I Love a Good Review!

I don't always love to give good reviews, but I'm always flattered when someone has nice things to say about this site.  Amanda had kind words about us on "World Start", and I'm so honored.  I'm also a little worried that she gave such high praises to Candy Critic's navigability because we're working on a huge overhaul right now.  Well thank you Amanda for the kind words, and I hope our new look and function works for you.

Click here to read what Amanda had to say.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Juicy Drop Taffy - Made by: Bazooka - Why: It sounds like so many great candies smashed together to make a greater candy. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Friday Candy Video - Skittles Ninja Hair

The hair creeps me out, the pile of Skittles at the end makes me hungry.

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It's National Chocolate Cake Day!!!

In an attempt to find a picture to celebrate this holiday, I realized that I have not had a slice of chocolate cake in a really long time.  The only picture of a chocolate cake that I could find in my archives was more than a year old.  This is not a good thing.

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Friday's Candy Links

Here's a strange list of some of the strangest candies that apparently "actually exist".

Healthy gummies full of protein, the question is, do they taste good?

How much junk food does an inmate buy?  Sure that's a good question, but what kind of junk food does an inmate buy is what I want to know.

Nestle UK has decided to let you pick the next flavour of Kit Kat, 4 choices to choose from. I'd like to start a campaign for a write in candidate, how about "Belgian Chocolate Kit Kat"?

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising - Lots Of Milk In A Dairy Milk Bar

It wasn't that long ago that candy companies used to brag about things like, how much milk, was in each bar.  It used to be OK, to talk about what good ingredients are in your bar, but no longer.  Advertising regulation seems to limit how much you can say about the positive things in a treat, I'm not sure how I feel about that.

As usual this ad was found on Vintage Ad Browser.

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It's National Peanut Brittle Day!!!

While I do enjoy many different nuts brittled(?) peanuts are truly the classic treat to have covered in caramelized sugar and then re-hardened again.  Many people complain that peanut brittle is the most dangerous of treats, because of the injuries possible to the inside of your mouth.  Those people have probably never tried high quality peanut brittle, because the texture should be crunchy, but it shouldn't break like glass.

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Thursday's Candy Links

Kids are apparently sneaking booze into school using gummy bears.  I wonder if this will be a new trend at bars?

Thieves are stealing pecans in New Mexico, I say check the local bakeries and ice cream shops for suspects.

Check out this tour of the Dum Dum lollipop factory.

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Regular Halva

All over Greece, there is just a huge selection of halvah.  For those that are unfamiliar with this dessert, it's a sweet found mostly in and around the Mediterranean, most often it is made with sesame paste, but as I've learned there are more varieties of the stuff than you can possibly imagine.  Halvah is really a mystery food for me, as a kid I knew about it in the standard North American form (pictured above), but since moving to Greece and traveling around, I've discovered so many versions of this treat with a vast range of textures and flavours.  The strange thing is, I've sampled probably several dozen different halvahs, and the inexpensive store brand stuff is still my favorite.  This cheap stuff is very similar to the stuff you find in most places in North America.  Maybe I like it because it's familiar, or maybe I like it because it often comes with a chocolate flavouring.  That still isn't going to stop me from sampling many more.

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Wednesday's Candy Links

Target is adding more sweet treats to their stores in the form of "The Candy Store".

Junk food is not the sole reason kids are fat, it may be a factor, but there's a lot more to it.

Retro candy is still popular in big stores and in smaller stores all over the world.

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Little Mini Muffin

 Allison ordered a bento box at a Japanese restaurant, it sure looked tasty.  Other than the salad being a little brown, everything was scrumptious.  I should know because I insisted that I sample her food for her, you know, to make sure it's up to the standards that I'd want Allison to eat.  Only the best for my lady.

The only thing she didn't share with me, was what I can only describe as the cutest little chocolate muffin ever made.  It's strange, little tiny desserts are really cute and not a disappointment at all.  You'd think that because of their small size, i.e. less dessert, I'd be disappointed with tiny after dinner sweets, but I'm not.  They seem to make up for their lack of size with their sheer little cuteness.

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It's National Peanut Butter Day!!!

I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of peanut butter on its own.  I believe that even on bread, peanut butter requires another flavour and texture to balance out it's sticky texture and nutty flavour.  I'm a big fan of jam, fruit, and chocolate with the sticky nutty butter.

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Tuesday's Candy Links

The United States FDA is inspecting Belgian chocolate plants... you know that the "F" stands for federal... right?

I don't like the idea that chocolate is produced through child labour, it's an idea that keeps me up at night and makes me feel guilty about this whole site.  It appears progress is being attempted, I just hope it works.

Food trends for 2012, you know the year just started right?

CNN aired a really interesting interview about the cocoa business and child labor, well worth watching.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Jolly Rancher Crunch ‘N Chew - Made by: Hershey - Why: I love a good texture combination. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Candy Art - Hamsters Like Candy Too

I love Andy Carolan's illustration depicting a hamster stuffing his cheeks with a bonbon.  In my opinion hamsters are one of the cutest (and stupidest) creatures on earth.  Stuffing their cheeks with food is also one of the cutest (and strangest) things they do.

Click here to check out Andy's portfolio.

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Monday's Candy Links

What the heck is "Dublin Dr Pepper" and why is it only available in Texas?

Victorian candy making equipment, making historical candy again exactly the way they used to be made.  Check out this Kick Starter drive, I think it's a really good idea.

What's that under your sandwich, you know, that sweet snack right next to your drink box?  How well do you know your lunch time snacks?

Win a years supply of Honibe candies, all you have to do is fill out a survey. (this is not a paid advertisement, I just really like Honibe stuff)

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New Review - I've Got Some Catching Up To Do

Over the last few weeks, and over the next few weeks I'm doing some major upgrades to Candy Critic.  I'm re-designing the look of the site, I'm getting rid of some really old, out-dated content, and I'm moving some stuff around so it's more organized.  It's a huge job, but something I feel should be done.  I've also decided that over the next few weeks I'm going to focus on reviewing treats that should have been reviewed a long time ago.  Things like this weeks review, the Toblerone.  So keep an eye open for our new look, let me know if there are any classic treats you haven't seen posted, and let me know if anything I take down or move should be brought back.

Click here to read this weeks review.

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Egg on Your Face

Cadbury UK seems to have created a rather strange campaign that has something to do with the upcoming Olympics in London and the Cadbury creme egg.  Or at least that what I think it's related to.

I'm not sure how I feel about these pictures.  They're strangely erotic, gross, and appetizing, all at the same time. Having said that Cadbury is fairly well known for some strange advertising campaigns that eventually turn into standards.  Take the Cadbury bunny for instance,  a clucking bunny is really strange, but now it's just the Cadbury bunny and not strange at all.

You can learn more about these photos at Cadbury UK's Facebook page.

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Friday Candy Video - A Chat With Dylan Lauren

Ever wonder what made Dylan Lauren get into the candy business?  I don't, I mean who wouldn't want to be in the candy business.  I'm sure if Donald Trump, Bill Gates, and Oprah could think of a good candy idea they'd do the same.

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The Viennese Review-a-Thon Is Finished

It's been a bit of a bumpy road, this Viennese review-a-thon.  At least two treats probably weren't actually made in Austria, one treat had an obscene name, and another had an authenticity problem.  I can safely say that the treats available in Vienna, and all of Austria, are fantastic, but they are fraught with controversy.

Click here to read the last review in our Viennese review-a-thon.

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Friday's Candy Links

Check out Adriana Sweets, it's a nice little shop in Fairfax.

Speaking of candy stores, Sugar & Plumm Purveyors of Yumm a candy store in New York has had to calm down the "garish" look of the store to keep the neighbors happy.  I'm not sure that I'm cool with this.

A new girl is joining the M&M's character family, Ms Brown. "Ms. Brown has her own distinct personality, which is rooted in her wisdom, high intelligence and sharp wit."

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