A Churro Well Worth Trying

 I feel like this simple churro shop might understand churros better than anyone else.

CC

Candy In the Media

This DIY cotton candy machine is pretty bad ass.

CC

A Frozen Banana Candy Thing

I'd love to have a set of these and fill them with my new favorite homemade ice cream recipe, bananas and Nutella.

CC

A Cool Candy Thing

Sometimes I'm just too lazy to go out and get a Slurpee.  Sometimes I just want to watch my entire collection of Futurama DVDs without taking a break on a warm summer day.  When these two problems come together, a machine like this is the perfect answer.  I think it's pretty cool to have a place you can go to for all your Slurpee needs, however I'm not sure how I feel about the manual labor that comes with turning a crank to get said drink.  I think I would probably pay a few bucks more if I could get this machine with a motorized stirring device.  I guess that's the debate, is it more work to turn the crank, or head to your local 7-11?

CC

People With Candy

Everybody likes to show off their awesome candy and sweet treats, right?  Well I'm asking anybody that has a great picture of themselves, or a loved one, eating a tasty treat to send it to us.  Once in a while I may have prizes, but for the most part you just get to share these photos and spread some sweet candy love around.

 Here's Gino (a regular on the Junk Fud podcast) enjoying a treat that I don't think is appropriate to show on this site.  Send Gino a message and I'm sure he'll get you a copy of this photo without the black bar.

 What's so awesome about these cookies sent in by Michelle?  Well the fact that they where made with an Easy Bake oven is pretty cool.  I've never actually used an Easy Bake oven in my life, but if they can put out results like these, that's pretty awesome.

Lia sent in this photo of her very tasty dessert from TGI Friday's, I could really go for a cool treat right now myself. To TGI Friday's!!!!

If you'd like to share a photo of your favorite treat, while you're eating it, making it, or about to eat it, send it to chris(at)candycritic.org.  Make sure that all of the photos are your own, and make sure to let us know how you came about this treat (if you bought it or made it) and how tasty it may have been.

CC

Another Facebook Candy Game

I just heard about this new game on Facebook called "Chocolatier".  For the most part it sounds like most of the other games available on Facebook, you design a product, sell it to virtual people, and get constantly asked if you have any friends that would like to play this game too.  I'm not 100% sure this last part applies in this case, I'm just guessing.  The other difference in this game is the amazing ability for you to not only create virtual chocolates, you can make some of you chocolates for real.  I'm sure there are some limitations to what you can make, but it sounds like a fun little addition to the game.  You can order your chocolates and eat them while you sell them to those crazy virtual people infesting your online chocolate shop.

Click here to read more about this game.

CC

Candy Family Recipes

I love reading articles about people who take their family candy recipes and turn them into a business sharing these treats with the whole world. It does however make me a little sad, see my family doesn't have any candy traditions to make at home. We simply went out for our sweet treats and pretty much never made them at home. Occasionally we'd make cookies at home but they where often just out of a cook book, or from a can.

Click here to read about one such family.

CC

Greatest Name For a Bakery Ever

Cake Monkey is a California based bakery that sells sweet treats and also has the distinction of having one of the coolest names for a place producing sweet treats ever. They appear to sell classic treats, however they also sell "pimped" up versions of classic treats like Ho-Hos and Pop Tarts.

Click here to read an article about Cake Monkey.

CC

Chocolate Maker In Bangalore

When you think about fine hand made chocolates certain geographical areas come to mind, Belgium, Switzerland, maybe even France. The thing is there are great chocolatiers all over the world. It's really the beauty of this industry, anybody can take the basic idea of fine chocolates and give it a spin all their own. Because of this each culture has a great take on these yummy treats.

Click here to read about a particular chocolatier in Bangalore.

CC

Home Made Popsicles

I love reading about people and their DIY treats. Popsicles are one of the easiest to make and the results can be fantastic. I'm actually toying with the idea of a borscht Popsicle right now for those warm days when I want to celebrate my Ukrainian roots.

Click here to read more about Popsicles.

CC

Chocolate At The Market

I've been to a few craft/food markets this year and I have to say I'm starting to see more and more candy makers out there. These are small candy makers, hand making chocolates and other treats. Best of all many of these chocolate and candy makers are using either traditional methods not used anymore or they're innovating beyond what we normally see on candy shelves.

Click here to read about one such candy maker.

CC

Never Thought I'd Link To ESPN

I'm not really a big sports guy myself but apparently JJ Birden (an ex-NFL player) is into chocolate treats. He's decided in his retirement to start selling his own chocolates and frankly I think that's a wise business idea.

Click here to learn about Mr Birden's chocolates.

CC

Make Your Own Poptarts

I'm always skeptical of recipes that claim you can make your own version of a particular treat. It's very rarely the same and very often takes a lot more work than making other treats. These however look pretty good, and Chocolate spread in a Poptart would be pretty good.

Click here to learn about homemade Poptarts.

CC

Toffee Makers Story

This article is a great story about a woman who made toffee for friends and then turned it into a small business. We need more small business in the candy world if you ask me.

Click here to read the story.

CC

Homemade Peeps

I appreciate the idea of homemade Easter treats but frankly these Peeps are terrifying. I'm sure they taste fine but if I had one of these in my basket I might scream, but with little to no delight.

Click here and be afraid.

CC

Chocolate Obsession

The man in this article took his love for chocolate about as far as any one person could. He decided he loved it so much that he would make it his entire life's work. I love chocolate, sure, but I also like gummies, ice cream, and just about any other sweet treat available. So I have the commitment, but not the focus.

Click here to read his story.

CC

Make Your Own Easter Treats

This article in the Guardian doesn't have a specific recipe exactly but the idea is really great. Rather than just going out and buying treats this year, why not make a few yourself. Chocolate and candy are fairly easy to work with (as long as you have the right tools) and if you start now you can have all kinds of great treats ready for the holidays.

Click here for inspiration.

CC

Made at Home

I discovered a post in a fun little blog called Maman & Gourmand where Christine shares her adventures in making classic candies at home. I’ve seen people do this before but I always think it’s a great idea. Some people like this idea because they figure they can reduce sugars or increase the general quality of their non-store bought treat but that’s not why I like the idea of re-made classic treats. I always imagine myself making mega treats, like the world’s largest peanut butter cup, or a snickers bar 4 feet long. Hey a Candy Critic can dream can’t he?

Click here to check out the site.

CC

Full Home Brew

I really don’t like coffee but I figure if I were to go for a cup roasting and brewing the entire thing at home would be a great way to do it.

Link from Boing Boing.

CC

Yummy Candy Sushi

Came across this blog about home made awesome looking candy sushi. Makes me wonder what else you can make candy look like.

Click here to check it out.

CC