic filling, and couple it with Ethel's dark chocolate coating, and you have an extremely rich piece of deliciousness.
While driving to pick up a pizza this evening, I'm listening to the Dennis Miller Radio Show, and Dennis is interviewing Tony Snow, the former White House Press Secretary and anchor at Fox News. The conversation turns to Tony's departure from his post at the White House, to which he mentioned that while he loved the job, White House staffers don't have the highest salaries, so one of the reasons he left was to make more money.
Being the good Pittsburgh boy that he is, Dennis Miller adds, "Yeah, the wife doesn't like it when you have to pay for groceries with Mallo Cup Money..."
I may not have the quote 100% correct, but that's pretty much it. Very cool, I couldn't wait to get home to tell my family.
There are few fruits, in our opinion, that make for better candy filling than figs (see our thoughts on Figamajigs here). Which is why we're enamored with these Spanish chocolate-stuff fig bonbons. They are made in the Spanish vilage of Extremadura, where they mix the figs with a blend of dark chocolate and brandy liqueur; then they hand-dipp the pieces in more dark chocolate. These juicy morsels won the Best Confection Award 2006 in the New York Fancy Food Show, BTW.
Today we're looking at the Peanut Better truffle from Ethel's "American Pop" collection. No, it is not a typo in the title, it is supposed to be "Peanut Better" not "Butter." Why? easy, because it really is better. You'll be struck by the difference in the taste - this is the real stuff, not typical processed candy peanut butter.
I remember my grandmother bringing home tubs of actual peanut butter from the Boyer Brothers factory to use in our PB&J sandwiches, and this truffle brought me back. Its a slightly gritty texture, and very gooey and sticky. And we love the milk chocolate. This might be the best peanut butter/chocolate candy we've ever had.
No, not that kind of "peep show," get your mind out of the gutter...
We mean marshmallow Peeps. More than 800 entries were submitted to the Washington Post's Sunday Source's inbox for their second annual Peeps Diorama Contest. We didn't know there was a first annual contest, but we'll be surely keeping an eye on it in the the future. Check it out.
Review: Chocolove Ginger Crystalized in Dark Chocolate
Oh how love Chocolove's Ginger Crystallized in Dark Chocolate, let me count the ways...
1. The crystalized ginger is in small, almost granular pieces. In many ginger/chocolate pieces I've had, the pieces are larger and sometimes a little chewy, which throws off the whole texture. I'm more of a "melt in your mouth" rather than a "bite and chew" chocolate eater. But with this bar, I'm compelled to chew, I think its the way to go to release the full textural and flavor experience.
2. Those same large pieces sometimes make the ginger flavor too much, it makes it unbalanced. Not so with the Chocolove bar, its pieces, because they are smaller and are crumbly, give you the nice bite on the sides of your tongue, without detracting from the chocolate.
3. Ingredients that span the globe - Australian ginger and Belgian chocolate.
4. 65% cocoa content, just the right amount to mix with another strong flavor.
5. The love poem (this comes with every Chocolove bar, but we like it anyway).
6. Two simple ingredients - dark chocolate, crystalized ginger.
7. A big bar, so you don't run out easily - it measures 6" x 3"
We love Figamajigs. So we're excited to say we've learned of the company's latest offering, an all natural, dark chocolate-covered bar with natural raspberry flavor. They've added the raspberry bars to their variety packs, and as you can see on the image above, you can get a free bag of Figamajig chocolates when you purchase the new bars by 3/31/08.
BTW - Figamajig's founder, Mel, says these raspberry fig bars are sensational frozen. We can't wait to try them.
I never thought I would be falling in love with a woman named "Ethel," but indeed it is happening. Her Gingerbread Spice Truffle comes from the "American Pop" collection and is just terrific. Its a milk chocolate truffle, and it is super-creamy. I wasn't sure about the chocolate/gingerbread combo, but both my wife and I agree that they worked unexpectedly well together. Delicious.
The day has finally arrived, one of the biggest days of the year for candy lovers...Easter! Chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, Peeps, chocolate eggs, Cadbury Creme Eggs...no matter what your favorites might be, we hope you have a glorious and candy-rific day!
New Candy Bar, Carlos V by Nestle...well...sort of...
So we were buying some office supplies at our neighborhood big box retailer, and at the checkout I saw a "Nuevo" candy bar called "Carlos V" by Nestle. "El Rey de los Chocolates" it claims (that means The King of Chocolates if you didn't figure it out). Reading the label closer, it says "Milk Chocolate Style Bar" which gave me pause, but also sealed the deal for me trying it out. I just have to know what a chocolate "style" bar is!
What's interesting is that this must just be a new bar in my market (Arizona), no doubt tapping into the Hispanic community, because the Carlos V bar is not new. In fact, it looks like its been around a long time. The one change I see is in the packaging. The wrapper I got has the weird King drawing on the opposite side of the wrapper, and it looks to be a lighter shade of red. Candy Blog reviewed this bar back in 2005, and correctly assessed the bar - sticky sweet with a hint of powdered milk (I couldn't put my finger on the taste, but that's it). Where we don't see completely eye to eye is in the graininess and true to the American Nestle bar. To me, it was quite grainy. Plus, the sweetness took over and almost made it sour - if I had blind tasted this I would have said it was a Hershey product, not Nestle.
Anyway, I don't quite get what's special about it, I'm a little freaked out about why its "chocolate style" not just "chocolate," and I can tell you it is NOT authentic Mexican chocolate.
It used to just be a Christmas tradition, now fortunately for me, I think my mother-in-law has expanded the Lindt Lindor Truffle gifts to most gift-giving occasions. Yep, I just received my Easter gift and inside were two bags of some of my favorites. The first bag is an assortment of milk, dark and white chocolate truffles, the second holds the 60% extra dark versions. No matter the flavor, these perfectly spherical treats have a chocolate shell that melts very smoothly, eventually giving way to a creamy, cool rush of truffle filling. Thank you!
Blanxart dark chocolate, arguably the best Spanish chocolate out there, in two forms. One, pure dark chocolate for the purists. Two, with equally delicious Marcona almonds, if you prefer a little crunch with your chocolate.
Some interesting historical tidbits...the logo comes from woodcuts in the Barcelona History Museum. Spain introduced chocolate to Europe in the 16th Century. In the 1500s, Barcelona became one of the earliest producers on artisan chocolate in the world. Blanxart's history starts about half a century later in Les Corts, in Barcelona.
We continue to make our way through the 12-pack of Ethel's chocolates we bought. This time, we're looking at a member of Ethel's "Cocktail" collection, the Classic Cabernet Truffle. Of all the truffles we've tried, this is probably our least favorite. Granted, its not bad, but you barely tasted the wine flavor, which we attribute to the filling being too small. It had, in fact, shrunk inside the shell and separated. However the dark chocolate was delicious, and the painting on the outside of the truffle was beautiful.
Mallo Cup fans of the world, Boyer Candy has yet another new set of leaders, this time those from a drawn out legal battle.
To give you a little history, my grandfather and uncle sold the company in the 70s to their corn syrup supplier, American Maize. They sold it to Anthony Forgione in 1984. Forgione's time at Boyer was marked with near bankruptcies, quality downturns, labor disputes, and a colossal failure trying to build a theme park. Forgione died a few years ago and a big legal brouhaha has been taking place between Forgione's ex-wife and his kids, whom the company was left to. The trust put Ray Mollomo in charge and he's been running the company for a few years until recently. I can't comment on whether the plant is or is not running well, or whether the company is or is not thriving/surviving. What I can say since Mollomo took over, the quality of the candy, specifically Mallo Cups, went up. Best of luck to the new leadership, I'm sure a vending machine exec will get it all fixed...
But, on the upside, it looks like one of the sons is engaging, which I suppose is a good thing. "Forgione vows that the company's business will become a lasting legacy to his father." I can only say this...if you love Mallo Cups, if you love Smoothies, if you love Peanut Butter Cups...the legacy that is a positive one is that of Boyer, not Forgione. No offense. But how soon people forget back in Altoona, PA.
In fact, you'll note at the top of the article the following:
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story posted on the Web and published in Wednesday's Mirror incorrectly said Anthony Forgione was the founder of Boyer Candy Co. He was a previous owner. The company was founded in the 1930s by William E. and Robert Boyer, who started making fudge in the kitchen of their mother, Emily A. Boyer, according to Mirror files. The mistake was an editing error.
We first covered sweetriot's natural, socially conscious cacao back in March. Fun, irreverent and tasty. They're running a last minute Easter deal - order by 3/19 (that's tonight) by midnight and get 10% off. Just enter promo code BunnyRiot08 at checkout.
Review: Chocolove Cherries & Almonds in Dark Chocolate Bar
This would have been a great Valentine's post (they actually have a love poem inside the wrapper), but we should feel "Chocolove" all year round. We love the Chocolove line in general, but this bar is exceptional. When something is really good, my dad likes to say "That'll make you want to throw your hat in the lake." Truer words were never said about this bar.
The dried Michigan cherries aren't overly sweet, and they are unquestionably natural tasting - no cherry flavoring here. And the chunks are nice and chewy. The California almond nibs are dry-roasted and add a little crunch and a subtle saltiness. And of course the smooth, complex 55% dark chocolate. The chewy, crunchy combination of cherries and almonds provides a delicious flavor contrast initially, then gradually blends with the rich, complex flavor of dark chocolate. The bar measures 6" x 3".
Review: Snickers Marathon Energy - When candy brands go healthy
Last week we looked at the PayDay Pro energy bar, and concluded that while it starts out like the PayDay's we know and love, it ends up tasting like a typical energy bar, which is to say it has a chemical/artificial taste. This week we looked at another energy bar from one of our favorite brands, this time it was the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar. Specifically, we tried the Peanut Butter version. The bar's made up of chewy peanut butter on the outside and peanuts, caramel, and chocolate flavored crisps inside. And it has the obligatory protein (14g of soy, peanut, casein and whey) and undisclosed carbohydrates for energy, and 16 vitamins and minerals.
From the get-go, this is an entirely different experience than the PayDay. First, it is a wide, flat bar, the shape you expect from a typical energy bar. Second, it tastes pretty darn good for an energy bar. It does NOT remind you of a Snickers bar, which is the key point. It is an energy bar that happens to be branded Snickers, not a candy bar that has been made healthy, like the PayDay Pro. It makes all the difference. If it looks like a PayDay, initially tastes like a PayDay, but ends up tasting like an energy bar, that's bad for the PayDay brand. But if you have an energy bar that tastes good and happens to be branded Snickers and shares some of the ingredients, its an entirely better eating experience, one that doesn't hurt the Snickers brand. We'd definitely eat this bar again for a pick-me-up. Although we'd just as soon chomp on a real Snickers...
Petits Noirs boutique helps pair chocolate with wine
We were alerted to this boutique chocolate company via Cheap Fun Wines. Petits Noir is a based on Oregon, and takes their cues from the local produce and also from the complexity of the flavors found in their "terroir" (to use a wine term). It makes sense being headquartered in Oregon, with its Pinot Noirs and other wines. The end result are chocolates that are not your run-of-the-mill, with flavors lik thyme, lavender, clove, and cassis. Naturally, their chocolates are natural pairings with wines - designed to complement certain notes in wines. They recommend trying their cardamom or toasted anise seed with a luscious red wine, such as a Syrah or a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Last minute Easter gifts - Milk Chocolate Easter Egg filled with ganache & praline Easter eggs
40% Milk Chocolate Engraved Easter Egg
Half a pound of chocolaty goodness! And surprisingly enough, it has less sugar more cocoa than typical milk chocolate.
Even though we recommended Peeps for our Easter Guide, we admit they aren't our absolute favorite. We like them when they're a little stale, and we can eat a couple, but believe it or not we find them too sugary (blasphemy, I know). We included them because we know we're not in the majority when it comes to our opinions.
But, we're intrigued by the idea of Orange Creme Peeps, which we learned about through CandyAddict.com. We do love most all things orange-y and cream-y - from candy to soda to dreamsicles. So we're interested in checking these out this Easter season.
Here are some candy picks that we hope will bring you some luck!
Large Shamrock Lollipops
These come in two greens/flavors - Crystal Green (Cherry) and Opaque Green (Green Apple)
St. Patrick's Day Potatoes
Hand shaped and enrobed in milk chocolate, then rolled in cinnamon and cocoa powder, then pine nuts are applied for the 'eyes.'
Oh Ryans Irish Potatoes
In memory of the Great Potatoe famine, these are made from coconut cream fondant and rolled in cinnamon.
Chocolate Kennedy Half Dollar Gold Coins
Every pot of gold needs coins, but its even more appropriate for the coins to be those of Boston's favorite Irish son, JFK.
St. Patrick's Beer Mug Filled With Guinness Truffles
What's more Irish than Guinness? And what do you need more for St. Patty's Day than a beer mug? Nothing, that's what. But if you don't need the mug, you can still get Guinness Truffles here.
Last minute Easter gifts - the Eggsibitionist Easter Egg
The Eggsibitionist Easter Egg
Eggs within an egg...brilliant! A 40% milk chocolate egg holds 12 more chocolate eggs with praline and ganache fillings.
Looks like for Easter the brand extension beat goes on at M&M/Mars. This time its 3 Musketeers Minis with Dark Chocolate on the outside and raspberry flavored nougat on the inside. They are a "limited edition," which I always figure is another way to say "we're seeing how these sell before making them permanent." But we must say we're intrigued and look forward to trying them out, but imagine they are pretty darn sweet.
I have a feeling I'm incredibly late to this game, but I just came across a Munch bar today at the convenience store, so I picked one up. Besides the bold name on the label, the first thing you notice is that it touts only having 6 simple ingredients. Hey, any candy with only 6 ingredients, made by Snickers, has got to have something going for it no? The ingredients, for those interested, are: peanuts, sugar, butter, corn syrup, salt, and soy lecithin. And with its all natural contents, it qualifies as a low glycemic index snack.
So on to the eating. I read the ingredients to my wife before opening the package, and she said, "Hmmm...its peanut brittle." And guess what, she was absolutely right, it is peanut brittle. It is pretty decent peanut brittle though, especially considering its mass produced - I tend to like my peanut brittle made in small batches. The color is lighter than most brittles, not the richer brown you would expect. It bites pretty well, its a little crumbly and "dusty" for lack of a better term. But not bad at all. Although all brittles are full of butter, the Munch bar had more of a distinct butter flavor, almost popcorn buttery.
Overall, it wasn't bad at all. I don't know why but I was a little taken back by the non-brittle branding and packaging of such a classic candy - maybe its the traditionalist in me. I wouldn't get it if you're a brittle snob, but it'll do the trick if you're looking for a sweet peanut fix.
Serious Dark Fix Egg Easter Egg
A 72% dark chocolate shell, and inside...single estate dark chocolates and deliciously dark pralines. Presented in a beautiful embossed box.
Its been a good week for candy marketing, just yesterday we posted about the new Mr. T viral video for Snickers. Today we have something even better, and way more funny.
The ad is for Chocolate Skittles, a treat we have yet to try. And features a pinata co-worker. Yes, you heard right...a pinata co-worker. What the heck do we mean? You're just going to have to watch.
Hershey honors Earnhardt with collector-edition bars
2008 is the 50th anniversary of the Daytona 500, and the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt's 1998 Daytona 500 victory. To honor the legend, Hershey is launching four collector-edition candy bars. The bars will sport iconic images of Earnhardt and the "No. 3" he made famous. Read the whole press release on the NASCAR website.
Interestingly enough, Earnhardt's son, Dale Jr. got his own candy bar as well, the Big 'Mo bar from RJ Palmer, which we covered back in February.
We love PayDay bars. We sometimes need energy or a quick, somewhat healthy meal replacement. So why not try the PayDay Pro - PayDay's answer to the energy bar. On the nutrition side, it sports 15 grams of protein and 14 vitamins and minerals. And at first bite, you think its pretty darn close to tasting like a regular PayDay bar, with the trademark combination of peanuts and caramel. We generally love the sweet/salty combo of PayDays, and this bar delivers the good. However, after a few seconds, the taste changes from candy goodness to the "not-quite right" flavor you find in a lot of energy bars. Its a little on the chemically side, which takes over the flavor.
I'm not sure I'd buy this again, even as a pure energy bar. There are some others that have a less odd flavor and don't damage our overall image of a great candy bar in the process. But, if you're not a candy snob like us, and you live a really active lifestyle, I have no doubt these would provide a nice change of pace.
Check out this viral video for Snickers. It features Mr. T and allows you to upload your own image to include in the video, which is pretty fun.
If you've ever seen the Elf-yourself viral video from OfficeMax, you'll see the resemblance. But we're not here to give out creativity awards, we're just here to say we like Mr. T kicking some candy @#$ on behalf of Snickers!
72% Dark Chocolate Easter Eggs from Hotel Chocolat
72% Dark Chocolate Engraved Easter Egg
Beautilicious...a technical term to describe this dark chocolate lovers' egg. 72% dark chocolate with deep, rich, never-bitter cocoa flavors.
Do you like the combo of dark chocolate and orange? If the answer is yes, then you will love this bar from Blanxart. Its top notch dark chocolate from Ghana, studded with the tangy sweetness of candied slivers of Valencian Orange rind.
The bar is premium 60% cacao, mixed with real cane sugar and authentic vanilla for a deep, rich, mellow flavor.
Nestlé today announced the establishment of the Chocolate Centre of Excellence, the company's first R&D facility entirely dedicated to the development of premium and luxury chocolate.
Review: Ethel's Chocolate - Chewy Caramel with Dark Chocolate
To quote my dad, these chocolate covered caramels are so good that "they make me want to throw my hat in the lake." That about sums it up I think, but these members of Ethel's Nut & Caramel collection are truly superb. We picked these up in Ethel's Las Vegas lounge, but you can also order them online.
Basically, they're about 1 square inch of soft, milky goodness. The dark chocolate is top notch, it melts nicely and bites even better. And the caramel tastes more like dolce de leche than regular 'ole caramel really.
"Holy mackerel" and "mmmmm" were what we were saying most while trying this piece, which I hope gives you all the details you need. :)
We bought a whole sampler pack fro Ethel's, so be on the lookout for a lot more from Ethel's on Candy Snob.
Review: Nestle Treasures Renew Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar
This is a really nice eating bar. It is only 50% cocoa, so you're not going to get the depth of flavor of darker chocolate. However, what is may lack to some in terms of complexity, it more than makes up for in texture. The chocolate itself melts more like milk chocolate than dark chocolate, and that creaminess is amplified by the truffle-esque filling. I say "truffle-esque" because it is in bar form...truffles are supposed to be roundish usually. Running in contrast to the creaminess are the tiny cocoa bits, which add the perfect amount of crunch.
Nestle calls this bar "Renew" - making reference to the health benefits of eating dark chocolate (such as being a good source of anti-oxidants). To us, it has also renewed our faith that the big chocolate makers can put together luxurious, high-quality chocolate that's available at your local check-out.
Check out Nestles Treasures Renew Dark Chocolate Truffle Bar hereor here.
Review: sweetriot flavor 50 - cocoa nibs dunked in dark chocolate
We picked up a 1 ounce tin of sweetriot's "flavor 50" product at Whole Foods, which are lightly roasted cacao nibs covered with 50% dark chocolate. As the package clearly says, this tin is filled with "'peaces" of intense yum." And the whole tin only has 140 calories!
At first glance, they look like mini-chocolate covered raisins, and even smelled a little raisin-y. But while there are definitely fruity notes to the taste, that look & scent doesn't carry through. What you get is more on the raspberry side of things. But less like real raspberry flavor and more like raspberry liqueur, such as Chambourd.
Since they are roasted cacao nibs, they were a wee bit dry, but definitely tasty. I found that you need to eat several at once to get the full flavor. Because they're pretty small, eating just one or two doesn't do the flavor justice.
And if there was ever a socially conscious candy company, sweetriot is it. They use all-natural ingredients, believe in fair trade with developing countries, celebrate culture and diversity , create a solid environment for their customers, partners and employees, and the candy is kosher. I think that about covers it. They call their nibs 'peaces' for goodness sake!
Even better, they have a lot of fun. First, the provide a cacao country fun fact inside each tin - which is on a little slip of paper just like the fortune in a fortune cookie. Ours said the following:
Front side: Cacao Country Indonesia is home to the giant Komodo dragon, which would be cool if it didn't occasionally snack on a villager.
Back side: Your get lucky numbers: 1,5,10,12,22,30
Second, like Jones Soda before them, they solicit artwork for their tins on their website. So if you're an aspiring artist and want to get your work seen by chocolate lovers the world over, click here.
Valomilk or Mallo Cup? This age old question finally has the opportunity to be answered...sort of. The "You Decide Variety Pack" includes 10 of The Original Flowing Center Valomilk and 10 of The Legendary Mallo Cups. We love them both, but obviously have a soft spot for Mallo Cups. But we'd love to know which one you all prefer. $19.99 at flavorsof.com
If you want good licorice - good meaning not black Twizzlers - you want it to be a sweet yet a little salty, chewy but not pull-your-fillings-out sticky. Haribo Wheels do the trick. They come in spiral ropes which you can uncoil to lengthen your enjoyment...or just eating the whole wheel (my preference).
Get a two lb box of Haribo Wheels from Amazon for $8.
Need a creative Easter basket stuffer this year? We like the Reese's Pieces Carrot Bag. Same sweet, creamy, peanut-buttery taste you expect from Reese's Pieces, but the fun part is the bag. Its a triangular bag that full of all orange candies. The top of the bag is green, so when its tied it looks like a carrot. What bunny wouldn't love one of these carrots!
Review: Lake Champlain Organic Dark Spicy Aztec Chocolate Bar
We love the Dark Spicy Aztec bar from Lake Champlain. Its 55% cocoa content is flanked by strong cinnamon and cayenne flavors. This is not a bar for the faint-hearted or the weak-paletted.
Unexpected is a good word to describe this spicy and sweet treat. It contains classic Mexican ingredients that hit you right off the bat. The minute you put it in your mouth, the cinnamon kicks in. But hold on to your hats, the cayenne is soon to follow, getting you in the back of the throat. This dark, rich bar has a very nice texture - smooth and velvety - which segue into the last surprise in this bar, the pumpkin seeds, which leave you with a crunchy treat to finish off your bite.
Lake Champlain's Organic Dark Spicy Aztec Bar is an enjoyable ride we recommend everyone lines up to take.
March is upon us, which means Easter is almost here! The choices for Easter candy are nearly endless. But here are some of our favorites. We've divided up the guide into categories to make your shopping a little easier - picking out the best Easter bunnies, Easter chocolates, sugary treats, jelly beans, gourmet Easter candy and more for your Holiday enjoyment.
EASTER BUNNIES
The gold standard for bunnies is, naturally, a Gold Bunny, by Lindt. Its made with the delicious, super-fresh milk chocolate we've come to expect from Lindt (one of our favorite mass-market gourmet chocolate makers). Gold bunnies are sure to add a little extra class to any Easter basket. Check them out here.
We also like the truffle-filled 3-pack of bunnies from Dan's Chocolates. There are two milk and one dark easter bunnies in each box, and they have a soft truffle filling. Speaking of 3-packs, if you like milk and white chocolate, we also like Harry London's Assorted Chocolate Easter Bunnies.
And last but not least, we you simply can't go wrong with any of the Gourmet Chocolate Easter Bunnies from Lake Champlain, but we recommend the Classic Dark Chocolate Easter Bunny.
CHOCOLATY EASTER BASKET FILLERS
An Easter basket wouldn't be complete without the chocolaty, gooey goodness of Cadbury Creme Eggs.But we also recommend Lindt Mini Lambs which provide extremely rich and yummy milk chocolate morsels. We also like these because they're lambs, which changes things up from the same old bunnies and chicks.
SUGARY EASTER BASKET FILLERS
Really, there's only one way to go if you want a sugary treat in an Easter basket, and that's with the venerable favorite, Marshmallow Peeps.We actually like to open the cellophane and let them get a little stale, it adds to the texture of the Peep, believe it or not.
If you want something other than a peep, we also recommend something that hearkens back to our childhood - the Deluxe Sugar Egg. Its beautiful in its diorama presentation, but edible, what could be better for Easter.
JELLY BEANS
Every Easter basket needs jelly beans, period. But there are a few directions you can go. First, the gourmet route, in which case we like Jelly Belly. Predictable perhaps, but you can't beat the small beans, great texture and terrific flavor categories such as Smoothie, Tropical and Soda Pop Shoppe. If you're going to go the fruity route, make sure you go with unique and tasty fruit flavors. Teenee Beanee has a fruit mix with La Jolla Lemon, Napa Grape, Chesapeake Cherry, Savannah Strawberry, Indian River Orange, and Laredo Lime. But we're personally partial to spiced jelly beans. And there's no better than Brach's in our opinion. A classic with mint flavors, cinnamon, licorice and more.
THE VINTAGE EASTER BASKET
If you have someone that will appreciate classic candies, the Big Tips Deluxe is the perfect gift. The package includes 45 classic bars including: Mallo Cup, Clark Bar, Idaho Spud, Peanut Chews, Goo Goo Cluster, Big Cherry, Twin Bing, U-NO, Sky Bar, Nut Goodie, Old Faithful, Salted Nut Roll, Bun Bar, Mountain Bar, and Rocky Road. And...a copy of the ultimate candy history book, Candy: The Sweet History.
The MarketingProfs blog has a thought-provoking post today regarding caffeinated candy, commenting on a Wall Street Journal article on the same topic.
"The candy industry is rolling out new sweets packed with more than just sugar. Buzz-inducing candy, spiked with caffeine and, often, vitamins, are the low-growth, $29 billion U.S. candy, gum and chocolate industry's answer to surging competition from energy drinks. And just like those beverages, the caffeine-infused candy often sports a controversial name that critics say evokes illegal drugs."
Candy Snob's not in the commentary business, at least when it comes to issues such as this, but the author asks some very interesting questions that you should check out if you're so inclined.
Review: Endangered Species Extreme Dark Chocolate Bar
Endangered Species Chocolate has a terrific, simple idea - sell high quality chocolate to people and donate 10% of the net profits to help support endangered species of animals. All of Endangered Species Chocolate bars have compelling photos of the animal they help on the wrapper. For the Extreme Dark bar, its a black panther. On the inside of the wrappers, you can learn about the plight of the animal that's threatened.
We love the idea, so we tried out their Extreme Dark Chocolate bar - 3 oz. of DARK chocolate - 88% cacao content. It is made with all-natural, shade-grown, ethically traded, single-origin extreme dark chocolate. And the chocolate is ethically or fairly traded, and its Kosher. So we have all the right bases covered.
The company touts that this bar is "one of the highest cocoa content chocolate bars available with a smooth, not overly bitter flavor." As much as we wanted to, we just can't agree with that last part. We actually felt that the bitterness totally overwhelmed the chocolate flavor. And what little flavor there was had no finish, by the time the piece melted in your mouth you were left with nothing more than the fine grit that exemplifies the overall texture of the bar.
Although this wasn't our favorite, we will definitely be sampling the other variations. When we do, you'll be the first to know.
To borrow from their tagline, if you would like to "savor chocolate and save the planet" check out their website.
This is a nicely packaged Easter treat that would look nice in someone's Easter basket. We initially picked it up because it had lambs, not the traditional bunnies or chicks.
The first thing I was surprised by, or more accurately, faked out by, was that the piece was hollow. This is a normal occurrence with Easter candy, but it tends to seem like cheating to me. Even more, when I realized it was just a shell, I immediately hoped there was some of the Lindt truffle filling that I love so much inside. Nope, faked out.
So having my hopes dashed might normally irritate me, but it was such intense milk chocolate, it made no difference. In fact, save for texture, you would think there was caramel in the chocolate it was so milky and creamy.
February, even with its extra day this year, went by in a flash. For us it was a big month, naturally, with Valentine's Day and all, and we did a whole bunch or reviews so check them out. Our favorite of the month - Lake Champlain Organic Sea Salt & Almonds Milk Chocolate Bar by far. And now we barrel into March, which this year includes another huge day for Candy Snob - Easter!
Review: Harry London Assorted Chocolate Easter Bunnies
When you're choosing what candy to put in an Easter basket, you always have to have at least one chocolate bunny. But how about three instead? We picked up Harry London's Solid Assorted Bunnies today and checked them out. Inside are three solid bunnies, two milk chocolate and one white chocolate. Each is individually wrapped in the box, and measures about 2 inches tall. We wish there had a dark bunny to round out the trifecta instead of two milk, but otherwise we think this is a very nice gift for someone who knows the difference between good and bad milk and white chocolate.
"Milk chocolate" is an understatement on this Easter bunny. It was very milky, giving it a fairly substantial caramel flavor. This caramel flavor isn't a bad thing at all, but know that its there and the piece is pretty sweet. We'd compare it in flavor and mouthfeel (which was very smooth) to Cadbury. It has a nice bite, and look for a hint of cinnamon while eating it, and a little bit of coffee in the aftertaste.
As for the white chocolate bunny, it was soft and extremely sweet. I'd say it was nearly fudgy in texture and taste, which was good. Overall, I really enjoyed it, but am glad it was a smaller bunnie - I fear the sweetness would have become too much had I eaten much more (and I would have).
Review: Hershey's Milk Chocolate Filled with Peanut Butter
I bought this bar not expecting much, and I wasn't disappointed. A completely underwhelming experience. What I expected, for the most part, was a bigger Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in bar form - which would have been quite enjoyable.
What I got was more a half-hearted effort to milk (no pun intended) more value out of the Hershey's brand. The peanut butter is not the same as a Reese's cup. However, I'm pretty sure its the same one would find in Reeses Pieces. Smooth, sweet, generally tasty. But there's not enough of it to make much of a difference - the chocolate totally dominates the bar.
Is it a terrible candy bar? No. Is it something I'd buy given the plethora of other choices? Nope.
Tick-tock, tick-tock...Easter is only a few weeks away! Why not kill three birds with one stone?
This is a pack of three, count 'em, three chocolate easter bunnies from Dan's Chocolates, so you know they are top notch. Two are milk chocolate and one is dark chocolate, so you'll cover all yoru bases. But the best part is that these aren't your normal, hollow or rock hard chocolate bunnies, these have a soft truffle interior. Each bunny is 5 5/8" tall by 2 3/4" wide.
We typically try not to choose regular, every day candy bars at Candy Snob - you won't see a review of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup or a Hershey's Bar. Why? Because we all know about those candies. Its just not as interesting. What we will do, however, is look for venerable brands who (1) have made some change, or (2) are classic, retro brands that aren't as well known.
So we picked up a Zero bar today and we're sure glad we did. The candy started way back in 1931, and after changing hands a couple times is now a part of Hershey.
The name "Zero" is believed to come from the bar being originally marketed as a cool, tasty treat; or as cool as Zero degrees. Some people still enjoy Zero candy bars frozen - we're looking forward to trying this ourselves.
It is the unique combo of ingredients makes this bar so interesting and good. Caramel, peanut and almond nougat (which is a much darker nougat than you're used to seeing in a 3 Musketeers or MilkyWay), covered in white fudge. I minor distinction between white chocolate and white fudge, but you could definitely taste the softer flavor of the fudge. Plus, the nougat isn't completely smooth - there is a spattering of peanut and almond nuggets.
Overall, the texture is awesome, nice bite and chew, and a very unique and multi-layered flavor. Warning, this bar is very sweet. If you're not a white chocolate fan, or don't like your candy that sweet, this might not be for you.
Cadbury Ad: Airport Vehicles Replace Gorilla
and get $10 off. 
Continue reading: 
Mailing List
Subscribe - RSS
