Entries for 'Michael'

My husband picked these up somewhere (Wal-Mart?) and mentioned that I might like them.  I'll admit I was skeptical.  I don't like gummy candy as much as he does, and we don't usually gravitate strongly to the same candy.  Still, I decided to try a piece and was pleasantly surprised. 

The key is that these candies are chews-- not gummis.  The texture is much less gelatinous than, say, a gummi bear, and they have a light dusting of "sour sugar" that supplies a nice tang.  They remind me slightly-- but favorably-- of Haribo's Fruity Pasta candy, though Awesome Twosome Chews are significantly softer and less tart than Fruity Pasta. 

The gimmick with this candy is that each (approximately half-inch square) piece is comprised of two flavors.  Each center is of one flavor and is wrapped in a layer of a second flavor.  In this bag, we had two flavor combinations-- watermelon wrapped around green apple and cherry wrapped around orange.  As far as I know, these are the only flavor combinations currently available, which seems a little limited.  Most bags of candy chews these days seem to come in assortments of at least three different flavors.  At least both of these flavor combos are good.  I didn't find myself avoiding a particular color, as sometimes happens in bags of assorted flavors. 

Once you get past the slight tanginess of the powdered coating, the candy itself is sweet and quite tasty, with a pleasant chewiness that doesn't devolve into a gooey, tooth-sticking mess, as some soft, chewy candies do.  I can definitely taste both flavors in each candy, though sometimes one seems to dominate the other.  The citrus flavor in the cherry/orange is quite strong and mouth-watering, while the watermelon/green apple has a slightly sour, puckering effect.  The two flavor combinations pair well. 

I ate my last few Awesome Twosome Chews while writing this review, and I'm left wishing I had more.  That's the sign of a pretty decent little candy. 

With their burnt sienna (aka brown) packaging, Brach's Maple Nut Goodies seem targeted for a more adult audience than is usual for candy.   (Alright, the color choice likely has more to do with the fact that these candies are maple-flavored than as child-proof camouflage , but let's face it--  young'uns don't usually think of brown as a cool, fun color.)

I must confess, I rarely pay much attention to the "old folks" portion of the candy aisle, but for some reason, these jumped out at me on a recent shopping trip.  Perhaps it was the "maple" part of the name that caught my eye.    Maple seems a fairly unusual candy flavoring, these days.  (Or in other words:  "Maple?  Consider my interest piqued!")

They're described as "Artificially Flavored Maple Nut Goodies... Peanuts in crunchy toffee with maple coating".  

Pausing briefly to note that the "peek hole" on the front of the bag is in the shape of a smile, let's tear into the package and pour out a few "goodies".  Each is roughly teardrop-shaped and approximately an inch long and half an inch tall.  They are an unassuming light brown with a matte finish. 

There's a very sweet, maple aroma to these candies that I find appealing.  A maple afficionado might sniff derisively, but it smells pretty good to me.  (Also, maple syrup is at least listed in the ingredients-- in the fifth spot, behind sugar, peanuts, corn syrup, and palm oil.)

Take a bite-- and it's just as advertised.  There's the dry, crumbly, maple-flavored coating and the gently sweet, relatively soft toffee and peanut interior.  My only quibble is that I'd say it's more chewy than crunchy, beyond the natural crunch of the peanut.  (However, some pieces are a bit harder than others.)

There's something homey about this candy, and I find them extremely munchable, possibly in part because they feel milder than many candies.  They are mellow-- more like a homemade candy than much of what you find in the candy aisle. 

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by Maple Nut Goodies and would definitely be happy to purchase them again. 

The "Mint Dream" from Russell Stover comes in a pretty, shiny foil wrapper bearing the description "fluffy mint cream covered in milk chocolate".  Unfortunately, the package may be the best thing about this particular candy.

To be fair, there's nothing to complain about in the candy's appearance, either.  It's an attractive, smooth chocolate round approximately two inches in diameter and a bit over one inch tall.  A pleasant aroma of chocolate is preceptible, but there's not much (aside from the wrapper) to hint at mint, which is interesting, as most minty candies tend to announce their flavor with a strong scent of mint. 

On to the tasting!

The chocolate coating (of a thickness sufficient to make it a noticeable flavor and not a mere protective covering for the filling) is nice enough-- but the filling is odd.  At first glance, it's attractive-- a creamy white (as depicted on the wrapper) with a whipped, frothy texture.  A small nibble tastes almost more buttery than minty-- not what you expect from something named "Mint Dream".  A larger bite (with a higher filling-to-chocolate ratio), however, reveals a slightly more bracing mintiness.  It's a "dark" mint flavor, though, if that makes any sense, not pleasantly sharp as you find in many mint candies (such as the York Peppermint Pattie).

Here's a curious observation of the Mint Dream:  The "fluffy" filling melts a little and turns a bit slick after contact with... er, mouth moisture, which creates a somewhat less appealing look in the candy, once you've begun to eat it.  (The word "slimy" comes to mind.)  On the plus side, this also means that it melts in your mouth.  (I understand that a good number of people find this a selling point in foods of all kinds.)

The Mint Dream is a bit of an odd size.  Rather like a Cadbury Creme Egg, it feels bigger and richer than your average fun-size candy bar, but it's somewhat messy to save some for later.  (In all honesty, if I liked this candy better, I wouldn't even have considered saving some for later.  The fact that the idea even came into my head is a sign of how little I liked it.)

Overall, this candy is nothing to write home about.  It isn't exactly awful, but I didn't really enjoy eating it-- and that's the whole point of candy.  

Note:  I have read that some people prefer to eat this candy cold, and I imagine that would increase its appeal.  Still, for my money, the simple York Peppermint Pattie or Junior Mint wins the day.  It all comes down to texture.  If you like ultra-soft, fluffy fillings, chocolate, and mint, try the Mint Dream, by all means.  

The Zero Candy Bar (currently produced by Hershey) is billed as "caramel, peanut and almond nougat covered with white fudge".  The first thing you'll notice about the Zero (apart from the sleek silver wrapper) is that covering of "white fudge"-- fairly unusual in the chocolate-dominated array of candy bars. 

A sweet, almond aroma accompanies that first peek at the crisp, white candy bar.

I must admit to being a bit suspicious of "white fudge".  Sure, it looks interesting, but I'm not sure it adds much to the Zero experience-- except a little more sweetness and a protective covering for the rest of the candy bar.  The relatively soft white coating isn't the star of this show, by any means.  For that, look inside the candy bar.

The interior of the bar is made of up a thick layer of nougat and a much thinner layer of caramel.  The Zero doesn't seem to contain whole peanuts or large pieces of peanut.  Rather, very small bits of nut add a little crunch and texture to the creamy, smooth caramel and nougat.  The nougat is brown, but instead of tasting of chocolate (as you might expect) it has a sweet, malted, slightly nutty (almondy) flavor. 

This candy bar is seriously sweet.  If you don't like serious sweetness, you'd probably do well to look elsewhere for your next candy fix.  As for me, when I was growing up, the Zero bar was my mother's favorite.  I've concluded that I inherited my love the Zero from her.

These are dangerously easy to eat.  You may find that you've gobbled down the whole thing without even thinking about it. 

Nerds are another of those candies I grew up enjoying-- but I've yet to get a solid answer on how the name originated.  What makes them so nerdy? 

Well, however they got their name, Nerds have been around since the early 1980s.  Back then, I think they usually came two flavors to a package in small boxes that were divided down the middle.  There were two openings at the top of the box, so that you could eat, say, strawberry nerds for a while, then switch over to the grape, or mix them in whatever ratio you preferred.  (It was all very scientific, I assure you.)

While Nerds are still available in that format, lately I see them more often like this-- Rainbow Nerds-- five flavors of Nerds all bouncing around together in a large box.  It's a bit chaotic.  I prefer my Nerds separated by color/flavor, because that way you get a stronger concentration of each individual taste (without the nuisance of having to pick through them by hand).  Still, I'll take my Nerds as I can find them. 

(Have you noticed that I'm using the name "Nerds" more than is strictly necessary?  It's just so darn fun!)

Packaging:  Colorful, bright, and covered in goofy little armless critters that one assumes are what Nerds look like when they've magically come to life. . . The box has a handy tab opening-- perfect for saving some for later.

That said, the little screed on the back of the box may be pushing things a little: 

"Greetings to you from Willy Wonka himself! Tremendous things are in store for you!  Many tasty treats await you!  Inside this Scrumdiddlyumptious package you will find MYSTIC & MARVELOUS SURPRISES that will Entrance, Intrigue & Delight you BEYOND MEASURE.  So don't just STAND THERE with your mouth open.  Go On.  Feed Your Imagination."

. . .Yeah. . . Maybe I'd be impressed if I were seven or eight.  At this point in my life, though, I question any candy's ability to entrance, intrigue, and delight me beyond measure. 

Appearance:  Again, bright and colorful.  Specifically, they are pink, purple, orange, yellow, and green.  The tiny bits of candy come in random shapes and sizes, with a nice touch of shine. 

One negative about Nerds is their habit of falling into nooks and crannies (such as computer keyboards and between couch cushions).  That's just a hazard you have to learn to live with.

Aroma:  There's not a strong aroma, but there is a faint whiff of fruity sweetness.

Texture:  They're crunchy, but not so hard that they hurt to bite.  They're meant to be crunched.

Flavor:  The flavors include strawberry, grape, sour apple, lemonade, and orange.  Each flavor is distinct enough to be recognizable when eaten separately, but if you eat a variety of them at one time, the flavors are somewhat lost in a jumble of sweet and sour.  In fact, each individual flavor is a pleasant mixture of sweet and tangy, though some are tarter than others. 

I'm not sure if my fondness for Nerds is based more on what they are or on nostalgia, but I'm sure I do like them.  They're just plain fun to eat!