let's take a moment to talk about 100 Calorie Snacks. now, maybe this isn't specifically candy-related, but for those of us who could use some help in the fattiness department (hmmm...) this seems like it might be a convenient way to exercise a little portion control.

this weekend i tried the Oreo Candy Bites. first off, let me just say that these things really are delicious. it's almost like an inside-out oreo, with a crunchy cookie center surrounded by a thin layer of creme and then candy-coated (like an m&m.) i wouldn't go so far as to say that they taste like oreos, but they are yummy.

unfortunately, a 100-calorie portion of these comes out to .78 ounces of candy. that's right, LESS THAN ONE OUNCE. seriously, i understand that the whole "100 calorie" thing is gonna be hard to accomplish, but who is going to be satisfied with .78 ounces? furthermore, these things are surprisingly pricey for what amounts to less than 5 total ounces of food.

maybe these really do work for a certain demographic, but i wouldn't buy them again. it just doesn't seem worth it. if i need something that tastes maybe sort of a little bit like oreos, but without so much fat, i'd just eat a handful of Oreo O's.

NEW PRODUCT ALERT! to coincide with this summer's release of the latest Indiana Jones movie, M&Ms has released a handful of new products. while a couple of them are apparently a lame-o alternate color mix (with Indy-themed logos replacing the traditional M's), they also released a tasty Mint Crispy version that is a nice variation from their standard line.

don't ask me what mintiness or crispiness has to do with Indiana Jones. the assortment contains a mixture of green and white M&Ms and are a lot less uniform than your standard plain or peanut. some are small and relatively smooth, others are quite large and bumpy. maybe they're supposed to be like the boulder from Raiders, but in delicious candy form?

nevertheless, i polished off an entire bag of these last night and found them to be exceptionally addictive. of course, i also ADORED last year's Pirates of the Carribbean white chocolate M&Ms, so make of that what you will...

i am a total consumer whore: if it comes in a shiny new package, with new ingredients, in slightly altered flavors or colors, i'm there! but i must admit, i also have a soft spot for the 'classics' including the mighty Junior Mint.

besides being featured in a sitcom plot, Junior Mints are a simple panned confection, waxy dark-ish chocolate on the outside and a flowing mint goo on the inside. simple, but oddly addictive. to me, the Junior Mint is the ideal movie theatre snack (upsetting, since most movie theatres have replaced them with trendy crap like Nestle Bunch-a-Crunch. meh!) the only flaw in this otherwise perfect candy is that they're not exactly stable in sub-optimal conditions, with a dangerous tendency to rupture and form gross clumps of Junior Mint in the bottom of a box.

once upon a time, i purchased a box of Junior Mints from a dusty old drugstore that was apparently not in a very high-traffic area. the mints had crystallized into a strange, grainy, solid-but-not-too-solid version of themselves. I LOVED THEM (and have luckily suffered no ill effects from eating expired candy) but have never come across this phenomenon again.

for those of you who wish to recreate this delightful experience, i've found another candy mint with a similar flavor profile, but with a much less gooey center. ladies and gentlemen, i present you with the glorious Dutch Mint, also known by the rather generic moniker "Chocolate Dinner Mint"

best of all, you can apparently find these with some regularity at the $.99 Store. gourmet mints, on a budget! huzzah!

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. :)