sometimes i get annoyed at how boring the US candy industry can be. i want more exotic flavors, like soy sauce flavored kit kats, or chocolate with a passion fruit filling. personally, i'm tired of everything being chocolate, caramel or peanut butter (not that there's anything wrong with any of those things!)

but i'm guessing that most candy connoisseurs feel the same way about the offerings in their home country-- there's a tendency to become bored with the same ol same ol. i always think the UK has tons of great candy, but members of Chocolate Review seem to look to Japan or even New Zealand for inspiration.

so i guess the point is, spend more time (and way more money) at artisan chocolatiers. locally, two of my favorites are Chuao and Eclipse. the flavors tend towards the exotic, and many of the combinations are not for everyone; i'm not a fan of balsamic vinegar or rose petals in my chocolate. but some of the others are really wonderful, and it certainly satisfies the need to try something new.

plus i'm all in favor of supporting the little guy!

when i was growing up in the suburbs of chicago, there was only one major gourmet candy store chain: Fanny May. before developing such a sophisticated palate (HA!), i used to believe that Fanny May was the height of deliciousness, particularly the trinidad. as a built-in convenience factor, many Fanny May products were also available at local grocery stores and drugstores.

nowadays, i live in southern california and my tastes have changed a bit. i suppose the closest equivalent to Fanny May is See's, but for whatever reason, i find See's to be about a 1,340,000,000% better. everything at the See's counter tastes remarkably fresh, the nuts are toasty and crisp, the fruit centers are all natural and delightfully authentic (except for the godawful Apple Pie Truffle... blurrghhh)

in fact, i prefer See's to Godiva, to Neuhaus, to just about any other confectionery i've come across. (the one exception being a selection of belgian truffles purchased from this nondescript London location...)

and even though my first love will always be chocolate, there's something about the See's Scotch Kiss (#19 on their custom mix page) that is ridiculously delicious. it's just a marshmallow, wrapped in caramel, wrapped in waxed paper. that's it. but the texture is PERFECT: soft, but substantial and satisfying, not too chewy. the flavor is PERFECT: sweet, yes, but with a nice salty/buttery hit from the caramel. the portion size is PERFECT: hmm, well, i could probably eat a dozen of these at once. but everything else is oh-my-god delicious.

for those of you without a See's... uh... i feel for ya!

oh and here's something else i tried...

you know, i am a big fan of limited edition candies, particularly when the flavor is unusual (or downright bizarre.) the US does not often produce downright bizarre limited editions, but at least you can count on hershey to put out tons of variations on its products throughout the year.

this year for easter, there are Orange Creme Hershey's Kisses, previously reviewed here and here, and Lemon Creme Hershey's Kisses, which i believe to be new for '08. to be perfectly clear, they're actually called Lemon Crême Hershey's Kisses. don't ask me what makes them worthy of that faux-french twist, but if you'd like to type an ê of your very own, the character map is ALT 0234

but i digress. upon opening the bag, i was struck by just how lovely these smell. definitely a strong hint of lemon, but still exceedingly sweet. these are, after all, built upon a base of Hershey's patented white chocolate (which in fact is hardly white chocolate at all; sure, there is some cocoa butter in there, but there's also vegetable oil and PGPR. *sigh*)

in spite of the wonderful odor, the taste is just ho hum. personally, i would prefer a much sharper blast of citrus, but the lemon essence here is decidedly mild and overwhelmed by the sweetness of the white "confection." furthermore, there is something very slightly -off- about the texture. perhaps as a side effect of not being 100% cocoa butter, these do not have a totally smooth melt. there's a tiny bit of sludge left on the tongue that, while not completely revolting, is definitely a little off-putting.

i didn't hate these, but i didn't love them either. i probably wouldn't buy them again.

HAPPY DAY AFTER EASTER

well i was going to just let this blog fall into oblivion, but after spending a day basically eating nothing but sugar and hydrogenated oils, it seems like this really is my calling. plus, today is the miracle day when delicious candy in attractive pastel packaging is 50% off (OR MORE!) so in honor of easter... here's a new post:

these are the things i ate yesterday:
Cadbury Creme Egg - of course, the good old easter standby! this used to be my absolute favorite easter candy, and i looked forward to these all year long. even the old commercial, with the clucking rabbit (and the deranged kids shouting, "THANKS EASTER BUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1") made me drool with anticipation. nowadays, i hate to admit they're almost too sweet for me. i still had one this year, out of tradition more than anything else, but i had to have a cup of black coffee alongside...

Marshmallow Peeps - actually these may be more iconic than the Cadbury Creme Egg. this year, i mixed it up a bit and tried the cocoa bunnies. actually, i liked them quite a bit. the cocoa flavor is subtle with no artificial aftertaste. the only minor issues are the fact that brown peeps are not quite as attractive as the BRIGHT PURPLE or BRIGHT BLUE variety, and the texture of these is somehow a little softer than a "normal" peep. for those of us who prefer our peeps stale and rubbery, a softer peep is not necessarily a good thing.

Reese's Peanut Butter Egg - i don't know exactly why, but for whatever reason, the Egg does not taste exactly the same as a Peanut Butter Cup. the ratio of peanut butter to chocolate is different, or the peanut butter is a little saltier and grainier, or these have been sprinkled with magical Easter Bunny dust of joy and cholesterol-related happiness. whatever the reason, i really love these (and i am somewhat ambivalent towards the regular old PB Cup...)

so, nothing out of the ordinary, but 100% deliciousness. look forward to posts on a more regular basis now that i'm bored at work and trying to keep myself entertained. :)

i've done an absolutely horrible job updating this with pictures, haven't i? well, too bad. laziness is a virtue.

i'm not just a junk food connoisseur, i'm also a junk food creator. this weekend, i whipped up* another batch of my absolute favorite coffeecake, aka "Blueberry Boy Bait." yes, that's really the name. no, i'm not making that up. really. i swear.

actually, this recipe is slightly altered from it's original incarnation, because that's how i roll. here's my version:

1 cup all-purpose flour + 1/2 cup cake flour + 1/2 cup almond flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup butter
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup oats

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking dish.
In a large bowl, stir together the flours, sugars and salt. Cut in butter with a fork (or your grubby hands) sandy-textured. For the topping, measure out 3/4 cup of the mixture, add 1/2 cup oats, and set aside.

Stir baking powder and cinnamon into the remaining mixture. Lightly beat eggs with milk. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle blueberries over the batter, and top with reserved crumb'n'oat mixture.

Bake for 40-50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched in the center.

* do not under any circumstances "whip" batter containing flour. that's a great way to end up with disgustingly tough baked goods.

-jfj

omg omg omg! i finally found the Elvis Reese's Peanut Butter Cups at my local Long's Drugs. first off, be aware that these are not normally-sized peanut butter cups. they are (hyuk hyuk) King Sized, and as such, they are enormously caloriffic.

the banana creme is not really "creme" so much as... uhh... i don't know what it is. it is quite firm, almost the same texture as the chocolate coating. it is easily separated from the rest of the cup, if that's the naughty sort of game you like to play with your candy.

the good news is, these are pretty damn tasty. the banana flavor is authentic, not that cloyingly artificial banana flavor you'd find in, say, a Laffy Taffy. and it really works with the slightly salty peanut butter glop. you know, i've also had the Reese's with Marshmallow and the Reese's with Caramel and i thought both of those tasted pretty much exactly like a regular PB cup. this one's probably my favorite, because it's different enough to be interesting but not so bizarre that it no longer resembles one of America's favorite fatty sweets.

the bad news is, presumably these are a limited edition, so get 'em while you can!

-jfj

i have an unusual fascination with limited edition products. i guess it's the only potential source of "unusual" flavors in the US. while folks in England enjoy stuff like this and our friends in Japan go crazy for this, we are stuck with an endless number of candy bars featuring some combination of chocolate, peanut butter and/or caramel.

so while i wait for Elvis Peanut Butter Cups to show up around here (i must've checked a dozen stores over the past week), i'll take a moment to reflect on the international kit kat phenomenon.

to be fair, we've seen some limited edition kit kats here, including Mocha, Orange & Creme and Cherry. but check out this wikipedia link for an idea of what the rest of the world (primarily japan) is blessed with.

it may not surprise you to learn that i've tried most of these. i'll upload a pic later. this is an embarrassingly expensive habit, since i usually have to resort to ebay for my fix. the best ones are usually the fruity flavors, like raspberry or blueberry cheesecake. the worst ones? pumpkin (not surprising!) and chestnut (smells like play-doh, tastes like... play-doh).

and now i see they're coming out with a kiwi fruit version... off to ebay i go :P

-jfj