Sunday, June 29, 2008

Starburst GummiBursts

I came across these new StarBurst GummiBursts at CVS last week and thought I would give them a try. I should start by saying that I am very picky when it comes to gummy candy. I do not like gummies that are too slimy, loose, greasy, or chunky. In fact, I find my ideal gummy to be the Haribo brand gummy bear - nice chew without slip sliding all over my mouth. Unfortunately, I found the Starburst Gummibursts to be exactly the type of gummy that I do not like.


Gummibursts come in the traditional Starburst flavors of lemon, orange, cherry, and strawberry. My 1.5 oz. bag contained mostly lemon flavor among the random assortment of about 12 pieces per bag. Each gummy piece is about the diameter of a nickel and 1/2 an inch think. What sets this gummy apart from others, and puts the "bursts" in GummiBursts, is the small well of corresponding flavored liquid that fills each gummy center. The liquid is pretty tasty and not what ultimately turned me off to these candies. In fact, I thought the cherry liquid center was the best tasting thing in the bag. It was sweet and tangy with a slight cherry cold medicine edge to it, but I kinda liked that.

What I disliked most was the texture of the gummy. I found it way too thick, so much so that when I chewed it, it broke off into little chunky pieces. I can equate it to eating Jell-O that has been sitting in the fridge a little too long and developed hard ridges on it's edges. When I made this correlation in my mind, I almost gagged because I hate eating Jell-O like that. As a picky gummy eater, I did not like this product. If I am looking for a tasty Starburst product I will stick with Sour Starbursts, which I am kinda hooked on right now.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Test Your Candy Bar Knowledge

Back in the day I wrote about an online cross-section candy bar quiz. Now, treat yourself to an all new candy bar ID quiz compliments of AOL Food. I got 19 out of 20. In my defense, I've never eaten the candy bar I misidentified, but I won't tell you what it is because I don't want to influence your test score. Feel free to share your scores in the comments!

http://food.aol.com/play-with-your-food/candy-bar-id-quiz

Friday, June 20, 2008

Candy Land Cake

I celebrated my birthday last weekend. As a surprise my mom and sister made me this awesome Candy Land cake resembling the children's board game of the same name.

All of the major Candy Land landmarks were represented. The Peppermint Forest, Gumdrop Mountains, Lollipop Woods, the Chocolate Swamp, and last but not least (not to mention my personal favorite), Candy Castle. Candy Castle stood at the the top of the cake. Marshmallow ice cream cones were dipped in colored sugar to mimic the ice cream cones that make up the Candy Castle. The marshmallow cones were then surrounded by giant chunks of blue rock candy, as a path of sour Starburst spelled out "Happy Birthday". It was truly a thing of beauty.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Sweets from the "Island of Enchantment"

I recently returned from a restful summer vacation in Puerto Rico. Of course, while there I tried to get a feel for the local candy scene. While much of the candy in Puerto Rico is very similar to the offerings here in the States, Walgreens seems to be universal, I did stumble upon a few surprises. For the most part, the local candy reflects the tropical climate of the island incorporating a lot of coconut, guava, mango, and pineapple flavors. The sampler box (pictured above) contains typical PR candy. There are flavored coconut bars like Coconut Ginger, Coconut Pineapple, and Coco-Cream. The coconut bars that I have tried so far are very tasty, but have an unexpected crumbly and dry texture, almost like a cookie.

Sesame seeds also play big role in Puerto Rican candy. I saw them suspended in lollipops and sold in a semi-solid bar state called Ajonjoli. Usually I am a big fan of sesame seed candy, I love the honey sesame seed sticks I get here at home, but the Ajonjoli didn't do much for me. The sesame was in a thick, gooey substance that looked and tasted like tar. Not very appetizing.

I am a big fan of the pilones, or lollipops. I saw pilones in strawberry, cherry, and coconut flavor, but chose a bag that had a coconut pineapple combo. They are delicious! The coconut is rich, creamy, sweet and balances well with the pineapple for a nice pina colada finale.

Pachy's sells authentic Puerto Rican candy online. Visit www.pachys.com to see their selection.