The Cadbury Crunchie

Despite being a Cadbury classic in the UK since 1929, I had never heard of the Crunchie until a few weeks ago when I spotted it during a recent candy store visit. The Crunchie is a chocolate-covered sponge toffee bar. The center is a buttery and well, crunchy golden sponge candy that slowly melts away in your mouth. The texture of sponge candy is similar to that of a Whopper malted milk ball in that it kind of disintegrates from the saliva of your tongue. However, this sponge candy has a delicious toffee flavor that is rich, but by being a "sponge" is also airy. To top it off, the bar is covered by creamy Cadbury chocolate. And not the mockolate that is making its way into some stateside candy bars, this is the good stuff.

I recommend enjoying the Crunchie in small bites. This bar is thick! And with the solid center it's easy to bite off more than you can chew.

P-NOT Butter Flavored Sixlets

I am actually angry at this candy, if it is possible to harbor such feelings toward a candy. Why am I angry? I am angry because I put this candy in my mouth and it tastes like vomit. And I'm not using the word "vomit" in a figurative sense, quite literally it tastes like vomit. You know the sour, burn taste that puke leaves in your mouth and throat? Well, in case you forgot, it is captured here in deceptively cute, colorful shiny balls of candy. I would compare their flavor to the Harry Potter Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Jelly Beans...the vomit ones, of course.

These Sixlets are supposed to be peanut butter flavored, while containing no peanuts or tree nut products so people with peanut allergies can eat them. It's a nice idea, but too bad they are just so awful. I guess I was expecting them to taste comparable to Reese's Pieces, but they don't. Luckily I do not have a peanut allergy, but if I did, I think I would rather go without then eat these. I hate to come down hard on Sixlets because I do love the chocolate flavored ones, even though I know they are not "real" chocolate. The P-NOT Butter flavored Sixlets are just P-NOT good. Eat at your own risk!

The Idaho Spud

Ahh, where to begin with the Idaho Spud? The first time I had an Idaho Spud a few years ago, I totally loved it. I remember it tasting like semi-melted chocolate ice cream. Flash forward to June 2009, I have my second Idaho Spud and...it's kind of grody. Is my mind playing tricks on me? Have my taste buds changed? I know its not the recipe that has changed. The Spud has been produced by the Idaho Candy Company under the Owyhee brand name since 1918.

Surprisingly, the Idaho Spud does not contain potato. Its name is an homage to the potato producing state where the candy is produced and the lumpy, bumpy shape it shares with the vegetable. The Idaho Spud is a lump of marshmallow covered in chocolate and coated with coconut. I have no issues with the chocolate coating or the coconut. Both of those variables are pleasant and quite tasty. In fact, I ended up peeling off the chocolate coating which has a great cocoa flavor, and just eating that. The Spud gets weird at its core. The marshmallow is strange. It is stoney gray in color and smells like maple even though "maple" is not a listed ingredient. The texture is not like any marshmallow I have experienced before. It's very dense, wet, and sticky. The closet thing I can compare it to is the inside of a Nerf football, or one of those squishy stress balls. I was afraid to swallow it.

In his book, Candyfreak, Steve Almond recounts his visit to the Idaho Candy Company, which includes a firsthand look at the creation of the Idaho Spud. He learns that where most marshmallows are made with gelatin, the Spud marshmallow is made with a seaweed derivative called agar agar. This gives it "resilience" according to company president Dave Wagers. I'm not sure resilience is what I'm looking for in my candy, but hey it's been around since 1918, who am I to argue with that?

The Idaho Spud gets props for its cute, retro wrapper. I have a soft spot in my heart for independent candy companies, especially the ones with a history. I love seeing black and white photos of ladies in hair nets wrapping candy bars. Therefore, I am determined to find an Idaho Candy Company product that I love. Unfortunately, the Spud wasn't it, but I'll write about it when I do!

Idaho Candy Company

Great article on the continuing popularity of the Idaho Spud from the Deseret News, 2006

Make Yourself a "Sweet" Belt

Check out these super cute candy wrapper belts made by Megan at Plum Pudding. I think I need to start saving up my wrappers. And the best part - no sewing required!

Candy Giveaway at the Candy Dish Blog

This is the time of year I lament not being able to attend the All Candy Expo. The Expo, sponsored by the National Confectioner's Association, starts tomorrow and is a three day affair of candy, sweets, and all things awesome. However, it's only open to vendors and industry professionals, which I can't fault them for. Could you imagine if nuts like me had an unlimited world of new candy within their grasp? The place would be cleaned out. For now, I am visiting vicariously by following the Candy Dish Blog . The Candy Dish Blog is the official candy blog of the National Confectioners Association. I recommend checking it out. Do it soon because they are running a candy giveaway contest full of treats from the Expo. Good luck!

Mike & Ike Cotton Candy

Cotton candy is one of the sweets that I have a hard time resisting.  I am delighted that it is now readily available in nonperishable packaging.  All the fun without the carnies - a win/win situation.  I bought this Mike & Ike flavored cotton candy at Dylan's Candy Bar a couple weeks ago and I have to say that it is absolutely delicious!  There are three flavored balls in the bag - cherry, lemon, and lime.  Each flavor is well executed.  The cherry tastes like just like a maraschino cherry.  I could have eaten three bags, but sadly I've finished my one bag and I don't know where to buy more.  


Just one word of caution, when I bought the Mike & Ike cotton candy I also picked up a bag of Hot Tamales flavored cotton candy for my sister, a Hot Tamales fan. While I didn't taste the Hot Tamales version, my sister told me it was inedible. Apparently it smelled like the interior of an abandoned car (her words, not mine) and left a weird aftertaste in her mouth. Perhaps cinnamon doesn't translate well into cotton candy.

UPDATE: I was able to find this at World Market. The new bag had one ball of lemon and two cherry. Lime was missing. Where's the quality control?

Smarties Bubble Gum Balls

I found these Smarties Bubble Gum Balls at Kroger (on sale for 65 cents with a Kroger Plus card). Being a fan of both Smarties and gum balls, I thought these were going to be something special, however I was a little disappointed. The package contains 10 pastel gum balls mimicking the delicate colors of Smarties roll candy in pink, yellow, green, orange, and lavender. They are pretty to look at, but lack the tartness I enjoy in Smarties.  Overall, Smarties Gum Balls are good gumballs, but they have little in common with Smarties. 

Candy Excursions in the Big Apple: Part I

Yikes! April is nearly over and I realize that I have not posted this month! Even though I haven't written much about candy, it has been a candy-filled month. First Easter, my favorite holiday, and I went on a short vaca to New York City last week. I made it a point to visit some of the major NYC candy haunts that I have read about over the years. I think I did a pretty good job. I visited Dylan's Candy Bar, Economy Candy, and Papabubble. Trust me, by the time we flew home I had to have my boyfriend carry a bag on the plane just filled with candy.

The first place I visited was Dylan's Candy Bar located at 1011 Third Ave. Dylan's looks like a candy paradise. It really is a beautiful store. From the lollipop sculpture (pictured) in the center of the first floor showroom, to the candy-embedded staircase, it looks awesome. The first floor housed bins of all kinds of bulk candy. Lots of gummies and licorice - for $10.99 a pound. Yeah, $10.99 a pound! I know it's NYC, but that still seems like a lot for a pound of gummi bears.

Down the candy-embedded staircase into the basement level, there was more candy, a chocolate boutique, and some really expensive candy-inspired clothing. I looked at a t-shirt with a bedazzled cupcake on it and was nearly floored by the $300 price tag. Maybe it was from some designer I'm not cool enough to know about. I did like the retro candy display (pictured above) that comprised an entire wall. Behold the mountain of candy bars! However, once again I was floored by the prices. I bought a strawberry banana Laffy Taffy and didn't realize until looked at my receipt later that night that I laid down 2 bones...for a Laffy Taffy! I could have bought three for that price at home.

Dylan's also had a special line of Barbie 50th anniversary candy that I loved.


If you can't make it to Dylan's Candy Bar in person, visit them online at http://www.dylanscandybar.com.

My First Candy Podcast! SweeTarts Jelly Beans

Look out honey cause I'm using technology! I recently learned how to create a podcast and thought it would be fun to occasionally incorporate a candy review podcast into the mix here at Sugar Hi. For the first installment I reviewed SweeTarts Jelly Beans. Hopefully I don't sound too much like the "Delicious Dish" ladies from that Saturday Night Live skit. Good times...

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I Just Can't Go There

A friend gave me this garlic candy as a Christmas gift. I'm sure it's intentionally a gag gift (gag, haha...no pun intended) but I just can't bring myself to try it. I like the sleazy looking dude on the package though.

New Whoppers Flavors

I tried two of the Whoppers malted milk ball Easter flavors - vanilla milkshake and blueberry. I hear there is an orange milkshake version out too, but the thought doesn't even entice me so I didn't seek them out. A year ago, I reviewed the awesome Reese's Whoppers. Like the Reese's, these feature a flavored coating in place of the original chocolate.

The vanilla milkshake flavor is okay. It really doesn't taste very vanilla. The flavor is buttery and salty, and has more in common with white chocolate than vanilla. The blueberry flavor makes me happy. When I opened the tiny milk carton and smelled inside I was reminded of Smurf Berry Crunch cereal. Children of the 80s may remember this wonderful cereal inspired by the fictitious Smurf berry. The flavor of Smurf Berry Crunch cereal was not comparable to any natural substance. It was sweet and berry-inspired and when I was 8 years old, it was awesome. It still holds a soft spot in my heart, therefore the blueberry Whoppers are a winner in my book. As an added bonus, they are Smurf colored. Coincidence?

Wonka Tinglerz

Wonka Tinglerz are a fun candy. I've had this bag in my candy stash for a while and finally decided to give them a try. Basically, Tinglerz are tiny nuggets of chocolate popping candy. Think chocolate-covered Pop Rocks. They crackle and pop in your mouth just like Pop Rocks but look like plain old chocolate-covered Rice Krispies, at least that was what I thought until on closer inspection I discovered tiny bits of popping candy mixed in with the rice cereal. While their small size probably won't satisfy a major chocolate craving, they do have a nice caramelly flavor. The shiny purple package is pretty cool too.

Sweethearts Forbidden Fruits - aka the Twilight Candies

I mentioned these candies a few weeks ago, Necco Sweethearts inspired by the movie Twilight. I found them at a FYE store in the mall. The display housing the candy was huge, at least 5 feet tall, making it nearly impossible to miss. The boxes are comparable to the large, movie theater size candies and come in three different designs. Box 1 features the Twilight cast, Box 2 features Edward (as shown above), and Box 3 features Bella. The candies are officially called Sweethearts Forbidden Fruit, playing off of the verboten love between Edward the vampire, and Bella, a human chick.

You would have to live under a rock not to be familiar with Necco Sweethearts, the tiny candy hearts with clever little messages such as "Be Mine" stamped on them in red ink. The Twilight hearts differ from the original in three ways. First, there are four "exotic" flavors - Orange Obsession, Tempting Apple, Secret Strawberry, and Passion Fruit. I'm really digging the strawberry and apple flavors. The strawberry reminds me Strawberry Bubbilicious. I'm not the biggest orange fan, but Orange Obsession is okay. I've had some pieces that taste like a Creamsicle and others that have a nice tang like orange Tic-Tacs. The purple Passion Fruit flavor is just plain awful, almost to the point of being inedible. Seriously, it tastes like bubble bath or a stinky candle that would be sold at the dollar store. The tagline on the box reads, "The Forbidden Fruit Tastes the Sweetest", but in the case of the Passion Fruit, I can't help but think that some things are forbidden for a reason.

The messages imprinted on the Twilight hearts also reflect themes from the story. A few examples are "Bite Me" (vampire...get it?), "I [heart] EC", "Lamb", and "Dazzle." In the story, Edward's skin sparkles like diamonds when he's exposed to the sun. The "dazzle" theme is also played upon by the candies' having a shimmering glitter dusted on the tops of them. The effect is very slight and hardly noticeable on most of the pieces. You may be able to make it out on the purple and orange hearts pictured in my photo above.

I imagine fans of the Twilight books and movie will collect these boxes for their novelty. From a candy standpoint, the strawberry and apple heart flavors are winners; orange and passion fruit need some more work in the test lab.

Good & Fiery

Imagine my surprise when I happened upon this box of Good & Fiery while candy shopping this afternoon. "Good & Fiery", I thought to myself, "I didn't even know these were coming out!" Naturally I laid down my $1.65 and bought a box. It's obvious from the name, font, and box design that the Fierys' are a member of the Hershey Company's "Good & Plenty" family. This same company caused quite a stir in the candy world about a year ago when they reintroduced Good & Fruity as a thick-shelled jelly bean, instead of the awesome candy coated red licorce bits they used to be in the 1980s. While I personally don't despise the new Good & Fruity, I don't think they are comparable to version I remember from my youth. I was curious where in the jelly bean/licorce world the Good & Fiery would fall.

The box describes this candy as "sweet & spicy chewy candy." There are four flavors in the box - lemon, orange, apple, and cinnamon. The inclusion of fruit flavors is a little strange. I would have been satisfied if the entire box was just plain ol' cinnamon bits. The cinnamon pieces have a deep red shell that cracks easily to reveal a clear jelly bean-like center. Just like the box promises, it is both sweet and spicy. It packs more heat than a Hot Tamale and I enjoy the size of the pieces. They're small enough that I can eat a bunch without getting a stomachache. I was not as keen on the other flavors. The lemon tastes like lemon and cinnamon. It reminds me of tea that I would drink when I have a cold. The orange tastes like orange and cinnamon, see a pattern here? Orange is always my least favorite candy flavor. This one does nothing for me, I even find it kind of bitter. The apple bits remind me of a crisp autumn day, because they taste like spiced apple cider...or a bowl of potpourri, take your pick.

I do like this mix and will probably continue to pick from the box. The cinnamon pieces are quite tasty. Really, the only one I will avoid is the unfortunate orange.

Skittles Crazy Cores

Around the same time last year, I wrote about Chocolate Mix Skittles. This year, Skittles adds the new Crazy Cores to their collection. Crazy Cores Skittles boast two flavors in each piece. There are five different colors in the bag for a total of 10 flavors. From what I can tell, the chewy center and the candy shell are two independent flavors that blend together when chewed up. Here's how they pan out:

Blue Raspberry & Lemon: This one has a blue raspberry shell and lemon yellow core. I'm usually stay away from blue raspberry stuff, if only to avoid the blue mouth of death look, but this flavor turned out to be one of my favorites. I think the raspberry and the lemon work well together. Off to a good start.

Melon Berry: With a purplish shell and light green center, its obvious that the berry provides the outer layer of flavor, but melon (probably honeydew) pretty much overpowers this one.

Mango Peach: The mango center is quite tasty. It's fruity and a little creamy. Artificial peach flavor usually reminds me of Glade air freshener, but here with the mango it's not unbearable.

Strawberry Watermelon: I had the least amount of this flavor in my bag which was a shame because it's pretty good. The watermelon candy shell is reminiscent of watermelon Bubblicious, while the strawberry core is nice and tangy without being too sweet.

Cherry Lemonade: I think this flavor is my favorite in the bag. It's not overly cherry and the lemonade center tastes like Country Time lemonade drink mix powder.

I found Skittles Crazy Cores near the register at Walgreen's for $0.89.

Candy Land at the Movies

You may no longer have to imagine what it's like to trek through the Gumdrop Mountains, soon you'll be able to experience it live on the big screen. Variety reports that Universal Pictures will be putting out a live-action movie based on the popular board game. Read more about it here.

Chocolate-flavored Smarties, Peanut Butter Sixlets - That's What I'm Talking About!

After a little candy investigating, I discovered there are some excellent sounding "new" versions of my old favorites coming out soon. I have yet to spot any of them on the store shelves, but they are available from online candy wholesalers. I'll update as I find and taste them.

Chocolate-flavored Mega Smarties
http://www.candyfavorites.com/Mega-Smarties-Chocolate-pr-3573.html#buynow

Peanut Butter flavored P-NOT Butter Sixlets - Quite the tongue twister. These contain no real peanut butter, hence the P-NOT.
http://www.blaircandy.com/sipebu14ct.html

Sour Patch Jelly Beans - It seems like at least 20 different varieties of jelly beans debut each Easter season. I recall last year when we were blessed with Nerds Bumpy Jelly Beans. I love Sour Patch Kids and hope these are just as good.

Stop the Press! Twilight-Themed Necco Conversation Hearts

According to the Boston Herald, NECCO (the New England Confectionery Company), creator of the Valentine classic Sweetheart Conversation Hearts, will be releasing a Twilight-inspired version of the candy. The Twilight hearts are set to debut in March and coincide with the release of the film on dvd.

More details from the article:

"NECCO will release softer, sparkling versions of the pastel sugar hearts in March, when the film is released on DVD. The printed messages will include “Bite Me,” “Secret” and “Soul Mate,” and flavors such as “orange obsession” and “tempting apple.” More Sweethearts will hit stores for the November release of the “New Moon” sequel."

I am curious to see how they are going to make the candies sparkle. However, I can't help but be a little disturbed by the additional news of the Twilight-themed Sky Bar "customed molded shapes". Sky Bar tastes like feet. If Edward could eat, he wouldn't eat Sky Bar foot candy! I hope this doesn't backfire on them.

Happy Happy Hippos

It's been way too long since I've posted. It's time to get back on the horse, or in this case the hippo. Let me introduce you to Kinder's Happy Hippo. While not as known or available in the USA, Kinder candies are wildly popular in other parts of the world like Europe and Australia. The Happy Hippo is just one of their many treats; the toy-filled Kinder Surprise Egg is a must buy if you ever visit Canada.

Even before biting into the Happy Hippo I was impressed by the attention to detail on its surface. Each hippo has nostrils, eyebrows, and two eyes made of white milk creme dots with cocoa pupils. The bottom of the hippo is covered in milk creme and dipped in tiny chocolate and white candy pieces which gives the appearance that the hippo is skimming above the surface of a chocolate pond. The hippo body is made of a wafer which tastes a lot like a cake cup ice cream cone. The body is filled with two thick layers of flavored creme. Milk creme on the bottom and cocoa creme on the top. The cremes are soft and rich, very much like the consistency of Nutella. In fact, Ferrero, the maker of Nutella, produces the Kinder products. The Happy Hippos I had were cocoa flavored, but I understand there is also a hazelnut flavor which fits in well with the Kinder/Ferrero brand.

Overall, the Happy Hippo is a cute and tasty treat. Try one if you ever are lucky enough to come across one.

PS: Thanks to Susie P. for the hippos!

"Atsa Chewy Meatball"

Archie McPhee is a company after my heart. They always seem to find the weirdest, greatest, wackiest, and tackiest items on the market. Basically, they are a lot of fun, as evidenced by the sale of Accoutrements Meatball Bubble Gum . Gumballs made to look like meatballs - genius. Thankfully, they are not meatball flavored, because then it would be kinda gross.

Buy some for spaghetti night: http://www.mcphee.com/items/11898.html
(Image taken from www.mcphee.com)