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.
1. 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
6. 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
11. 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
15. 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
17. 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
20. 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.)
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.
25. 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
28. 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.
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.
34. 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.
36. 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
39. 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.
41. 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
43. 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
47. 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
50. 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
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
55. 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
58. 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
60. 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
64. 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
68. 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
71. 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
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.)
75. 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
78. 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
80. 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
83. 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
86. 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.)
92. 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
95. 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
98. 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
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.
103. 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
106. 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
109. 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.
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!
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.)
wow. this is the best thing you’ve ever posted. And I just had the funnest 10 minutes of 2010 so far reading that!
I love this, great post. What about dark chocolate (or any kind of chocolate) covered pretzels or potato chips?
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.
Also, gumdrops?
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.)
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.
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).
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!
well, hell…there goes my New Year’s resolutions, because it looks like I have my work cut out for me. Great post!
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.
Wonderful list, but I would substitute Razzles with Pop Rocks. Both are gimmicky, but, well… Pop rocks are the better gimmick, I say.
no necco wafers?
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!
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!
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.
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.
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!)
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
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!
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.
What a super fun list! There’s a few on there that I must try! But where are Tootsie Rolls and Bit ‘o Honey?
Bravo Cybele! How insanely creative and inspiring.
Cybele, this is wonderful! What a delightful and delicious read.
What about peanut brittle, or in its bar form, the Planters peanut/Munch bar?
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.
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.
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!
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!
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….
Wow. I am extremely impressed.
Excellent work. I like the way your mind works.
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.
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?).
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.
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).
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!
No mary janes or chick-o- sticks. How old was the person who wrote this 20?
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.)
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
What about chocolates with licquers or nut essences…I’m thinking of Ice Cubes, specifically. And also chocolates with nuts AND fruit like Chunkies.
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.
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….
Cinnamon Bears, “Dots/jellies,” Divinity, Nerds, and the not-chocolate Smarties…
Please try out Calisson d’Aix and update your list.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calisson
Impossible to mention ALL candies but Doriyakis should be on the list methinks
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).
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..
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