Just Born has introduced a new year-round version of marshmallow Peeps. The new Peeps Minis are different in a few ways. First, they’re not packaged a tray, they’re tossed together into a stand up, reasealable bag. Second, they’re mini versions of individual Peeps, each Peeps is not a single bite.

They’re available in several different flavors, but the only one I can find here in Los Angeles right now is the Vanilla Creme Peeps Minis. The package holds on 3.4 ounces and cost $2.79 at Target. They’re part of this whole hand-to-mouth snacking trend, as they analysts call it, that I refer to as morselization.

The surprising thing about Peeps Minis is that they do fulfill a big hole in the candy aisle. There are no sugar crusted marshmallows. If you meander over to the ingredient aisle in grocery stores you’ll find starch coated Jet-Puffed and Campfire marshmallows, but they’re only rarely found in the candy aisle (usually in special displays for S’mores along with graham crackers and chocolate bars).

They do smell a lot like cake. A sort of butter flavored cake, maybe pound cake and strongly of vanilla extract.

Each Peep is pretty small. They’re about half the weight of a regular Peep (which is usually about 8.5 grams) at about 4 grams each. There are only 14 calories per Peep, mostly because they don’t weight much and are made from sugar and a little protein.

I like white Peeps because they have no artificial colors to get in the way of the flavors. They do taste rather cakey, like an Angel Food Cake in both flavor profile and actual texture. I liked them much more than I thought, though I still doubt I’d pick these up as a go-to candy, even in the summer. My biggest issue is the eyes, I can’t stand the little wax eyes on Peeps, I have to pull them off, which means that I can’t just eat them. They are an ideal version of Peeps to take to the movies, as the package is very quiet and of course they’re easy to share ... and would probably pair very well with popcorn.

It seemed like there was less sugar sanding on the, and because the package does a better job of containing the leftover sugar than the trays, they were far less messy. I don’t know how good of a job the zipper-top package does at keeping them fresh, I only had them for a few days, did not seal them and they’re still fresh. (But it’s a bit more humid in Southern California as were in our June Gloom weather pattern of low clouds in the morning.)

They’re gluten free and fat free (as if people have allergies to fat). They’re made in the USA, and may contain milk but have no other notations about allergens such as nuts. Since they’re marshmallows, they’re also made with gelatin and are not for vegetarians. There’s no specification as to the source of the gelatin, so I would guess it’s porcine.

Related Candies

1. Party Cake Peeps
2. Limited Edition Milky Way French Vanilla
3. Peeps Chocolate Dipped Sugar Cookie & Candy Cane
4. Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows + Vanilla, Cinnamon Bun, Strawberry, Chocolate Royale, Gingerbread
5. Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy - Chocolate, Vanilla & Strawberry
6. Peeps Spooky Friends
7. Peeps Mash Ups

Just Born has been making Hot Tamales, a cinnamon flavored jelly candy, since 1950. Their newest twist is Hot Tamales Tropical Heat, which features spice combined with fruit flavors.

While the classic Hot Tamales get their warm heat from the active ingredient in cinnamon, cinnamaldehyde, the twist with this new version features hot peppers. The active hotness in chili peppers is caused by capsaicin.

Hot Tamales Tropical Heat come in a mix of three flavors in the bag: Limon Fever, Mango Tango, and Pineapple Picante.

I bought this half pound peg at Cost Plus World Market for $2.99 ... I found that a bit steep for what are basically jelly beans, but I was very interested in Just Born’s entry into this segment. I’m quite fond of the original and keep them on hand in my candy jars in my office.

The pieces are beautiful and easy to differentiate from the regular Hot Tamales or Milk and Ike, if you happened to mix them together.

The Limon Fever is light green with a few green speckles on it. Though limón is lemon in Spanish, this has a distinct lime note to it. There’s a bitterness at the front, a nice zesty note of citrus peel, then a tart juicy flavor (which could be lemon) and a note of jalapeno. Though I get the spicy burst and the warmth, it’s not too much, not throat searing, just warm. Then after a while it’s just sweet and a little grainy.

Mango Tango is medium orange with red speckles. This seemed to be the dominant flavor in my package, which is too bad. As much as I love mangos, they’re rarely good in candy format. The flavor starts out with a mild tangy bite and the heat from the chili, then it gets sweet and taste like peaches. That’s pretty much it. It’s not terrible, but it’s not quite mango.

Pineapple Picante begins with a good mix of floral and lightly tart. The chili warmth comes in just as the whole thing descends into sweetness though the floral pineapple remains. It’s the freshest tasting of the three, though I liked the enduing zest of the Limon as well.

Though I found these a little strange, I actually liked them, and I don’t actually like chili peppers. They’re warm but not painfully hot. But if you’re someone who likes their spicy spices to burn, these will not do it for you.

Hot Tamales are gluten free, contain no gelatin but do have confectioners glaze so wouldn’t be appropriate for vegans.

Related Candies

1. Ginger Zingers Blood Orange and Chai
2. Lindt Wasabi
3. Haribo Hot Sticks
4. Jelly Belly Tabasco
5. David’s Signature Beans Jelly Bean Sampler
6. McIlhenny Co Tabasco Brand Spicy Chocolate
7. Cowgirl Chocolates Buckin’ Hot Habanero Caramels
8. Jolly Rancher Fruitas Enchiladas
9. Hot Tamales and Hotter Tamales
10. Xocoatl 73.5%

Peeps were originally an Easter treat, a small dollop of marshmallow sanded with colored sugar to look like a chick. Now they come in many shapes and are released for all the major holidays. The new Party Cake Peeps are a year round Peep item from Just Born where you get to select the celebration.

I noticed they’re not birthday cake themed, just party, so they could be used for engagements, housewarmings, baby showers, retirement parties, graduations ... the list is endless.

The package describes them as a way to bring home the best part of the celebration—without the cleanup! Enjoy the delicious flavor of the party in each yummy marshmallow bite!

They’re not just turquoise blue, they’re covered in flecks of candy confetti. The confetti is just little bit of transparent, different-colored candy shavings. They come in a set of two trays with five conjoined Peeps in a set. They’re not individually sealed, so once you open the package, the clock is ticking for staleness (which may be good, depending on how you prefer your Peeps).

They smell like a cross between microwave popcorn and coconut tanning lotion. It’s not overpowering, but definitely noticeably different from regular Peeps.

They’re Peep textured, soft and bouncy, easy to bite. The sugary grain was not too much, so it didn’t make a big mess. The inside of the Peep is just lightly creamy colored, like a cake. The flavor is marshmallowy, more vanilla than butter but with that toasted sugar flavor like an Angel Food Cake.

Overall, I liked them, perhaps better than a traditional Peep, except that the blue coloring had a bitter aftertaste.

It’s nice to see a sort of generic, all year Peep on the rotation. I’d like them more if they had that little dip of chocolate on the base like some others, but I haven’t tried the Vanilla Creme to compare. As for its simulation of cake ... there’s nothing baked about this, nothing that tastes like cake at all. They’re not even shaped like little cupcakes. It’s just a fun name.

The next flavor craze they should do: Frozen Yogurt Peeps ... each Peep would be shaped like a twisted dollop of FroYo and you can sprinkle chocolate chips, Cap’n Crunch or crushed Butterfingers on them.

Or Whoopie Pie Peeps: You’d have a two chocolate Peep disks with another vanilla Peep disk in the center.

Related Candies

1. Russell Stover Eggs: Carrot Cake, Birthday Cake and Wedding Cake
2. R.M. Palmer Cake Batter Cup
3. Birthday Cake M&Ms
4. Bubble Gum Flavored Peeps
5. Peeps Gingerbread Men
6. Peeps Chocolate Dipped Sugar Cookie & Candy Cane
7. Ritter Sport Fruhlingsspezialitaten 2010
8. Peeps Chocolate Mousse (Bears & Bunnies)
9. Peeps Mash Ups

I’m on a bit of a kick with Just Born products, not just because they sent me a package of Peeps last month, but because they’ve got a lot going on with their other product lines. (Once I start, I feel like I have to explore all the versions of a product.)

Mike and Ike have been around for some 70+ years. They’re pretty much jelly beans, sold in boxes in a limited assortment of 2 to five flavors.

The newest Limited Edition version is Mike and Ike Strawberry Reunion. Recently Just Born did a big advertising push for Mike and Ike, including a whole narrative about the characters of Mike and Ike breaking up ... and (spoiler!) getting back together. This version has a strawberry theme, including: Strawberry, Strawberry Banana Smoothie, Strawberry Watermelon, Strawberry Tangerine and Strawberry Pineapple.

If you want to read more about the marketing, AdWeek had a nice summation of it.

Strawberry Watermelon is a light pink color with darker spots and completely believable in its flavor. It’s a floral and tart and ends with the watermelon flavor notes without tasting like chemicals.

Strawberry was red rather ordinary, but still a good piece.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie is yellow. It’s tangy at first with an artificial note of banana and none of the creamy component that makes strawberry banana smoothies so great. As an artificial creation though, it’s nice candy.

Strawberry Tangerine is orange and fantastic. Tangy and citrusy and floral all at once. It has a zesty finish to it, instead of being purely sweet.

Strawberry Pineapple is speckled and more peachy. There weren’t as many of these in my box, which is too bad because they were also wonderful. Tart and zippy with more pineapple than strawberry.

Overall, a nice mix, each of them were distinct but could also be combined ... the only one that didn’t like to play with others was watermelon.

Just Born also recently started releasing their candies in classic packaging. To go along with that, they brought back a few of their old flavor varieties. I found the Mike and Ike Lem and Mel and the Mike and Ike Cherri and Bubb at the Dollar Tree.

These are full variety mixes though, each box only contains a pair of flavors ... and odd pairs at that. The packaging has a fifties feel, a little more muted and simplified, but a quick check online shows that the Lem and Mel variety was introduced in 1991 and the Cherri and Bubb was out in 1989 ... back when we had another obsession with nostalgia.

The Mike and Ike - Lem and Mel is yellow and green, featuring Lemon and Watermelon flavored jelly bean rods. The lemon is already found in the classic Mike and Ike fruits box and a pink version of the watermelon is in the RedRageous package.

Lemon is not as sparkly as the Lemonade Blends. It’s sweet and zesty, but not tangy. Watermelon is sweet as well, with only a tart hint and then a sort of cotton candy finish.

Cherri and Bubb is Cherry and Bubble Gum. I bought this variety because of the Bubble Gum Peeps and though maybe I’d review them together, but ended up separating the products this way instead.

The cherry is an odd sort of flavor. It’s very bold, it starts out with a strong wild cherry flavor that reminds me of Sucrets throat drops. Then it gets very sweet and has a little bit of a raspberry note. They’re not for me.

Bubble gum is pink. They seemed a little bit stiffer, not quite as soft and jelly-like as the cherry. This make them seem more bubble gum-like as well. It’s a good bubble gum flavor, a bit on the sweet strawberry side with only the lightest note of wintergreen. It’s fresh and veers off into juicyfruit. There’s no weird aftertaste from the artificial colors, which was my problem with the Peeps.

About 9 years ago I remember a Root Beer Float version of Mike and Ike, I’d like to see those come back ... or maybe a whole soda pop flavor mix.

They’re a really good value, for a buck a box which holds 5 ounces. It’s the kind of price that I don’t feel bad if I throw out the flavors I don’t like. I’d opt for the Strawberry Reunion or the Lemonade Blends out of all the Mike and Ike varieties.

Related Candies

1. Bubble Gum Flavored Peeps
2. Jelly Belly Snapple Jelly Beans
3. Sour Patch Kids Berries
4. Mike and Ike Fruit Flavored Bubblegum
5. Mike and Ike Italian Ice
6. Strawberry Yoghurt Mentos
7. Mike and Ike Alex’s Lemonade Stand
8. Mike and Ike Tangy Twister

Just Born continues their new introductions of Peeps in all flavors for all occasions. Today I have some Peeps Sweet Lemonade Chicks which were sent to me by Just Born last month.

Instead of a row of conjoined Peeps, these are the individual chicks, the packages I have have trays with a pair that come out to only .75 ounces. If you’re looking for a low calorie summer treat, this might be the thing, as they’re only 75 calories for the package.

They smell like Country Time Lemonade Drink Mix. A soft lemon with a little hint of vanilla and anti-caking agents. The Peeps are, well, rather like a lemon meringue.

The marshmallow itself is soft, fluffy and has a mellow sweet lemon flavor, the sugary coating has a little tartness to it now and then, like someone mixed lemon Pixy Stix in with the granulated coating. Overall, it’s actually a pretty successful iteration of the ordinarily bland Peeps.

I didn’t try them toasted, but I bet that would really add to the lemon meringue note.

The PR folks also sent along some boxes of the Mike and Ike Lemonade Blends. I’ve already reviewed them, though I admit they’re my favorite variety of the Mike and Ike, so I was happy to have them.

The reason I mention it is that both candies are part of Just Born’s partnership with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer, which raises money for families dealing the a child with cancer as well as research for cures. Since 2007 they’ve donated over $500,000 to the group through their Mike and Ike packages.

The candies are just regular old Mike and Ike jelly bean rods in five flavors: Lemonade, Tangerine Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Raspberry Lemonade and Lime Lemonade.

The seem to be a lot easier to find now than when they first came out, which I’m guessing is because it’s a good mix of flavors. They’re a bit more tart than the standard Fruit Mike and Ike and the variety is good because the lemon flavor holds it all together so you can combine. I gave them a 7 out of 10 when they first came out, and think they’ve held up well.

Related Candies

1. Bubble Gum Flavored Peeps
2. Peeps Chocolate Dipped Sugar Cookie & Candy Cane
3. Peeps Strawberry Creme dipped in Dark Chocolate
4. Airheads Pink Lemonade
5. Sour Punch Bits - Tangerine-Lemonade
6. Mike and Ike Fruit Flavored Bubblegum
7. Mike and Ike Alex’s Lemonade Stand

The folks at Just Born continue to develop new flavors and merchandise for their iconic Marshmallow Peeps line.

The newest flavor addition, which I mentioned in a roundup last month, is Bubble Gum Flavored Peeps. As you might expect, they’re pink. They’re also Peep shaped, not bunny shaped or bubble shaped. Even though they’re little baby chicks, they’re considered a year-round flavor.

Just Born bills them as having that “classic bubble gum taste.” Which of course leads me to examine what that flavor actually is. Well, since there’s no natural item, like a vanilla bean to consult, the recipe varies, but generally bubble gum is very mild wintergreen, sometimes with a little fruity banana and vanilla flavors thrown in.

The Peeps come in a row of five conjoined chicks. They’re pink, which isn’t surprising at all, except for the fact that they’re colored all the way through. This ruins it completely for me.

The flavor is mild and actually goes really well with the sweet, aerated gelatin. But the artificial coloring (Red 40) has a bitter, metallic aftertaste for me. So the first bite is great, but shortly after it begins to dissolve, I have a bunch of bitter goo in my mouth.

I’m really disappointed they had to use so much coloring for these, most of the other Peeps they sell are uncolored in the middle (except for the chocolate coated ones). I’m sure that folks who don’t react poorly to Red 40 and also enjoy the slightly medicinal flavor of bubble gum will go wild for these.

Related Candies

1. Peeps Chocolate Dipped Sugar Cookie & Candy Cane
2. Dubble Bubble Gum Cigars
3. Nestle Butterfinger Pumpkin
4. Classic Gums: Black Jack, Clove, Beemans & Teaberry
5. Three Pink Bubble Gums
6. Peeps Mash Ups

Name: Bubble Gum Flavored Peeps Marshmallow
Brand: Just Born
Description: Introducing 10 ct PARTY CAKE Flavored PEEPS® Marshmallow; 10 ct BUBBLE GUM Flavored PEEPS® Marshmallow; 2 ct LEMONADE Flavored PEEPS® Marshmallow and Marshmallow Chick in a Chocolate Egg.
Introduction Date: 04/30/13
Notes: Bubble Gum is a good flavor match for the delicate texture of a marshmallow. I find the whole idea a little odd, but I know myself well enough that I’ll probably be scouring the stores at the end of the month for them. I think the blue Party Cake Peeps have already been spotted in the wild. I’m less interested in Lemonade, but I am curious if they’ll be tangy or sweet like a meringue.

Name: Smarties Gummies
Brand: Smarties
Description: Each chewy piece is two-toned with a creamy white paired with a colorful fruit-themed side. The medley of fruit flavors is inspired by the classic Smarties roll with a few twists! Strawberry, Orange, Lemon, Green Apple, Grape. Smarties Gummies are gluten-free, free of animal products and vegan. However, because they are made in a facility that processes other ingredients, they may contain traces of peanut, milk, wheat and soy.
Introduction Date: 1/1/2013
Note: Since they’re vegan, I have to note that they’re not really gummis, which contain gelatin or some other protein. These use starch as a gelling agent, which is great and all, but creates a different texture.

Name: Cinnamon Lovers
Brand: Gimbal’s Fine Candies
Description: These shiny red adorable heart-shaped candies are made with Real Cinnamon Oil and absolutely burst with scrumptious cinnamon heat. Cinnamon Lovers fun 9 oz laydown bags come packed 12 bags per convenient ready-to-display case. Founded in 1898, all Gimbal’s candies are free of major food allergens and made with pride in U.S.A.
Introduction Date: 09/15/2013
Notes: Gimbal’s made another awesome product called Lava Balls, I’m wondering how similar these will be. I’m also downright obsessed with the See’s Red Hot Hearts, which I’ve often suspected were made by Gimbal’s, so I’d say with wider distribution they’ll be a hit.

Name: ALERT™ Energy Caffeine Gum
Brand: Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
Description: A portable and approachable tailored energy solution. Contains: SORBITOL MALTITOL, GUM BASE, GLYCEROL, CAFFEINE LESS THAN 2% OF: NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, ACACIA, SOY LECITHIN, MALIC ACID, ASPARTAME, COLORS (TITANIUM DIOXIDE, BLUE 2 LAKE, RED 40 LAKE), SUCRALOSE, ASPARTAME-ACESULFAME, CITRIC ACID, ACESULFAME K, CONFECTIONER’S GLAZE, BHT (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS), CARNAUBA WAX. PHENYLKETONURICS: CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE.
Introduction Date: 4/1/2013
Notes: If you’re looking for a caffeinated gum, this one contains 40 mg per piece, which is about a half of a cup of coffee. It also contains a lot of non-sugar sweeteners, including sugar alcohols like sorbitol and artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose and AceK. Wrigley’s has been making a different version called Stay Alert for the US Military for years, but that one contains 100 mg per piece and doesn’t have such a fussy package.

Name: Cinnamo Sticks
Brand: Atkinson Candy Company
Description: We proudly introduce our brand new 0.7 oz Cinnamo Sticks. This great tasting candy is bursting with cinnamon flavor and has wide appeal to kids of all ages. The clever box design features the Cinnamo Bandit character and the delicious taste will keep you coming back for more!
Introduction Date: 01/01/2013
Notes: I can’t decide if this is a cinnamon version of a Chick-o-Stick or just an aerated stick candy. I game to try it.

All images are courtesy of the respective manufacturers.

I have a few more Easter items I wanted to include before Sunday. They’re not extraordinary products, but I didn’t want to pass them up.

This year was, I felt, the best we’ve had so far this decade for Easter candy diversity. It was a nice mix of classic products, new flavor twists on existing items and then some exciting new diversions. The stores seemed well stocked, better than I saw them two years ago, for example. It’s an encouraging sign for the economy and for our tummies.

Just Born is celebrating 60 years of their iconic Peeps marshmallow candies. They’ve come a long way from the early years when they came in plain yellow. Now they’re available in all the colors of the rainbow and special flavors.

To mark the anniversary, they’ve created a 60th Anniversary version in Vanilla Creme flavor. They’re the individual Peeps (not a conjoined row) and feature little sparkly flecks of multi colored candies, like edible confetti.

I prefer an uncolored Peep, as I think the artificial colorings get in the way of the pure sugary flavor. (Ghost Peeps, for that reason, are the best.)

The Vanilla Creme is a soft flavor, artificial and lacking in the complexity of a nice Tahitian vanilla pod, but still it has a soft and comforting flavor that cuts a bit of the sugary sweetness. They’re bouncy and fluffy and grainy. The little confetti add a little bit of a crunch, but mostly they dissolve quickly on the tongue.

These would be a fun version available all year round. I also heard that they’re releasing Birthday Cake Peeps which are a turquoise blue and yellow cake flavored. (Which is also a great idea for a year-round Peep.)

Rating: 7 out of 10

I admit that I bought these because of the package.

They’re just egg shaped gumballs.

Smarties Bubble Gum Eggs are made by Ford Gum in the USA with real sugar, there are no artificial sweeteners in there. I bought them for $1.49 at Cost Plus World Market, but then I saw them at the 99 Cent Only Store for a dollar.

They’re passably good. They come in different colors, but I really didn’t get a sense that they were different flavors, all vaguely and pleasantly fruity. They were soft enough to bite but have a satisfyingly crunchy shell. Each piece is a good size for chewing, two make for a little too much. The sugar takes a while to be dissolved, so there’s no bubble blowing right away. Even after the sugar is gone, they’re a little too stiff and snappy to blow a good bubble with.

At other times of the year, they’re also available as plain old gumballs. I bought them before and feel the same way about them. They’re okay. Mostly I like them because they’re pretty. I just chew the sugar out, spit out the gum and start up with a new piece.

Rating: 5 out of 10

I noticed this new Hershey’s chocolate bunny introduced in 2011 called Snapsy Snap-Apart Bunny.

The concept is that the bunny is flat instead of dimensional, and pre-sectioned to break apart easily. The version I purchased, for a buck, is 2 ounces, or about the size of a King Size bar. It comes apart into five pieces. Each is a good size for dipping into peanut butter, which was always my favorite way to eat my Easter Rabbit.

This is one of those products that solves a problem you didn’t know you had. I’m sure if this were sold on infomercials, the first part would demonstrate all the frustrating things about a sumptuous solid chocolate bunny and how hard it is to eat, how children fight over it and what it should be named.

I don’t have much to say except that it’s a rabbit shaped Hershey’s bar. It’s made from Hershey’s marginally satisfying chocolate, the same stuff in Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Miniatures and those addictive little Hershey’s Candy Coated Eggs. While I don’t think Hershey’s Milk Chocolate is good chocolate, it’s mighty fine candy. It’s fudgy, grainy and tangy and comforting.

It’s also made in Mexico. (The Candy Professor had a bit of a rant about Snapsy.)

Rating: 5 out of 10

Related Candies

1. Short and Sweet: Easter Bites
2. Easter Candy Spotting 2013
3. Twix Egg
4. Ferrero Eggs: Hazelnut & Cocoa
5. Wonka SweeTarts Chicks, Ducks & Bunnies (2012)
6. Milka L’il Scoops