I wish they came without coloring, I avoid the pink ones because they have an aftertaste. (Luckily The Man picks up the slack.)

Previous review here.

Caramel Creams are like cookie dough candy and less like caramels. They’re really filling so they make a great snack. (Original review here.)

March is over, which means that Candy Season is coming to a close with Easter on Sunday. I’ve decided to start doing a monthly recap of things related to Candy Blog and the candy world mostly because I’ve been running a lot of reports at my day job so I figured I’d do the same here just to kind of track some tends.

Last year I asked readers which candy holiday was their favorite and 45% stated Halloween, but Easter was in second place with 25% of the votes. It’s by far my favorite, perhaps because of the pleasant colors but also because it’s a much more intimate candy holiday - it’s about family and friends, not begging from strangers.

The latest poll was What do you prefer: Egg, Bunny, Chick or Bean?. I admit it’s a pretty vague poll and I chose egg myself, not for the Cadbury Creme Eggs but for Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs and Cadbury Mini Eggs.

Previous polls revealed that while 39% of responding readers don’t like Peeps at all, ones that do prefer stale to fresh but 12% simply don’t care how they’re treated or prepared, they’ll eat them any way.

Chocolate bunnies are a different matter.

By the number of votes compared to the egg, bunny, chick or bean poll, people like chocolate rabbits. They also agree that if they’re for eating, they should be good quality.

In candy news one of the big developments has been the old good news & bad news scenario. More studies are being done on chocolate’s positive health benefits, especially for the cardiovascular system. The latest study released shows that even small amounts are great for overall heart health and reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Chocolate, especially very dark chocolate, reduces blood pressure, increases elasticity of blood vessels and may reduce inflammation. The caution though is moderation - if you’re going to eat a lot of chocolate, which is high in calories, make sure you reduce other discretionary calories appropriately. So instead of those chips and dip and later that bowl of ice cream, have some chocolate throughout the day.

But the flip side of that is news that fatty foods can be associated with addiction in the same way that drugs can.

Earlier in March I also attended ExpoWest, which is a trade show for natural products held at the Anaheim Convention Center. The exhibits take up the entire show floor and though the majority were not of a candy nature, there still were at least 50 that did have candy or chocolate. Fair Trade, organic and fortified still seem to be the primary selling points. Many big companies that we’re familiar with that use artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners were exhibiting new product lines that are more wholesome versions - real natural ingredients and more traditional candy-making methods that appeal to natural product buyers. Raw chocolate has been around for a few years but this is the first time I’ve tried versions that rival the roasted stuff. (I’ll have reviews of those at some point when I get a hold of some actual whole product instead of a few bites here and there.)

Most Popular Candy Blog Posts for March 2010

1. Coconut M&Ms - these were initially released as a limited edition item and I reviewed them last year, but now as they’re hitting the store shelves as a new item there’s a lot of renewed interest.

2. Cadbury Mini Eggs - I’ve loved these things my whole life even though Hershey’s has mucked with the classic recipe by adding PGPR. Based on the number of visitors to that post every year around this time, I’m not alone in my love for the little morsels.

3. Kinder Surprise Egg

4. Reese’s Eggs - it doesn’t matter that I’ve reviewed several newer versions, the classic is the classic. 

5. Skittles - yeah, just plain old Skittles. This post from 2007 includes the classic Fruits, Wild Berry, Tropical, Smoothies (discontinued) and Sour (reformulated).

6. CVS Marshmallow Pop

7. Wonka Scrumdiddlyumptious

8. Reese’s Line

9. Skittles Fizzl’d Fruits - probably should have been called Bubbling Berries.

10. Chocolate Covered Peeps

Though I treasure my faithful readers and how they spread the word about Candy Blog, a fair number of visitors are just passing through via a search engine. I like to share these because it gives a sense of what the candy conversations are out there in the real world. Here are the most popular search phrases for March 2010:

1. Coconut M&Ms
2. Cadbury Mini Eggs
3. Extinguisher Candy
4. Kinder Eggs
5. Kazoozles
6. Almond Joy Pieces
7. Nestle Promotion Code (I actually don’t have any promotion codes on Candy Blog)
8. York Pieces
9. Turkish Delight recipe
10. Choxie

At the beginning of the month I moved from my old domain (typetive.com) to candyblog.net. I was afraid that beyond my regular readers that new readers wouldn’t find me, but it turns out that Google is pretty quick to catch up on spidering the new site. For a couple of weeks some photos were missing, but I think things are humming along smoothly now.

The dominant theme for March here on Candy Blog was obviously Easter, and with the 2010 season I’ve now reviewed more than 100 Easter candy products so far. I took about 1,600 candy photos this month (of course only about 200 were uploaded to Flickr and only

But I’m not alone in reviewing Easter candy, check out these excellent roundups - I’m going to guess that between and and the other diligent candy bloggers we’ve covered just about everything on the market:

Sugar Pressure’s Easter Candy Reviews
ZOMGCandy!‘s Easter Candy Reviews
The Candy Enthusiast’s Easter Candy Reviews
Candy Yum Yum’s Easter Candy Reviews
On Motivation and Chocolate’s Easter Candy Reviews
Gigi Reviews Easter Candy Reviews
Serious Eats has a serious obsession with Peeps
Chocablog’s Easter Chocolate Reviews
TodoCandy has Easter Candy Shopping
Jim’s Chocolate Mission’s 2009 Easter Archive (he didn’t tag Easter candy this year)
Candy Critic’s Easter Posts

Lovely little candy coated milk chocolate eggs with natural colorings. On top of that, they’re fair trade.

Here are some new products just hitting store shelves.

Name: Popzels
Brand: Waymouth Farms, Inc.
Description: Sweet, salty and oh so satisfying, our new Popzels™ are REAL chocolate-dipped pretzel balls in three different varieties: milk, white and dark chocolate. Now available in standup re-sealable bags and bulk. 
Introduction Date: 02/01/10
Notes: I’ve tried these and they are quite fun. They’re about the same size and format as a malted milk ball. The pretzel is airy and light, so it’s not like a chocolate covered pretzel nugget. The chocolate is decent and the option of chocolate coating is good though it’d be fun for a bag to have all three.

Name: Cherry RAISINETS
Brand: Nestle
Description: With the introduction of Cranberry RAISINETS(r) last year, cherries are the second new fruit to be introduced to the brand portfolio in more than 80 years. This delicious treat follows the lead of its chocolate-covered predecessors, with premium whole dried fruit covered in 100 percent NESTLE chocolate, making them an indulgence that is a cherry on top of anyone’s day! Premium, whole dried cherries are sourced from one of the premier cherry growing regions in Michigan. These Montmorency Tart Cherries are drenched in rich NESTLE(r) Dark Chocolate, creating a mouthwatering combination that is both sweet and creamy while also juicy and tangy. For anyone looking for something different, Cherry RAISINETS provides a win-win option with 1/2 a serving of real fruit in every 1/4 cup and 30 percent less fat than the leading chocolate brands.
Notes: I was irritated when the called them Cranberry Raisinets and can’t figure out why they’re also bestowing the lowly name of raisin for dried cherries which are so much better than that. Still, I’m hoping they don’t have additional sugar on them like the dried cranberries which were pretty flavorless.

Name: Côte d’Or Chocolate Bars - Rainforest Alliance Certified
Brand: Cote d’Or (Kraft)
Description: 4 enticing selections of premium Belgian chocolate bars: dark 86% cocoa, dark 70% cocoa, dark w/ orange peel and dark w/ pistachio.
These bars have more than 30% RAINFOREST ALLIANCE CERTIFIED cocoa content. By collaborating with the Rain Forest Alliance, Côte d’Or now helps support 3 keys of Sustainability: environmental (protect against deforestation and limit the use of chemical pesticides), social (to provide workers a safe and healthy work environment, better access to medical care, education and housing) and economic (to improve farming practices, resulting in improving profitability for the farmers and dignified wages for the workers). Our special blend of roasted cocoa beans from West Africa and noble beans from South America deliver a full-bodied chocolate w/ rich intense flavors and smooth refined textures that make Côte d’Or the #1 chocolate brand in Belgium.
Introduction Date: 03/01/2010
Notes: I’m not sure why it’s only 30% Rainforest Alliance content, but hey, it’s a start. Pistachio sounds good and it’s definitely an under-utilized nut. I’m also a fan of orange peel in dark chocolate, so that’s most likely to be my first choice.

Name: Sunkist Citrus Burst
Brand: Big Sky Brands Inc.
Description: Introducing, new Sunkist Citrus Burst - the first and only citrus mint line combining all natural fruit flavors with a low calorie sugar free formulation. It’s a delicious new way to enjoy authentic citrus refreshment! Available flavors: Valencia Orange, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Eureka Lemon & Key Lime.
Introduction Date: 01/01/2010
Notes: I love the design on the tins and of course I’m a huge fan of grapefruit. I don’t know what the ingredients are in these, but if they’re sugar alcohols without artificial sweeteners I’d probably give them a try.

Name: Choward’s Guava Candies
Brand: C. Howard Company, Inc.
Description: A new addition to the Choward’s line, with eye catching graphics and an exciting new flavor.
Introduction Date: 01/01/2010
Notes: This is the first new flavor I’ve heard of from them and the fact that it’s guava is pretty intriguing.

Name: Honey Lovers
Brand: Gimbal’s Fine Candies
Description: Honey Lovers colorful heart-shaped fruit chews are made with the Natural Goodness of Real Honey and are high in Antioxidant Vitamin C. Consisting of 16 incredibly delicious flavor combinations, Honey Lovers includes Pomegranate Honey, Honey Dipped Strawberry, Honey Vanilla, Huckleberry Honey and more. A truly enjoyable treat, these scrumptious treats are an assortment of irresistible flavors topped with honey. Honey Lovers is available in 10oz bags and 38oz jars. Best of all, with Honey Lovers you can help Save the Honey Bee! Gimbal’s has committed to donate 5% of proceeds to the University of California Davis Honey Bee Research.
Introduction Date: 3/15/2010
Notes: While I didn’t like the Cherry Lovers mostly because I’m not a cherry lover, I love the concept of a whole bag of different versions of a single flavor. I loved the new Jelly Belly Honey Bean as well ... can you tell that I’m excited by this one?

Name: Mike and Ike RedRageous!
Brand: Just Born
Description: Contains Cherry, Strawberry, Watermelon, Raspberry and Fruit Punch chewy fruit flavored candies. Available in a 6 oz. Theater Size Box
Introduction Date: 3/1/2010
Notes: I like the new combinations Mike and Ike has been doing lately, but of course the whole red thing isn’t likely to be on my hit list. It’s a shame these didn’t make it out before Valentine’s Day as I think that’s a great time to introduce them.

Name: Chimes Ginger Chews Mango & Orange Flavors
Brand: Roxy Trading/Chimes Gourmet
Description: Chimes Ginger Chews now comes in Mango & Orange flavors! Ginger Chews have never been this delicious!
Introduction Date: 09/15/09
Notes: I’ve seen these in stores already, Cost Plus World Market has them and when I was at ExpoWest earlier this month I picked up a few samples that I’m planning on trying. I’m most interested in the Orange, but I have to admit that I wasn’t that interested in the Peanut Butter version and they won me over so maybe they’re right about Mango.

All photos courtesy of the candy manufacturers

Related Candies

1. Candy Tease Valentines 2010
2. Candy Tease: October 2009
3. Candy Tease: September 2009
4. Candy Tease: All Candy Expo 2009 #2
5. Candy Tease: All Candy Expo 2009 - Hershey

Perfectly made and gorgeous Passion Fruit Caramels with a little hat of milk chocolate. (Amella now completely enrobes their caramels, I’ll have a review of the new version after Easter.)

This little milk chocolate square is from a collection with names themed to the American Revolution but made in the Swiss style. Package photo here.

Leonidas used to have many shops around in Southern California. Sometimes I’d pop in and pick up a few pieces, I was hoping to make it through all varieties eventually. Most of them are gone now (thankfully replaced by other sweet shops, so I just have other things to sample now).

The Eve piece is a milk chocolate shell with a thick base with a frothy banana creme inside.