Candy Critic

I Love a Good Review!

2012-01-27T15:00:00.001-05:00

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

2012-01-27T14:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

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!!!

2012-01-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-26T12:00:00.000-05:00

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!!!

2012-01-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-25T14:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-25T09:38:00.000-05:00

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.

CC

Little Mini Muffin

2012-01-24T14:00:00.000-05:00

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.

CC

It's National Peanut Butter Day!!!

2012-01-24T10:30:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-23T14:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-20T14:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

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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Stuff I Want To Try

2012-01-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

Official Angry Birds Candy - Made by: Fazer - Why: Because I love throwing candy around. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising - Wafers and Newtons

2012-01-19T12:00:00.000-05:00

There's two reasons I wanted to post this advertisement. First of all I have wafers on my mind, don't know why but I just do. Secondly last Monday was National Fig Newton Day, and I wanted to celebrate it, even if I was a little late.

Ad found on vintage ad browser.

Viennese Review-a-Thon Problem

2012-01-19T10:30:00.000-05:00

As I wrote in an earlier blog, Vienna has a love of Mozart, and in particular they have a love of these Mozart chocolates. I knew I couldn't have a Viennese review-a-thon without including these somewhere. The problem is that many candy companies manufacture these chocolates and I couldn't pick which brand to buy.

I decided that the best way to deal with this, would be to randomly pick out two brands of these round chocolate balls and inspect them. I'd then pick out the one that, just by appearance, I felt would be the best candidate for review.

I did a little research and learned that when these chocolates first came out, one of the selling points was that they had no flat edges. Instantly after inspecting these two candidates, even in the package, one seemed more authentic than the other.

But I didn't want to simply stop there, the best way to inspect a chocolate is to slice it open. My guess, that the perfectly round chocolate being much higher quality over the one with the flat edge was proven correct even further. The round chocolate had so many more layers and just looked so nice. After this quick inspection my final choice, without tasting anything, was the round chocolate.

I did taste both, the round one you can read about in the review, the flat one... Well it was OK, it might have even had more flavour than the round one. The problem is the flavour was just a super sweet marzipan, and nothing else. I think I made a good choice.

Click here to read the review.

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It's National Pop Corn Day!

2012-01-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

Time to heat up some kernels and make them explode into fluffy white bites of goodness.

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Thursday's Candy Links

2012-01-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

This might be the most epic Star Wars cake ever.

If you exercise before you work, you won't want to eat chocolate says a new scientific study, that's it, no more exercise for me.

Speaking of science, apparently sugar might help halt esophageal cancer.

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Viennese Review-A-Thon + A Little Something More

2012-01-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

I'm going to do something that I don't normally do, I'm going to go a little further in the blog about the candy I just reviewed. In this case this treat truly deserves about as much write up as one could possibly imagine. It was a fine treat, it was tasty and original, but this treat also has the best (and most obscene) name that I think any innocent candy has ever had.

I'm not really sure what or who "Dickmann" is, but he sure has an unfortunate name, particularly if he wants to start marketing his namesake candy in the North America. I'm also hoping that if he gains a great deal of success and moves to North America, that Mr Dickmann does something to make sure his kids aren't brutally teased in high school. I would suggest either changing his last name, or giving away free Super Dickmann's to all of the kids at school.

On a side note, the packaging for this is also worth mentioning. It has to be the most protective package I've ever seen for any treat ever. They're fairly fragile, so it's useful, but most candy companies don't really think about this kind of thing. The packaging was so good that I managed to fly my Super Dickmann's home in my suitcase with very little damage.

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

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Wednesday's Candy Links

2012-01-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a look at how many candy companies are debuting their new treats via social networks. Included is the new Cadbury bar that looks spectacular.

Seeing as I just got back from Vienna, my friend Jonathan sent me this great BBC piece about Viennese cafes. The coffee at these places is great, and the deserts are fantastic.

Fast food for the blind, it's probably the coolest idea ever.

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Smarties + Yogurt =?

2012-01-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year I discovered that Nutella and yogurt taste really great together. Although I've always enjoyed yogurt with sweet things, like jam and honey, I never really made the connection between yogurt and sweet treats. As it turns out Nestle already had a plan to take my mixing of sweet treats and yogurt to a new level.

What we have here is vanilla yogurt with a handful of mini Smarties (the British/Canadian kind). When I first saw this snack I thought it might have been a pudding treat and I figured the addition of Smarties seemed pretty normal. Once I figured out that it was yogurt I was pretty amazed at the creativity and bravery of Nestle to put this snack on the market.

The packaging was also really creative as well. With a nice crease built into the divider of the two container, all you have to do is tip the Smarties side and they pour into the yogurt. Fortunately I didn't get this mixed up because that would have been a pretty bad mess.

Other than the creativity of mixing yogurt with candy, the texture of this treat was really great as well. Smooth cool yogurt with crunchy Smarties was really great texture. I don't think chocolate alone would have given the same texture and it probably would have melted as soon as it hit the yogurt.

Not that the M&Ms didn't melt, in fact after a few minutes I had streaks of colour running all through my yogurt. Although I think the candy shell managed to hold on long enough for me to eat the whole container of yogurt. The only thing that I might change in this treat is the sweetness of the yogurt. Maybe taking down the sweet vanilla flavour might have given the yogurt a better contrast to the M&Ms.

CC

Viennese Update Number 3

2012-01-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

Well it seems I'm kind of ripping you guys off with my regular Viennese updates. Or maybe I'm ripping of the Austrian people instead. The first treat in the Viennese review-a-thon was made in England but had the word "Viennese in the name. This particular treat was probably made in Germany or Switzerland, but I bought it on my recent trip to Vienna. That's why it's qualifying, in my book, to be in this weeks Viennese review-a-thon.

Click here to read this latest addition.

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Tuesday's Candy Links

2012-01-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

The French love M&Ms, they love them so much that they're going to produce lots more M&Ms for them to enjoy.

Smirnoff Fluffed Marshmallow and Whipped Cream Vodkas, this could be a great new idea for drinking, until you drink a whole bottle of the stuff.

When the economy is going bad, the candy industry does very well, here's some ideas as to why.

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Candy Art - Unreal Rolled Hard Candy

2012-01-16T14:00:00.000-05:00

I came across these great pieces of edible hard candy art. I'm always impressed that the detail people can get out of hard candy, and I can appreciate the skill it takes to get such detail.

What blows me away most of all is the fact that these images aren't abstract. I'm fairly familiar with the process of making this kind of treat, but I can't wrap my mind around how you create the pattern to make an understandable image.

For those that doubt that candy making is an art, these treats should really change your mind on the subject.

Check out some more of these amazing treats here.

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Chocolate Cream Cheese or Why Was This Not Invented a Long Time Ago

2012-01-16T12:00:00.000-05:00

Once in a while I come across a food product that surprises me. These products, although clever, surprise me because I can't believe no one had come up with this idea until now. They seem so simple, but for some reason it took this long to come up with them. This container of Philadelphia chocolate cream cheese is exactly such a product.

It's not a hazelnut spread like Nutella, or it's not a chocolate sauce either. This is chocolate, Milka chocolate to be exact, and cream cheese blended seamlessly together. What you get is one of the creamiest milk chocolate flavours I've ever eaten in my whole life.

What it does to crackers (how I ate this) is turn them into the crust for your mouth sized chocolate cheesecake bites. It was just like eating one of the smoothest chocolate cheese cakes and best of all you could choose how much cheesecake filling you wanted for each bite. While I'd like to congratulate the folks at Philadelphia cream cheese for making such a product, I'd also like to tell them that it's about time.

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We Continue Our Viennese Candy Review-a-Thon With a Classic

2012-01-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

For day 2 of our Viennese review-a-thon we've decided to stick to candies actually made in Vienna. This treat is not only made in Vienna, but it might be one of the most popular treats to ever come out of this country. It's also one of the most pink candies I've ever reviewed (packaging wise).

Click here to read the review.

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Monday's Candy Links

2012-01-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a few recipes to help you use up those extra Girl Scout cookies, wait, you have extras?

Check out the London Candy Company in New York, it looks like a great source for British sweets.

Do you know what a cake is? Do you know what a Dalek is? If you answered yes to both of these questions then you'll be very happy with this link.

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It's Part 1 of The Viennese Candy Review-a-Thon!

2012-01-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

For the first review in our Viennese review-a-thon I thought I'd be a little clever. This particular treat I actually bought in England, but it's a Viennese themed bar. For the rest of the week however I'm going to feature cool treats I picked up on my recent trip to Vienna. But that's not all, today is also national Strawberry Ice Cream Month. It really has nothing to do with today's review, but it's a good excuse to go get some ice cream.

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

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Stuff I Want To Try

2012-01-13T15:00:00.000-05:00

Gourmet Snack - Made by: Sanders Candy - Why: It mixes salty and sweet together, and I love salty and sweet snacks. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Viennese Desserts

2012-01-13T14:00:00.001-05:00

Last week I wrote about some of the great baked treats available at the Christmas markets in Vienna this year. It's not surprising that there were so many baked treats at the market because, Vienna is a city covered in bakeries. In fact I can remember there being about 3 convenience stores in the neighborhood where my hotel was located, but I can remember at least 15 bakeries. They really go nuts for baked goods and desserts in Vienna. Needless to say, on this trip I made sure to sample as many of the fine desserts that I could, some where traditional, other unconventional and strange (in a good way). I've decided to highlight my favorite traditional and my favorite unconventional desserts that I sampled on this trip.

When it comes to "traditional" desserts in Vienna, nothing is more so than the sachertorte, or sugar cake. Of all of the desserts and sweet treats that people told me I "have to try" in Vienna, this one ranked the highest. While I can't say it's the best dessert I've ever tried, I can tell you that it's one of the most original and detailed cake I've ever tasted. You might think it's a simple slice of chocolate cake, it is in fact so deep with mixed flavours that it's pretty astonishing. There are fruit flavours (apricot I believe) found in thin layer of jam. There are sweet, almost spiced, cake layers, and a subtle chocolate icing. This is a cake that could be messed up so easily, but with proper proportions, it's really a taste experience that shouldn't be missed.

As far as unconventional desserts go this plate resembling a plate of spaghetti wins hands down. It wins not only because it's very strange looking, but also because it was really tasty. What you have here is a plate of ice cream spaghetti covered in hazel nuts and Nutella. Vienna is actually full of many gelato and ice cream shops and they focus on sundaes and themed ice cream desserts. Ice cream desserts here are as big and ornate as the crazy palaces and concert halls found throughout the city.

This treat wasn't simple by any means at all. Not only did it have the ice cream noodles, Nutella sauce, and a hazel nut top, but it also had a cream filled center. I can easily say that this is one of the most creative sundaes I've ever eaten in my entire life. Best of all it was also one of the tastiest sundaes I've ever eaten in my entire life as well. The ice cream was fresh, the nuts came in a variety of sizes so each bite was unique, and the Nutella... well it's Nutella, and that's awesome.

Another great thing about desserts in Vienna is the love of fun teas to go with your dessert. I particularly fell in love with all of the varieties of fruit teas available. Most of them had a very strong berry theme, and these tart flavours went really well with the many sweet desserts available.

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Friday Candy Video - Another Star Wars 3D Tie In

2012-01-13T12:00:00.002-05:00

I love the big heads on these Star Wars guys, in this commercial for Brisk ice tea. I wonder if they're going to release yet another version of the movie, only this time all the characters will have comically large heads. Now that's a version worth re-buying.

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New Candy Special Review!!!

2012-01-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

The folks at Bazooka in the UK wanted to show me their new gummy treats based on Moshi Monsters. They sent me a couple of packs and I wanted to make sure this review got out super quick. So I decided to make a special review update just for the occasion.

Click here to read the review.

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Friday's Candy Links

2012-01-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

McCormick's latest food trend forecast for 2012, or as I like to call it "strange chips flavour combinations we're sure to see".

A cool gallery of awesome looking food themed cakes, while I'm on board with the cookie cake, and the waffle cake, I'm not sure about the asparagus cake.

Sometimes part of a treat is better than it's whole, I'm not the only one to think that, and I'm probably not the only one guilty of peeling away the creme from my Oreos and throwing away the cookies.

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How Much Do You Love McDonald's Hash Browns?

2012-01-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

As usual, while on vacation I find myself often eating fast food. It's not that I have anything against the stuff from a health point of view, I just find myself wondering why I go to fast food restaurants when I'm visiting a place like Vienna with a great selection of restaurants all over the place. In this case it has more to do with the fact that breakfast at my hotel is 15 Euros each day and frankly I'm not willing to pay that kind of dough for a slice of toast and some eggs. So McDonald's has been the breakfast of choice for most mornings on this trip. It's been pretty tasty as well, not to mention the fine German greeting I get every morning on the top of my box.

I can't say I was suffering with this fast food breakfast. In fact the McDonald's hash brown is easily one of my favorite fast food staples. Even cooler, here in Vienna, they call the hash browns "Rosti". So every single morning I got to walk up to a nice lady working at the local McDonald's and ask her for a "Rosti on the side". I'm convinced she had no idea what "on the side" meant because her English was almost non-existent, but it got the point across.

To make things even better, in Austria, they offer a breakfast sandwich that has a "Rosti" inside it. It comes with tomato, lettuce, cheese, some kind of mustard/mayonnaise, a slice of sausage, and a rosti. While I wasn't a big fan of the sauce, the rosti fit in really well. If this idea has not taken off in other parts of the world, I recommend you take matters into your own hands and try it yourself.

As a side note, Allison ordered an Apple Juice one morning and when she tried it out, it was carbonated. The orange juice I drank regularly was normal, but the apple juice was carbonated. Is this some kind of Austrian thing?

CC

Thursday's Candy Links

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hostess is filing for bankruptcy... again in only a few years. Have people stopped eating Twinkies?

Is M&Ms changing the colour combination for their plain a peanut M&Ms? It looks like something is up.

Joan Collins is the new face of Snickers, I guess Mr T didn't cut it.

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It's Meat in a Tube, Vienna Style

2012-01-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

If I had to pick one style of food that is the most popular in all of Vienna I'd have to say that it would be grinding up meat and stuffing it into a tube. Just about every restaurant offers some kind of sausage or wiener. You don't even have to go into a restaurant to get your "link on" either, there are vendors at just about every corner with selections of tubed meat just waiting to be taste tested.

Most traditional of all tubed meats is the sausage. It comes in many varieties from the Brautwurst to the Wiener (just an added note Vienna in German is Wien). In most cases you don't often find these sausages inbetween two buns. Instead you'll often recieve your sausage whole or chopped up with a slice of bread and some sauces on a plate. It's a pretty good way to enjoy the stuff meat tube, but it makes it hard to eat on the go. Fortunately even the hot dog stands have tables set up so you can eat there comfortably.

The sauces, for the most part are fairly simple. Most common is mustard, and most often this mustard is a spicy mustard that isn't really that hot, but it's a lot stronger than the cheap yellow stuff from grocery stores. The second most popular sauce is ketchup, although I'm convinced it's just offered to tourists that might be afraid of the mustard. Most of the time the mustard comes from a tap or pump while the ketchup is offered in sealed packages. This tells me that it's really not the prefered way to eat your meat tube.

The worst (or wurst if you want to be funny) way I found tube meats available was in a vending machine in a train station. While I am a big fan of vending machines, and I would even eat a hot dog from a vending machine, in this case I wouldn't even touch it. This is mostly because it was in one of those corkscrew vending machines next to chocolate bars and chips. It had no refrigeration and in fact had direct sunlight shinning on it. While I could have been brave and attempted this treat, I'm concerned it might have had adverse affects on the rest of my vacation.

As I mentioned yesterday, if you want to combine your love of candy and a meat tubes it's not a problem. These very realistic wieners are actually made of marzipan, and as far as I know contain no meat at all, that's gotta be pretty good for all of you vegetarians out there.

CC

Wednesday's Candy Links

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

I so want one of the candy dispensers of the future, it's got a motion sensor so if you're too lazy to hit a bar or turn a knob you can still have candy.

Portion control is the best way to keep eating treats, but not gain weight or health problems, fortunately if you live in New York you have many option in the "smaller treat" category.

No more caffeine in Massachusetts schools, I fear those kids who wait till the last minute and pull all nighters will suffer.

CC

Stuff I Want To Try

2012-01-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

Fruity Hearts - Made by: Surf Sweets - Why: Isn't Valentines Day coming up? - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Marzipan in Vienna

2012-01-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

Marzipan is one of the most flexible candy products in the world when it comes to shape and colour. Although it's not clear as to origins of marzipan, the fact is, many countries have latched onto this amazing almond paste and use it in many ways. Austria is no exception, and you can find the stuff in just about every single sweet shop, cafe, and bakery.

In many cases marzipan is used in a relatively standard way. You can find it in the center of the famous Mozart chocolates, inside many sweet treats, and it's also used to decorate treats and cakes with spectacular results.

The good thing is, the sweet makers don't stop there. One of my favorite uses of marzipan that I saw all over Vienna, is it being used to make other foods. Or at the very least when it's molded and coloured to look like other food. Often the results are pretty fantastic, and even though I'm not a huge marzipan fan my mouth waters.

This being Vienna (one of the sausage/hot dog capitals of the world), you're bound to find marzipan decorated like the many varieties of tubed meat available. Although this looks spectacular as a piece of art, I'm not sure if it makes my mouth water like some of the other shapes available. For the most part I like many types of sausages and wieners, but frankly I find them to look kind of unappetizing.

This also being Europe, you're bound to find marzipan in many erotic shapes as well. As with the marzipan sausage, although I have to give them credit for the artistic merit of the treat, the idea of consuming small boobs isn't really that appealing... I wonder if that last sentence is going to increase the traffic to this blog?

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It's National Bittersweet Chocolate Day

2012-01-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Bittersweet chocolate is not only the best chocolate for baking, but it is also the best analogy for winning something with a great loss.

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Tuesday's Candy Links

2012-01-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Dr. Mike Lustgarten sent me this article with a little more information about why cocoa might not be that healthy.

A good explanation as to why pink lemonade is pink, I figure it's relevant since so many candies use it as a flavour.

I think I may have posted about this "non-melting chocolate" before, but just in case I didn't... or if you missed it.

A information about a kitchen counter top cotton candy machine, I'm not sure if I'm even a big enough fan of the stuff to buy this thing.

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Mozart's Chocolates

2012-01-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

All over Vienna, and apparently all over Austria there are chocolate companies selling chocolate balls filled with marzipan with the name and image of Mozart all over them. My knowledge of Mozart is fairly limited, all I know is he wrote lots of great music, and he had a tendency to over-endulge in food, women, and gambling. So when I saw these chocolates I wondered if maybe the treat is based on a chocolate that was popular during Mozart's time. Maybe it was even a treat that he enjoyed himself.

As it turns out the use of Mozart is simply a marketing stunt, a very old marketing stunt, but just a marketing stunt. The chocolate were developed more than a hundred years after Mozart's death and there is no evidence of any treat like this existing when he was alive. In fact the technique for making the origionals (they are said to be perfectly round with no flat edges) probably didn't exist while he was alive.

It's interesting, how marketing a candy with a popular musician is not something new. Mozart was very much the popular musician of his day, and he continues to be popular. Even merchandise created more than 100 years ago that used his name and likeness continues to sell well, mostly because it uses his name and likeness. It just makes you wonder if our great grandchildren will be eating Cherry Garcia ice cream and telling tales of a the great minstrel of days of yore.

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Monday's Candy Links

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

You know how I always go on about the health benefits of chocolate... well the science still isn't 100% yet.

"PepsiCo Claims Mountain Dew Will Disintegrate a Mouse Carcass" is information I always hoped I'd never need.

Mental Floss has a great list of places you can eat today where famous foods were invented, included is the birthplace of the fried Twinkie, and the root beer float.

Natural Vines is giving away a whole bunch of prizes including 10 grand on a Visa card, good candy and free stuff is always good.

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The Holidays Are Over, Back To The Reviews

2012-01-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

With my holiday vacation and my post holiday flu, I haven't been very good at updating Candy Critic with new reviews lately. But I'm back and I can't see any reason why I won't continue to review regularly now. In fact, I'm thinking of having a Viennese candy Review-A-Thon next week to make up for lost time.

Click here to read today's new review.

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What Is This In My Salad?

2012-01-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

While dinning out in Vienna I ordered a tomato and cheese salad and it came with the strangest side pickles (?) I'd ever seen. I couldn't for the life of me figure out exactly what they are. The flavour was very sour, both in the fruity sense and in the pickled sense.

The texture was the strangest part of all. The outside is kind of like a hot pepper while the middle is filled with crunchy seeds. It was almost like eating a hot pepper with no heat at all. The only thing I could think that it might be would be pickled goose berries, but I'm not sure.

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Friday Candy Video - Yellow M&M Abuse

2012-01-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

The first time I saw this commercial I thought it was kind of funny. Then I thought about it a little bit, and now I think it's just mean. What do you think?

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Friday's Candy Links

2012-01-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Check out Boing Boing's "Chocolate hat of the day", if only this was a daily occurrence.

Toothpaste made from cocoa extract? By that science I can eat a chocolate bar for brighter and whiter teeth... right?

Still got a some New Years Champagne left over? Why not make marshmallows... yup, you heard me.

New Hamburger from Quick burger could be the greatest Star Wars tie in ever, the Dark Vador bun is black.

37 thousand dollars worth of gum stolen, I'm really curious, what does 37 grand worth of gum look like?

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising - Just Bite It Already!

2012-01-05T16:00:00.000-05:00

Do you know what bothers me about candy advertising, the fake bite. I hate it when you know for a fact that the person eating the treat in the advertisement didn't bite down at all. You know the minute they took the picture this kid pulled the bar out of his mouth without much more than a few teeth marks in it.

Ad found on Vintage Ad Browser

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Manner Store In Vienna

2012-01-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

If you're unfamiliar with Manner, it's an Austrian candy company most well known for a chocolate wafer bar. While you may have never tried a Manner wafer bar, the company has one very famous devoted fan, Arnold Schwarzenegger. He apparently loves these treats so much that he tries to include them in his movies, you can see this if you check out some of the candy shelves in the Terminator movies.

While not hugely popular all over the world, in Austria they're a really big deal. In fact Manner has stores all over the city of Vienna, and I imagine they have more throughout all of Austria. The stores are clad in pink, and sell all kinds of treats. The wafer bar is the main treat available, in about as many sizes and quantities as you could imagine, but they also have other sweet delicacies available. I'm not sure if all of the other treats are made by Manner, but all of them appear to be made in Austria.

They also have a whole bunch of merchandise for those of you who either love the bar, or fall in love with the bar. They had everything from pink jackets, nail clippers, pins, and my personal favorite these pink golf balls.

Best of all, if you go out to the main square (near the store I visited), one of the many horse drawn carts ready to tour tourists around the city is painted up with the Manner logo and Manner colours. Man these Austrians really like these pink clad wafer bars.

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Thursday's Candy Links

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick look at the candy industry in Vietnam, I'd love to do a Vietnamese candy review-a-thon in the future.

Tostitos has a new mascot, it's a bag of talking Tostitos, I'm still not sure how I feel about spokes people being the thing you eat.

Cybele from the candy blog just got back from Germany, it sounds like she had a really good time and saw a lot of great sweet treats.

Cybele also checked out the Ritter Sport factory on her adventure.

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Stuff I Want To Try

2012-01-04T15:00:00.000-05:00

New Norman Love Confections - Made by: Norman Love Confections - Why: It's always great to try a new treat by an expert chocolatier. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Vienna Christmas Markets Part 3 - Hanging Food From Your Tree

2012-01-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

On my recent trip to Vienna I got to experience what the Christmas capital of Europe (and maybe the world) had to offer. The holiday is a big deal in Vienna and everything is focused around dozens of holiday markets spread all over the city. Well as you can imagine these markets are full of sweet treats and Christmas surprises. For the next few days I'm going to highlight these sweet treats and maybe even convince you to make your way to Vienna next year for Christmas.

One of the strangest things I found in the Vienna Christmas markets, was the abundance of food themed Christmas ornaments. Throughout the market the two things you'll find most for sale are foods and Christmas ornaments. Some creative ornament makers have decided that it might be a good idea to mix these two ideas together.

While many of the food related ornaments were in fact based on Christmas candy, I found some that really boggled my mind. I'm not sure if it's a tradition anywhere to adorn your tree with cheese, but if it is, I'd like to visit this place.

Why not decorate your tree with your favorite condiment? While I really liked these shiny bottles, I think it would have been much cooler if they were filled with mayo and mustard. Imagine enjoying your after Christmas turkey sandwich and walking up to the tree only to decorate your sandwich from one of the ornaments. I think the only problem with that might be the lack of refrigeration.

The other popular trend in Vienna seems to be decorating your tree with chocolate treats. Many candy makers displayed wonderful looking chocolates covered in shinny wrappers ready to be hung. If you want to take a break from the traditional candy canes, but still want something edible on your tree, this could be the treat for you next year.

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Wednesday's Candy Links

2012-01-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a look at why nostalgic candy continues to be so popular.

Want to visit the Pez head office in Connecticut? Make sure to check out their new visitors center.

Why does Roger Ebert think that movie revenues are going down into the dumps? Number 4 is one I'll agree with 100%

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Vienna Christmas Markets Part 2 - Just Sweet Treats

2012-01-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I talked all about the baked goods available in the Vienna Christmas markets, today it's all about the candy. You may ask yourself why I'd wait till day 2 of my Vienna Christmas market blogs to focus on the candy, considering this is a candy blog. The reason is because I had to do the taste testing. I wanted to pick out the most unique treat to write about in this blog entry and it took me a while to pick it out.

While there are many great treats available in the Vienna Christmas markets, these strange cones really peeked my interest. For the most part it's because I had no idea exactly what they were. I saw a few people walking around with them, and it was mostly just young kids and older folks. When I saw other people eating these cones, I got the impression that they're filled with marshmallow. The thing is, it looked like really soft marshmallow and not like the store bought stuff you get for roasting.

After looking around for the best looking selection, I picked one up for myself. It was ridiculously light. In fact, it was so light I was doubting the idea that it was filled with marshmallow. If it was, it had to be a super light very airy marshmallow.

One bite into this cone and I realized that it wasn't marshmallow at all, it was meringue. This was a really pleasant surprise for me because I'm not a big marshmallow fan, but I love meringue. This meringue was a little thicker than most meringues I'm used to, but it was still very pleasant. This treat is a great way to enjoy a texture and flavour similar to that of ice cream, without the cold.

Best of all it was filled all the way to the bottom. I have to admit that near the end I was getting a little sick of the overly sweet flavour, but I persevered and really enjoyed it. While it was really tasty, I wonder if it could be improved with a little bit of flavoring. I'd be interested in trying a chocolate version of this, or even a fruity flavour.

While I enjoyed my meringue cone, Allison decided that she would go for some chocolate covered fruit. She decided to go for some chocolate covered grapes, because frankly it's not something you really see chocolate covered too often.

The juicy grapes worked really well with the smooth chocolate (I say this because she let me sample one). The flavour of the grapes worked well with the chocolate as well, which was surprising because I always thought that grapes had a really mild flavour compared to chocolate. The only disappointment for me was the fact that the grapes had seeds in them. I think a seedless variety would have work much better. The market had other varieties of chocolate covered fruit including strawberries, raspberries, and mangoes.

The Christmas markets of Vienna are really full of sweet treats. Most of the treats aren't that strange and not a single one was anything that would be shocking to a North American pallet. While we managed to find a few really creative treats, most are fairly simple. This isn't a bad thing, because these simple treats are all made fresh and with really high quality ingredients, so they taste great.

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Tuesday's Candy Links

2012-01-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

A great article about the kind of chocolate available in Brussels.

A look at healthy foods for 2012, including chocolate.

Peanut butter prices have been going up, and it looks like it'll keep going up for a little while.

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New Candy Critic Site Design

2012-01-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

For a while now, almost a year, I've been re-thinking the content and design of Candy Critic. I realize that many people aren't really into frames anymore, and I've also realized that many of the "articles" are really out of date. So after much thought and many design ideas, I think I've settled on this (seen above), as the new future look for Candy Critic. It's going to take a while to migrate all the reviews into the new format, but I hope to have it done soon.

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Vienna Christmas Markets Part 1 - Baked Sweets

2012-01-02T12:00:00.000-05:00

Baked goods are probably the most popular non-alcoholic non-sausage food you'll find in the Christmas markets of Vienna. Everything from cookies, to breads, to donuts are available. I imagine (because I don't live here) that some of these treats are made only for this time of year. I know that most of these treats taste as good as they look

One of the most fascinating baked treat available at most of the markets is a cake like treat called Baumkuchen. I've encountered Baumkuchen, in Japan, but here at the Vienna Christmas markets it's a totally different type of baked treat. The Baumkuchen in japan is a round cake made up of many thin layers of cake wrapped around a pole and cooked in on a spit.

The Baumkuchen in Vienna doesn't seem to be made up of as many layers and is more like a twisted rolled out dough that is wrapped around a wider spit. It's like a cinamon bun only instead of being wrapped up on itself, it's thiner and wrapped around a pole. It also is generally served in a similar way to cinamon buns with icing, cinamon and sometimes, flavours like chocolate and vanilla.

One of the most common baked treat I found at the markets was these round cakes that apear to be filled with meringue. Meringue, is a really common ingredient in many of the treats found in the Vienna markets. These cakes came in a huge assortment of sizes as well, from these small ones that are no more than an inch and a half tall...

To these enormous ones that are more than 6 inches tall and two feet long. I wonder if I could eat a whole one of these in one sitting.

I came across one cookie vendor that turned the art of icing cookies, into a fine art. The amount of detail in this decoration is like nothing I've ever seen before in my whole life.

Although they're fairly expensive, for cookies, for a piece of art I think it's really reasonable. I guess the only problem is, as a piece of art it will only last so long. Either it'll go bad, or you'll get so hungry looking at it and you'll gobble it up.

One of the most comon cookies found at the Vienna Christmas Markets is the gingerbread cookie. A common way to present them is in a heart shape, with a string through it. The idea is to give it as a gift to a love interest and she'll wear it around her neck. The message on this one made me chuckle a bit, I wonder what it means in English?

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How I Spent Christmas This Year

2012-01-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

Since 1249 Vienna has been celebrating the holiday seasons with their impressive markets and holiday festivities. Today some consider it to be the Christmas capital of Europe, and maybe even the world. Since Allison and I live only a few hours flight away we thought that we might partake in these festivities and enjoy a Christmas holidays in Vienna.

You can be sure that over our holidays we came across many interesting treats and sweets. And you can also bet that I'm going to post many an entry on the subject over the next few weeks.

But there's more to Vienna than the sweet treats, Vienna has all kinds of amazing foods to choose from, and I'm going to mention a few of them as well.

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Monday's Candy Links

2012-01-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

Chocolate bars are evolving now that Cadbury is designing bars that can stand upright.

What better way to end off the holiday season than a video of a really creepy, unappetizing, transforming gingerbread house.

I'm not sure if the writer of this article realizes that there are vending machines all over Japan, so making them hotspots for wifi is not a marketing scheme, but good wifi science.

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Worst Candies I've Ever Reviewed - Part 5

2011-12-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

The two questions I get most of all are "What's your favorite candy?" and "What's your least favorite candy?". All this week I've decided to answer one of those questions with a list of the candies that have received the lowest review scores on www.candycritic.org. Keep in mind that to qualify for this list the candy had to receive a score of 5 or less out of 15.

Swirly Gummy Bears - I remember seeing these at my local candy store and being so excited to try them out. I thought they looked fantastic, that's the last positive memory I have of these.

Tutles Egg - I hate being disappointed with a treat when I know they can do so much better.

Utz Potato Chips - The joy I had when I finally found a candy that started with the letter "u" was so great. The disappointment in the chips was not so great.

This isn't all of the horrible treats that I've reviewed, but over the last week I've gone through many of them. I think I may start an annual list of winners and losers that I've tried in the past year. Let me know if you've ever tried something that was just so gross, that it makes you shudder.

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Friday Candy Video - Lindt Commercial Makes Me Want To Buy Utensils

2011-12-30T12:00:00.001-05:00

You'd think that after watching this commercial I'd be craving a Lindt chocolate, but that's not the case. What I want is one of those awesome looking chocolate whiskers they're using.

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Friday's Candy Links

2011-12-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

New Peeps store is opening in a casino, I can't wait to see the official Peeps slot machine.

Do you like getting things every month, check out Mental Floss's list of strange ______ of the month clubs.

Swedish food and culture are becoming very trendy, does that mean a resurgence in the popularity of Swedish fish.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising - Skittles Snowflake

2011-12-29T16:00:00.000-05:00

It's funny, I'd never really associated Skittles with cool. However, a few years back, they came out with minty Skittles as a breath freshener. They actually worked fairly well, and they still make them, but I haven't seen them in years.

Ad found on Vintage Ad Browser

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Worst Candies I've Ever Reviewed - Part 4

2011-12-29T14:00:00.000-05:00

Oh Henry! "Pro" - I'm never really sure what thought process leads a great candy bar maker into thinking it can manufacture a "healthy" version of their bar.

Popeye Candy Sticks - This might be the shortest review I've ever written. It's one of the only candies that both offends me and taste pretty horrible at the same time.

Quax "The Yummy Ducky" - If the fact that you're eating a rubber duck doesn't turn you off enough, the words "Milk Flavored" should.

Skittles Crazy Cores - I forgot how much I hated these. I always thought I was a pretty big fan of just about anything "Skittles", apparently I was wrong.

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Thursday's Candy Links

2011-12-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

Serious Eats lists their favorite cereals for this year, I'm not sure what the criteria was to make this list, but I can tell you that it's a great list of sweet cereals.

On the topic of cereal, I found this great story about a man who found a Batman promo on the back of his box of Honey Nut Cheerios, and made a horrible discovery.

Are you a graphic designer and a candy fan as well? Then why not try and design Orbit gum's new package?

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Field report; Orange Jellies from Japan

2011-12-29T06:57:00.001-05:00

Greetings candy enthusiasts. This is Brent, your sometimes friendly field reporter coming to you live from the land of the rising sun. As I have recently consumed sweets and eatables from this stange and mysterious land - I feel compelled to share with you my profound thoughts and feelings. Join me as I take you on a magical journey in which we discover the wonders of my recent snackable.

Pictured precariously perched is the subject of our tale; Mikan or Tangerine Jelly. The first impression upon grabbing this gem from the refrigerator is that the jelly and fruit suspension spins freely in the container. A singular tactile thrill for the average consumer.

Peel off the lid and find the heart of the matter. The jelly is cool, clear and not over sweet. The tangerines, none too stingy - I prefer this over my usual flavor, grape. The grape jelly comes with only three or four grapes (complete with seeds for undoubtable freshness), the Mikan however comes chock full of fruit. This jelly comes in many other flavors.

Behold the confection in its intended state. The tangerine is fresh and is a good compliment to the jelly. Like marmalades cool cousin. One thing to note is that the sweetness of the fruit varies from package to package. I give this orange jelly a solid 9 out of ten, losing a point only for the fact that the label did not peel off on the first attempt. For the equivalent of a buck fifty its a good value and a solid addition to the candy lovers arsenal.

Stuff I Want To Try

2011-12-28T14:00:00.001-05:00

Ice Cream Twist N’ Lik Pop - Made by: Koko's - Why: I like ice cream so much and sometimes it's too cold to eat it. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Worst Candies I've Ever Reviewed - Part 3

2011-12-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

Marshmallow Banana - This is why marshmallows have such a bad name.

Nestle Crunch "Mocha" - When people at parties ask me for an example of the worst candy I've ever eaten, this is often the candy I tell them about.

Nestle Crunch Dark - Until compiling this list, I never realized what a hate on I have for Nestle Crunch, or at the very least the variation bars.

Nestle Toll House Candy Bar 'Brownie' - You'd think I had a real hatred for Nestle today, but it's really luck of the draw. It's not that I hate all Nestle products either, they just make so many products that they're bound to miss the mark on a few.

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Wednesday's Candy Links

2011-12-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

Some high end chocolate shops are realizing that they have to sell their chocolate at a lower price, it's only hopeful that this won't lead to a lowering quality.

I love it when a candy company goes all retro to promote their treats, Goldenberg's looks like their doing a good job of it too.

The department of homeland security has purchased 13 snow cone machines, I can only hope to come across it while being searched at the airport next time. "Your pat down sir... and would you like blue raspberry or cherry on your snow cone?"

Worst Candies I've Ever Reviewed - Part 2

2011-12-27T14:00:00.000-05:00

Gummy Bands 'with messages' - The idea of edible jewelry is not always a bad one. In this case it's not only a bad idea, but it's a horrible idea.

Gummy Pop Corn - I remember seeing this treat on the shelf wondering if I could possibly live with myself without reviewing it. I was fairly certain it would be a train wreck, but I was hopeful. I love to be proven wrong about a treat that I assume will be horrible. A train wreck is being kind to this product.

Heart Chocolate - I bought this treat at a trade show selling all kinds of stuff. It was the only chocolate bar I saw at this show, and they claimed that it was the best tasting healthy chocolate you've ever eaten. It might be healthy, but the taste is nowhere near "the best".

It’s Happy Bunny Toasted Marshmallow Egg - I think if your candy is being rude to you before you even ope it, it's probably going to be a disappointment.

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Tuesday's Candy Links

2011-12-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

Now that the new year is approaching lists of food trends from last year and upcoming predictions are starting to rear their ugly heads.

An interview with chocolatier Brad Graham with an explanation into the science of how chocolate is made, it's very interesting.

Indonesia is apparently a growing economy, and because of this their want for higher quality chocolate has grown. I wonder if this is always the case?

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Stuff I Want To Try

2011-12-26T14:00:00.001-05:00

M&M's snack mixes - Made by: Mars - Why: Salty and sweet is one of the best flavour experiences you can have. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Worst Candies I've Ever Reviewed - Part 1

2011-12-26T14:00:00.000-05:00

Fillerish - This treat suffers from several of the standard candy problems. It has a great package but doesn't deliver, one flavour dominates over all others, the one flavour that does dominate is gross.

Fudgsicle Candy Twist - This might be the first really bad review I've ever given a candy. The review is really short, both because back when I wrote it I kept my reviews short, and it's pretty much so bad that few words are needed to describe how bad it is.

Boooo Bands - Two things bothered me when I wrote this review. One was the fact that I felt like I was chewing a rubber band, the second was the over use of the letter "o" in the name of this candy.

Gold Brick Egg - This is one of those reviews that I had to re-read. I frankly don't remember eating this treat at all. It fell so short in anything original that I completely forgot about it. That should say a lot.

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Monday's Candy Links

2011-12-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

Check out Wythe Candy & Gourmet Shop in Williamsburg, it's been open for 50 years.

New Cars 2 Pez dispensers actually roll away from you.

How much can you make selling candy? Well if you sell it on the New York Subway you can make up to 55 grand.

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Merry Christmas Gang

2011-12-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say Merry Christmas to any and everybody who happens to read this blog or www.candycritic.org. I hope you have a great holiday, and I hope you get some sweet treats under the tree.

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Friday Candy Video - The Commercial That's Sweeter Than The Candy

2011-12-23T12:00:00.001-05:00

If sickly sweet commercial that make you feel like M&Ms provide a great snack, and the answer to all the problems in the world, are your cup of tea, then do I have a video for you.

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Friday's Candy Links

2011-12-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

So all of the stereotypes you hear about women that want to lose weight eating a big box of chocolates... that just a stereotype... right?

Are you a nerd? Do you like Dungeons and Dragons? Do you like chocolate? Well this is the link for you.

Before you eat that candy cane, here's 5 facts you may not have known.

Rapper Slim Dunkin was murdered recently, rumor has it, over a piece of candy. No word on what type of candy it was.

Make the coolest art out of marshmallow Peeps, and you could win $100.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising - What's a "Gingy"?

2011-12-22T14:00:00.000-05:00

I don't really know what this advertisement is advertising, and I'm certainly not sure what "Gingies" are.

I found this ad on Vintage Ad Browser.

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Thursday's Candy Links

2011-12-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Vending machines are getting smarter by the day, a new one from Kraft can guess your age and sex.

The mystery of candy canes is a mystery no longer.

Snacks and nibbling probably aren't your problem when it comes to being overweight.

Milwaukee chocolate shop, Atomic Chocolate Co. offers some great looking hand made treats for the holidays.

I bought a bag of candied chestnuts, I can't eat the whole thing, what to do, what to do?

Kosher store sells chocolate Santas... you do the math.

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Stuff I Want To Try

2011-12-21T14:00:00.001-05:00

The Adventures of Tintin Lollipop - Made by: Idolpops - Why: Because Tin Tin is awesome. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Trying to Get an Agent/Publisher - Rejection 13

2011-12-21T14:00:00.000-05:00

As you may or may not know, I'm trying to sell a Candy Critic book idea. If you know (or are) someone that can help me out, say hello. If not, please enjoy my now regular posts of rejections I've received from agents and publishers.

"Thank you for querying _________ and giving me a chance to read your work. After giving careful consideration to your query, I'm afraid I was just not hooked enough to want to ask for more.
As you might know, publishing is a very subjective business and what one agent loves, another might not. For this reason, I encourage you to continue querying and working on your next book.
I wish you the best of luck in your publishing endeavors.
________________ "

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Wednesday's Candy Links

2011-12-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

A quick and funny look at "The 6 Most Infuriating Types of Candy".

I found this great list of breakfasts from around the world. I love breakfast, but I hate eating first thing in the morning, is that strange?

Mental Floss looks at the Peppermint in all its glory.

The Captain, from Captain Crunch, apparently celebrates Christmas, here's how he does it.

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Stuff I Want To Try

2011-12-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

Sour Dippers - Made by: Impact Confections - Why: “These new products expand the brand portfolio to include offerings that range from sour to extreme sour, and in a multitude of textures and formats.” - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Tuesday's Candy Links

2011-12-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a great piece about how your holiday chocolate get's delivered to your front door.

Have you been to a local Christmas Bazaar yet? I recommend it, the homemade candy can be spectacular.

Laughing Squid posted about some new treats for all of my Jewish friends over the holidays.

The taste of candy and beer can really work well together... so you'd imagine that beer candy would be good too.

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Candy Art - Jello Grenade

2011-12-19T11:00:00.000-05:00

I love Kyle Beans interpretation of everyday thing made up of non-threatening materials. I particular like this Jello grenade and wish it would go off.

Click here to check out more of Kyle's stuff.

CC

Monday's Candy Links

2011-12-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

This list of the "Worst children's cereals", should instead be called "Unhealthy cereals that you love".

"Contains Natural Colours", a strange ingredient on candy, maybe you'd like to learn a little bit about it?

Irish Chocolate is coming to the USA, can't say I've ever tasted Irish chocolate, but it can't be bad.

"Doctors against tax exempt soda & candy"... What?!!! There's some place where candy and soda are tax free, I'm packing my bags right now.

CC

Review - Christmas 2011

2011-12-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

I'm looking forward to snow... I'm not too sure I'm going to see any this year, particularly on Christmas, but I'm looking forward to the possibility. I'm looking forward to this possibility with the caveat that I don't have to shovel any of it. I'm not sure why Christmas makes me think about snow, is it the song "White Christmas"? What if instead of a "white Christmas" the song was about a chocolate filled Christmas, would we expect chocolate every Christmas? I'm thinking that would have been a better situation, after all you can't make snow, but you can always find chocolate.

Click here to read about a chocolate filled Christmas treat.

Friday Candy Video - Take the Fastest Cab Ride Ever

2011-12-16T14:00:00.000-05:00

What does this video have to do with candy you ask? Well if you'll notice, many of the passengers are chewing gum, and at the end, you'll also notice that they're giving free gum away. So the concept pretty much has nothing to do with candy, but it is the inspiration of an advertising agency for a gum manufacturer.

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It's Chocolate Covered Anything Day!

2011-12-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

I have a firm belief that anything can be made better with a coating of chocolate. Horrible things become palatable, nice foods become spectacular, and the best foods become so good that I can't use words to describe it. So today I'm going to cover everything I eat with a little chocolate.

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Friday's Candy Links

2011-12-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

I still don't like the idea of food trends, but I really like reading lists about great food ideas.

Why is science cool? "Maine soda-and-candy-powered car travels 239 feet." That's why.

Here's a pretty amazing collection of Geeky Gingerbread houses.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising - Leaping Santa Claus

2011-12-15T14:00:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid, I was always a little nervous about the idea of a large man landing a sled on my roof and breaking into my house. The cool gifts were the only reason I would tolerate this kind of violation. If I had seen this advertisement when I was young, I may have drawn the line.

I found this ad on Vintage Ad Browser.

CC

It's National Cupcake Day!

2011-12-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

Why is it the only way to "improve" cake is to make it cup sized?

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