Desserted - Chocolate Malted Turtle From TGI Friday's Greece

Restaurant's Description - Three layers of moist chocolate fudge cake with a creamy chocolate malt icing, topped with vanilla ice cream, rich caramel sauce and toasted almonds.

What I Thought - This dessert worked pretty well for me.  I got the ice cream, I got the cake, and there where lots of other cool sauces and nuts to make me happy.  The best way to describe this treat was to say that it's a combination of a trifle, chocolate cake, and a sundae.  So by that respect I was pretty happy.  The problem with the dessert is the expectation you might get because of the name "Chocolate Malted Turtle".  "Chocolate" I could buy, although I would have bought it more if there was more chocolate sauce.  "Malted" was a big problem, mostly because in this entire treat I received two malt balls, and that's it.  You would think there would be something more malty about this treat, but then you would be wrong.  "Turtles" is another problem, I would have expect lots more caramel and chocolate to be a turtle, and don't traditional turtle chocolates have pecans and not almonds in them?  So this dessert was fine, but it's not what you would expect from the name.

CC

You Have This Weekend To Write An Awesome Chanukah Poem

Monday is your last day to enter our Chanukah House Kit contest and maybe walk away with an awesome prize.  If you're the kind of person that likes to craft words into a symphony of beauty and expression, you might have some late nights this weekend. Just remember  we like candy here, and we like the folks at Manischewitz as well, so if you can incorporate either or both into your poem, bonus points will be scored.

Click here to get more details about the contest.

CC

Friday Candy Video - Gravity Falls

I've never watched this Gravity Falls show, but if this clip is any indication of how cool it is, I think I'll start.

CC

Friday's Candy Links

Here are 12 facts about Nutella that you may not have know, and here's one that you do: "I love this stuff"!

Here's an interesting article about food recalls in Canada, although he never really gets to answer the main question asked "Why are there so many tainted-food recalls in Canada?"

CC

Stuff I Want To Try

Chocolate Bar With Cheese - Meiji - It makes sense, chocolate and cheese are both dairy products, and both are yummy. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

CC

Classic/Creative Candy Advertising - What Does Swimming and Baby Ruth Have in Common?

If you plan on swimming apparently the best thing you can do to "warm up" is scarf down a Baby Ruth. I'll have to remember that next time I'm at the beach.

I found this ad on Vintage Ad Browser.

CC

Thursday's Candy Links

We all love holiday editions of special treats, but are snack companies going a little nuts with the strange holiday flavours?

So you're leaving the mall, and some kid comes up to you armed with a chocolate bar where the proceeds go to charity, do you believe him?

CC

Just In Case You Didn't Know...

We're giving away a really cool prize right now.  It's a Chanukah House Kit, and one lucky Candy Critic reader can walk away with this great prize.  All you have to do is write us a Chanukah poem, and you could win yourself this tasty treat.  Don't worry, you don't have to celebrate Chanukah to win this house, it's fun for anybody.

Click here to learn more about the contest.

CC

Old Candy Critic Articles - Better or Worse

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog.  This week I examine my delima when I discovered more than one type of super fudge frozen treat.

This article was not planned, and then it happened, the first great day of the summer. You know what I love about the first day of summer? The first cool treat on a warm day. So there I am walking down the street into my local store and I'm off to the ice cream case. Then I see it, one of my favourites, a super fudge Popsicle. Thinking a simple choice was to be had, I made a horrible discovery. There was more than one type of super fudge Popsicles. So being the Candy Critic, I bought both and I'm going to compare the two and let you know what I think.

Super Fudge

Nestlé

Simply perfection. This has got to be one of the greatest ice cream treats ever made. This is one of the treats that I will purchase again and again. If you find one and you’re in the mood for a fudgy treat, this is the one for you. The only reason you might not like it is, that it’s super sweet.

Xtreme Fudge
Good Humor

I really couldn't figure this one out. At first it was awesome, imagine a Fudgsicle dipped in chocolate. It was a great start but as I ate it I was left a little disappointed. All it did was change shades of brown as I got lower. It's a great treat but not the best.

All things are not created equal, and that's a good thing because I would be out of business if they were. If given the choice, I have to go with the Nestlé Super Fudge - it just gave a little more. You know what would rock? If the two companies came together and made a Super Xtreme fudge treat, but that’s only in my dreams I guess.

CC

Wednesday's Candy Links

Peanut butter prices have been going up over the last year, the question is, are they going to keep going up?

The Financial Post looks at the "Find Red" M&M's campaign, and they ask the question, can you over use social media?

CC

Baking Today/My Greek Cookbook - Why Am I Doing This?

 A friend recently asked me why I was baking so much.  It occurred to me that I probably haven't announced my latest big project, it's a cookbook. I was asked by my agent to produce a cookbook about sweets.  In particular I've decided to write a cookbook about Greek sweets.

 I figured that it would be a good idea for me to keep my bake on, and practice a lot.  I also figured it would be a good idea to write about the journey of discovery that is serious baking.  I have many recipes to master and so far a good deal of time to work on them.  I've also decided to bake non-Greek treats as well, so I can improve my general baking skills.

The basic plan for the book has been laid out, so it's just a question of filling in the details.  I'll keep you posted on how it's going, and most likely solicit some advice from anybody out there that likes to play with Greek sweets and bake sweet things.

CC

Turkish Treats

I just had a few friends come visit us here in Greece.  They flew through Turkey and they picked me up a few treats from the airport.  I am a huge fan of airport treats, particularly when I get them from friends.  I've decided that I'm going to review the can of Turkish delight for my next review.  The only problem I have is the fact that I've reviewed so many Turkish (and non-Turkish) delights in the past that I'm starting to become a bit of a delight snob.  When I first tried a delight (it was actually Turkish), I figured that all delights would be the same, but I've discovered that really they're all very different.  To say that all delights are the same, is like saying all chocolate bars are the same.

CC

Stuff I Want To Try

Peeps, Mike and Ike Christmas candies - Just Born - Christmas is coming, and so are the holiday treats. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

CC

Candy Art - Them Gummy Bear Bones

I think it would be so cool if a company like Haribo took this idea and made it into a candy.  Wouldn't it be fantastically gross to bite into a gummy bear and crunch on little gummy bear bones?  They could be made out of candy, and the organs could be a syrup.

The bear is made by Jason Freeny and I found this image here.

CC

Tuesday's Candy Links

Hurricane Sandy ripped through an area of the United States that's really well known for its artisinal candy industry, so how are they doing?

If you're in Chicago, make sure to check out the "Dreaming of Gingerbread" display at the Marriott hotel.

It's a sad day when any candy store suffers from a fire, but honestly I imagine that the smell of a burning candy store would be fantastic.

CC

This Week In Candy

First of all I want to mention that we're giving away a really great prize, a Chanukah House Kit.  The cool thing about this prize is you can visit Manishchewitz's (the company that makes these cool candy houses) Facebook page, enter your Chanukah house, and you could walk away with 500 bucks cash.  Even if you don't win the contest, you still get to eat your Chanukah house.

We're also starting a new segment on Candy Critic called Desserted.  The segment is going to be a quick review on desserts from restaurants that I visit.  At first I think I'll just post these articles as I sample the desserts, but maybe in the future it'll turn into a regular feature.

I'm also gearing up for a big adventure, but I'll have more about that later.

CC

It's National Cake Day!!!

The great thing about cake is the sheer variety available.  There's chocolate cake, cheese cake, carrot cake, banana bread (which I consider a cake), vanilla cake, cupcake, snack cake, coffee cake, blueberry cake, red velvet cake (not really sure what flavour red velvet is, but it's tasty), there's even a band called Cake (and I really love their music).

CC

Monday's Candy Links

I hate it when people tell me that (insert meal name) is the most important meal of the day, at some point we didn't eat these meals and people still carried on.

I just saw a commercial for Lindt Chocolates and my mouth started to water, then I saw this video, now I know why.

CC

Chocolates Make a Good Holiday Gift and a Great New Review

Nothing makes me happier than a box of chocolates for the holidays.  When you think about it, a box of chocolates is perfect for any part of the holiday season.  You could be visiting friends for a wonderful meal, stuffing it under the tree, or even as a post holiday pick me up, a box of chocolates is perfect.  I have a few favorites, but honestly just about any kind of chocolate would do.  Maybe you could pick up a box of Unbelievably Good Eggs, and you could say that you found out about them on a fun little candy site.

Click here to read the review.

CC

Baking Today - Large Batches, and Why I Hate Them

 With all of the baking that I've been doing lately, someone finally ask me if I would bake some snacks for an event.  I decided that I would bake miniature forms of two of my already successful treats.  I went with mini chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and pomegranate seeds on top, as well as banana cupcakes with a cream cheese and chocolate frosting.

The one thing I learned from this experience is, I hate cooking large batches.  In fact, I often cook half batches for myself.  I do this because I like to perfect the flavour and the small details of each treat I bake.  With large batches you often don't have the time and you end up cutting corners more than exploring.  From now on it's small batches for me.

Wondering why I've been baking so much, I'll have some details next week.

CC

Friday Candy Video - A Fox That Eats Marshmallows

From what I understand, and I could be wrong, this fox was rescued from a fur farm and is unable to be re-released into the wild.  He's also able to eat more marshmallows that I can in a single sitting.

CC

You May Not Have Heard About Our Giveaway Yesterday...

But we're giving away a Chanukah House Kit, and if you play your cards right that kit could net you 500 bucks cash.

Click here to learn more.

CC

Friday's Candy Links

According to a study, coffee might actually make people happier.  I think it's more like, coffee makes people not feel like killing other morning people first thing in the morning, instead of just happy.

Here's 11 interesting facts about food, like how many cocoa beans it takes to buy a rabbit, and when forks started to become trendy.

I know I don't normally publish recipes on this site, but "34 Insanely Simple Two-Ingredient Recipes" is perfect for lazy gluttons like myself.

CC

Chanukah House Kit Giveaway!!!

The folks at Manischewitz have given us a Chanukah House to give away.  So what's a Chanukah House, well it's the perfect little vanilla cookie house that you can build yourself.  You may be saying "but I don't celebrate Chanukah, can I also win this prize?"  You bet you can, why not build yourself a whole cookie house neighborhood for the holidays, and this way you can include your Jewish neighbors as well.

But if you win this contest there's more!  If you visit Manischewitz's Facebook page (click here to check it out) then you can enter your Chanukah House into their Decorating Contest, and that could net you 500 dollars cash.  So if you win our contest you've got a free ticket to enter another contest.  It's a pretty good deal.

So how do you win a Chanukah House Kit, well it's fairly simple.  Write us a short poem about Chanukah, if you can incorporate candy, or even the Chanukah House into the poem then you'll get bonus points.  Make sure you also give us a way to contact you if you win (an e-mail will do) because it would be horrible if you wrote an awesome poem and we couldn't send you your Chanukah House Kit.  The contest ends on December 3rd, that will give you plenty of time to get your kit, build it, and enter the Manischewitz contest.  This contest is also only available in the US, sorry Antarctica.

To enter just leave us a comment on this blog post, or drop us a line here.

CC

Stuff I Want To Try

Mocha Coconut  - Lindt - It's really great to discover new candy flavour combinations, and Coconut and Coffee sounds interesting. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

CC

Classic/Creative Candy Advertising - Oh Henry Golf

What happened to the good old days when it was OK for a group of guys to get dressed up in silly outfits, stand in a dark room, eating Oh Henry! bars?

I found this ad on Vintage Ad Browser.

CC

Happy Thanksgiving USA!!!

I hope your day is filled with Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, greens, friends, and family.

Most of all I hope you manage to score a huge plate of dessert.

CC

Thursday's Candy Links

If you happen to find yourself in Tinsel Town, you might want to check out "Sweet! Hollywood"

Here's more about the shrinking problem that's happening in the British candy industry.  I think I'll call it the candy impotence effect.

Fluff in your sweet potatoes, do you have an opinion, have you ever tried it?

CC

Gourd Question

Does anybody know what kind of gourd this is?  Is it tasty?  Is it worth risking my life to climb a tree and pick it?  Do you know how I can prepare it?

CC

Old Candy Critic Articles - Food Network and the Candy Critic

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog.  This week I recount my story of filming a segment for the Food Network a few years back.

Here's Joe Pedalino the camera man, who claims he didn't want to eat any candy, I changed that.

What's the coolest thing that has ever happened to the Candy Critic? Well the Chicago Candy Expo was pretty cool, and finding a cool treat in a strange land is always a kick. Well here I am to add yet another notch in the belt of cool candy things. Recently a production company contacted me asking if I wanted to be on a Food Network show called, "What America Eats". They're taping a show all about candy and they thought I would make a good subject for a segment. I was a little skeptical at first, then they told me they would take me to a candy store and let me go nuts, I was sold. So off to New York I went, to tape a fun little segment for the Food Network, and to run amuck through a candy store causing more candy mayhem than ever before.

This is what the outside of a great hidden treasure looks like.

My day started out pretty simple, we sat down in a downtown office and talked about candy. They asked me what I like to eat and what I don't. It seemed pretty simple at this point but in the back of my mind all I wanted was to check out this candy store and go nuts.

This is a good example of how much candy I had to choose from. Here is one wall, there were four more just like this.

Soon we were off, our destination a little shop called 'The Sweet Life' in lower Manhattan. I had no idea the adventure that was about to take place, but I did know that I wouldn't stop eating until I was sick.

Candy stores are great, but it's even better if they offer some homemade treats as well.

This place was so full of candy delights and I was going to make it my very own candy devouring paradise.

Here's Joe shooting some crazy candy store type shots, soon I'd get between  the candy and camera and create some serious chaos.

All you need is a camera, a TV show, and a dental plan then you too could go completely nuts in a candy store with total disregard for your own health and well being.

More candy than the average man should have to endure. Well I'm not the average man, so I went for it.

Well you'll have to see how it went when you check it out on the Food Network in March (ED: As you can imagine it’s already aired and it was awesome), but you can check out more shots of my candy experience below.

One of my favourite things in the world is British candy, and one of my favourite treats is a "Kit Kat". It took only seconds for me to grab this British treat, and I would recommend the same for anyone who comes across one.

It looks like cheese with nuts but in fact its an interesting treat called Halva.

Chocolate pansies and chocolate fish. No it's not you, this has got to be one of the weirder combinations in history.

Among many of the other treats you can find around the world, Australian Licorice is a must have.

How cute baby "M&M's". Does it make them any harder to eat? Not a chance.

Gummies are good!

A little behind the scenes from the shoot. I thought it would be fun to put one of these on at the beginning of the shoot. They don't come in adult sizes, and pretty soon I lost all feeling in my finger.

What can I say, I eat candy. This is candy, I ate some.

That's a lot of candy.

CC

Wednesday's Candy Links

Twinkie Update: It appears that Hostess may not actually be out of business, rumors of a mediation are in the mix.

Have you ever been to Burger King and not felt completely full, well in Japan that's no longer a problem, thanks to the burger buffet.

The Danish government had all these ideas about a fat and sugar tax, well surprise-surprise, it didn't work out.

Couldn't make it to the Chicago Chocolate Festival?  Here's some pictures to make you feel bad about it.

CC

Will You Ever Eat a Twinkie Again?

So I'm sure you've read just about everywhere that Hostess, makers of Twinkies is going belly up.  At first this news sent shock waves across the candy eating world, but slowly the rubble is being picked up and we're learning that things are not as bad as they seem.


Let me first say that I don't believe you should run out of your house right now and stockpile Twinkies.  Although it wouldn't be a bad thing to stockpile since they pretty much last forever.  The reason why you don't have to worry is the sales numbers that come with Twinkies (as well as other fun sweet treats made by Hostess).  The sales of these items doesn't appear to be the source of the problem for Hostess, it looks as though management choices and other outside problems have shut down the company.

So what does this mean for the consumer?  To put it simply, the Twinkie is a popular food item, and although Hostess will no longer make them, I'm pretty sure another company will buy the recipe/rights to sell them.  So you'll probably never have another Hostess Twinkie, but you'll probably be eating Twinkies again real soon.  In fact in some countries there's a possibility that you won't even have a break from eating Twinkies.  For example, in Canada, Hostess is owned by Weston Bakeries, and not Hostess USA.  That means that they may continue to sell Twinkies as they always have.  Even if for some strange reason Hostess USA doesn't sell the Twinkie to another company, there's a good chance you can still import them from Canada.

So let's imagine the worst, say that Hostess refuses to sell the brands, and they have a clause in their contracts with Weston (and any other foreign company making Twinkies) saying that if Hostess USA stops then you have to stop making them as well.  You're still not out of luck.  As it turns out the Internet is full of recipes for Twinkies.  So sure it might take a bit of work, but if you're really craving a Twinkie, all is not lost.

Here's a two news stories about the sale of Twinkies (and other brands) from Hostess.  One here, and one here.

If you're not convinced about the importance of Twinkies, here's "5 movies where Twinkies played a supporting role"

CC

Stuff I Want To Try

Beercandy  - Beercandy - I think eating these candies might make me feel more manly. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

CC

Candy Art - Cereal Scenes

I love the idea of mixing cereal with real life to create magical worlds that require milk.

In particular I love this Shredded Wheat scene because I often call bails of hay giant Shredded Wheats.

Click here to see more shots from this series.

CC

Tuesday's Candy Links

Buzzfeeds has a great list of 20 interesting SkyMall products, which includes Protein Ketchup.

What kind of education do you have, how about a degree as a "Dessert Enthusiasts", yup it exists.

CC

This Week In Candy

On this week's "This Week in Candy" I will not only talk about some plans we have for Candy Critic in the near future, but I will also post the review that I should have posted yesterday.  I was out of town and I couldn't get to my updatable stuff so this weeks review is up, and it's a great creative treat I recommend that you try.

Click here to read the review.

I've been thinking about writing more about the kinds of places where I buy my candy.  Not just the shops that I like, but also the kinds of shops that I like and even the countries I like to shop in.  There are some cities and towns that have excellent candy selection, some are really surprising considering their population and geographical location.  I'll also write about what to look for in a good candy shop, and what to avoid in a crappy one.  I'm also thinking that I might ask you, our loyal readers, to contribute your favorite candy shop experiences (and nightmares) as well.  I think I'll start this in earnest in the New Year, so for now I'm going to start collecting ideas.

Last, but not least, I'm sure you've all heard that Hostess went out of business last week.  Well I've got some information to share later this week that might make some of you very happy.

CC

Monday's Candy Links

"Can the mere taste of sugar improve your mental focus?" Huh.... Did you say something?

Do you like Fanta, well you're in good company.

If the headline "Will Jello Be Made From People in 2015?" doesn't interest you, then you are a weirdo.

CC

Breaking News!!!! Hostess is Going Out Of Business!!!

They're not filling for chapter 11 (which means that they're still open but losing money), Hostess is going out of business permanently!  Or at least that's what the press is saying.  That means that unless another company buys the recipe/rights Twinkies are no more.  So start hording them!!!

You can read more here, and here.  And you can learn about some of the products they make here.

CC

Stuff I Want To Try

Gourmet Caramels - Van Otis - I think that some of the flavours offered sound splendid, and I don't throw that word around much. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

CC

Friday's Candy Video - The Coolest Pinata Destruction Ever

This clip of Matt Cain (a major league pitcher) and the gang from Myth Busters, throwing baseballs with amazing accuracy is something to watch, but the finally with a pinata makes it Candy Critic approved.

CC

Friday's Candy Links

Because I'm a nerd and a candy fan, the idea of "Star Wars Glowing Lightsaber Ice Pops" sounds dam good to me.

Did you know that there are people allergic to spices?  I can't imagine not being able to eat cinnamon, curry, or basil.

Here's an nice little story about how some people deal with having so much candy around the house after Halloween.

CC

Dolma in a Can

One of the things that most Greek cooks brag about is the freshness of their food.  Dolma is a great example of that, Dolma is a dish made from grape leaves wrapped around rice.  I can't tell you how many old Greek ladies have offered to make me fresh Dolma.  I've even been asked to come to someones house, pick the grape leaves myself, and then make the Dolma.  So I assumed that this was one of those foods that had to be made fresh, or it wouldn't work.  Well apparently I'm wrong.

I went to the local grocery stores and I discovered that there are several companies offering canned Dolma.  So I wondered, does it really have to be fresh to be tasty, or will it taste fine after sitting in a can for a few weeks?  You'd think that the answer would be obvious, but strangely enough...

These canned Dolma tasted really great.  I can honestly tell you that I've eaten fresh Dolma that tastes a lot better than the canned stuff.  Having said that I haven't eaten them side by side, but really this canned variety is really tasty.

CC

Classic/Creative Candy Advertising - I'm Drinking a lot of Fanta

I've been drinking a lot of Fanta lately.  For those that have never tried it, it's not like Orange Crush, or C Plus.  It's more like real orange juice, only not exactly...  I guess I can say that it's orange, it's strange, but it's tasty.

Got this add from Vintage Ad Browser.

CC

Thursday's Candy Links

Have you ever smelt a candy store, it smells pretty good doesn't it, scientific studies are looking into why they smell so good.

When I first read the headline "Hostess Might Liquidate" I got really excited, turns out it doesn't mean what I thought it meant.

New Pepsi might actually help you loose weight, I don't think I like this trend.

CC

Spreads - Zoodles

I just finished an art piece for bewarethecheese.com's fine art gallery "Senses". For this piece I had to photograph, and eventually eat more than 40 different spreads.  I've decided to post a little something about each spread that I sampled.

You're probably thinking that I'm nuts for calling Zoodles a spread.  I'll admit, I'm pushing it, but only because you don't really spread them the same way you spread something like butter.  As far as eating Zoodles on bread, well that's been a favorite snack of mine since I was a little kid.  I don't remember if I saw someone else doing it, or if I just started it myself.

CC

Stuff I Want To Try

26-Pound Gummy Python - I don't know who makes it. - Because one day I want to discover how much gummy I can eat in one sitting, and I believe this is the way to do it. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

CC

Old Candy Critic Articles - Toffee Trouble

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog.  This week I look back at my first ever candy related injury.

I get countless e-mails from people asking me how I got a job as the Candy Critic, and how they too could be one. Well it’s a simple answer, I made the job up, and you could do it too, just be too oblivious of the world to realize it’s not a real job. People also generally tell me that my job is the best, and the most fun job in the world; to those people I dedicate this particular article.

Tonight I decided to have myself a little Toffee, it’s an upcoming review purchased by Allison in Calgary from a shop that imports all kinds of treats from the UK. A company called Walkers makes it, but to be honest the details of the snack aren’t really that important. What is important is I have just received my first on the job injury.

While breaking off a piece of this very tasty toffee (a bit of force was needed) I cut my hand. Sure it only looks like a little scrape, but I am a bit of a wuss and now my hand hurts.

One of the reason I got into the candy reviewing business was I thought it would be all fun and games. Well I was wrong, now it’s serious.

CC