This Week In Candy

Well I'm back from Venice, and what a fun trip it was.  As some of you might be following our Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr sites, you may have seen a few snippets from our adventure.  If you haven't been keeping up don't worry, we're going to feature a few of our favorite Venetian snacks tomorrow on a post here on the blog.  Frankly I wasn't disappointed by any of the food, unless you count this week's review which I got on the trip.

How much do you know about milk?  I'm working on a project right now, and I think I'm going to focus on milk.  I want to learn the history, the science, and how much it's used in the candy industry.  I've got a few ideas about where to go with this project, but if you have any suggestions, let me know.

Finally, I've been receiving a lot of treats in the mail lately.  For everybody that's sending me candies to sample, I assure you that I'm getting to them as quickly as possible.

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Chocolate Salami Review... Yes You Heard That Right

I think when I post next years best and worst candy lists on New Years (A new thing I started this year and hope to continue), this review might make the list for the most potential for obscenity.  It's not that it is obscene at all, but if you say the words "Chocolate Salami" with the right tone, it's fairly lurid.  I guess you might chock this up to cultural differences, since I bought this on my recent trip to Italy.  Maybe in Italy saying chocolate salami doesn't sound that obscene at all.

Click here to read about the Chocolate Salami.

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Candy News

Here's a few secrets, from the folks that brought us Chunky Monkey.

Peeps are no longer going to be around just for Easter, a new year round version is coming.

Many things have spilled out of trucks into the highways of the world, including 40,000 lbs of ice cream and a massive load of corn dogs.

A new record for the most Girl Scout cookies sold in one year was achieved, and she didn't even visit my house.

I had always thought of hard core candy fans as being the minority in the candy eating world, apparently we make up a pretty decent percentage.

Sweet potato cookies might be the next big trend in North America, but they've been making treats with these for a long time in Asia.

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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Friday Candy Video

I think I'd like to take a Wiz... In fact if I took two Wiz's I could get a free magic kit.  What could be more fun than taking a Wiz with friends, or at a party, it's a sure fire ice breaker.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising

I think of all of the candy companies in the world, Chupa Chups has probably used the idea of celebrity to sell their candy more than anyone else in the candy business.  That got me thinking, is there a celebrity that if I saw them eating a particular food, I too would eat it because of their fame?  I'd probably sample a treat if a celebrity chef that I knew and respected endorsed a particular treat.  However, I can't think of any actor or singer that I would blindly follow their opinion when it comes to candy.  Is there any celebrity you would trust?

I found this ad here.

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A Cool Candy Thing

Some might argue that this isn't really a candy thing.  Some might say that this is in fact not even a candy.  What these Miracle Berry Tablets do is change the flavour of everything you eat afterwards.  They make bitter things sweet, sour things tolerable, and in my humble opinion, they make the world a better place.  So why do I think these are a "Candy Thing"?  Well they turn a whole lot of other foods into candy.

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Simple Donut T-Shirt

Simple Donut Tees by candycritic
Browse Donut T-Shirts

To me, there's nothing that says sweet baked treat more than a donut.  Sure there are some other sweet baked treats that I crave, and some that might even taste better than donuts. But I keep coming back to these round tasty delights.  I used to think that donuts were a Canadian thing, or at the very least North American, but as I've traveled more and more, I've realized that almost every culture in the world loves donuts, and that's a beautiful thing.

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This Week In Candy

Have you been to IKEA lately?  Have you seen these new plush desserts that they sell?  I'm not sure if I want to own a set of these for myself.  While they look really great, every time I look at them I'll just be disappointed that I can't eat them.  The other thing I don't get about these is how a child is supposed to play with them.  I guess for tea parties they could come in handy, but they're not really as creative as Play-Doh for making fake desserts.

This week on the blog things are going to be a little bit slow.  As you read this I'm out of town visiting bellissimo, Italy.  I'm sure I'll post something about it when I'm back, and depending on my internet connection, I may even post a thing of two on our social media pages as well.

Although we won't have a new review posted this week, we'll still have some of our regular posts going up later this week.  Maybe I'll make up for the lack of new review with a review-a-thon next week.

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Candy News

We've always known that chocolate was good for you, now we know why.

According to a recent study, hard to open packages are one of the biggest problems in the candy world.

Apparently science may soon release a pill to help your heat, best of all, it's made with chocolate.

This could be the strangest candy related article of the year "7 Animals That Smell Like Gourmet Jelly Beans"

So you're out in the woods, and you're craving some popcorn, but you forgot to pack a pot to pop it in, well here's your solution.

The history of candy is a pretty fascinating thing, it says a lot about who we are today, and Mental Floss has a great list of 15 such events.

According to a new study, our social conscience is driving what we want to eat.

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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Friday Candy Video

I love watching food get made.  Even though it's really an industrialized process, I still find it appetizing.  The machines are also mesmerizing, and I'm always astounded at how fast they can make a bag of Oreo cookies.



If the first video is a little slow for your liking, this parody of it is fantastic. They basically take the same concept, but put it in reverse, thus taking apart the Oreo cookie.  Personally the best way I like to take one apart is to use my teeth.

I found both of these videos here.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Kit Kat You Can Bake - Nestle - Nothing could possibly make your house smell better than a couple of Kit Kats in your oven. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising

According to the place I downloaded this image from, it's an advertisement for an Italian gelato that was banned in the UK, and under some pretty heavy fire in Italy.  I don't really understand the point of the advertisement except to cause a stir.  While I'm sure nuns probably enjoy gelato, and I'm sure pregnant ladies also enjoy gelato, putting them together in one package is just controversy overkill if you ask me.

I found this ad here.

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A Cool Candy Thing

I'm not sure if these are a candy, a candy thing, or none of the above, but I can tell you that I think they're pretty neat.  In fact I can honestly tell you that I have a package of these sitting in my cupboard right now. I'm not sure why I'm saving them, but now that I think about it, I think I might use on of them up tomorrow morning to drink up the extra milk in my bowl of cereal.

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Simple Pretzel T-Shirt

Simple Pretzel Tee Shirt by candycritic
More Pretzel T-Shirts

Do you remember the time when former US president George Bush almost choked to death on a pretzel?  It would have been very strange to lose a world leader to a pretzel.  If he had have had one of these T-shirts on he could have been fine.  He could simply point to his throat, and then point to the image of the pretzel and the message would have been crystal clear.

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This Week In Candy

I've decided that this week I'm going to start things off with a question.  Is the gummy pictured above an alligator or a crocodile?  I've asked a few of my nature expert friends this very question, and the consensus is that it is a crocodile, and a potentially dangerous one at that.  That got me thinking, how accurate are the depictions of animals in our food? Are animal crackers even close? Would a bear expert complain about the kind of tail found on a gummy bear? Are gummy worms the proper length? I'm always impressed when I come across candy that has a great deal of detail, but now I think I might start looking at accuracy too.

Next week I have a quick excursion planned to lovely Italy.  The plan is to enjoy a little R&R, but I'm sure there will also be some treat hunting as well.  If you have any favorite Italia treats you think I should try, let me know.

I'm also starting work on the second faze of a big writing project.  It's about chocolate, so I'm sure what I'm writing about will spill into Candy Critic fairly regularly.  Right now I'm trying to learn absolutely everything I can about chocolate, the history, the science, everything.  It's a big task, but I think it's going to be really fun.

Finally, all this week on our Instagram feed (Candy Critic Snack Facts) we're looking at fun facts about ice cream.  Ice cream is one of my favorite treats, and since spring should be coming any day now, my body has started to crave some chocolate ripple.  You can also follow Candy Critic Snack Facts on our Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Tumblr pages as well.

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A Happy St. Patrick's Day Review!

I often try very hard to post reviews that may be relevant to whatever holiday that might be going on at any given time.  Some holidays, like Easter, Christmas, or Halloween are fairly simple to achieve this, since these holidays are pretty much dedicated to giving away sweets.  Other holidays, like St Patrick's Day are a little more challenging.  This is because, as far as I know, St Patrick's Day really isn't associated with any particular food at all, let alone any kind of sweet food.  Fortunately, in my archive, I've been siting on a review that deals with a special Irish version of a classic treat.  It seemed like St Patrick's Day would be the perfect day to post this review.

Click here to read what the difference is between Irish Sour Patch Kids and regular Sour Patch Kids.

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Candy News

What's your favorite marshmallow in Lucky Charms?  How about Rudolph heads?

Candy is starting to make a scene in high class restaurants, what treat would you like to see in a 5 star eatery?

I don't really like spicy food, but now I understand it a little better.

Did you know that they first started selling Girl Scout cookies in 1917?  Here's some more facts about these awesome cookies.

According to a recent study, peanuts are really a good thing to eat, even if they're covered in candy.

OREO cookies and 3D print technology equals the future of cookies, and it looks fantastic.

The Huffington Post claims that there are "16 Reasons Chocolate Is Obviously Superior To Vanilla", I disagree.

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Pasta Flavored Ice Cream Bar With Tomato Bits - Gari-Gari Kun -It seems kind of wrong, but there's nothing about it that I hate. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Friday Candy Video

It's cookie math!

Found this video here.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising

There's something very satisfying about licking the cheese powder off of your fingers.  Although, when I'm in public I try to be as discrete as possible when I do it.  I feel ashamed about doing something that I love.  Apparently I'm not the only one.

I found this ad here.

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Brent's Take

My friend Brent just moved to Japan. He's not a huge candy fanatic, but he's always up for an adventure.  During his stay in Japan, Brent has volunteered to write regularly about the treats he comes across, or any other snack related finds he discovers.  We're calling this new series "Brent's Take".

I have a bite-sized review for you. 

On first glance I was attracted to this project by pure Orwellian fascination. Could this be the long sought after generic food bar of my dreams?  Ingredients are wheat and flour, happily sugar is only the fourth. Then lemon rind and other inoffensive substrates. Calorie Mate comes packed in a box containing two foil packages each holding two biscuits. The biscuits themselves are best likened to shortbread cookies although far less saccharine. The lemon rind taste is apparent, but overall the experience is exactly as bland as I'd hoped. In a land of dynamic snacks, calorie mate stands out as a truly mediocre flavour experience, which is why I give it my personal stamp of approval. 

It also comes in chocolate and a variety of other flavours, which I have yet to sample. 

Signing off from Tokyo!

A Cool Candy Thing

I have a soft spot in my heart for candy machines that have a bunch of silly mechanics that make getting your treat a little more difficult.  I'm always entranced by watching gears turn, characters move, and wheels spin, only to be paid off at the end with a handful of sweet Jelly Bellies.

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Simple Cheesy T-Shirt

Cheese Doodle T Shirts by candycritic
Create one-of-a-kind personalized photo shirts on zazzle.

Cheese Doodles aren't particularly attractive, and the texture is strange to say the least, but for some reason I can't get enough of them.  I've woken up in the middle of the night desperate to get a bag of bright orange treats with the texture of Styrofoam.

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This Week In Candy

This past week, I discovered the Kit Kat Chunky Mini.  Now many of you might think that it would be the same as the regular Kit Kat, but with only one finger.  In fact, eating these have brought to my attention the real difference between a Kit Kat Chunk and the regular Kit Kat.  The mini uses wafers that are about the same size as the wafers on a regular Kit Kat, but they use the proportion of chocolate found on a Kit Kat Chunk, and it's a lot more.  So the difference between a Kit Kat Chunk is more than just size, it appears that the ratio of chocolate to wafer on a Kit Kat Chunk is also a lot more.  I wounder if they'll ever make a Kit Kat Chunk Mini bar, with four fingers attached.

This week we're featuring our second new t-shirt from our latest series of simple snack shirts.  If you want to see them all you can check out our T-shirt store.  The store has also been re-designed to make it a little easier to navigate.  Just remember, if you buy a t-shirt, you're helping us keep this site online, and keeping the reviews flowing.

I'm thinking of starting a new series of articles all about health and candy.  It's a pretty sticky subject, but an important one.  After all, I believe that you can enjoy the worlds sweets and junk food and stay healthy at the same time.  I also believe that too much blame is put on the candy and snack world for making everybody fat.  Having said that, I can honestly say that there are some problems in the snack and candy world that would make snacking just as rewarding, and healthier.

Finally, our good friend Brent has just moved to Japan for a while, and he's decided to contribute a few pieces about some of the snacks he's discovering while living there.  Some will be short reviews, others might be general musings.  You should know that Brent doesn't really have a big sweet tooth, but he's always up for an adventure.

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New Chocolate Bar Review

Do you know what's astounding?  I've eaten hundreds of chocolate bars in my lifetime, and yet I'm still not bored with them. Even something as simple as milk chocolate is still fascinating to me.  I think this is because although the basic concept of chocolate is the same from one bar to the next, there are still so many things you can do to make chocolate unique.  Think about it, cocoa, milk, and a few other ingredients mixed together can make a huge variety of treats that are similar, yet different.  I hope I never get bored of chocolate, and I hope candy makers continue to push the chocolate envelope.

Click here to read my latest chocolate review.

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Candy News

Technology now allows us to print photographs on marshmallows, it's a good time to be alive.

Here's an interesting look at how candy can help us look back at American history.

What did you do for Fat Tuesday?  If you happen to be fat, you could have scored from free candy.

When famous spokes characters collide, Geico Gecko VS M&M's Mrs. Brown.

Who knew that Canada would actually have so many controversial candies, we seem like such nice people.

Don't read this list of "Shocking Food Facts" unless you're into crushing some of your food related dreams.

There's a movement to keep chocolate prices down, even though cocoa prices are going up, it could be hard to argue this considering we keep eating more and more chocolate.

I was going to post this as "Stuff I Want To Try", but frankly I don't really want to try it.

Do you have plans to eat at Buckingham Palace in the near future, if you like chocolate, you're in for a treat.

Did you know that Snickers has had the same slogan since 1986?

There are some foods you make at home, other foods that you get in your neighborhood, and others still that you only eat on vacation.

Beautiful and completely edible, the British Art Fund has funded some amazing edible art.

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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Friday Candy Video

A long time ago I did an experiment where I tested the strength of M&Ms.  I microwaved them, burnt them, set them on a hot CPU, and lots of other destructive fun things.  The problem is I didn't have access to a super high speed camera.  After watching the video above, I'm thinking I may want to revisit this idea of destroying M&Ms, and all I need is a friend with a high speed camera.

I discovered this video here.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising

Two weeks ago I posted about some fruit flavoured snacks that were associated with a white cat, I was then pointed to a more logical version of the same candy with a black cat.  It's not that I've ever seen a cat eating licorice, in fact most vets say it's a bad idea to feed your cats licorice, but at least the candies resemble cats.  Although I'm not really sure why anybody would want to eat a cat, unless you're ALF.

I found this ad here.

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A Cool Candy Thing

All I can say about this bucket of Play-Doh candy making equipment is: "Stop making Play-Doh look so tasty!  It's hard enough not to eat it as is!".

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Simple Candy T-Shirt

Simply Candy Shirt by candycritic
Find other Candy T-Shirts at zazzle.com

One of the simplest pleasures you can have in life is a beautiful swirled hard candy.  Bite sized, smooth, lasting about 10 minutes, it's a simple pleasure that no candy fanatic can do without.  The flavour can vary, from sour berries, mint, and sometimes tutti fruity.  You can have your chocolate covered, caramel, nutty clusters, your popping powder kegs, and your sticky, chewy fruity bits, today is a day for something simple.

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This Week In Candy

Our sister site bewarethecheese.com is going to post a whole bunch of new gummy bear photographs this week.  The theme is bright colours and gummy bears.  They'll be available as posters and greeting cards, and would surely brighten up any room, or any person.

This month we're also releasing some new t-shirts on our store.  We'll feature a new one every Tuesday on this blog.  The theme is Simple Snack Foods, and if these prove to be popular we'll design more of them in the future. Keep an eye out every Tuesday for a new design being featured, or just check out our store right now.

Finally, it seems like I'm over my cold from last week and back on track.  This week I'm working on a few projects that I hope to have posted soon.  I'm also writing a lot of reviews this week, to try and cut down on my candy stash and keep the treats from going bad.  I think this will probably lead to a review-a-thon in the near future.

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I Feel Better Review

Last week I had a cold.  It was one of those colds that simply makes you feel crappy, nothing serious, just very annoying.  Then a package came in the mail, it was a gift from the heavens, it was lozenges.  It was just what the doctor ordered (keep in mind I didn't visit my doctor just for a cold, this is just a figure of speech).  So today's review might be a little biased because I wasn't just looking for a tasty snack, I was also looking for some relief as well.

Click here to read the review that made me feel better.

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