Candy Blog

Tonight marks the start of Passover (the 15th of the month Nisan).

The dietary restrictions during Passover not only mean no grains, chometz, except for matzo meal but also no kitniot (legumes). This means a lot of the ingredients commonly used for candy preparation are forbidden during this festival. No peanuts is obvious, but also no corn syrup, no soy lecithin, no cornstarch, no soy or canola oil.

Most observant Jews I know simply go without candy during this time or stick to the tried-and-true holiday specialties like macaroons or chocolate dipped matzo. I know that it’s possible to make great candy that’s Kosher for Passover - something that goes beyond the mediocre Manischewitz molded chocolate items.

The Gelson’s Market near my house had a nice display of Passover items near the entrance and I was pleased to see a few more upscale and decadent items than the common jelly slices. I picked out these Chocolate Dipped Mint Cremes from Manhattan Chocolates.

The box was pretty, just green themed on white with chocolate drip along the top. Inside it was a little less upscale. The mint cremes are nestled in little cubbies in a plastic tray, which isn’t such a big deal, except that the candies were much smaller than their little nooks, so they rattled around quite a bit when I carried them home ... and is probably why they look a bit scuffed. (A piece of that fluffy, corrugated waxed paper would probably help.)

The ingredients look great: Chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, vanilla), sugar, tapioca syrup, natural and artificial flavors. (During the rest of the year there’s soy lecithin in the chocolate and corn syrup instead of the tapioca syrup.)

There are 15 pieces in the box, which holds 6 ounces (so each piece is .4 ounces).

They’re rather tall, more like a cream chocolate than a patty, a little larger in diameter than a quarter.

The chocolate shell is nicely done, no voids or little leaky spots. They smell sweet and a bit like toasty hot chocolate. There’s only a slight whiff of mint.

Once I bit into one, the cream revealed its mintness. It’s soft, the cream is quite silky with only a slight small grain to it. It’s not flowing soft like a Junior Mint and not hard and crumbly like a York Peppermint Pattie ... just a bit in between.

The dark chocolate shell is sweet and not quite bitter enough to offset the very sweet center. But overall it’s a very good post-Seder treat to refresh the palate after those bitter herbs.

I wouldn’t call these glorious or anything, but if I were in a week where I was limited in my choices, the Manhattan Chocolates seem very promising as a line. They’re also lactose free - all year round.

Carl at the National Confectioners Association also found that Oh Nuts! has a great selection (and there’s still time to order before Passover ends).

Related Candies

1. Ritter Sport Peppermint
2. Mint Cremes from the Makers of Jelly Belly
3. Sweet Earth Chocolate Cups
4. Joyva Joys
5. Halvah and Turkish Delight
6. Candy Source: Economy Candy, NYC
7. Manischewitz Frolic Bears

I will preface this post with the following: I may have gone off the deep end.

In my joy of experimentation with Peeps and mashing their sticky innards into other foodstuffs, I’ve jumped from fun & tasty to the illogical conclusion of savory & disgusting.

(Okay, well, they’re not all disgusting.)

I like marshmallow Peeps as an idea, but not much as a confection. They’re fun to look at, pose & contemplate. But I don’t get much pleasure out of eating them. Pairing them with savory items was supposed to be a way to moderate their grainy over-sweetness.

I picked up a few things to try with my Peeps for 2009: Goldfish Crackers, Cheetos, Pepperoni (turkey for me) and Nacho Cheese Sauce.

Scroll slowly, otherwise you’ll overwhelm yourself.

Pepperidge Farms has come out with some new flavors & variations of the classic Goldfish Crackers. As a kid the Pizza flavored ones were my favorite but now I prefer the Cheddar. (Though given a choice I’d probably still opt for Cheezits.)

The new variation that I picked up is in their whole grains line. This one is Toasted Corn.

After reading over the ingredients, corn is pretty far down on the list. And they’re not really corn flavored, they taste more like those Chik’n Biskit crackers I used to like to drink with flat 7-UP in a friend’s basement as a pre-teen while we played with Troll Dolls.

The crunch and salt actually goes well with the sweet fluffy marshmallow and grainy sugar coating. It’s the dusting of garlic that the crackers seem to have that ruins it for me. A plainer cracker, like Saltines or Oyster Crackers is probably a much better and actually realistic Mash Up idea.

I could have gone decadent and upscale:
Peeps & Figs with Brie
Peeps on Sliced Pears with Crumbled Blue Cheese
Peeps on Toast Points with Salmon Roe

Nope, I went the other way:
Peeps with Nacho Cheese sauce.

I had trouble finding my favorite brand of plastic cheese. I usually buy Frito Lay, the stuff that comes in a squat can and probably has a shelf life of three years. All I could find is this Mission Cheddar Cheese Dip.

I’m sorry friends, I wussed out. I didn’t eat this. I thought it was fun to construct. In the future I think I might use different color Peeps than the traditional yellow. I think the green to simulate jalape?os and maybe the purple & pink to really make it jarring would have the best impact.

I did try Peeps on corn chips ... which is actually rather nice. The salty grains of the chips and the sweet sugar granules played nicely.

There’s probably a great idea in there somewhere for S’Mores Nachos using chocolate tortilla chips, chocolate chips, caramel sauce & Peeps. (All toasted under the broiler, natch.)

To be fair to my readers, I did eat this.

This is a Peep in that Mission Cheddar Cheese Dip.

The Mission Cheddar Cheese Dip is a bit too soupy and watery for me. I like a thicker, more gelatinous cheese sauce (or just real gooey, stringy cheese).

The cheese was tangy and salty and had a cheddar “flavor” to it. The combination with the Peeps wasn’t so much bad, but the tangy yogurt quality of the dip didn’t go well with the fake vanilla flavor of the Peeps. I don’t recommend you try this at home.

One of the original items I was interested in smashing into my Peeps was Cheetos. And why not, they’re both some ghastly colors.

Cheetos now come in some insane flavors and textures. I like both the Crunchy Cheetos and the classic Cheese Puffs. (And some crazy sweet versions in other lands.)

Peeps have a definite advantage over Cheetos in several ways. Though Peeps are brightly colored, they don’t make a mess on your hands. And Peeps may actually be better when they’re stale.

It was funny how much more I tasted the corn when combined with the sweetness of the marshmallow. Corn (Grits) is a great breakfast cereal so this was like mixing my savory grits with my sweet grits. The crunchy texture was a good offset to the silky smooth marshmallow and the micro crunch of the granulated sugar.

The Flaming Hot Cheetos might be a fun experiment.

And here it is, the pi?ce de r?sistance is futile. A while back someone suggested bacon or jerky with Peeps.

But really, when it comes to preserved meats and mashing names together, there’s nothing that can come close to Peeperoni. (It’s hilarious, I know!)

It took me a while to find turkey-based Pepperoni (as I don’t eat mammals, except for gelatin because I can’t possibly give up gummis), which I know is nothing like real pepperoni except that it comes in little disks and contains insane amounts of salt.

This Hormel Turkey Pepperoni smells like feet. I didn’t know if that was normal or not.

First, like the cheese sauce experiment, there is no “mashing the sticky Peeps into the pepperoni” action. Peeps don’t stick to pepperoni. It’s like pushing to north ends of magnets together.

So I broke out the toothpicks.

The salty and chewy texture of the pepperoni was a nice complement to the sweet fluffy chew of the marshmallow. I think part of the failure of this is the abject lack of fat in this turkey version.

As an alternative to this, I think a sweet Lebanon Bologna might actually be interesting, especially if fried and put together on some slices of sweet egg bread.

As a bit of a palate cleanser, I did mix up something tasty. I had some Chocolate Mousse Peeps which went fantastically well with the crunchy, sweet and nutty All Natural Sunbursts.

For even more Peepitude, here’s a list of some other Peep occurrences on the internet ... some you’ve probably already seen, but some you might not have. Serious Eats is also devoting this week to Peeps Week.

Here are my previous Mash Ups.

Related Candies

1. Peeps inside a Milk Chocolate Egg
2. Palmer Hollow Chocolate Flavored Bunny
3. Marshmallow Pig
4. GudFud Stuffed Marshmallows
5. Peeps

Russell Stover makes so many chocolate eggs, it’s taken me more than three years to get through them. (Well, I tasted all of them, I haven’t necessarily photographed & reviewed them all yet.)

The Russell Stover Truffle Egg is a rather small one compared to the other whipped center eggs. Still it clocks in at a full ounce, so it’s just very dense.

It’s a molded egg with a shiny, rippled milk chocolate shell and a milk chocolate truffle interior.

It smells like a decent rich milk chocolate. Sweet and with some hints of vanilla and milky cocoa.

The bite of the shell is good and crisp. The center is soft and fudgy, but not the slightest bit grainy ... though it’s not quite a silky melt.

The immediate flavor I got was not of chocolate but of rum. It’s a bit sweet but also has a little salt to it.

Looking over the ingredients, I was expecting tropical oils and hydrogenated fats, but instead it was pretty clean:

Milk Chocolate (sugar, whole milk, cocoa butter, chocolate, soy lecithin & vanillin), whole milk, natural flavor, salt and invertase.

It’s very rich and rather satisfying, so much so that a single egg was more than enough for me (though it only clocks in at 140 calories, so it’s not even as fatty as some other real chocolate candy bars).

Rating: 7 out of 10

The Russell Stover Caramel Egg is also on the small side. This one is a squat little buddy with perhaps too much packaging around it.

It smells milky and malty.

The bit is smooth, the milk chocolate shell flakes only a little bit. The caramel is soft and has a slight chew to it, but for the most part is more on the saucy side (though it’s thick enough that when I left the half of it sitting for a while, the center didn’t ooze out).

The caramel is satiny smooth, no hint of grain at all. The toasted and boiled sugar flavors aren’t pronounced, nor is the butter, but the overall dark sugar notes are there and go well with the sweet milk chocolate.

As I’ve mentioned before, I prefer a stiffer caramel chew, but this was enjoyable and actually more appetizing to me than a Cadbury Caramello or Cadbury Caramel Egg.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Another set of eggs that I haven’t included on the blog specifically in this ovoid shape are the Marshmallow Egg and the Chocolate Marshmallow Egg.

The have other shapes for different holidays. Just a couple of weeks ago I reviewed the Russell Stover Marshmallow Rabbits. They’re available for Halloween as a Pumpkin (also in orange flavor), a Valentine’s Heart and these eggs come back as Footballs in the Autumn/Winter.

The nice thing about this version is that it’s an actual portion. The Rabbits are a bit big for one sitting, unless you’re voraciously hungry or sharing. And they’re bound to be around at deep discount after the holiday. But eat them quick ... I’ve found that the marshmallow items don’t keep as well as the Coconut Eggs.

Previous Reviews:

2008 - Creme Eggs (like Cadbury Creme Eggs):

2007 - Russell Stover Eggs

2006 - Russell Stover Cream Eggs

I think the only ones I’m missing in review are the Vanilla Cream Egg and the Chocolate Brownie Egg. I haven’t seen them this year at the stores I frequent.  But that means there’s something to look forward to next year.

Related Candies

1. Elmer’s Dark Chocolate Heavenly Hash & Gold Brick Eggs
2. Nestle Creme Eggs
3. Lindt Lindor Truffle Eggs
4. Princess Marshmallow Eggs
5. See’s Egg Quartet
6. Kinder Egg

For some reason people want Energy. I’m not quite sure why they’re looking for products specifically labeled that way, as my understanding is that all food contains energy. Calories are available energy from food. If it doesn’t have calories, as far as I’m concerned, it’s not food.

But consumers, I believe, have been duped into thinking that stimulants are actually energy. They’re not, they’re just, well, stimulants. Stimulants make you feel like doing stuff, as the general state of humans (if you believe advertising and general laws of physics) is to be inert and bored. Stimulants, though, don’t cure boredom or actually get anything done.

Caffeine is the most common stimulant and is naturally found in a product that masks the bitter and unpleasant taste of it very well: coffee. Caffeine also works as an additive in other products in smaller quantities, usually products with natural alkaloids, like chocolate or perhaps strong fruit flavors.

There are some other compounds which are also grouped into energy products: Taurine and B vitamins (Niacin, B6 and B12). These have their own distinct flavors, often known collectively as the “vitamin burp” taste. (You can read about these at Energy Fiend)

All of this writing, however, is just vamping. After trying my first Beechies Force Chewy Candy, I didn’t want to continue.

Lemon - it looks pretty good and the first crunch of the candy shell was a bright & promising sweet lemon flavor. But chewing it, well, I should probably start posting photos of my facial expressions. The first was something akin to “Wha? Is this really happening? Does this really taste like this?” kind of quizzical look. Then a bitterness set in, which caused me to furrow my brow. Then came a general distasteful look that someone might mistake for “May I spit this out in your hand please? Please! Right now!”

And then I waited for a couple of weeks. I reviewed a bunch of other stuff, even avoided reviewing yesterday by posting a new products announcement list. I carried the bags around with me in my “to review” package. The wrapper does say recharge - refresh - renew so I thought I’d try again.

Green Apple went a little better. The candy shell is tangy and has that comforting artificial apple flavor. Then ... well, it took a turn for the worse. The soft chew of the center, which is rather like a Mentos, had a bit of a bitter tingle. The flavor was that midrange bitterness that reminds me of dirty gym socks. But it was mercifully short

Strawberry was a beautiful red. Much prettier than any Mentos. The shell flavor was soft and sweet. The inner chew was musty and tasted like generic chewable vitamins.

A serving (14 pieces) of Beechies Force Chews contain:

935 mg of Taurine
100 mg of Caffeine
18 mg of Niacin
2.5 mg of B6
6.5 mcg of B12

This combination of chemicals does not give me energy, it gives me angry.

I emailed the company, Richardson Brands, to see if they actually still make these. They never responded. Their website doesn’t list them on a product page but includes them in the ingredients/nutritional section. I found record of them being offered at All Candy Expo in 2006, but under different flavors. The only place I’ve ever seen these for sale is at the 99 Cent Only Store, but I have seen them at multiple stores and the packages appear fresh and current.

The next flavor was Java which made more sense as a masking flavor for caffeine.

The chew itself was odd looking, it’s olive green. Really nicely done olive green, but just not a color I associate with rich, roasted coffee. (But I do associate with unroasted coffee.)

The outer shell is sweet and has a mellow coffee flavor. The inner chew is rather promising. It’s sweet and has a latte taste - both creamy and with some good brewed coffee flavors. The bitterness is there, but rather believable because of the coffee flavor.

I still had the aftertaste of bitter B vitamins, but it didn’t feel as strange because there was no tangy fruit flavor component. I wouldn’t call these great, but compared to the fruit ones, they’re actually edible. They reminded me of the Chewy Coffee Rio.

The other trick I found is to actually chew it all up. When I ate my second Java, I left the candy shell dissolve. Bad idea, because that’s where the extra sugar was. The center chew is not as sweet, but if you let it dissolve like a hard candy, it’s not a bad either. They do end with coffee breath though, so have some real mint Mentos on hand for that (as a side note, there is a caffeinated version of Mentos available in Europe).

An 8 ounce cup of brewed coffee (yes, I actually drink just an 8 ounce cup) contains about 100 mg of caffeine but no calories. Each bag contains two servings (140 calories)... and for only a buck, it’s a pretty good price for an easily metered amount of caffeine. I suppose you can swallow them whole.

I can see these having their place. For travelers, especially those who don’t want to take in a lot of liquids, it’s a nice alternative to coffee or energy drinks. They’re extremely portable (although 14 of them do take up a bit of space).

The package says a serving is 14 pieces, but it holds on 25 ... so it’s just shy of two actual servings. They’re made in

Colombia, which knows a lot about coffee. I’m keeping the Java (4 out of 10) ones on hand for medicinal purposes but I’m throwing out the fruit ones (1 out of 10).

Related Candies

1. Butterfinger Buzz (Caffeinated)
2. Fresh Cola Mentos
3. Choco-Fudge Mallow Sundae
4. Junior Fruit Cremes
5. Loud Truck Energy Gummies
6. No Time & Black Black

While Candy Season is winding down with Easter less than two weeks from now, All Candy Expo is gearing up ... which means plenty of new product announcements.

Name: Dark Velvet - Champagne and Cognac
Brand: Anthon Berg
Description: Dark Velvet is two beautiful gift boxes with delicious truffles. Each one of them is filled with a smooth filling dominated by either Piper-Heidsieck Champagne or R?my Martin Cognac. A taste experience as dark as chocolate and with fillings as smooth as velvet.
Notes:  I’m rather fond of the Anthon Berg liquor bottles, mostly because they make me feel like a giant alcoholic. The cognac sounds the most appealing, as I think that the earthy, leather & tobacco flavors of cognac go well with dark chocolate.

Name: Yogurt Coated Raspberry Soft Eating Liquorice
Brand:Darrell Lea
Description: Darrell Lea have coated their delicious Raspberry Soft Eating Liquorice with creamy yogurt. Containing only Natural Flavor and using colors derived from natural sources, it is preservative free to compliment Darrell Lea’s range of “Better for you” Australian Liquorice.
Notes: Darrell Lea is really expanding in the US. They’re also going to bring out a version of Allsorts in US stores as well. I have zero interest in yogurt covered red licorice though I imagine there are plenty of folks who are going to be interested.

Name: DOVE Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter
Brand: Dove (Mars)
Description: It’s the combination we’ve all been waiting for - soft and creamy peanut butter surrounded by silky smooth DOVE Chocolate. It’s the most indulgent way to experience the premium taste of 100% real, authentic milk chocolate and creamy peanut butter. Available in retail stores nationwide in May 2009.
Notes: It’s about time!

Name: Kazoozles
Brand: Wonka (Nestle)
Description: Kazoozles Cherry Punch: Two Cherry Ropes with Punch Filling. Kazoozles Pink Lemonade: Two Lemon Ropes with Cherry Filling. June 8, 2009 release.
Notes: Look familiar? These came out back on 2005/06 and were called SweeTarts Rope. I don’t know why both flavor versions have to have cherry in them. Why couldn’t the lemon one be lemon and raspberry?

Name: Gummy Puckerooms
Brand: Wonka (Nestle)
Description: Sour Sanded Gummies in different mushroom shapes and four yummy flavors (cherry, grape, lemon/orange, and grape/cherry). June 8, 2009 release.
Notes: These feel like a return to the Wonka whimsy. It seems like moving into gummis is a natural extension for the Wonka line as well. I find the flavor selection a little odd ... but I guess Wonka must think that everyone loves cherry.

Name: Gummy Sluggles
Brand: Wonka (Nestle)
Description: Classic, sweet gummies in three fun slug-like shapes, and four yummy flavors (lemon, strawberry, grape, and orange). June 8, 2009 release.
Notes: I don’t know if these are going to be distinct enough from other gummis already on the market, but hey, there’s no cherry in it, so I’m definitely down for a try.

Name: Tic Tac Melon Mango, Holiday Twist & Pina Colada (Limited Edition)
Brand: Ferrero
Description: Tic Tac Melon Mango uses an innovative combination of fruit flavors and vibrant colors. Starts shipping in June 2009. Tic Tac Holiday Twist
will spice up your holiday with the combination of our Freshmint & Cinnamon flavors. Starts shipping in September 2009. Tic Tac Pi?a Colada combines the flavors of coconut & pineapple in a single mint to create a unique tropical flavor sensation. Starts shipping in March 2010.
Notes: I know Tic Tac comes out with these limited editions, but I’m never able to find them in stores. (Not that I couldn’t make my own Holiday mix myself.)

Name: Impulse Chocolate Bars
Brand: Valor Chocolates
Description: Now you can enjoy all the flavor of Valor chocolate anytime, anywhere. Our new 1.59-ounce chocolate minibars give you that little bit of extra pleasure whenever and wherever you want. Adult pleasure any time, any where.
Notes:  I didn’t write that copy. Valor is a great Spanish brand of chocolate that I seem to have neglected on the blog for many years. These little bars may change that, as I often find the 100 gram bars a bit daunting (and expensive).

Name: Skipjacks
Brand: Wolfgang
Description: Skipjacks are delicious, light Oyster Crackers covered in Wolfgang’s natural, creamy milk chocolate. The crispy, salty cracker, and the sweet milk chocolate make this new product as irresistible as fresh popcorn at the movies.
Notes: I can’t tell from the product info if these are the saltine stile oyster crackers or the big crunchy lump style. Either way, I’m ready to give these a try.

Name: Gourmet Flavored Candy Corn
Brand: Zachary Confections, Inc. 
Description: We are pleased to introduce three more flavors of Gourmet Flavored Candy Corn! Candy Cane, Gingerbread, and Egg Nog will join our successful line of 1 lb. “candy dish” tubs.
Notes: Zachary already makes an interesting array including Raspberry, Caramel Apple, Cherry, Cinnamon, Tangerine and Raspberry Lemonade (see list here). Flavors like Egg Nog and Gingerbread actually sound more in tune with the mellow texture and flavor of fondant, so I’m willing to give them a try.

Related Candies

1. Candy Tease: February 2009
2. Candy Tease: Autumn 2008
3. Candy Tease: All Candy Expo 2008 #5
4. Candy Tease: All Candy Expo 2008 #4
5. Candy Tease: All Candy Expo 2008 #3
6. Candy Tease: All Candy Expo 2008 #2
7. Candy Tease: All Candy Expo 2008 #1