ABOUT

FEEDS

CONTACT

  • .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
  • Here are some frequently asked questions emailed to me you might want to read first.

EMAIL DIGEST

    For a daily update of Candy Blog reviews, enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

CANDY RATINGS

TYPE

BRAND

COUNTRY

ARCHIVES

7-Worth It

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Skittles (Fruits, Wild Berry, Tropical, Smoothies & Sour)

imageSkittles are insanely tasty little morsels. Rather like little bits of Starburst covered in a candy shell. Skittles were first introduced in 1974 in the UK and parts of Europe. They spread to the States as an import for a while and then in 1981 Mars began making them in the States.

Obsessive folks (perhaps I’m one of them and speaking from experience) like to divide up the colors and eat them. I usually eat mine in pairs of same flavors, but when it comes down to the end of the pack, there are certain acceptable combos (all the citruses can be paired and grape and strawberry can go together ... strawberry and lemon are also acceptable but never ever put orange and grape together).

Original Fruit Skittles

  • Lime (Green) - classic lime, leaning more towards the tart side than the floor-wax side of things.
  • Grape (Purple) - a pretty well rounded fake grape flavor
  • Lemon (Yellow) - good and sour with some hints of zest
  • Orange (Orange) - juicy and flavorful
  • Strawberry (Red) - one of the few red candies I like, it smells like cotton candy and has a tangy, creamy berry taste
  • image

    While the Skittles website asserts that the flavor distribution is random, I’ve always felt that there were fewer green and purple ones in most bags. But as you can see from the photo, it’s just the green ones that seemed slighted in this mix (and I’m not going to complain). I took copious photos of all of the bags as well, so if you’re curious they’re here.

    You might want to partake of some of my favorite Skittles commercials: Man with Beard, Skittles Leak, this one is from the previous campaign (one that I think captures a bit of the wonder of candy and magic better) and the original with great costumes ... oh, wait, those aren’t costumes, that’s what we used to wear back in the day.

    Rating: 10 out of 10

    imageWild Berry Skittles

    These have been around for a long time, but I never really noticed them. I never saw a reason to get anything other than the regular Skittles. All of the flavors were great. Sure I ate the grape ones last, if at all (always share!), but they were one of those candies you can eat in a dark movie theater without having to spit out mistakes.

    Wild Berry Skittles come in a super purple pack, so there’s no mistaking them at the store (not like the M&M Pirate Pearls and M&M Almond). The colors look vaguely familiar, but without the vibrant orange and yellow. Instead they have a mousy pink in the mix which just makes them feel bland.

    image

     

  • Raspberry (Blue) - it’s a good berry flavor, perhaps a little more jammy and caramelized than I’d like
  • Strawberry (Pink) - I don’t know why these are pink, it confuses me ... why not just keep the same red from the classic mix?
  • Wild Cherry (Red) - cherries aren’t berries ... these are dreadful, they taste like Sucrets but without the numbing power
  • Berry Punch (Purple) - this one isn’t that different from the raspberry, perhaps a little more floral and less tart
  • Melon Berry (Green) - melons aren’t berries. It definitely tastes like watermelon and something kind of lemony.
  • Not enough of these flavors are actually berries and berries as a mix aren’t that interesting to me.

    Rating: 6 out of 10

    imageTropical Skittles

    As I was looking through a bunch of old commercials for Skittles online I realized that this was another flavor mix that I completely ignored. However, part of that may be that the flavors were different back then. The original mix of Tropical Skittles included two different flavors: Passion Punch (Blue), Mango Peach (Orange), Strawberry Watermelon (Pink), the new flavors are noted with an *.

    image

     

  • Banana Berry (Yellow)  - I was hoping this would be like Laffy Taffy. Alas, the banana and berry mix was not pleasant.
  • Kiwi Lime (Green) - good kiwi flavor, not enough lime
  • Mango Tangelo *  (Orange) - it’s kind of nice, but tastes more like peach than mango.
  • Pineapple Passionfruit * (Blue) - finally! A blue flavor I like. The pineapple part was great.
  • Strawberry Starfruit * (Pink) - I don’t eat Starfruits very often, only when they show up as a garnish on an expensive meal. These don’t taste like starfruit or strawberries. This tastes like the way ink pens smell.
  • I loved the look of these spread out on the table but again the proportion of “tasty” ones was too small to warrant buying the whole bag. (How long before Skittles goes the way of M&Ms and you can special order flavor mixes?)

    Rating: 6 out of 10

    imageSmoothie Mix Skittles

    I’m not sure if a consumer wrote to Skittles and said, “I love your chewy little morsels, but could you make them with less flavor? I just can’t take it.” And of course being capitalists wishing to capitalize on all corners of the untapped Skittles market, they did.

    Smoothies in real life are great. They’re like shakes only made with lots and lots of fruit. At least when I make them that’s how they taste. Some folks put yogurt or ice cream or sherbet in there, so I guess that’s where the watering-down of the flavor comes from.

    image

     

  • Lemon Berry (Yellow) - like lemon sherbet, just a little flavor and no tartness
  • Mixed Berry (Lavender) - the most flavorful of the bunch, berries lend a good floral brightness to this
  • Peach Pear (Light Green) - my two of my least favorite fruit flavors ... which don’t taste at all like peach or pear in this mix (more like banana)
  • Orange Mango (Light Orange) - smells like orange and tastes like papaya
  • Strawberry Banana (Pink) - I like this, probably because banana creates its own creaminess in smoothies, so it’s a believable flavor
  • These are just too bland. Maybe if I’d just come out of a coma these would be good for easing me back into the world ... or might put me back into a vegetative state.

    Rating: 5 out of 10

    UPDATE: Smoothies are discontinued.

    imageSour Skittles

    While all the other bags were virtually identical in format (same size and weight and materials) this bag is different. It’s a little shorter than the others and made with a much thicker plastic (that’s annoyingly hard to open). I’m guessing it’s because these are rather different Skittles. Instead of all the sour being locked up under that candy shell, here it’s on the outside of the shell in a sparkly sanded coating.

    image

     

  • Blue Raspberry (Blue)  - a good sour and then a berry hit and then a weird aftertaste
  • Grape (Purple) - the tartness felt more like citrus than malic acid and I kind of lost the grape flavor and just had a sweet chew
  • Lemon (Yellow) - the tartness really works on this, it feels citrusy on the outside and on the inside
  • Orange (Orange) - a slight blister at first and then a good sweet chew
  • Strawberry (Red) - really sour, then pleasantly floral, kind of like eating a not-quite-ripe strawberry and then a ripe one ... or maybe some limeade with some strawberries in it
  • The chew towards the end on all of these seemed grainier than usual. I don’t mind that as a feature though. I don’t like how messy these are. I like to line up my Skittles on my desk in little lines of each color as I dump small amounts out. These leave a dusting of sour on the desk. A word of caution as well, don’t ever get the sour powder in your eyes. It’s also very easy to just suck the sour off the outside, though it tastes the same on all of them, it also seems to lead to more tongue damage.

    UPDATE: The flavors changed, here’s a re-review.

    Rating: 7 out of 10

    Other products:

  • Tart & Tangy (discontinued)
  • Ice Cream Skittles (limited edition)
  • Fresh Mint Skittles (discontinued)
  • Carnival Flavors Skittles (limited edition)
  • Skittles Bubble Gum (contains artificial sweeteners, so I haven’t tried it)
  • Skittles Chocolate Mix (introduced in 2007 - probably discontinued as of 2009)
  • Skittles Crazy Cores (new introduction January 2009)
  • Skittles Fizzl’d Fruits (new introduction March 2010)
  • Skittles Blenders (new introduction January 2011)
  • Skittles Riddles (new introduction January 2012)
  • Notes:

  • Skittles made in the United States before 2009 contain gelatin, therefore were not suitable for vegans and are not Kosher. As of mid-2009 with the introduction of the new Skittles Crazy Cores they are made without gelatin and marked as being Gluten-Free
  • Skittles made in Europe do not contain gelatin (but I’m not sure if they’re Kosher).
  • Skittles have less fat than Starbursts: 2.5 grams per pack, all saturated versus 5 grams with 4.5 grams saturated in Starbursts.
  • In 2008 Mars and Wrigley’s merged and as of 2009 Skittles are marked as a Wrigley’s product.

  • Related Candies

    1. Skittles Riddles
    2. Skittles Blenders
    3. Skittles Fizzl’d Fruits
    4. New Flavors: Skittles Sour & Wonka Runts
    5. Skittles Crazy Cores
    6. Skittles Chocolate Mix
    7. Skittles from the UK
    8. Skittles Carnival Flavors
    9. Skittles (Fruits, Wild Berry, Tropical, Smoothies & Sour)
    10. Skittles Fresh Mint
    11. Skittles Ice Cream
    Name: Skittles
      RATING:
    • 10 SUPERB
    • 9 YUMMY
    • 8 TASTY
    • 7 WORTH IT
    • 6 TEMPTING
    • 5 PLEASANT
    • 4 BENIGN
    • 3 UNAPPEALING
    • 2 APPALLING
    • 1 INEDIBLE
    Brand: Mars
    Place Purchased: RiteAid & 7-11
    Price: $.69-$.89
    Size: 2.17 ounces (1.8 ounces for Sour Skittles)
    Calories per ounce: 115
    Categories: Chew, Sour, United States, Mars

    POSTED BY Cybele AT 8:04 am    

    Friday, April 27, 2007

    Dove Caramels & Chocolate Covered Almonds

    imageI tried the Dove chocolate last year and was pleased with it. It’s kind of a slick chocolate, both in packaging and in texture. They market this as silky, and I’m not sure if it’s the level of fat in it or the size of the particles of cocoa solids ... or perhaps both.

    While I’m not that keen on the plain bars, I got a note from some marketing folks offering me some of their other products and I figured, “what they hey!”

    The Dove line is built around their plain dark and milk chocolate, sold in single-serve bars and the more popular “Promises” which I think of as a hybrid of Hershey’s Kisses and Perugina Baci (pure chocolate plus a little note in the wrapper).

    image

    These aren’t called anything ... just Smooth Milk Chocolate with Caramel. The bronzy foil holds a little rounded chocolate square with a filling of a caramel-like goo.

    The wrappers also have little notes inside. Mine said things like Smile at yourself in the mirror and Sing along with the elevator music ... honey, I don’t need my candy telling me to sing out loud in public. I’m sure the folks at the Ralph’s on Glendale Blvd. are well aware of me belting out the 80s tunes when I visit and would probably hide these candies from me if they knew what they were telling me to do.

    The chocolate here is smooth and creamy, perhaps a little sticky and sweet. The caramel filling doesn’t really have enough of the true caramel qualities I like, such as a burnt sugar taste or soft chew. I wanted more salt. But the whole thing is tasty and certainly worth the price of admission (free with my comp). But the thing that’s most appealing to me was how photogenic they were.

    6 out of 10

    image

    The second item that’s much more up my alley is the Smooth Milk Chocolate Covered Almonds. I think the publicist who sent these to me intended to give me the dark chocolate ones, as there were two bags of milk chocolate in my little box. Oh well. The almonds are rather good, not as large and choice as the Trader Joe’s version that I often pick up, but there wasn’t a bad one in the bunch. They’re nicely toasted and crunchy. The chocolate is sweet and offsets the almond’s toasty flavors pretty well.

    7 out of 10

    At a regular price of $3.50 a bag, I don’t think I’d get these, except maybe if I was stuck in an airport and looking for something to bring on the plane. Both bags are easy to open and reclose, which is always a plus. I would probably pick them up on sale if I could get them for something like $2.50 though.

    Related Candies

    1. Dove Desserts Bananas Foster
    2. Dove Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate Bars
    3. Hershey’s Heart’s Desire
    4. Sconza 70% Dark Chocolate Toffee Almonds
    5. Cocoavia Chocolate Almonds
    Name: Dove Caramels & Milk Chocolate Covered Almonds
      RATING:
    • 10 SUPERB
    • 9 YUMMY
    • 8 TASTY
    • 7 WORTH IT
    • 6 TEMPTING
    • 5 PLEASANT
    • 4 BENIGN
    • 3 UNAPPEALING
    • 2 APPALLING
    • 1 INEDIBLE
    Brand: Dove (Mars)
    Place Purchased: samples from Dove
    Price: retail $3.49
    Size: 6.21 ounces & 4.5 ounces
    Calories per ounce: 142 & 160
    Categories: Chocolate, Caramel, Nuts, United States, Mars, Kosher

    POSTED BY Cybele AT 10:29 am    

    Monday, April 23, 2007

    Snickers Shrek

    ShrekersHere are some things I know: Novelty is not necessarily a good thing. Being gross does not make it tasty. Shrek is funny.

    I got an email from Marvo at The Impulsive Buy alerting me that there were some new Snickers and M&Ms to celebrate Shrek the Third. I spotted the bags of minis at Target but just couldn’t bring myself to buy a whole bag, so I was happy to see the single bars at 7-11 the following week. The wrapper has a little drawing of a cross section and an arrow pointing to it with the words With Green Shrek Filling - Same Snickers Taste” next to it.

    Can I just say that I’m wondering if they include smell in that?

    image

    It smelled a bit like feet to me. Perhaps Shrek’s feet, I can’t be sure, as he’s an animated character and likely smells more like pixels or ozone. Maybe “feet” is too strong. Latex balloons ... yes, that’s it: chocolate, peanuts and rubber gloves.

    It tasted the same as the regular Snickers ... but perhaps a little peppery. (It’s not Wasabi that makes it green, is it?)

    I’m just glad they didn’t cover it in a green “white chocolate.” A Snickers bar without the green filling gets an 8 out of 10. This one only gets a 7 out of 10. Until it goes on sale at five for a dollar later this year.

    The other movie tie in are Ogre-Sized M&Ms Peanut Butter ... which might be similar to the M&Ms Peanut Butter Speck-tacular Eggs. Can anyone confirm that?

    Name: Snickers - Shrek the Third
      RATING:
    • 10 SUPERB
    • 9 YUMMY
    • 8 TASTY
    • 7 WORTH IT
    • 6 TEMPTING
    • 5 PLEASANT
    • 4 BENIGN
    • 3 UNAPPEALING
    • 2 APPALLING
    • 1 INEDIBLE
    Brand: Mars
    Place Purchased: 7-11 (Hollywood)
    Price: $.89
    Size: 2.07 ounces
    Calories per ounce: 135
    Categories: Chocolate, Nougat, Caramel, Peanuts, Limited Edition, United States, Mars, Kosher

    POSTED BY Cybele AT 12:01 pm    

    Monday, April 16, 2007

    M&M and Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Eggs

    DSC00205rIn my bargain hunting last weekend I was able to secure bags of the M&Ms Peanut Butter Speck-tacular Eggs and the Reese’s Pieces Pastel Eggs at rock bottom prices.

    I picked up the M&Ms Peanut Butter Speck-tacular Eggs mostly because folks are still commenting on the Wonka Oompas (currently fruity) post lamenting the loss of the old Peanut Butter Oompas.

    First, a rewind to the old Peanut Butter Oompas (see wrapper here) from Wonka. Introduced in 1972 after the film Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, they were larger than M&Ms but the same ovoid shape. The top half was peanut butter and the bottom half was mockolate then it was all covered with a crisp candy shell. (There may have been other flavor varieties.) The separation of the peanut butter and chocolate meant that you could cleave them in half in your teeth if you wanted, or suck the shell off and then melt away the chocolate creme to have only the stiff peanut butter left. I liked them and recall buying them rather often (there was no such thing as a Peanut Butter M&M at the time and Reese’s Pieces didn’t come along until 1978).

    imageI was hoping that the larger format of the Speck-tacular Eggs would be similar to the old Oompas.

    The normal M&Ms Peanut Butter have a core of peanut butter and a covering of milk chocolate then a shell. A little larger than a regular M&M, they average about the same size as a Peanut M&M. The Speck-Tacular Eggs are larger still and thus have a larger proportion of the peanut butter center since the chocolate coating seems about the same thickness.

    It’s been at least thirty years since I’ve had the old Peanut Butter Oompas, so I can’t say that the Speck-Tacular Eggs are as good or even the same, but the proportions feel better to me. I’m going to say that this is the best modern day equivalent to the old Peanut Butter Oompas.

    Reese's Pieces Pastel EggsThe other fun aquisition were the equally large Reese’s Pieces Pastel Eggs.

    I don’t eat Reese’s Pieces much, though I do recall loving them as a kid. I used to buy bags of M&Ms and mix them with Reese’s Pieces. I could always pick the Reese’s Pieces out on my tongue by feel because their shells were ultrasmooth. (Ah, the ways I used to amuse myself.)

    While the Speck-Tacular Eggs were rather uneven in size, the Reese’s Pieces Pastel Eggs are exceptionally regular. The colors are pretty much the same as the Hershey’s Pastel Eggs, though a little more egg shaped (with a pointier end).

    image

    The shells on the Reese’s Pieces Pastel Eggs are thicker than the regular Reese’s Pieces and provide a satisfying sharp crunch. The larger mass of peanut butter creme allowed me to really taste it. It has a slight floral taste to it and reminds me a bit of eating peanut butter cookie dough. Sweet with a little dash of salt. Pretty smooth and not as roasted tasting as the M&Ms Speck-Tacular Eggs.

    I liked both varieties of eggs equally well. As appearances go, I preferred the Reese’s. But the freak-tacular price of only 52 cents for the Speck-Tacular Eggs is hard to argue with. They are both being added to my repertoire of Easter Candies to pick up at ridiculous prices.

    Note: both products are certified Kosher.

    Related Candies

    1. Reese’s Whipps
    2. Trader Joe’s Mini Peanut Butter Cups
    3. Peanut Butter Kisses
    4. Reese’s Pieces with Peanuts
    Name: M&Ms Peanut Butter Speck-tacular Eggs & Reese's Pieces Pastel Eggs
      RATING:
    • 10 SUPERB
    • 9 YUMMY
    • 8 TASTY
    • 7 WORTH IT
    • 6 TEMPTING
    • 5 PLEASANT
    • 4 BENIGN
    • 3 UNAPPEALING
    • 2 APPALLING
    • 1 INEDIBLE
    Brand: Mars & Hershey's
    Place Purchased: Rite Aid & Long's
    Price: $.52 & $.85
    Size: 11 ounces & 13 ounces
    Calories per ounce: 147 & 138
    Categories: Chocolate, Peanuts, United States, Hershey, Mars, Kosher, Easter

    POSTED BY Cybele AT 8:48 am    

    Eat-More

    I’ve been puzzling over this candy bar for years. It’s called the Eat-More and is sold in Canada. It was originally made by Lowney but later Nabisco took them over but since 1987 they’ve been made by Hershey’s.

    The description of Dark Toffee Peanut Chew sounded to me like the inside of a Goldenberg’s Peanut Chew (now Chew-ets), which I find pretty spectacular and the prospect of having that without the mockolate made me want one.

    image

    Amber brought two for me direct from Canada, and in the King Size to boot. I have to say that the bar isn’t that attractive out of the package, which is probably

    The King Sized bar is huge - 8.5” long. The slab is soft and chewy and has a pleasant smoky and roasted peanut scent. It’s not a caramelly chew exactly as the bar contains chocolate, which gives the toffee a bit of a stiff crumble.

    It’s actually really satisfying and not at all sticky sweet. The 75 gram bar contains 8 grams of protein from the peanuts, so it’s a pretty satisfying snack. I wouldn’t say I wanted to eat more after about half the bar, but it was easy to just eat more later. As for the comparison to the inside of a Goldenberg’s, it’s not as smooth and doesn’t have that molasses kick. But the dark and robust flavors will probably appeal to Goldenberg’s lovers.

    Since there’s nothing else in the States to compare this to, I have to recommend anyone who has been looking for a dark chewy toffee with nuts and chocolate to seek out this bar. It’s odd that something that I consider an “all weather” bar comes out of Canada. Since there’s no chocolate coating, it should travel well and stand up to temperature extremes.

    Name: Eat More
      RATING:
    • 10 SUPERB
    • 9 YUMMY
    • 8 TASTY
    • 7 WORTH IT
    • 6 TEMPTING
    • 5 PLEASANT
    • 4 BENIGN
    • 3 UNAPPEALING
    • 2 APPALLING
    • 1 INEDIBLE
    Brand: Hershey's Canada
    Place Purchased: from Amber in Toronto (thanks!)
    Price: unknown
    Size: 75 grams
    Calories per ounce: unknown
    Categories: Chocolate, Chew, Peanuts, Canada, Hershey's

    POSTED BY Cybele AT 7:06 am    

    Friday, April 13, 2007

    Koakuma Goth Puccho

    Koakuma PackageKoakuma from UHA are a curious little candy. They’ve taken their wildly popular Puccho and combined them with the flavors and colors of the Gothic Lolita style popular in Japan. Koakuma means “little devil” and the package sports the little character all over it. With a heart shaped face, little bat wings and on the bottom of the pleated bag, she rides a trident like a broom.

    These little candies come individually wrapped inside larger pouches. The taffy base is black with rich colored stripes and then studded with gummis.

    image

    Koakuma Peach Rose

    I’m not usually fond of peach flavored candies. Don’t misunderstand, I’m a huge fan of fresh peaches, canned peaches and even dried peaches. There’s just something about many peach flavored candies I’m just not fond of.

    No matter, because these don’t taste like peaches. It smells like peaches, but it tastes like mildly tart floral berries.

    The little gummy bits provide and interesting texture to the bouncy chew. It was very fresh and soft and pretty darn good. I was really surprised I ate most of the bag.

    image

    Koakuma Blueberry Rose

    I’ve never really been that impressed with blueberry as a flavor. I often get it confused with raspberry in candies, and this one is no exception. It tastes like raspberry and a little floral note thrown in there with the rose. But I have to say that I’m impressed that the color actually looks like blueberries instead of like something pharmaceutical.

    Again, bouncy and chewy and fresh and thoroughly enjoyable.

    Both of them were nice, but the specific flavors just weren’t my favorites. I think I’d like a strawberry with rose or maybe a grape and violet. I bet they’d make a fun gift for someone who’s intro Goth though. (Who doesn’t like candies that match their nail polish?) There is another flavor called Cassis & Grape that I saw on JList for $1.80 (which has lots of other Gothic Lolita cosplay stuff to complete the look).

    Here are some other reviews:
    Japanese Snack Review & Giant Jeans Parlor

    Name: Koakuma: Peach Rose & Blueberry Rose
      RATING:
    • 10 SUPERB
    • 9 YUMMY
    • 8 TASTY
    • 7 WORTH IT
    • 6 TEMPTING
    • 5 PLEASANT
    • 4 BENIGN
    • 3 UNAPPEALING
    • 2 APPALLING
    • 1 INEDIBLE
    Brand: UHA
    Place Purchased: gift from Santos (thanks!)
    Price: unknown
    Size: 1.41 ounces
    Calories per ounce: unknown
    Categories: Chew, Gummi, Japan, UHA

    POSTED BY Cybele AT 11:45 am    

    Monday, April 9, 2007

    Kisses Coconut Creme

    Coconut Kisses PackageI saved this review for after Easter. They package makes them look like an Easter product, but after having those Godiva eggs (even if they were freaktacularlly expensive), there was just no way that they were going to compare well. Now that they’re a distant memory, I feel that I can give the Hershey’s Coconut Creme Kisses my undivided attention.

    I have to say that I loved the blue wave design on the foil. It was tropical and also different enough from the other foils out there that I could guess that this was coconut.

    imageInside the foil was a molded Kiss with a soft creme filling of coconut.

    The shell of the Kisses were rather greasy. This wasn’t as noticeable when I chilled the Kisses (thanks for the suggestion!), but the chocolate outside still felt a little weird on the tongue, no matter the temperature. A little cool, a little less crumbly that the regular Kiss chocolate and of course it tasted like coconut before you got to the center.

    The filling was interesting. The creme part was actually more like creme and less like fondant than the Cherry Cordial Creme I tried before. This actually seemed a bit buttery. There were also crisp little flecks of coconut in there.

    It’s not at all like an Almond Joy center.

    I enjoyed them, but I don’t think I’m a fan. The greasiness is just offputting. It makes the little flags translucent and of course makes my fingers oily if I linger too long while unwrapping. I enjoyed the nutty taste, but I know some other people didn’t like them. I found the lighter flavor of coconut like munching on some chocolate and suntan lotion. Like a summer at the pool. (Okay, maybe that’s not an appealing image, but it’s been so gloomy and overcast here in Los Angeles lately, maybe I’m just looking for something ‘sunny’.)

    Previous Kiss Reviews: Cherry Cordial Creme, Orange Creme Kisses, Caramel Kisses, Peanut Butter Kisses, Candy Cane Kisses & Mint Kisses and Chocolate Truffle Kisses.

    Note: These are limited edition, but it’s unclear if they are an Easter item. Some stores will put all the Limited Edition stuff on sale with the Easter goodies (that’s how I got my KitKat Mini Dark Mint), so keep a look out ... when in doubt just ask!

    UPDATE April 12, 2009: Coconut Kisses returned again for srping 2009. Since some folks have noted it in the comments, I did taste this years version and agree, they’re not greasy. Perhaps Hershey’s rectified the ingredient/production issue that was making them that way.

    Related Candies

    1. Hershey’s Mint Truffle Kisses
    2. Candy Corn Kisses
    3. Kisses Chocolate Truffles
    4. The Mint Kisses: Chocolate Mint & Candy Cane
    5. Peanut Butter Kisses
    6. Cherry Cordial Creme Kisses
    7. Head to Head: Rolo vs Caramel Kisses
    8. Short & Sweet: Caramello /  Mega M&Ms / Orange Kisses
    Name: Kisses Coconut Creme
      RATING:
    • 10 SUPERB
    • 9 YUMMY
    • 8 TASTY
    • 7 WORTH IT
    • 6 TEMPTING
    • 5 PLEASANT
    • 4 BENIGN
    • 3 UNAPPEALING
    • 2 APPALLING
    • 1 INEDIBLE
    Brand: Hershey's
    Place Purchased: CVS (Torrance)
    Price: $2.50
    Size: 11 ounces
    Calories per ounce: 170
    Categories: Chocolate, Coconut, United States, Hershey's, Limited Edition, Easter

    POSTED BY Cybele AT 7:00 am    

    Thursday, April 5, 2007

    Peeps Mash Ups

    Folks are obsessed with Peeps around this time of the year. As I’ve stated before, I love the idea of Peeps, I just don’t really enjoy eating them. So I thought I’d try to improve my experience by creating some Peeps Mash-Ups. These aren’t full-blown recipes but more of a “dry fondue” with some items I had lying around:

    image

    Peeps Rocks - here I’ve mashed my Peep into some Strawberry Pop Rocks.

    First, when mashing a Peep, it helps to pull it apart. This way you have two sticky halves for picking up other candy goodness as well as alleviating the issue of “double dipping” if you’re mashing with a buddy.

    When I mashed the Pop Rocks into this fresh Peep, the rocks started snapping immediately. (You can’t see the noise in the photo, but it’s cracklin’ away, trust me.)

    The cotton-candy-like flavor of the strawberry goes really well with the flavorless Peep. Light and refreshing. The pops give it a little sizzle.

    imagePeeps Nerds - when you look at it, a Peep is really just a giant spongy Nerd with a pointy nose. Oh, and eyes. Nerds may have eyes in their little cartoon versions on the packaging, but not on the real candies like Peeps do.

    I wasn’t really fond of this flavor combination, or the colors. The red and green (cherry & watermelon) looked too Christmasy. The taste combo was pretty good though. The crunch of the Nerds gave the spongy marshmallow a good texture and the zap of tartness also balanced out the sweetness of the Peep.

    imagePeeps & Mini M&Ms - this is a natural combo and the colors couldn’t look better together if I tried. The little M&Ms adhere really well to the Peep’s exposed marshmallow. The sweet chocolate has a good crunch though it might be a little too sweet.

    You could probably try mini dark chocolate baking chips for a less sweet experience (though you’d lose the crunch). The little tube they come in is especially easy for mashing on the go, just press the stickiness to the opening and tip the M&Ms Minis into it.

    imagePeep Tarts - I have to admit that I was especially proud of the name for this one. Originally I wanted to use Pixy Stix for the powder, but I couldn’t find any (I try not to keep them in the house, for sanity’s sake). So I took the powder from an extra Topps Baby Bottle Pop. The Citrus Craze powder is already less sweet because it’s also intended to be “mashed up” with the lollipop top, so it adds flavor and tartness without more throat-burning sugar.

    I’m not really sold on the combo, but after eating everything pictured here within about 15 minutes I had a stomach ache. Gah, I’m getting another one just typing this up!

    So, what are your ideas for Peeps Mash-ups - either theoretical ones, or ones that you actually do?

    (See previous Marshmallow Mashing: Marshmallow Mash-ups & More Marshmallow Mash-Ups.)

    Related Candies

    1. Peeps Mash Ups - Savory
    2. Peeps Chocolate Mousse (Bears & Bunnies)
    3. Peeps inside a Milk Chocolate Egg
    4. Peppermint Peep Stars
    5. Peeps Spooky Friends
    6. Palmer Nest Eggs
    7. Peeps Spooky Cats & Cocoa Bunnies
    8. Kinder Egg

    POSTED BY Cybele AT 11:28 am     CandyMash UpPeepsRecipesReviewEasterJust BornMarsNestleToppsCarbonatedChocolateCompressed DextroseMarshmallowSour7-Worth ItUnited StatesFun Stuff

    Page 76 of 93 pages ‹ First  < 74 75 76 77 78 >  Last ›

    Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.

     

     

     

     

    Facebook IconTwitter IconTumblr IconRSS Feed IconEmail Icon

    COUNTDOWN.

    Candy Season Ends

    -2548 days

    Read previous coverage

     

     

    Which seasonal candy selection do you prefer?

    Choose one or more:

    •   Halloween
    •   Christmas
    •   Valentine's Day
    •   Easter

     

    image

    ON DECK

    These candies will be reviewed shortly:

     

     

    image