When Mascots Are Better Than the Candy

I've never done the research, but I'm wondering if the quality of the candy mascot is related to the quality of the candy. I would say that for the most part, the better the mascot, the worse the candy. It's probably not always the case, but I think it's probably the case most of the time. I also don't think it works the other way around. I've seen some pretty bad candies out there with some pretty awful mascots as well.

Check out my latest review of a fairly blah taffy, but it has a great mascot.

Supercakes?

 

On a recent trip to my local grocery store I came across something called a Supercake. The premise is seems simple, they're small cupcakes (this can be argued) themed to superheroes from the DC Universe. I'm not sure if there are any more, but I found 3 different types of cake, one for Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman. Being a comic book nerd and a fan of sweet treats, I couldn't resist. The question that rang into my mind immediately however was what flavour do these characters actually represent. My assumption is that the folks at Bolerio (the people who make these cakes) would have done some research as well as some creative thinking to match the small cupcakes to the characters. 

So I've decided that I'm going to look at each one of these cupcakes and not just judge them by the quality and flavour of the cakes, but also how the cake flavour choice might (or might not) work with the character.

I decided to start with Wonder Woman. 

Her cake is a double chocolate cupcake, and honestly I was kind of stumped right off the bat (pun intended, you'll see later). First of all, let's just get the cake quality/expectations out of the way. The cupcake on its own is kind of disappointing. The package shows a dollop of icing/cream on the top that just doesn't exist on the cake. The amount of cream/icing is also really disappointing. The flavour of the chocolate filling is okay, but honestly the cake was much better. It's not to say that the cake is great, it's just better than the filling.

How this cake works with Wonder Woman is also confusing to me. I would think that two dark ingredients would work better with Batman, since he's the Dark Knight. If I was to choose something for Wonder Woman I might go with a nice vanilla cake with bits of cherry or strawberry, but maybe leave the chocolate filling. Basically that she's feminine, with a slightly dark interior. The yellow cake with bits of red would also reflect her outfit a little too. 

Next I went for the Batman cake.

Batman's cake is a deep chocolate cake with a vanilla cream/icing. Again, like the Wonder Woman cake, the execution of this cake is not great. The picture on the package would suggest that there would be a dollop of icing on the top, but there is not. The amount of icing is also pretty slim. However, both the cake and the icing in this case tasted pretty good. The chocolate cake was the highlight, but the icing wasn't bad either.

As for the theme of the flavours compared to Batman, I'd say it's not bad. It's very possible that Bolerio didn't put any thought towards the flavours and I'm just projecting my own story here, but I feel like it's an easier story to write. What I see here is a dark exterior with a light hearted filling. Batman is a dark brooding characters, but deep down he does have morals and even a bit of heart. I might be grasping at straws for this, but at least it feels like an easier story to write.

Finally the Superman cake.

As a cake goes, this is kind of the opposite of the Batman cake. It's a vanilla cake with a dollop of chocolate icing/cream in the middle. Like the two cakes before, it also disappointed with both the presentation and lack of cream in the cake. Flavour wise the vanilla was kind of boring, but the chocolate was a lot more bold than I expected.

As far as how it compared to Superman as a character, I'm once again going to give the folks at Bolerio the benefit of the doubt and claim that they actually might have thought about how the flavours might go with the characters. In this case Superman, who I consider one of the more boring characters is well suited to a vanilla cake. The interesting thing is that occasionally there's actually a really good Superman story, and I would say that's well represented by the surprisingly bold chocolate filling.

I have to admit, I feel like the folks at Bolerio probably just stuck random cakes to random characters. I would be happy to be proven wrong about this, but I feel like it's unlikely. The idea of creating cake treats that work with famous superheroes would be a really fun exercise, maybe one I could do with my Geek Shop partner. For now I'm just happy to see cool characters on a package and to eat some adequate cupcakes.

In Hindsight - Big Turk

 The name of this candy bar might be a little offensive to some, the candy in the middle is a little offensive to me.

Treats and Beasts

 If you love beasts and you love treats, then check out my awesome alphabet book called Treats And Beasts, the perfect book for anyone, even if you already know your alphabet.

You can pick up your very own copy of Treats and Beast right now at bewarethecheese.com/treatsnbeasts/ or on Amazon (just search "treats and beasts chris stewart").

Okay, So I Might Have a Problem

Today's review has two problems. The first is that it's a classic bar from a huge company (Cadbury), that I for some reason haven't reviewed till this point. I'm not sure why I've never reviewed it, but it's taken way too long. The second problem is it seems like as of late I've been reviewing way too many fruit and nut bars. I'll admit that even the reviews themselves are getting repetitive, but that's only because every single fruit and nut bar has one fatal flaw.

Check out my latest fruit and nut review, I'm sure you'll figure out the flaw I'm talking about.

10 Second Kitchen - Kenny Rogers Roaster Manila, Philippines

 Watching the chicken slowly rotate in the over at Kenny Rogers Roaster.

Blue Orchid

Did you know that I'm writing and drawing a comic right now. It's called Blue Orchid and it's an awesome tale of a teenage South East Asian girl that fights lots of cool monsters.

You can pick each and every issue of Blue Orchid right now at bewarethecheese.com/blueorchid/ or on Amazon (just search "blue orchid comics").

Another Fruit and Nut

I'm not sure why I keep reviewing different versions of the the fruit and nut bar. While each bar is different in quality, the real reason I get excited when I see them is the hopes that the fruit will be something other than raisins. It's not that I don't like raisins, it's just the name that keeps tempting me. I've always said that variety is one of my favourite things about tasting new candies, but the fruit and nut bars keep disappointing me. It's ironic because I can't think of a fruit that would actually be better than raisins in chocolate, yet I keep craving something different that will likely be worse.

Check out my latest "fruit" and nut bar review.

Is Said Pate A Tartiner Better Than Nutella?

 It's been a while since I've written a Better Than Nutella blog post and the main reason is geography. I've been living in South East Asia for the last few years in a place where chocolate spreads were actually fairly uncommon. They had a few, but I went through them fairly quickly. I have however moved, and it appears I've moved to a place that loves chocolate spreads. In fact my local grocery store has an entire section of an aisle dedicated to them. They have Nutella as well, but the range of other brands is staggering. 

I decided to start with the brand that seemed to be the most common. I won't say popular because I'm pretty sure Nutella is the most popular brand, but Said is all over my local grocery store. It's a fine spread, it's not better than Nutella by any stretch of the imagination, but it's fine. Many spreads seems to go a little too creamy and miss out on the chocolate and hazelnut, this is the problem here. It's not a huge problem, but it's not a perfect balance either. The good news is that unlike many other chocolate/hazelnut spreads I've had in the past, the chocolate and hazelnut are still present. Most of the time the creamy flavour or chocolate overpower the hazelnuts.

I also want to mention that "pate a tartiner" might be the classiest way ever to describe this kind of treat. I call them chocolate hazelnut "spreads" and the more I think about it the less I like that description. I'm not sure if I'll switch to pate a tartiner in my daily use, but I will say that it's much better a name.

Quick List - The Most Artistic Candy Packages

 A quick list of the most #artistic candy and snack packages out of the all the treats I've reviewed on candycritic.org.

Snack Facts!

 

If you've ever wanted to learn more about the snacks you love, but in a fun way, pick up my book Snack Facts. Follow Barbara and Sir Francis Sweetums as they learn everything about your favourite snacks and treats.

You can pick up your own copy of Snack Facts right now at candycritic.org/snackfacts/ or on Amazon (just search "snack facts chris stewart")

Classic Candy For You

The thing I find very interesting about the candy world is what people define as a "classic candy". The reason I find it interesting is because there are many classic candies out there that are only classic in very particular parts of the world. I'll never forget the conversation I had with a friend from Europe who couldn't understand how people in North America could actually enjoy peanut butter and chocolate together. The fact that not everyone's classic candy is classic all over the world is the main reason I'm still writing this after more than 2000 reviews.

Check out another classic candy that I've reviewed, but only if you're from some parts of Europe.

Junk Fud On The Road - Tokyo Disney Sea Part 2

 In this episode of Junk Fud on the Road Chris and Allison talk about their latest visit (their 3rd visit) to Tokyo Disney Sea. It was a quick trip, but full of adventure and plenty of snacks.

Treats And Beast!

 If you love beasts and you love treats, then check out my awesome alphabet book called Treats and Beasts, the perfect book for anyone, even if you already know your alphabet.

You can pick up your very own copy of Treats and Beast right now at bewarethecheese.com/treatsnbeasts/ or on Amazon (just search "treats and beasts chris stewart").

Tiramisu?

I think tiramisu might be my favourite coffee flavoured dessert. The first thing you should know about me is that I don't drink coffee, and for the most part I don't like the flavour of coffee. I don't mind, and might even enjoy the smell of coffee, but the flavour just doesn't do it for me. For some reason however, the coffee flavour from tiramisu is okay. I imagine it's the large amount of sugar and cream added to the coffee that makes it work.

Check out my latest review which also happens to be tiramisu flavoured.

A Dessert Hack I'll Never Tell You About

 I have a pretty amazing dessert hack, but because of the actions of one company I will never tell you about it. On this blog and on candycritic.org I'm pretty open about any recipes or food hacks that I discover (both ones that work and ones that don't). I'm also okay when large food corporations take my ideas and turn them in to regular things or even create foods. I've had ideas for hundreds of treats and desserts, and I welcome any food company to take them and make them for free. The thing I love most of all is to make cool new treat ideas a reality that everyone can enjoy.

This hack however will remain my own, because one company decided that people should be charged a great deal to do it. I wrote about this hack in my social media in a particular country a few years back. Then, a few months later Allison and I noticed that this company started encouraging this very hack. We thought it was great, and frankly and obvious choice. The problem is that once they made the change, they also upped their price a great deal. We had managed to make this hack work for practically nothing, but the company decided that it was worth jacking up the price.

This company is a global company, but they only made the change in one country. We then traveled somewhere else and noticed that they hadn't incorporated our food hack or the huge price increase. Allison and I managed to pull out our hack with no problems and with wonderful results. I suggested posting about it, but Allison reminded me what happened last time. The good news is there only seems to be one country in the world that has monetized my food hack, the bad news is you'll have to go through my social media feed to try and figure out exactly what I'm talking about.

Chris, Why Would You Eat That?!! - Cheese Filled Chocolate Cookies

 If you love cheese and you love chocolate cookies with cream in them, then you might be a little disappointed.

10 Second Kitchen - Street Tandoori Oven Yangon, Myanmar

 Watching hand made naan being made on the streets of  Yangon in Myanmar. 

Doritos?

I've recently been going through my list of all the candies I have (and will) review on candycritic.org. I've realised something that's made me think. I used to have a rule that once a brand had more than 10 reviews, it would be a featured brand on the site. I also had the same rule for treats that had more than 10 varieties or flavours. It's been a few years since I've updated my lists, and I've realized that I haven't been keeping up with this policy. I now have several other brands, varieties and flavours that are not featured on the site. I'm wondering if 10 should continue to be the number, or if I should start adding many more treats to my featured lists.

Check out the latest review of a new Doritos flavour, which would qualify it for the list technically.

The Best Fudge In The World, According to Me

 

One of the most common questions I get about candycritic.org is "what inspired me to write about candy". People often talk about people having a "sweet tooth" and that's probably true, but I feel like sometimes foods can go a little deeper than just a love of sweets, salty or any flavour. A true passion for food often comes from memories, growing up and remembering positive parts of your life that may have been associated with that flavour or smell. There's been a ton of research on the subject and more often than not smell and flavours have been been proven as the most powerful triggers for memories.

This brings me to Maple Leaf Fudge in Niagara on the Lake (just near Niagara Falls). I'm pretty certain that this place is the first place I'd ever tasted handmade fudge. It's actually possible (maybe not likely) that Maple Leaf Fudge might have been the first sweet thing I'd ever eaten. I say this because both of my parents were born near Niagara on the Lake, and both of my grandparents lived fairly close. I've been going to this area of Canada pretty much my entire life.

When I  describe the origins of my sweet tooth it involves family trips to this area and if we were anywhere near Maple Leaf Fudge it would involve getting a slab or two. This fudge shop is in my DNA, and to this day I don't like to pass it by if I'm in the area.

The truly hard question for me to answer however is, objectively how is the fudge. I say this because I've never had a bad slice of fudge from this shop, at least that I can remember. The problem is that there's a very good chance that my memory has chopped out any bad parts from this part of my life. It's also true that visiting this part of Canada has always meant fun family gatherings and small adventures. This means that even if the fudge was bad, it was surrounded with a fun time.

On a recent trip to Niagara I decided to pick up a slab, because I really couldn't think of missing out. I tried to taste the fudge objectively and it seemed pretty good. It had a slight crust on the outside but the centre was soft and even a little gooey. The flavour was really nice and filled my head with maple and chocolate. Unfortunately anything after that is tainted with the fact that it was a wonderful day with my wonderful wife. We visited an fantastic bookstore, had an amazing lunch and walked down the beautiful streets of Niagara on the Lake. It was a perfect day, so I'm not sure if this also affected my love of this fudge.

I'll probably never review anything out of this shop. If you ask me what to do in Niagara on the Lake, I'm always going to suggest getting some fudge. I'm always going to tell you it's the best fudge in the world. Sure you might have your own opinion, and you might even have your own den of nostalgia that's better, and frankly I'm not mad. If you have a place that can and always has brought you this much joy, I'm truly happy for you.

Quick List - My Favourite Characters On Candy Packages

 A quick list of my favourite characters featured on #candy and snack packages. At least out of the all the treats I've reviewed on  candycritic.org.

Lots of Blue Orchid For You

 I've made a comic, it's called Blue Orchid and it's awesome.

You can get your very own copy of my comic book right now at bewarethecheese.com/blueorchid/ or on Amazon (or just search "blue orchid comics").

I Think I Like Pretzels

It's not that I ever thought that I hated pretzels, but after doing this review I think I've realized that I like pretzels a lot more than I thought before. There are some exceptions, as not all pretzels are made equal, but a good pretzel might be one of the best salty snacks out there anywhere in the world. I think the pretzel doesn't get as much notice because it's a snack that's available almost anywhere, and has always kind of been around. However, if you look at it objectively, it's a pretty amazing snack.

Check out my latest pretzel review, a review that's made me love this snack a lot.