What’s so funny about taffy? After all, it’s just artificial colors, corn syrup and some other standard candy ingredients. When did taffy go all Jerry Seinfeld on us?

For those still wondering what’s behind the name, I’ll tell you. There are jokes on every wrapper of Laffy Taffy whether you buy it in smaller wrapped cubes or 10-inch Laffy Taffy Ropes. This gimmick has made Laffy Taffy, a Wonka brand, a frontrunner in the taffy market as well as a favorite with kids everywhere. But it kind of feels like a prize that isn’t an actual prize. (Example: The box of cereal that claims to have a prize inside, and it’s really just a Mad Lib printed on the box. Or a Cracker Jack box with a prize that is nothing more than a printed piece of cardboard.) Still, it’s kept the kids on board for a number of years, so it’ll do. Laffy Taffy Ropes come in flavors like apple, banana, blue raspberry, grape, strawberry, mango and cherry. But I am a person of intrigue, so I picked up the two-flavor “mystery swirl� rope. Would I open it to find cherry-banana? How about raspberry-grape? Only time would tell.

I opened up the wrapper carefully so as to preserve the jokes. (“What is a caterpillar afraid of?� A DOGerpillar!) Don’t hurt yourself laughing. These are kid-friendly jokes after all. My taffy was most certainly green (apple) and pink (strawberry) swirl, which was so tightly swirled together that there was really no discernible color once you got into the “meat� of the stick. It was more of a brownish green than anything. But my taffy rope had a soft, chewy texture and bright, fruity flavor like I expected to find. Not like salt water taffy, these fruit chews were more the consistency of a Starburst. Which is a very good thing! I would eat a few of these ropes in one sitting—I guess it’s a good thing that they sell for a quarter each. Affordable for kids and adults, Laffy Taffy is here to stay.

Tags: laffy taffy, taffy candy, Wonka, soft centered candy, sweets

 

Time for a little trivia. What does N.E.C.C.O. stand for? If you said New England Confectionery Company, you’re absolutely correct. Since 1847, this nostalgia-heavy company has been cranking out favorite candies like Necco wafers, Sweethearts (a.k.a. conversation hearts), Clark bars, Candy Buttons and Mary Janes. But not to be forgotten are Necco’s many other products, like the Mint Julep chew. These square-cut chewy candies come in bags or tubs and are typically sold near cash registers or in convenience stores for pocket change. A little larger than you might expect, they outsize fruit chews like Starburst or chewy caramels. Nostalgia, or retro candies as they are often called, have an enchantment about them that is irresistible. Candy has a way of taking us back to the good old days. Mint Julep is just another fine specimen in this realm of candy nostalgia, but it will always have a special place for some consumers. Its taffy counterpart, the Banana Split chew, is another one of Necco’s memory-inducing candies.

I opened the wrapper to my first Mint Julep to discover a square of lime-colored green taffy. Initially I bit off half, but then gave in and stuffed the entire piece into my mouth—a small feat for someone who normally only chews half a stick of gum (whole pieces interfere with normal talking and swallowing). But I enjoyed the Mint Julep chew quite a bit, with its cool yet mild spearmint flavor. My mind was tricked mid-consumption, and I began to wonder if I was chewing spearmint gum. Yet this was not so, and the taffy dissipated and was on its way to digestion station in about 30 seconds. Just as any good taffy should—after all, who wants to walk around with the same flavor of Taffy in their mouth all day? Exactly. But just like gum has its purpose, so does taffy. The Mint Julep is not quite a mint, and is definitely not gum, but it is a tasty old-time treat everyone should try at least once.

Sam Altshuler, a Russian immigrant founded Annabelle Candy Company, Incorporated, in 1950. Mr. Altshuler learned the art of candy making, and after struggling for years, finally achieved success with the Rocky Road candy bar. He named his business the “Annabelle Candy Company� after his daughter, and began manufacturing Rocky Road in San Francisco. The item quickly gained popularity throughout the western United States where it has its strongest hold today. In 1965, Annabelle Candy Company moved across the San Francisco bay to its present location in Hayward, California. Mr. Altshuler passed away in 1971, leaving control of the Company to his daughter, Annabelle Altshuler Block. Annabelle purchased two other candy companies after her father’s death, one of which produced the Abba Zaba bar. The candy company continued to grow and has remained a family business through the years. It is the largest independently owned candy bar manufacturer in the United States and the Abba Zaba bar remains one of its biggest sellers.

Whew! That was a mouthful. You know what else is a mouthful? If you guessed the Abba Zaba you are correct! Abba Zaba’s are chewy taffy-y goodness with an ooey, gooey peanut butter-y center. They are sticky, messy and a great treat. The kind folks over at the Annabelle Candy Company have come up with a brand new Abba Zaba flavor – the Apple Abba Zaba. And this, candy kids, is the candy blog du jour. The wrapper of this new and intriguing bar looks just like the old wrapper with one exception – it is bright green. Upon opening the candy, I come face to face with a green taffy candy. Shockingly green! Day-glow green! It looks like it is the same consistency of the old Abba Zaba and when I give it a little tug it has that same taffy-pull feel to it. It smells great, but then again, I am a sucker for sour apple flavored things. Ok, let me bite off a corner. Hmmm…it tastes like sour apple salt water taffy. But I didn’t quite make it to the famous peanut butter center. Let’s try that again. Oophnfg. Mymoufisrweallyfullnow. Hold on one second, please. Ok. Got some water…that’s better. So, it’s basically sour apple taffy with a sweet and salty peanut butter center. The taste is, well, to tell you the truth, it’s not my favorite candy so far. Maybe sweet apple taffy would have been better. Or even sour apple taffy with a caramel center. But the taste of peanut butter and sour apple taffy just isn’t doing it for me. The sweet-saltiness of the peanut butter and the sour, tangy green apple test just don’t blend well. But hey, what do I know? Give this candy a shot and let me know what you think. Maybe I’ll write a letter to the Annabelle candy company with our suggestions. Until then, au revoir candy kids…

 

Everyone needs a Big Hunk in their lives. I am fortunate enough to have two…the Good Doctor (hubba, hubba) and this monster Big Hunk candy bar! I’ve never had a Big Hunk candy bar, so I am not sure just what to expect. But first, a little history…

Sam Altshuler, a Russian immigrant arrived in the United States in 1917 and founded the Annabelle Candy Co., Inc., in 1950. He learned the art of candy making, and after years of perfecting his recipe, finally achieved success with his Rocky Road candy bar. He named his business the Annabelle Candy Company after his daughter, and began manufacturing Rocky Road in San Francisco. In 1972, the Company purchased the Golden Nugget Candy Company, of San Francisco, the makers of Big Hunk and Look candy bars, and began manufacturing those products. In 1978, Annabelle acquired of the Cardinet Candy Co., which manufactured U-No and the Good Doctor’s favorite, Abba Zaba (you my only friend!) candy bars.

What started as a family business continues today as the one of the largest independently owned candy bar manufacturers in the United States, producing some of the most popular and traditional West Coast items available on the market today.

Whew! That was a mouthful. And you know what, Big Hunk bars are a mouthful, too. They are a HUGE slab of chewy, vanilla nougat-type taffy that is studded with fresh roasted peanut pieces. I have no idea how one person could eat this thing by themselves. It is a chewy, long lasting candy. I think that it would be good if you put it in the microwave for a little bit. One sec, please…

Yep! I was so right. If you heat this baby for 12-15 seconds it makes it gooey, chewy and fantastic. This candy is a little on the messy side, so I wouldn’t recommend taking it to the movie theater, but this would be a great candy for hanging out at home with your sweetie on a cold night. Pop a movie in the dvd player and cuddle up on the couch with your Big Hunk!

 

It’s Friday! It’s 5pm! FREE! The weekend is here and it is time to rejoice! So you call up your usual band of friends. Come to find out they’ve all made plans without you. You have been put in a situation where you need that special someone you can always count on to be there for you. Through thick and thin. Through the good times and the bad. Through all life’s trials and tribulations. Yup, you’ve guessed it. Abba Zaba, you my only friend! This is hands down, bar none, no contest, the definition of “old school classic candy barâ€?. Predating the popularity of the mainstream candy bars by over half a century. Abba Zaba is thick chewy taffy covered in rich creamy peanut butter. Created in the early 1920’s and besting it’s competitors on every snack food level. Not only is it genius in flavor, but it is also high in protein!

Now we all have our own ways about how we as individuals consume our meals and treats, but if I may be so bold as to lend you an inside trade on how I like to do things, this is something I highly recommend. If you have time, and either are in the comforts of your home or near a microwave, first open the Abba Zaba on one end. Place it in the middle of the microwave and set the timer for “approx 7 secondsâ€?. Once done, open the wrapper all the way and let the taffy and peanut butter take you to the days where good times are had by all. To the memories of a forgotten age. To ancient lands far away, where unicorns and wildebeests run free. The Abba Zaba has an effect on the human brain no other candy bar can achieve. It’s something we can all appreciate and afford. This is the middle class working man’s most admired companion. It wont leave you hanging when the world has got you down. It will stand beside you and lift your spirits to new horizons. It will let its voice ring louder than liberty herself. Yes, It is Abba Zaba!

 

Wow, I really enjoyed eating this candy. It tastes just like vanilla and the chewy satisfaction you get from each bite could turn a bad day into a good one. This candy looks almost like another favorite of mine, the Abba Zabba, the only thing missing is the peanut butter candy in the middle. I however was not disappointed. I also noticed some funny instructions on the wrapper. It says to “strike on hard surface to break into bite size pieces�. Never before had I been instructed by a piece of candy to physically strike another object, which I found pretty humorous. At first I was going to follow orders and strike my fellow co-worker in the back of the skull but I came to the conclusion that Doschers probably would not advocate this kind of violent behavior. I then proceeded to walk outside and throw my Vanilla chew at the sidewalk. I don’t think it was a hard enough surface though because it didn’t break!! It’s taffy for crying out loud, who are they trying to kid? Returning in vain to my office space, I decided to go against the grain and just unwrap the thing and eat it while it was still in one piece. And I don’t regret it at all. Not even a little.

 

When someone mentions the heavenly creation known as a banana split, I picture three scoops of ice cream covered with chocolate syrup with a cherry on top all perfectly placed smack in the middle of a split banana. The mental picture alone almost makes me feel guilty enough to go to the gym. Little did I know that you could cram that entire delicious flavor into a 1â€? piece of chewy taffy goodness. But Necco, the candy company responsible for the likes of Mary Jane’s has accomplished just that. If it smells like a banana and tastes like a banana then it must be a banana right? Nine times out of ten you would be correct, but this little yellow chunk of taffy could fool your brain into thinking your eating a scrumptious old-fashioned banana split if you were blindfolded. I really enjoyed this candy; the only sad part for me was that I only had the one piece to enjoy. Can I have some more please?

Few things can stand the withering test of time. But there are some candy recipes that are so special that as the years go by they taste just as good as they did back when you were a child. Mary Jane’s are one of those special treats that has achieved this feat, and will be here for a long time coming. Even the wrapper has not been altered since the first batch was distributed in 1914.

This delicious morsel assaulted my taste buds with it’s one of a kind peanut butter and molasses flavor, something that sounds so incredibly simple but tastes so good. It’s chewy like a piece of taffy but just as easily able to be rolled up and savored if you so desire. Believe it or not, it was originally named after the creators’ favorite aunt! Talk about leaving a mark on society long after you’re gone! Sometimes sticking to the basics is the best, and with the century mark coming up for the little candy that could, there’s no need to change a thing. Mary Jane’s are still a candy that both young and old can enjoy together.

 

When we are young, we seem to eat more “sugary� candy, whereas we get older, our palates change and we tend to go for candies with a more mature flavor, such as dark chocolate and candied fruit. But even then, there are a few childhood candies that manage to slip past our adult taste buds and anchor themselves in our memory. Like Airheads. I LOVE Airheads. I’m not sure what it is about them that I love so much. Take the cherry Airhead, for example. When you remove the shiny, colorful wrapper, the candy is bright red and smooth, it is flexible when you bend it and it smells like children’s cough syrup…but in a good way. And then the taste! Chewy, sweet, tart and just sugary enough without being overpowering. It leaves little grains of sugar on your tongue after you chew it and depending on what flavor you chose to munch on, your tongue is painted a garish purple, red or green – which pleases both it’s young and not-so-young consumer. 

Airheads come in a variety of flavors – grape, blue raspberry, cherry, orange, white mystery, watermelon, green apple, and strawberry. All are a taffy-like candy and they are kind of a take on the old salt water taffy’s that used to be so popular, but these taffy’s are modern and (to use a word we so often see) “extreme�. The candy itself is harder than salt water taffy, but equally chewy. My favorites are cherry and “white mystery�, most likely because they are a bit tangy. White Mystery…. I have been working on that one for years and still have not discovered just what it tastes like! Some days it is pineapple, other days it’s an orange-mango infusion. I guess I’ll never unravel the “mystery�. But here’s one mystery solved by the Sheriff, Airheads are criminal suspect number one. Crime committed? Being delicious!