Friday, January 1, 2010

The 110 Essential Candies for Candivores

The world of candy is immense with more than 10,000 choices at any given moment on the planet, how can a mere mortal experience it all? Well, having it all is overrated. I’ve compiled a list based on my lifetime of candy of just the essentials, candies that every candy lover should experience at least once. You know, for a good foundation in candy education.

These are not necessarily my favorite candies (some I don’t even like and others I haven’t tried) but they’ve stood the test of time. 

If you’re game, repost this list with yours checked off and your thoughts. (Maybe even add your own.) You can grab the raw list of 110 here.

Bubble Chocolate1. 70%+ Cacao Chocolate
High cacao content chocolate provides a rich experience of more chocolate flavors without so much sugar to get in the way. Best savored in small bites.

2. Aerated Chocolate: (Brand Names: Aero, Choc-o-Lite, Elite, Wispa)
The addition of air to chocolate is quite a revelation, it provides a different texture and though it’s sold as being a lower calorie alternative (as it’s lighter in weight for the same size bar) it’s still chocolate. Extra bonus for Flake bars. see more

3. Altoids
Dense and curiously strong mints, they are the ultimate expression of flavor over delivery device. see more

4. American-Style Hard Toffee: With or without chocolate, with or without nuts.
As much an expression of butter as it is the toasted sugar notes. The way it cleaves probably demonstrates some sort of geological properties that I’m not familiar with so maybe it’s educational. see more

5. Anis de Flavigny
A demonstration of patience. At the center is a tiny fennel seed with the hard sugar coating built up layer by layer of weeks of tumbling. see more

DSC03938r6. Any Lolllipop Bigger than your Head
Usually the kind of candy you get after begging and pleading at the fair for hours. They’re nearly impossible to eat but gorgeous to look at as sugar art.

7. Atomic Fireballs: (Maker: Ferrara Pan, also Sconza)
A relative of Anis de Flavigny, these large ball bearings are all panned sugar with alternating layers of intense cinnamon. see more

8. Black Sugar Candy
Okinawa, Japan is famous for its dense and deep dark sugar which is the basis of Black Sugar Candy. Heralded for its medicinal properties, it’s also a simple pleasure for the complex flavors of the molasses-like candy. see more

9. British Toffee
A stiff caramel made with treacle (like molasses) for a rich and deep flavor and long-lasting chew. see more

10. C.Howard Violet Gum/Mints or Parma Violets
Just like it sounds, they’re violet flavored chalky candies. see more

Cadbury Orange Creme Egg11. Cadbury Creme Egg
Far too much fondant encased in a milk chocolate shell and once the size of a small chicken egg. see more

12. Candy Buttons on Paper
Dried dabs of colored sugar paste on paper. A triumph of looks over substance.

13. Candy Corn / Mellocremes
Lightly flavored and stiff fondant in crazy and charming seasonal shapes. see more

14. Carob
In order to appreciate chocolate it’s important to taste what it’s not. Not just any bean can be ground up and combined with saturated fats and poured into a bar form to create a tasty treat. It’s best to keep carob for a hearty hot beverage. see more

Christopher's Big Cherry15. Cherry & Coconut: (Brand Names: Cherry Mash, Big Cherry, Twin Bing, Cherry Ripe (AU),  Cherry Blossom (CDN))
A strange but enduring candy treat, a fondant center with a real cherry is covered in a mixture of chocolate (or mockolate) and coconut.

16. Chocolate Coins
For a long time I preferred this kind of money to the real thing. It hearkens back to the days when cacao was used as currency. see more

Nibs a Plenty17. Chocolate Covered Cacao Nibs
Bits of cocoa beans are coated in chocolate to provide an intense chocolate experience. Each piece can have a different flavor profile. see more

18. Chocolate Covered Cherry Cordial
An amazing demonstration of kitchen chemistry with the magic of adding invertase to a fondant ball with a cherry at the center. Quick dipping while the fondant is still firm means that after the chocolate has hardened the enzyme activates and the center becomes an oozy syrupy cordial.

19. Chocolate Covered Dried Fruit (Raisins, Orange Peel, Apricot, Ginger, Fig)
Dried fruit remains moist and flavorful when sealed in the protective and tasty coating of milk or dark chocolate. see more

Starbucks Milk Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans20. Chocolate Covered Espresso Bean
The ultimate pick-me up: a little caffeine, a little fat, a little sugar. see more

21. Chocolate Covered Insects
Proof that anything is better covered in chocolate. Well, better than it was before, but still not necessarily something everyone wants to eat.

22. Chocolate from at least 5 different countries
I could say 5 different brands, but different cultures have different flavor preferences and since chocolate manufacturing went through so many different stages of development, different countries have different styles. (Of course there are always exceptions.)

Chocolate Bar Mosaic (36)

23. Chocolate Fudge
I’m a fudge purist and pretty much prefer chocolate or peanut butter. I’m sure a good case can be made for Oreo Fudge and Raspberry Champagne Swirl. It’s a great candy to make at home and so many variations exist a list of 100 could be made of just those. see more

24. Chocolate Truffle
While I may rail against Mockolate, for some reason the addition of butter or cream to chocolate makes something wholly divine. Ganache is simple and pure and simply supports the inherent chocolate flavors. Truffles can be flavored, but everyone should try the classic.

Giant Chupa Chups Pop25. Chupa Chups
Spain’s amazing lollipops. They’re dense and have no voids and come in an amazing array of flavors. The bonus is the plastic stick that doesn’t become a papery mush. Double bonus is that they come in grown up flavors like coffee.

26. Circus Peanuts
They’re shaped like peanuts but they’re banana flavored with the texture of a dense and grainy marshmallow. Love them or hate them, they persist. see more

27. Clear Sugar Hard Candy: (Styles: Barley Sugar Candy, Juntsuyu, Clear Toy Candy)
The pure taste of toasted sugar in solid and individually wrapped form. Some are so clear they appear like gems or optical glass. They’re poured carefully to avoid bubbles & voids for an extra smooth melt. see more

Brach's Sundae Neapolitan Coconut28. Coconut Bar: (Brand Names: Mounds, Almond Joy, Bounty)
Coconut and sugar make the center of all of these bars. There can be nuts, there can be milk or dark chocolate. They can be made at home or from a neighborhood candy shop. Dryer versions that aren’t coated with chocolate are also extremely popular all over the world.

29. Coffee Crisp
Canada’s best known candy bar, they’re a massive layered block of wafers and light coffee flavored cream covered in mockolate. see more

30. Coffee Hard Caramel (Brand Names: Coffee Rio, Coffee Nips)
A tacky toffee made with coffee, it’s like a super-dense and sweet latte you can put in your pocket see more

31. Cotton Candy: (Also called Fairy Floss, Candy Floss, Pashmak, Fluffy Stuff)
Spun sugar. Nothing more to say than that.

2008 Crunch Bar Wrapper (Now Even Richer!)32. Crisped Rice in Milk Chocolate: (Brand Names: Nestle Crunch, Hershey’s Krackel, World’s Finest)
An ideal combination of milk chocolate and crisped rice. Some mass-produced versions aren’t so ideal, so find your favorite. see more

33. Dragon’s Beard Candy
Similar to Cotton Candy in its strand texture, Dragon’s Beard is actually made like pulled noodles in a labor intensive process where strands of sugar are pulled and folded until they’re fine and silky.

Dulce de Leche34. Dulce de Leche: (Also known as Cajeta)
Slow caramelized milk and suguar, usually starting from a base of sweetened condnesed milk. Some use goats milk, which provides a different flavor profile. Some is a thick sauce texture, others become more solid like fudge. see more

35. Dulces de Calabasas: (Candied Squash or Pumpkin)
Similar to candied ginger or orange peel, squash or pumpkin chunks are slowly simmered with sugar and water until innundated. As it cools it crystalizes like fudge.

Durian HiCHEW36. Durian Taffy or Hard Candy
Durian is a fruit of Southeast Asia with a soft custardy center that taste like a combination of boiled onions and melon. see more

37. Gianduia (Gianduja): (Brand Names: Caffarel, Ferrero (Nutella))
Roasted hazelnut paste is mixed with cocoa (or chocolate). see more

38. Ginger Chews
Mostly made in Indonesia, these soft little rods of ginger and sugar syrup come in a variety of flavors. see more

Caramel Creams39. Goetze’s Caramel Creams (Bullseyes)
There is only one and it’s rather a strange candy at that. A hoop of caramel bulked up by wheat flour with a center of pure sugary cream. More like a soft cookie than a candy. see more

40. Green Tea Candy
There are plenty of varieties but nearly all provide a dense condensate of sweet green tea. Some use whole matcha powder, some use steeped green tea.

Haribo Bear41. Gummi Bears
A stiff mixture of sugar syrup, a light flavor and a little gelatin. Gummi bears are made in starch molds come in a variety of flavors, intesities and textures. Other similar candies: gummi worms, non-pariel coated berries, rings, food shapes and fruit slices. see more

42. Halvah
A block candy made from sesame paste and sugar, creating a crystalline texture. Usually served in chunks or blocks sometimes it’s made into bars or individual pieces and coated in chocolate. Variations include cocoa and pistachios. see more

kiss43. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kisses
A never imitated chocolate flavor, the Hershey’s Kiss is individually wrapped and sharable and represents the egalitarianism of economically-produced chocolate for the masses.

44. Hot Tamales: (Brand Name: Just Born but generic cinnamon jelly beans will do.)
Intense cinnamon jelly rods. see more

45. Idaho Spud: (Brand Name: Idaho Candy Company)
A dense latexy marshmallow center is covered in mockolate and coconut flakes to simulate the shape of a real potato with eyes. see more

46. Jelly Babies: (Brand Name: Basset’s but there are other generics.)
Little people shaped jelly candies from the United Kingdom. They carry a light dusting of corn starch to prevent sticking but also highlights the details of the molding. Each flavor/color is a different character shape. see more

Jelly Belly Citrus Mix47. Jelly Beans: (Bonus for Jelly Belly Buttered Popcorn)
A firm jelly ovoid is covered in a grainy candy shell. Usually the shell contains the flavoring but a modern trend has been to flavor both the center and the shell, started by Jelly Belly. Don’t miss the original pectin style either for the full effect.

48. Jolly Rancher Hard Candies: (Brand Name: Jolly Rancher from Hershey’s USA)
Smooth and intense hard candies in ground-breaking flavors such as Green Apple.

49. Jordan Almonds: (Also called Sugared Almonds or Confetti)
Fresh almonds covered in a thick candy shell. Often used as favors for weddings because of the symbolism of the bitter nut being coated in sugar. (As if that says something about marriage.) see more

Kinder Eggs50. Kinder Surprise or Kinder Egg: (Brand Name: Kinder - Germany)
A little capsule with a toy for you to assemble is encased in milky chocolate. see more

51. Kit Kats from at least 3 countries: (Brand Names: Nestle and Hershey’s in USA)
An interesting demonstration of how production varies from region to region, the UK KitKat tastes perceiveably different from those sold in Japan and those in the United States. Bonus for any of the limited edition varieties. see more

Kit Kat Face-Off

52. Lemonheads: (Brand Name: Ferrara Pan)
A tiny sweet lemon drop covered in an intensely sour layer then a sweet grainy shell. There are other fruity cousins such as Cherryhead, Orangehead and Applehead but they lost their appeal when they normalized the name. I loved Alexander the Grape. Grapehead, not so much.see more

53. Licorice Allsorts
Amazingly inventive shapes and colors made from colored coconut fondant and wheat/molasses licorice. see more

54. Licorice Pastels: (Varieties: Good & Plenty or Skoolkrijt)
Black licorice made with a wheat base and molasses then coated in a candy shell to keep it soft and add a crunch. Also pretty to look at. see more

LifeSavers 5 Flavors55. LifeSavers
An iconic hard candy they’re sharable and come in a vast array of flavors. WintOGreen will spark when you bite them. see more

56. M&Ms / Smarties
Candy coated chocolate lentils exist from a variety of companies all over the world so extra points if you’ve had more than three versions. see more

57. Malted Milk Balls
The classic malted milk center covered with a generous coating of real milk chocolate is the key here. Dark chocolate, peanut butter and all the fancy mint and cookie versons are all fine, but the classic original is the one to start with. see more

Maple Lollipop58. Maple Sugar Candy
Maple sugar is simply solidified maple syrup. It’s hard to find and expensive but worth it for sugar afficinados to try. There are two versions, the grainy crystallized kind and the clear hard candy version. The texture changes the aeration of the flavor notes, so go for both.

59. Marathon Bar or Curly Wurly
A braid of chewy caramel dipped in chocolate. Even if you never had the American version called Marathon you’ll understand why so many folks pine for this unique bar. see more

Snickers Dark60. Mars Snickers: (Alternate versions come in Dark and Limited Edition varieties.)
A classic and dare I say wholesome candy bar with grand proportions of chocolate, fluffy nougat, caramel and peanuts. A meal in a bar. see more

61. Marshmallow: (Both factory made and artisan style)
A foamy and bouncy sugar fluff. see more

62. Marshmallow & Coconut Cup: (Brand Names: Sifer’s Valomilk, Adams-Brooks Cup O Gold, Boyer’s MalloCup)
A simple milk chocolate cup filled with marshmallow of varying consistencies depending on the brand. Also a classic: Rocky Road which features marshmallow chunks and nuts in chocolate. see more

63. Marshmallow Peeps
Grainy sugar coated marshmallows in themed shapes for various holidays. Can be eaten fresh or stale, frozen or flambe. That’s versatility. see more

Biermann Marzipan Fruits64. Marzipan
Ground almonds and sugar is about as simple as candies come. The beauty is not only when it’s covered in chocolate but when it’s scuplted into a multitude of shapes.

65. Mentos
A chewy mint that once had an anachronistic ad campaign. Also the basis for improvised carbonated fountains. The best part is that they’re actually tasty. see more

66. Mexican Mazapan
Peanuts are the base of this drier cousin to almond marzipan. Also related is halvah, made from sesame seeds. see more

67. Mockolate
Just because something’s on this list doesn’t make it good, just an essential thing to try in order to be well-rounded. True mockolate is any chocolate product that uses vegetable oil (usually hydrogenated tropical oils) in place of cocoa butter, but could also be one that uses only some oils in addition to cocoa butter. Its best use is for decorative items that aren’t meant to be eaten but would be prohibitively expensive if they were made out of good chocolate. see more

HiCHEW Stack68. Morinaga HiCHEW: (Maker: Morinaga)
A bouncy and latexy chew that’s unique. Morinaga of Japan isn’t complacent about being so popular either, in addition to more than a half a dozen regular flavors they issue limited edition flavors with alarming frequency. see more

69. Musk Sticks
Imagine long stiff ropes of Altoids, except instead of peppermint or cinnamon, imagine they’re flavored like musk. That’s Australia’s Musk Stick. see more

70. Necco Wafers: (Maker: Necco)
Crunchy wafers of sugar, soft and powdery, incredibly durable. It’s rare to find a packaged major brand of candy that has so many different flavors in one roll (a mix of spices and fruits). see more

waxlips71. Nik-L-Nips or Wax Lips: (Maker: Tootsie)
Food grade wax made into shapes that can be worn (wax lips, vampire teeth) and later chewed. Or filled with strange syrupy liquids like Nik-L-Nips.

72. Nougat & Nut Roll: (Brand Names: Hershey’s Payday or Pearson’s Nut Roll)
A plain nougat center with a light caramel coating rolled in fresh peanuts. One of the original meal replacement bars. Alternate versions are the Pecan Roll which is a bit more decadent and expensive featuring pecans and often a better quality nougat center. A rare non-chocolate candy bar. see more

French Nougats

73. Nougat de Montelimar or Torrone: (Brand Names: Arnaud Soubeyran, Nutpatch Nougats)
Fluffed sugar with egg whites and a dash of honey. With or without nuts or candied fruits. Different versions have different textures, and they vary widely with the amount of nuts. see more

74. Panela, Panocha, Piloncillo and/or Jaggery
Basically, it’s brown sugar. Delicious brown sugar. (Many grocery stores sell it in bulk bins in the vegetable section.)

Pates de Fruits75. Pate de Fruits (fruit pate)
It’s jam you can bite.

76. Peanut Butter Buckeyes
A regional favorite in the midwest US, a ball of peanut butter is most of the way into chocolate, leaving only a little top uncoated. The result looks like a buckeye (or chestnut).

77. Peanut Butter Crisp: (Brand Names: Butterfinger, 5th Avenue, Clark Bar, Chick-O-Stick, Zagnut)
Peanuts are combined sugar and sometimes molasses to create a honeycomb peanut crisp (often through a layering process). The result is similar to halvah but far more hearty and sugary. Most bars are covered in chocolate but some, like Zagnut or Chick-O-Stick are coated in toasted coconut. see more

Peanut Butter Kisses78. Peanut Butter Molasses Chews: (Brand Name: Mary Janes, Peanut Butter Kisses, Abba Zaba)
Molasses taffy with a peanut butter filling. Mary Janes are the best known mass market version though there are dozens of salt water taffy shops that make a softer similar product. see more

79. Pecan Pralines: (New Orleans Style & Texas Chewy)
Boiled sugar and butter with pecans. The texture varies regionally from a caramelly texture in Texas to a smooth melt-in-your-mouth fudge in New Orleans to a sandy sugar in Charleston. The French tradition of praline was based simply on melted sugar usually mixed with nuts, which is also good. see more

Sunspire Peppermint Pattie80. Peppermint Pattie: (Brand Names: York, Pearson’s, Junior Mints, Dutch Mints, Holland Mints.)
A white fondant mixed with peppermint oil (sometimes using gelatin or egg whites as a binder) is then coated in chocolate (dark please). Sometimes additionally coated in a candy shell as in Dutch Mints. see more

81. Pez: (Maker: Pez)
A rectangular compressed dextrose tablet dispensed through the neck of a novelty plastic character.

82. Pixy Stix or Lik m Aid: (Brand Names: Wonka or Pucker Powder, Sandy Candy, Baby Bottle Pops)
Powdered dextrose candy with a tangy bite. see more

Pocket Coffee83. Pocket Coffee: (Maker: Ferrero)
Sweet real espresso inside a chocolate shell. Available seasonally from Italy there are some generics available as well. see more

84. Pocky: (Brand Name: Glico also Meiji Lucky Stick)
Bland biscuit sticks dipped in chocolate. Later versions are flavored and others have fillings. see more

85. Razzles: (Maker: Tootsie)
First it’s candy, then it’s gum. It’s never good in either form. see more

Pink Strawberry Red Vines86. Red Licorice
A berry flavored wheat-based chew. Comes in many formats from ropes to twists to laces. see more

87. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: (Brand Name: Hershey’s)
A crumbly, salty and sweet peanut butter in a cup of sweet and milky milky chocolate. Iconic and ideally proportioned. see more

88. Ribbon Candy and/or Old Fashioned Candy Sticks
Hard candy formed into flat strips and furled up into ribbon-like stacks or twisted into rods. Pretty to look at and often in hard-to-find-otherwise flavors. Stores like Papa Bubble let you watch it being made in the traditional manner. (Also related, the Candy Cane.) see more

89. Rock Candy or Konpeito
Large cloudy crystals of sugar, often colored. see more

90. Root Beer Barrels
Hard candy in the shape of a barrel flavored with root beer. Root beer is a more common flavor in the US with an aromatic origin as a combination of sassafrass root along with licorice, cinnamon, wintergreen, molasses and honey.

91. Salt Water Taffy
A seaside favorite it comes in a variety of formats, often rod shape or squat disks and in dozens of flavors. (Bonus if you saw it being pulled.)

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels92. Salted Caramel
Caramel with a liberal dash of salt see more

93. Salted Licorice
Licorice with a strange infusion of ammonium salts - not for everyone see more

94. Satellite Wafers (Flying Saucers)
Foamy corn starch disks have a pocket of powdery candy or little candy nuggets. Kind of like a tiny candy pita. see more

Single Origin Chocolate95. Single Origin Chocolate
Chocolate made from beans from a specific growing region and sometimes a single plantation. Instead of a blend to provide a consistent profile from year to year, these batches of chocolate are particular to the beans and growing conditions and sometimes the vintage. One of the only ways to truly taste the wide variety of flavor profiles that cacao is capable of producing. see more

96. Smooth & Melty Mints: (Maker: Guittard)
A white confection with peppermint flavoring and often pastel colored. Each little chip or disk is then given a base of nonpariels. Similar to Peppermint Bark. see more

97. Spice Gumdrops and/or Spearmint Leaves
Jelly candies in spice and floral flavors and coated in a granular sugar. see more

Sponge Candy98. Sponge Candy: (Also known as Honeycomb, Seafoam, Cinder Toffee. Brand Names: Violet Crumble, Crunchie)
Aerated boiled sugar. Usually coated in chocolate to prevent it from getting tacky from humidity. (Well, the chocolate also tastes good.) see more

99. Starburst / Skittles
Intense tangy and fruit flavored taffy. Starburst are individually wrapped, Skittles are candy coated. Other variations are Laffy Taffy, Now & Laters and Mambas. see more

swedish

100. Swedish Fish
Jelly candy in the shape of a fish. Traditional version is red and is Swedish berry flavor. A mix of fruit flavors is also available. see more

101. SweeTarts or other sour Compressed Dextrose
Disks of firmly compacted dextrose and acid in fruity flavors. Also related: Bottle Caps, Runts and other novelty shaped tiny tart candies that are coated or uncoated. see more

102. Tamarind Candy
The pod has both sweet and sour notes and is used as a base for candies from both Mexico (usually combined with chili) and Southeast Asia.

Pomegranate Tootsie Pop103. Tootsie Pop
A chocolate taffy wad covered in sharp hard candy and put on a stick. see more

104. Turkish Delight
A simply jelly candy made with simple ingredients. Smooth and delicate it’s usually flavored with florals like rosewater and orange blossom but sometimes combined with aromatics like lemon or mint and combined with hazelnuts or pistachios. see more

105. U-No: (Maker: Annabelle’s)
A truffle-like fluffy center with ground almonds covered in chocolate. One of the highest caloric density mass-marketed candy bars on the market. (That means fatty folks.) see more

White Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts106. White Chocolate
A valid confectionery expression of milk, sugar and cocoa butter with the texture of chocolate. Wonderful in combination with so many other flavors like plain vanilla, lime, salt, chai spices or pistachios that it deserves to be appreciated (and maybe needs a new name that doesn’t make it sound like an unwanted stepchild). see more

107. White Rabbit: (Maker: Shanghai Guan Sheng Yuan Food, Ltd)
A milk-rich taffy from China. As a special treat it also has an edible rice paper inner wrapper. Also comes in other flavor varieties such as Red Bean and Green Tea. see more

108. Wine Gums
A British favorite these are similar to gummis in their dense chew. Flavored like wine though most really just taste like grape and currant with a yeasty note. see more

Zero109. Zero
The only white coated mass-market candy bar. Zero is a ground almond chocolate nougat with a strip of caramel covered in a white confection. As a piece of fine chocolate with the right ingredients this would be stellar. see more

110. Zotz: (Maker: Zots)
Hard candies filled with fizzy sour powder. Similar: Napoleon Bonbon which has only a sour powder filling without the fizz. see more

Some quick answers to what I expect will be questions: Why 110? Well, I made a list and it ended up with 110 on it. I didn’t want to hack 9 or 10 off just to have a cool number. It’s the number I felt was appropriate to display the breadth of modern candy.

Why so many American candies? Yes, it has a North American bias as it’s based on my experience, your list will be different.

Why aren’t the really good candies on here? You mean the high end chocolatiers or items available from only one store? I wanted to include things that are accessible to most people, to make the list do-able.

What do you think is essential but left out? Or inconsequential yet included? If you post your own list, please stop back by and leave a link so everyone can check it out.

POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:51 am Tracker Pixel for Entry     Candy10-SuperbFeatured NewsFun Stuff

Comments
  1. Great collection! But where is the Roca? Classic Almond Roca, Cashew Roca or my family’s newest favorite- Macadamia Roca (have you tried this yet?!? best holiday present ever)... it’s a family favorite that should definitely be added to your list!

    Comment by Kate on 1/01/10 at 1:39 pm #
  2. Cybele's avatar

    Kate - thanks for the kind words. I didn’t include any specifics on Toffee, just listed it as #4. American-Style Hard Toffee (Which would include Rocas, Heath, Skor and even European brands like Daim plus all those basic barks.)

    Comment by Cybele on 1/01/10 at 1:43 pm #
  3. wow. this is the best thing you’ve ever posted. And I just had the funnest 10 minutes of 2010 so far reading that!

    Comment by CaitlinRose on 1/01/10 at 1:44 pm #
  4. I love this, great post. What about dark chocolate (or any kind of chocolate) covered pretzels or potato chips?

    Comment by Emily on 1/01/10 at 2:16 pm #
  5. Love this list, Cybele!

    A friend & I just went through it, and I think I’ve had about 105 of 100.

    A couple possible omission: What about a Junior Mint-like candy? Also, those sugary-jelly filled candies that are at the hostess stands of many restaurants? You didn’t include any chewing gum. Also, Toffifay.

    Comment by Jen on 1/01/10 at 2:33 pm #
  6. Also, gumdrops?

    Comment by Jen on 1/01/10 at 2:34 pm #
  7. Cybele's avatar

    CaitlinRose - thanks!

    Emily - I thought long and hard about the chocolate covered foods such as corn nuts, potato chips & pretzels and decided to leave off the savory foods covered in chocolate (same with chocolate covered bacon). But you can make a case for it to be on the list.

    Jen - you’re right, I don’t have those “pillow mints” on there. No gum at all, unless you count Razzles. I just left it off entirely ... I hope someone else can come up with a good list of gum as I don’t think I consume enough to be qualified to make a list.

    Gumdrops are part of 97. Spice Gumdrops and/or Spearmint Leaves.

    Junior Mints are a subgroup of Peppermint Patties and include Junior Mints and After Eight type mints. (Any chocolate covered mint fondant of any texture.)

    Comment by Cybele on 1/01/10 at 3:00 pm #
  8. Thanks Cybele!

    Slightly OT, but do you remember those fondant-like mints that came in flat, pastel-colored wafers? When you read #96, I initially thought that’s what you were describing. I haven’t seen them for a couple decades, and don’t remember what they were called.

    Comment by Jen on 1/01/10 at 3:12 pm #
  9. Cybele's avatar

    Jen - I know the mints you mean. Jelly Belly makes some and calls them Mint Cremes.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/typetive/2773958928/

    I also got some from Daffin’s a few years back and they called them Sugar Mints (and they came in a lot of different flavors besides mint).

    I think the best known brand were called Merrimints. There’s a huge thread over on RoadFood about them (and current versions).

    Comment by Cybele on 1/01/10 at 3:27 pm #
  10. You are such a gem…your depth of knowledge amazes me! http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/browse/Home/Food-Candy/Old-Fashioned-Candy/Pastel-Mints/D/30100/P/1:100:1020:100840/I/f08854?evar3=BROWSE seems to be a pretty close facsimile. I may have to order some today!

    Comment by Jen on 1/01/10 at 3:46 pm #
  11. well, hell…there goes my New Year’s resolutions, because it looks like I have my work cut out for me. Great post!

    Comment by Rebeca on 1/01/10 at 6:08 pm #
  12. gracecarriveau's avatar

    Cybele, you are amazing! I’ve been reading your blog for almost 2 years now, and it is the one blog that I continue to come back to time and time again. Your insightful reviews are dead on and so entertaining. It’s apparent that you put a lot of heart and soul into your work. I hope someday that you will write a book about your adventures in candy tasting (and testing!). I would be the first in line to buy it!

    P.S. Thanks for including my two favorites in your list, Pez & Sponge candy.

    Comment by gracecarriveau on 1/01/10 at 11:24 pm #
  13. Wonderful list, but I would substitute Razzles with Pop Rocks. Both are gimmicky, but, well… Pop rocks are the better gimmick, I say.

    Comment by Jaime on 1/02/10 at 12:27 am #
  14. no necco wafers?

    Comment by viki smith on 1/02/10 at 4:17 am #
  15. What a great list. I was especially struck by how many of the candies you note are made possible by advances in machinery and food technology in the twentieth century. A small home kitchen or shop could make fudge or taffy in 1850 and still can today, but such wonders as Razzles, Zots, Pop Rocks, and Atomic Fireballs and even M&Ms; or Jelly Beans would be impossible without special equipment and ingredients that only were invented in the twentieth century. My rough count was about 2/3 of the candies in this list are what I would call “post-industrial” candies: beyond the reach of the individual candy maker.
    This is what makes “modern” candy (the brand name novelties in particular) so interesting: unlike any other form of “processed food,” it doesn’t attempt or pretend to resemble anything else. Frozen dinners and instant pudding are meant to replicate food you might make yourself. I can make something quite close to a Twinkie at home (actually, it would be better than a Twinkie…). But I definitely can’t produce anything even vaguely resembling Mentos!

    Comment by CandyProfessor on 1/02/10 at 6:29 am #
  16. Great list - one thing, though. Cherry Mash and Twin Bing should not be in the cherry/coconut category. Cherry Mash does not contain coconut and it does not have a whole cherry in the middle. It’s mockolate with peanuts surrounding a fluffy cherry center.  Twin Bing doesn’t have coconut either - it’s similar to the Cherry Mash but more oily, in my opinion.

    Thanks for all the great work you do for candy lovers!

    Comment by Megan on 1/02/10 at 6:58 am #
  17. Fun list.  I can’t believe how many I’ve tried!  And just thinking about some of them brought up childhood memories.  I posted as a meme over an FB.

    Comment by Julie on 1/02/10 at 7:00 am #
  18. And jelly babies might be best known as the favorite of the fourth incarnation of Doctor Who.  He seemed to have an unlimited supply with him.

    Comment by Johnny Carruthers on 1/02/10 at 7:39 am #
  19. Cybele's avatar

    Jaime - goodness! You’re right. I think it needs to be revised to 111 to include Pop Rocks. (I knew something was missing.)

    Johnny Carruthers - I was just rewatching some episodes of Dr. Who in preparation for the Tennant finale tonight and The Master was eating them in Sound of the Drums/Last of the Timelords.

    Megan - yes, I played fast & loose on the cherries. (Probably shows my disinterest in them.)

    viki smith - Yes, Necco Wafers are there, at #70.

    CandyProfessor - it is fascinating, sometimes I think the same about toys too, that so many innovative concepts come out of simply creating things to please people.

    gracecarriveau - Thanks! (Yeah, I really need to work on that book!)

    Comment by Cybele on 1/02/10 at 8:04 am #
  20. Great list cybele! I think Hotel Chocolat or Ritter Sport could have been included!

    HC for their unqiue chocolate slabs and Ritter for offering both variety and consistent quality!

    Apart from that I think it is perfect!

    JIM

    Comment by Jim on 1/02/10 at 1:27 pm #
  21. I would love to take this list and work my way through it but my new year’s resolution to lose weight has put an end to that!  Bummer!

    Comment by Pam Walter on 1/02/10 at 6:12 pm #
  22. This list is awesome! I love how so many of your posts are informative but with a silly twist. I would have included the fact that Jordan Almonds are inexcusably expensive, though. My mother requested some the other day, and a small container was almost fourteen dollars.

    Comment by Kristene on 1/02/10 at 8:03 pm #
  23. What a super fun list!  There’s a few on there that I must try!  But where are Tootsie Rolls and Bit ‘o Honey?

    Comment by Bobbi on 1/03/10 at 6:16 am #
  24. Sera's avatar

    Bravo Cybele! How insanely creative and inspiring. smile

    Comment by Sera on 1/03/10 at 6:54 am #
  25. Cybele, this is wonderful! What a delightful and delicious read.

    What about peanut brittle, or in its bar form, the Planters peanut/Munch bar?

    Comment by Liz/PDX on 1/03/10 at 7:08 am #
  26. I’m actually going to bite the bullet and repost the whole dang list. 

    1y   70%+ Cacao Chocolate yes
    2   Aerated Chocolate
    3y   Altoids
    4y   American-Style Hard Toffee
    5y   Anis de Flavigny
    6y   Any Lolllipop Bigger than your Head—I would always beg for these at Disneyland, and then eat them partly, and then they would hang around the house being sticky for weeks.  We would wrap the leftovers in foil for some reason.
    7y   Atomic Fireballs
    8   Black Sugar Candy
    9?  British Toffee
    10y   C.Howard Violet Gum/Mints or Parma Violets—tastes like perfume.  yuck!
    11y   Cadbury Creme Egg—one per year, need it or not.
    12y   Candy Buttons on Paper—but why?
    13y   Candy Corn / Mellocremes
    14?  Carob—If I ever had it, I avoided it ever after.
    15y   Cherry & Coconut—Christopher’s Big Cherry, most hilarious candy name ever.
    16y   Chocolate Coins
    17y   Chocolate Covered Cacao Nibs—I’m counting Sharfen Berger’s nibs bar.
    18y   Chocolate Covered Cherry Cordial
    19y   Chocolate Covered Dried Fruit (Raisins, Orange Peel, Apricot, Ginger, Fig)
    20y   Chocolate Covered Espresso Bean
    21   Chocolate Covered Insects—purchased but did not eat.
    22y   Chocolate from at least 5 different countries.  US, Belgium, Netherlands, England, Japan, at least one South American country, probably others.
    23y   Chocolate Fudge.  My grandma made it somehow without marshmallow fluff.  The best!
    24y   Chocolate Truffle
    25   Chupa Chups—There is a similar big round lollipop from the US, I think.
    26y   Circus Peanuts—So NASTY!
    27   Clear Sugar Hard Candy
    28y   Coconut Bar
    29   Coffee Crisp
    30y   Coffee Rio / Coffee Nips—would eat these by the box with my high school boyfriend.
    31y   Cotton Candy
    32y   Crisped Rice in Milk Chocolate
    33   Dragon’s Beard Candy—where can I get some?
    34y   Dulce de Leche
    35   Dulces de Calabasas
    36   Durian Taffy or Hard Candy
    37y   Gianduia (Gianduja)
    38y   Ginger Chews
    39y   Goetze’s Caramel Creams (Bullseyes)
    40   Green Tea Candy—doesn’t sound good to me.
    41y   Gummi Bears
    42y   Halvah
    43y   Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kisses
    44y   Hot Tamales
    45   Idaho Spud
    46   Jelly Babies
    47y   Jelly Beans
    48y   Jolly Rancher Hard Candies
    49y   Jordan Almonds
    50   Kinder Surprise or Kinder Egg
    51   Kit Kats from at least 3 countries
    52y   Lemonheads
    53y   Licorice Allsorts
    54y   Licorice Pastels
    55y   LifeSavers
    56y   M&Ms; / Smarties
    57y   Malted Milk Balls
    58y   Maple Sugar Candy—only the grainy kind. So excellent.  Easier to find in the NE.
    59   Marathon Bar or Curly Wurly
    60y   Mars Snickers
    61y   Marshmallow
    62   Marshmallow & Coconut Cup
    63y   Marshmallow Peeps
    64y   Marzipan
    65y   Mentos
    66y   Mexican Mazapan
    67y   Mockolate
    68y   Morinaga HiCHEW
    69   Musk Sticks
    70y   Necco Wafers
    71y   Nik-L-Nips or Wax Lips
    72y   Nougat & Nut Roll
    73y   Nougat de Montelimar or Torrone
    74   Panela, Panocha, Piloncillo and/or Jaggery
    75y   Pate de Fruits (fruit pate)
    76   Peanut Butter Buckeyes
    77y   Peanut Butter Crisp
    78y   Peanut Butter Molasses Chews—Love!
    79?  Pecan Pralines (New Orleans Style & Texas Chewy)
    80y   Peppermint Pattie
    81y   Pez
    82y   Pixy Stix or Lik m Aid
    83y   Pocket Coffee
    84y   Pocky
    85y   Razzles—agree, they are pointless.
    86y   Red Licorice
    87y   Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
    88y   Ribbon Candy and/or Old Fashioned Candy Sticks
    89y   Rock Candy or Konpeito
    90y   Root Beer Barrels
    91y   Salt Water Taffy (bonus if you saw it being pulled)
    92y   Salted Caramel
    93y   Salted Licorice :-p
    94   Satellite Wafers (Flying Saucers)
    95y   Single Origin Chocolate
    96y   Smooth & Melty Mints
    97y   Spice Gumdrops and/or Spearmint Leaves.  My grandma would use spice drops instead of fruit in the cookies known as Hermits.  Highly recommended.
    98y   Sponge Candy.  With both these and malted milk balls, the way I eat them is to suck them really hard, then release the vacuum so that the candy disintegrates all at once.  Hard on the tongue, but mesmerizing!
    99y   Starburst / Skittles
    100y   Swedish Fish
    101y   SweeTarts or other sour compressed Dextrose.  Do I get a bonus for candy necklaces?
    102?  Tamarind Candy
    103y   Tootsie Pop
    104y   Turkish Delight
    105?  U-No
    106y   White Chocolate
    107y   White Rabbit
    108   Wine Gums
    109   Zero
    110   Zotz

    There are so many things for the mint category…chalky kentucky mints, “dutch” mints, which are round with a candy shell over a layer of dark chocolate over a layer of strong mint goo…After Eights…starlite mints

    I would add Nerds and pop rocks for sure.  And those soft-center hard candies in the wrappers that look like fruits.  Also liquor-filled chocolates shaped like bottles.

    Comment by JJR on 1/03/10 at 9:09 am #
  27. I’ve done enough traveling to have hit that list pretty hard - my favorite is still the Zero Bar though (bought myself one this morning, in fact). As much as I love chocolate, my favorite candies are usually not. French Chews, vanilla B-B Bats, PayDays, and definitely those Planters peanut munch things make me pretty happy.

    Comment by funtime42 on 1/03/10 at 11:07 am #
  28. Usually when I read one of these “100 places you must go/books you must read/etc” lists, I’m dismayed by all the work cut out for me. Happily, a lifetime of dedicated sugar eating means I’m in good shape with this list!

    Comment by Alix on 1/04/10 at 2:43 am #
  29. Hi Cybele, thanks for responding to my comment. I happen to live in the Midwest where both Cherry Mash and Twin Bing are readily available, and I would be more than happy to send you a few of each! Way better than Big Cherry, which I think is just an overgrown cordial. Thanks again!

    Comment by Megan on 1/04/10 at 4:46 am #
  30. i think DOTS should be on the list…
    a timeless classic….

    and they have been doing a great job recently with all their limited releases….

    Comment by nighthawk on 1/04/10 at 5:22 am #
  31. Wow. I am extremely impressed.
    Excellent work. I like the way your mind works.

    Comment by Rebecca on 1/04/10 at 8:04 am #
  32. nighthawk - I’m pretty sure that DOTS were gumdropped, which is a shame because they are not really gumdroppy at all. At least I got to make up two cool words for that response.

    I also applaud any list that includes Mallo Cups.

    Comment by Helldog on 1/04/10 at 8:23 pm #
  33. Thanks so much for this post!  You’ve given me a candy goal!  Yes, I will try to try all of these.  Here’s what I’ve already tried and a few of my thoughts:

    1 yes   70%+ Cacao Chocolate
    2 yes   Aerated Chocolate - Wegmans carries Aero and Flake bars!
    3 yes   Altoids
    4 yes   American-Style Hard Toffee
    5   Anis de Flavigny
    6 yes   Any Lolllipop Bigger than your Head - and I might buy one just to brighten my kitchen this summer thanks to this idea!
    7 yes   Atomic Fireballs
    8 yes   Black Sugar Candy
    9   British Toffee
    10 yes   C.Howard Violet Gum/Mints or Parma Violets
    11 yes   Cadbury Creme Egg
    12 yes   Candy Buttons on Paper
    13 yes   Candy Corn / Mellocremes
    14   Carob
    15   Cherry & Coconut
    16 yes   Chocolate Coins
    17   Chocolate Covered Cacao Nibs
    18   Chocolate Covered Cherry Cordial
    19 yes   Chocolate Covered Dried Fruit (Raisins, Orange Peel, Apricot, Ginger, Fig)
    20   Chocolate Covered Espresso Bean
    21   Chocolate Covered Insects
    22 yes   Chocolate from at least 5 different countries
    23 yes   Chocolate Fudge
    24 yes   Chocolate Truffle
    25 yes   Chupa Chups - these are the best!
    26 yes   Circus Peanuts
    27 yes   Clear Sugar Hard Candy
    28   Coconut Bar
    29   Coffee Crisp
    30   Coffee Rio / Coffee Nips
    31 yes   Cotton Candy - I even spent a summer making this!
    32 yes   Crisped Rice in Milk Chocolate
    33   Dragon’s Beard Candy
    34   Dulce de Leche
    35   Dulces de Calabasas
    36   Durian Taffy or Hard Candy
    37   Gianduia (Gianduja)
    38   Ginger Chews
    39 yes   Goetze’s Caramel Creams (Bullseyes)
    40   Green Tea Candy
    41 yes   Gummi Bears - Albanese 12 Flavor bears are my favorite!!!
    42   Halvah
    43 yes   Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kisses
    44 yes   Hot Tamales
    45   Idaho Spud
    46 yes   Jelly Babies - found at Wegmans - not for me
    47 yes   Jelly Beans - Jelly Belly is my favorite
    48 yes   Jolly Rancher Hard Candies
    49   Jordan Almonds
    50   Kinder Surprise or Kinder Egg
    51   Kit Kats from at least 3 countries - 2 so far
    52 yes   Lemonheads
    53 yes   Licorice Allsorts
    54 yes   Licorice Pastels
    55 yes   LifeSavers
    56 yes   M&Ms; / Smarties
    57 yes   Malted Milk Balls
    58 yes   Maple Sugar Candy - worth the price!
    59   Marathon Bar or Curly Wurly
    60 yes   Mars Snickers
    61 yes   Marshmallow
    62   Marshmallow & Coconut Cup
    63 yes   Marshmallow Peeps
    64 yes   Marzipan
    65 yes   Mentos
    66   Mexican Mazapan
    67 yes   Mockolate
    68 yes   Morinaga HiCHEW
    69   Musk Sticks
    70 yes   Necco Wafers
    71 yes   Nik-L-Nips or Wax Lips
    72 yes   Nougat & Nut Roll
    73   Nougat de Montelimar or Torrone
    74   Panela, Panocha, Piloncillo and/or Jaggery
    75   Pate de Fruits (fruit pate)
    76   Peanut Butter Buckeyes
    77 yes   Peanut Butter Crisp
    78 yes   Peanut Butter Molasses Chews
    79   Pecan Pralines (New Orleans Style & Texas Chewy)
    80 yes   Peppermint Pattie
    81 yes   Pez
    82 yes   Pixy Stix or Lik m Aid
    83   Pocket Coffee
    84 yes   Pocky
    85 yes   Razzles
    86 yes   Red Licorice
    87 yes   Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
    88 yes   Ribbon Candy and/or Old Fashioned Candy Sticks
    89 yes   Rock Candy or Konpeito
    90 yes   Root Beer Barrels
    91 yes   Salt Water Taffy (bonus if you saw it being pulled - yes - Shrivers in Ocean City, NJ - a great candy store if you’re in town!
    92   Salted Caramel
    93   Salted Licorice
    94   Satellite Wafers (Flying Saucers)
    95   Single Origin Chocolate
    96 yes   Smooth & Melty Mints
    97 yes   Spice Gumdrops and/or Spearmint Leaves
    98   Sponge Candy
    99 yes   Starburst / Skittles
    100 yes   Swedish Fish
    101 yes   SweeTarts or other sour compressed Dextrose
    102   Tamarind Candy
    103 yes   Tootsie Pop
    104 yes   Turkish Delight (my favorite is Ginger!)
    105   U-No
    106 yes   White Chocolate (my favorite is Green and Black’s)
    107   White Rabbit
    108   Wine Gums
    109   Zero
    110 yes   Zotz

    It’s hard to think of anything that you left off.  I would add Nerds, chocolate covered pretzels, and Bottle Caps (though maybe they fall in the sweet tart category?).

    Comment by Laura on 1/07/10 at 7:54 am #
  34. I love your blog. I first heard you on Munchcast, the Leo Laporte podcast. Do you go to the Candy Expo every year? When is it this year? I would love to go. Can people who sell candy via direct sales go? I sell Bodega Chocolates, which is a small chocolate candy company in Fountain Valley, CA. It’s owned by 3 sisters and the chocolate is wonderful! Thanks for all your info.

    Comment by Lisa Zee on 1/09/10 at 2:21 pm #
  35. Cybele's avatar

    Jim - I didn’t go for too many brands unless they innovated something in particular (especially if it had staying power). Ritter is a good contender though, simply because they do such a huge variety and bars that no one else has like Knusperflakes.

    I don’t think Hotel Chocolat has been around long enough to be considered essential yet. The slabs didn’t really appeal to me (I’ve had four now but only reviewed one) and don’t seem to be unique in the whole timeline of chocolates but that may be part of my American perspective. (Barks are quite common here and each region has their own take on them with local ingredients/flavors.)

    Pam - no one says you have to do it all in one year! (Of course no one’s saying that you can’t skip meals in favor of some Jelly Babies.)

    Kristene - there is a HUGE markup on candy, especially when you put the word Wedding in front of it. I found some awesome and really cheap Jordan almonds at Cost Plus World Market - they were 2 lbs for 9.99 and really, really good.

    Bobbi - only Tootsie Pops made the list, but of course you can’t make a Tootsie Pop without a Tootsie Roll.

    Sera also did a List of the Best of 2009

    Lix/PDX - you’re right, peanut brittle belongs in there somewhere. It’s not quite Cinder Toffee and not quite toffee either (as there’s often no dairy in it at all).

    JJR - I didn’t know quite what to do with Nerds. Are they a subgroup of Lemonheads (since they’re panned & flavored) or really their own thing ... I can’t decide.

    As for Dragonbeard, which I haven’t tried yet either, I’m planning on ordering from here:
    Yuzu-Mura Trading Co

    Megan - I did procure a Twin Bing, so I’ll start with that one.

    Nighthawk - I agree that Dots really set the gumdrop world on fire. (And really need to make cinnamon Dots permanent again.) But they’re still just uncrusty gumdrops.

    Laura - I do put Bottlecaps in the Sweetart category. (They’re not even the same anymore.) And I completely agree about Green & Black’s White Chocolate.

    Lisa Zee - All Candy Expo (now called Sweets & Snacks Expo) is May 25-27 2010. If you’re a retailer you can definitely go - I don’t know the registration fees but the show is in Chicago (so you’ll have a fair bit of travel expenses).

    Comment by Cybele on 1/09/10 at 2:52 pm #
  36. What an enlightening blog for those of us that have always been candy-holics!  One thing I can’t find is something my boss has had and loves.  He says it contains almonds, toffee and sesame seeds - but he can’t recall a name.  Are you aware of such a thing?  Not even any chocolate is involved - so it’s been hard to find.  Keep up the sweet work!

    Comment by Kris on 1/13/10 at 6:59 am #
  37. No mary janes or chick-o- sticks. How old was the person who wrote this 20?

    Comment by israel samples on 3/23/10 at 10:25 am #
  38. Cybele's avatar

    Israel Samples (if that is your real name) - How is your reading comprehension? #77 covers peanut butter crisp and mentions chick-o-sticks specifically. #78 is the molasses/peanut butter chews that include Mary Janes. (I’m in my 40s, thank you for asking & treating young people like aliens ... the point of the post is to expand people’s minds & explore candy as culture.)

    Comment by Cybele on 3/23/10 at 10:32 am #
  39. I said to myself - no more candy! no more chocolate! And then somehow I lost it a little and found my way to your blog. Nooo, this is not happening! You even made a list and some of my favorite candies made it to your top 100. You are evil.

    Comment by Kathy on 4/14/10 at 5:55 pm #
  40. Beautiful work you’ve done here.  All I could really think of was Botan Rice Candy…which I was reminded of when I read the entry on White Rabbit (which is awesome) and its rice paper wrapper. It’s more jellylike than caramelly though.

    Thanks!

    Comment by Blue Seven on 1/05/11 at 6:00 pm #
  41. I hope someone here can help me, it’s a rather odd question.  I’m trying to remember the name of a bar, it was chocolate and nougat, with a layer of peanut butter on the bottom (possibly the nougat was on bottom, cant quite remember).  I used to eat them all the time, but not i cant remember the name of them for the life of me.  All i can remember other then this is that the commercial was always a cowboy on horseback.

    I really hope someone can help me here!

    Comment by Andrew on 9/06/11 at 6:44 pm #
  42. Andrew, I think I can answer your question. Are you thinking of the Look bar? They’re available online. I’ve never commented before, but I love this blog and read it regularly.

    Comment by Midge on 9/09/11 at 1:27 am #
  43. i really love your blog. i never knew that there were more than 100 types of candy. Thank you, this website is perfect for people who absolutly love candy like me(: im 13, and i eat so much candy i probably have more than 20 cavitys because i dont brush my teeth a lot. but my parents dont know that. and my teeth are rotting away but i dont care. i just LOVE candy.

    Comment by CeCe on 10/27/12 at 10:16 am #
  44. What about chocolates with licquers or nut essences…I’m thinking of Ice Cubes, specifically. And also chocolates with nuts AND fruit like Chunkies.

    Comment by nandy on 12/03/12 at 1:44 pm #
  45. What about Mozartkugel? http://www.original-mozartkugel.com/index_e.php they are pretty famous in Austria and surrounding countries and also it’s very old (more than a hundred years!)
    or the most famous version by Mirabell http://www.mozartkugeln.org/ it’s actually everywhere in Austria.
    Oh, and I’ve only ever tried the Mirabell ones but they’re definitely one of my favourite sweets.

    Comment by Ami on 1/31/13 at 2:22 pm #
  46. There are a few old, old candy types not mentioned on the site:

    Gibralters (lemon and peppermint) Humbugs or Horehounds, Black Jacks and Boston Baked Beans (red sugar coated roasted peanuts).

    They are all really wonderful, colonial style candies and really yummy…..and they all last quite awhile….

    Comment by LRN on 6/13/14 at 11:58 pm #
  47. Cinnamon Bears, “Dots/jellies,” Divinity, Nerds, and the not-chocolate Smarties…

    Comment by Chuffy on 12/10/14 at 10:58 am #
  48. Please try out Calisson d’Aix and update your list.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calisson

    Comment by Marc on 12/10/14 at 1:30 pm #
  49. Impossible to mention ALL candies but Doriyakis should be on the list methinks wink

    Comment by Jaal on 12/16/14 at 6:49 am #
  50. Well, happy new year, as of this entry (see date)....Id put Bonomo and McCraw taffy…Necco anything..and of course candy corn and circus peanuts (any maker, though Brach’s pref.for the corn).

    Comment by SJCarras on 7/13/17 at 5:02 pm #
  51. PS No Happy New Year’s in your post, Cybele?:)

    I had a Necco Clark bar..the original “Butterfinger/Fifth Avenue” but with its own slightly honey taste..

    Comment by SJCarras on 7/13/17 at 5:05 pm #
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