Hershey Kisses Cherry Cordial

Only Hershey can attempt something like remaking the classic cordial—and pull it off with a bang!  I first say and tried these chocolates last year around the holiday season, and absolutely loved them.  Let me tell you why…

Hershey has tried many variations to their original Kisses, such as Kisses with almonds, Caramel Kisses, Hugs, Dark Kisses, the recent Hershey Kissables, and the Limited Edition filled with Cherry Cordial Crème.  Hershey Kisses have been around for a century already!  But this limited edition item is one of my favorites.  Now, don’t expect a big, juicy cherry in the middle of this one like other cordials (it’s way too small!)  This cordial is filled with the cherry filling that comes with the usual cherry, only with a slight variation.  Though it may be lacking the cherry, I must tell you that this filling has a much thicker consistency, and is creamier than probably any other brand of cordials.  This turns into a big plus if you don’t particularly appreciate the runniness and stickiness of other, bigger cordials.

My favorite attribute of the Hershey Kisses Cherry Cordials is that they are bite-sized and ready for people like me who are always on the go.  Other cordials come in a much larger size and are not individually-wrapped.  Hershey’s Cordials are individually wrapped like all of their other kisses, so they are easy for grab-and-go kind of people.  Not to mention their handy white ribbon that pokes out of the top and is a signature of Kisses also makes it easy to unwrap the colorful foil.  The second and probably my favorite characteristic of these cherry Kisses is that they’re small enough to fit in your mouth without having the cherry liquid dripping everywhere!  Bigger cordials are certainly a mouthful, but Kisses Cordials are a more pleasant bite size.  Their size also makes them less overwhelming, so you can eat them more often without getting sick of them.

Do you know why Hershey Kisses are called kisses?  Well, no one knows for sure, but some claim that the name came about from the sound and motion that the machines make while they dip down to drop an exact amount of chocolate onto a moving belt.  People claim that it actually looks like the machine is kissing the belt before it drops a delectable surprise on it.  Another fun fact?  Hershey Kisses were originally hand-wrapped!  Imagine hand-wrapping millions of tiny chocolate Kisses today…  Ouch.

Thus, Hershey’s latest creation of Cordial Kisses is a very satisfying and bite-sized (not to mention convenient) version of the classic Cordial.  They were originally made as a holiday limited edition.  This year they were available around Valentine’s Day.  However, for now they are still considered a limited edition item, so get ‘em while they’re hot!  This favorite may not be around for long.  (Visit www.hersheys.com/kisses for more information and fun facts!)

Tags: Hershey Kisses, milk chocolate, cherry filled candy, bite size candy,  sweets

Milky Way Midnight

I am a huge fan of dark chocolate, so this one definitely caught my attention: a Milky Way bar covered in DARK chocolate. What more could I ask for??? Original Milky Way bars have been in production for over 80 years, and it was Mars, Inc’s first candy bar! When it was first made in the 1920s, a bar cost only 5¢! For a while, the company changed the name to the “Forever Yours�? bar, but finally in 2000, it earned the name Midnight for its rich, delicious dark chocolate.

Milky Way bars consist of a thick layer of nougat, which is heavily drizzled with caramel and covered in chocolate—dark chocolate in the case of the mighty Midnight. I’ve heard the nougat be described as creamy goodness, and I must say I agree. However, the chocolate coating makes a difference. In the Midnight, the nougat seems to have a more refined, bittersweet taste, whereas the milk chocolate-coated Milky Way bar tastes sweeter. The only downs side to the MW Midnight is that, like other caramel-filled candy bars, the caramel and nougat have an innate tendency to stick to anything, and in this case teeth are the obvious victims…

According to a 13-year-old Milky Way Midnight lover who wears braces, this candy bar is the worst of the best. That is, it’s one of her favorite candy bars, but she constantly gets that “sticky goodness�? stuck to her teeth. Still, she says that doesn’t stop her from enjoying the Midnight bar once in a while.  I tried to avoid so much stickiness by putting the bar in the freezer and trying to break it up and eat it frozen. Don’t try this at home. I’ve known other chocolate-covered nougat bars to taste great frozen, not to mention they’re not as sticky.  However, this one’s too big and just gets too hard to even chew!  Enjoy this at room temperature is my very strong suggestion.

One could even compare the MW Midnight bar to a dark chocolate Twix bar, only chewier. If you’re a fan of Twix bars and want to try something similar, but chewier, I would highly recommend the Milky Way Midnight. Not only is it chewier, but it’s also less sweet than the Twix and regular Milky Way bars. However, be prepared for it sticking to your teeth, because unless you are a master of caramel, this one’s bound to stick on you.

Tags: Milky Way,  dark chocolate, caramel chocolate, chewy candy bar,  sweets

Snickers Cruncher

I must say that I was somewhat skeptical about trying this new Snickers Cruncher (it’s not really new, but it’s new to me). Seeing as I’m not a big fan of Snickers in general (I’m not a big fan of peanuts or caramel) you can understand my uncertainty. But as soon as I took my first bite, I found myself quickly taking another… and another… and another… Before I knew it, I was down to my last two bites. This incredibly interesting creation has grabbed my attention. Allow me to break it down for you.

The inside contains a most satisfying mixture of crispy rice, not-too-chewy caramel (it’s a perfect consistency that doesn’t cling to your teeth like other kinds), and crunchy peanut chunks.  Though the taste of the peanuts was very distinct, I can’t quite say there was a plethora of peanuts. This is great for me, since I don’t exactly fall head-over-heels for peanut anything; so for all you peanut lovers (I know you’re out there somewhere), your best bet is to stick to the regular Snickers bar.

Alas, don’t turn your back on the Cruncher yet! One thing that really caught my attention about the Cruncher is the texture and consistency of the caramel that holds together the two stars of the show—I’ve gotta give credit to the supporting actor! Because what’s a Snickers without its caramel? The caramel is smooth and creamy, but not so sticky that when you take a bite, the caramel sticks to your teeth (or your dentures). Then there is the chocolate that’s signature of Mars candy bars.

Snickers is currently celebrating over “75 years of Hunger Satisfaction,�? according to their website. And I must say, it’s about time they changed up the recipe. Its new-found crunchiness adds a fresh new twist to the age-old original, and it brings the Snickers name into the picture for the not-quite peanut lovers, like me. By the way, did you know that every day, over 99 tons of roasted peanuts go into making Snickers bars, and each bar contains approximately 16 peanuts!  (www.candydirect.com)

Tags: Snickers, milk chocolate, crunchy peanuts, caramel chocolate, sweets

Charleston Chew Vanilla

 

Charleston who?  Charleston Chew!  Named after that silly dance craze back in the twenties, you may not have heard of these babies unless your parents or grandparents introduced them to you when you were young.  As for me, it wasn’t too long ago that I first tried my first Charleston (a tragedy, I know).  But thank Zeus for that day!  Charleston Chews have been around since 1922, and their unique texture and consistency is sure to keep them around for decades.  However, it wasn’t until 1998 that Tootsie Roll brought us the mini Charleston Chew—a most fortunate occurrence for the skeptics.  Original Charleston Chew bars can be somewhat big and intimidating for a first-timer, but the minis are a perfect bite-sized taste of the original.  If you like to moderate your sugar intake (which I definitely don’t), the minis allow you to enjoy these bars of bliss without having to leave two thirds of the bar lying around, only to get stale and icky. 

For my first Charleston Chew, I had a mini.  The only downside I can see to these is that the nougat tends to stick to your teeth like rubber cement!  (An up-side, of course, only if you’re a dentist.)  However, for my second Charleston Chew I was instructed to put it in the freezer for about an hour, and then take a bite.  Boy, what a difference!  After putting one in the freezer for a while, the nougat hardens up just enough to NOT stick to your pearly-whites.  Instead, the chocolate quickly melts and the nougat breaks up into smaller, less-chewy pieces, allowing you to swallow the pieces before they take a toll on your molars.  These nostalgic chocolate-covered nougat bars come in vanilla (my favorite), strawberry, and chocolate.  I strongly recommend you try freezing the vanilla-flavored ones if it’s your first time.  You won’t regret it!

Tic Tac Spearmints

 

Several years back it was, “Take a Tic Tac!�  Now, it’s the 2-calorie mint!  A story goes that in 1478, Italian explorer Antonio Minteroni first discovered tiny mints being enjoyed by people in Indonesia.  He brought this idea back to Italy, which inspired tiny Tic Tacs.  These delightful and miniscule mints have been around for over 600 years!  (www.tictacUSA.com)

Just kidding!  Tic Tacs first started in 1969 with the original Freshmint flavor.  From then on, Tic Tacs have added many refreshing, sweet, and bold flavors, such as spearmint, orange, cinnamon, and many more.  Though many flavors have been added and others eliminated, the packaging has remained pretty constant.  These one-of-a-kind mints have always been packaged in a signature mini case that rattles in your pockets, alerting everyone of your presence, and of course, Tic Tacs!  One of the older and always loveable flavors is my favorite: SPEARMINT! 

Spearmint has always been one of my favorites because it has a very herbal taste, and it reminds me of grandma’s warm, spearmint tea on those cold winter mornings.  These tiny treats are packed with an intense punch of refreshment that’s bound to awaken your entire mouth.  Their spearminty freshness lasts rather long, but with such an intense flavor, it’s sure to leave you asking for more and before you know it, you’ll be poppin’ them in your mouth faster than you can say, “Take a Tic Tac!�  But of course, there’s more!  In addition to their powerful flavor, they’re less than a mere two calories each!  That’s right, all that flavor and all that freshness is packed into less than two calories of cool.  So lets review: what’s my favorite mint that packs the most punch and takes the tiniest toll on my diet?  Why, Tic Tacs Spearmint, of course!

Junior Mints Inside Outs

Yet another twist to the traditional yet oh-so-loveable Junior Mints:  INSIDE OUTS!  The Tootsie Roll Company, which (as you may know) added  Junior Mints to their line a little over a decade ago, and not long ago brought you Junior Caramels, now brings yet another refreshing variation to the timeless classic!  So many companies are switching up their originals: Kit Kat, Reese’s, Snickers, Crunch.  And now Tootsie Roll has jumped on the band wagon by adding a twist to our favorite soft chocolate mints.

Junior Mints Inside Outs still have their signature minty taste, but this time it’s intertwined with a chocolatey inside!  Outside there’s a somewhat hard, white, creamy coating, that’s a bit like white chocolate in consistency, but doesn’t quite taste like white chocolate to me, so I can’t tell you exactly what it.  It’s more of a smooth, creamy candy coating.  But the real surprise is on the inside…  Bite into a mint and you get a cool burst of mint chocolatey flavor distinct from anything I’ve ever tasted.  Regular Junior Mints have a more juicy, white mint cream on the inside, whereas Inside Outs have a more jelly-like mint chocolatey filling.  Now, this “chocolatey� thing may be throwing you off a bit, but the reason I use “chocolatey� instead of “chocolate� is because (sadly) there’s no actual chocolate in these babies… 

I know, I know.  Heartbreaking.  Yes.  Though nothing beats the original JM’s, with their PURE chocolate coating, Tootsie Roll has made a great attempt at bringing us a variation of the old.  These limited-edition Inside Outs will not be available for long, so if you’re in love with these babies, stock up and get your feed while you can, because they won’t be available for long!

Red Raspberry Dollars

From the same people that gave us Jujyfruits and (in my opinion) one of the best Gummi Bears in the world, I present to you Heide’s Red Raspberry Dollars.  Though these gummy candies are very different from their Gummi Bears, they have the same excellent qualities that you would expect from such a reputable company. 

The Heide Candy Company was founded in 1869 by a German by the name of Henry Heide.  In 1930 when RED RASPBERRY DOLLARS were first made, they were originally called Red Hot Dollars, but not for their red hot flavor because they were raspberry flavored.  Rather, they were called “red hot� because during the depression, a dollar was considered “red hot.�  In 1999, the name was changed from “Hot� to “Raspberry� to stop the mass confusion and rioting, so to speak.  Farley’s & Sathers has now expanded the line by adding a hot cinnamon flavor and bringing back the original name (for old time’s sake), as well as adding Black Licorice Dollars.

These raspberry gummies have a more adult taste to them, because they are not as sweet as typical gummies.  But though they have a less intense flavor than most other gummies I know, they are still sweet enough to satisfy that tooth of mine…  Their smooth texture is a signature of the Heide Candy Company, and though some may consider them to be a bit tough for being gummies, they are not too sticky, and they also happen to be relatively low in fat AND calories (yesssss!).  However, if you enjoy them as much as I do and can eat half a box in one sitting, they end up being a bit high in calories…  Go figure.  These delightful dollars come stamped with a dollar sign as well as the Heide name, so that no other brand can rob you of your delicious Red Raspberry Dollars!

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