Monday, March 4, 2013

Elmer Cotton Candy Marshmallow Eggs

Elmer's Cotton Candy Marshmallow EggsElmer Chocolate has been making candy since 1855. They’re based in Louisiana, but I usually only see their candy in California around Valentine’s Day as they have some very popular boxed chocolate assortments that are sold at drug stores and discounters all over the counter. However, they do make some insanely popular Easter products that seem much harder to find: Heavenly Hash Eggs and Gold Brick Eggs.

I was surprised to see these Cotton Candy Marshmallow Eggs at Cost Plus World Market instead of those more well known eggs, but at $1.49 and for something that was a little different from the traditional Easter fare, I was willing to take the plunge.

Elmer's Cotton Candy Marshmallow Eggs

The packaging is simple, a very light plastic try has four sections to hold the domed marshmallow eggs. It does its job, as they were all pretty much flawless right out of the wrapper.

Each piece is rather small, they’re .45 ounces each. They’re about 2 inches long. They smell sweet, a little like cherry and milky chocolate. They’re a “light” candy, in that they’re not caloricly dense, so you can eat the whole package and it’s only 190 calories (105 per ounce).

Elmer's Cotton Candy Marshmallow Eggs

I can’t really put my finger on what went wrong with these. The chocolate is passable, thought sweet is does a nice job of sealing in the soft, moist marshmallow. The marshmallow itself, well, it’s filled with bad air. It’s probably one of those flavors that not everyone can detect (like the fact that Red 40 tastes bitter to me and very few other people). It tastes like molten plastic. Styrofoam. It tastes like new Crocs. It’s not the marshmallow itself, as far as I can tell, it’s not the packaging ... it’s the stuff that was whipped into it.

It’s a great idea, to have a softly strawberry flavored marshmallow center. But in this case, I can’t recommend it. Everything I saw at the Cost Plus looks like it’s from the same case so would probably have the same issue. I haven’t seen them at any other store. I did try their Toasted Marshmallow Eggs a few years ago and didn’t note this issue.

My big question to you, readers, is this: Do you taste this kind of stuff? I notice similar problems at times with whipped items, like meringues or marshmallows. But other candies that have delicate flavors can also take on this plastic note (especially ones without a strong flavor of their own).

Does anyone else notice this from time to time? Do you know what it is? (Is it dangerous?)

UPDATE: As some here have noted and an inside source in the confectionery industry as also pointed out, it is likely from the packaging. The tray is likely polystyrene and it outgasses ... delicate and airy confections like marshmallows can easily absorb that “flavor”. Styrene is not a healthy item to consume, though in a seasonal treat in this small quantity is likely to be trivial. But it still doesn’t taste good.

Related Candies

  1. Hilco Mallow Pals Strawberry Squeezable Marshmallow
  2. Limited Edition 3 Musketeers Marshmallow
  3. CVS Marshmallow Pop
  4. Elmer’s Dark Chocolate Heavenly Hash & Gold Brick Eggs
  5. Elmer’s Toasted Marshmallow Eggs
  6. Elmer’s Chocolate


Name: Cotton Candy Marshmallow Eggs
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Elmer Chocolate
Place Purchased: Cost Plus World Market (Farmers Market)
Price: $1.49
Size: 1.8 ounces
Calories per ounce: 105
Categories: Candy, Easter, Elmer's Candy, Chocolate, Marshmallow, 3-Unappealing, United States, Cost Plus

POSTED BY Cybele AT 2:36 pm Tracker Pixel for Entry     CandyReviewEasterElmer's CandyChocolateMarshmallow3-UnappealingUnited StatesCost Plus

Comments
  1. I definitely notice that flavor, too, though I don’t know what it is!

    Comment by LK on 3/04/13 at 2:44 pm #
  2. Their standard stuff is better than the cotton candy eggs. I live in Louisiana so you can get their usual fare like Heavenly Hash and Gold Brick eggs everywhere. If you want to sample them you could try to find someone from here who could send you some, they’re not very expensive.

    Comment by Sara on 3/04/13 at 7:13 pm #
  3. I was recently given a big 200g bar of María Tepoztlán chile chocolate and it has an intense melted plastic flavor that also repeated on me for hours. I just did a web search and a couple people noted it tasted “soapy.” Really unpleasant.

    Comment by Max on 3/04/13 at 11:17 pm #
  4. Dear Candy Queen,

    After reading your bit about “bad air” & bitter red dye I am going to bath in fragrant essential oils just in case we ever pass each other in L.A.

    These eggs are laid in the swamps of Louisiana. That could explain some of it!!

    To arrive at a more scientific explanation, what is the full list of ingredients?

    Comment by Jason on 3/05/13 at 9:33 am #
  5. I have a bitter reaction to red dye too!  When I was a kid I always hated Atomic Fireballs and red Sprees because they tasted so nasty on the outside…

    I’d be willing to bet we’re supertasters.

    I also worked at a candy store for 2 1/2 years, so I’m a fellow candy-phile.

    Comment by TacoDave on 3/05/13 at 1:39 pm #
  6. I wonder if it’s the plastic tray? Maybe it gets just warm enough to off-gas something nasty, but not hot enough for the candy to melt. Since the eggs are so lightly flavored, you can taste it more than in something like a peanut butter egg.

    I came here tonight (for the first time) after doing a google search as a result of Choward’s Violet Mints ruining everything else in our candy jar. The darkest chocolate just barely tastes of soap, everything else is horrible. So, my theory may be coming from a place of extreme bias.

    Comment by Denise on 3/12/13 at 8:19 pm #
  7. Cybele, I tasted that strange flavor/aftertaste too. It had a metallic shade to me, so I was assuming it was with the food coloring. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who noticed it. smile

    Comment by Sera on 3/21/13 at 2:54 pm #
  8. I bought my cotton candy creams at Dollar Tree. They are the best candy cream I have ever eaten. I would love to buy them bulk

    Comment by Sandra Hudkins on 1/26/14 at 1:12 pm #
  9. I bought a pack of these at Dollar Tree vaguely remembering your review. The packaging was different in that the filling was pink - and opening up an egg, it was not marshmallow, but a runny fondant! It also didn’t taste like anything… except that red dye, which I can also taste. Big disappointment! It was Just Fine as a candy, but I wouldn’t but it again… not when Dollar Tree has Russel Stover.

    Comment by Mara on 8/01/14 at 7:45 pm #
  10. On the subject, I have tried both the eggs and the cotton candy cremes…which I stumbled upon this blog searching for the cotton candy cremes. I found them at a dollar tree while visiting my bother in Athens, OH and while I live in North Carolina, I can not find them anywhere. Its odd, I don’t normally have a taste for cheap candy. I am a fan Whitman’s assorted chocolates and German variety gummy bears. That’s about it unless its one of our home made and/or locally made candies and sweets. However, I just can’t deny how much I’ve been craving those darn cotton candy cremes. I bought 3 dozen packs in Athens after I realized how much I liked them (in case they didn’t have them in NC like I suspected). The stash I purchased lasted me over a year and a half in my deep freeze LOL and I ran out in Feb. of this year. If Anyone knows where I can find them, PLEASE cone fourth and let me know. Thanks!! smile

    Comment by Koko on 7/05/15 at 10:44 pm #
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