A New Candy?

Whenever I travel, I always have a hard time knowing if some candies are new, or if they're just new to me. Take my latest candy review, Hitschies. I've never tried these before, or even seen them before, however I've learned that they come in multiple flavours and have likely been around for a while. When I first saw them on the shelf, I had no idea that they weren't brand new. Hitschies have never crossed my path before, but now I truly wish they had, since they're pretty good. This happens a lot with exploring new candies from all over the world, and it's pretty awesome.

Check out the full review of this unknown (to me) classic.

I Want Easter Candy Variety, And I Have Suggestions

Easter is a very simple holiday candy wise.  There are really only a few candies that dominate the market, Easter eggs, jellybeans, and chocolate bunnies.  Don't get me wrong, I love all of those treats, in fact I think we should have these treats (or versions of them) available throughout the year.  I am however a lover of creativity, and seeing the same Easter candy year after year gets me down.  Several times on this blog I've spent the time designing specific new candy treats for holidays, but not this time.

Rather than be specific about the design of treats, I want candy makers out there to be a little bit more creative.  I'm going to suggest types of candies that I think would work for Easter, and let the candy companies’ work out the details.  These are fairly broad candy categories that I've never seen Easter candy touch, but I think with a little creativity you could have some new classic Easter treats. Right now Easter treats are really limited in creativity, so I think there's just so many places you could go.

The first category is one that might seem like the worst Easter treat idea ever, but I think it would work is potato chips.  Instantly I'm sure your mind is thinking, how do chocolate eggs and potato chips go together, but you have to think a little more broadly.  Recently Lay's has had several contests to vote for a new flavour of chip, and in almost all of these contests there was a "sweet" flavour.  Why not take this sweet flavour and work in an Easter spin, how about hot cross buns flavoured chips (hot cross buns are a traditional Easter dessert in the UK).  You could also go with Easter ham flavoured chips, that would be far less strange but still in the spirit.  Best of all you could limit these chips for the holiday, and therefore not wear out the novelty.

The second category for Easter expansion is gummies.  I feel like a broken record when I tell people that gummies should be expanded into a holiday treat, because frankly I believe gummies are the most versatile candy in the world.  There have been a few Easter gummies (pictured above), however I feel like there could be thousands more.  This is also something you could merge into the chocolate bunny and chocolate egg world. Why not make chocolate flavoured gummy eggs and bunnies.  Even fruity gummy Easter eggs would work, and you could make them super decorated.

Probably the most obvious treat that seems to have missed out on Easter is lollipops.  The round shape of a lollipop would be perfect to link up with an Easter egg.  You could make all kinds of fun flavours and decorate them just like fancy Easter eggs.  If you're really creative you could go with super detailed Easter egg lollipops and decorate them like Ukrainian Easter eggs.  A lollipop of that calibre could be the first edible museum piece ever.

There are three simple candy ideas that I've never seen (or seen very little of), that we already know are popular in the snack food world. So come on candy companies, let’s stretch out the Easter candy lines and make something a little out of the ordinary.

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Star Wars Candy Ideas

With all of the hype over the Star Wars the Force Awakens opening later this month, it got me thinking.  There are a million cool toys, games, and even clothing tie-ins with this movie, but I haven't really seen that much when it comes to candy.  Sure there are a few brands that are putting characters on their packages, but no one seems to be making special candies that relate directly to the movies.

I've decided that I'm going to solve this problem myself.  My only problem is that I haven't seen the new movie, only 5 or 6 trailers.  So I've decided to stick to what I know and design some candy treats themed to the older movies (original 3 in fact).  Maybe when I see the new movies I'll be inspired to design even more treats, I'm guessing that BB-8 will probably work as some kind of gumball, but we'll see.

Before I start I just want to say that I'm giving these ideas away for free.  If you're a candy maker, feel free to use any of these ideas.  I have one stipulation though, send me some.  Don't just go off making millions of dollars without letting me sample one of my own creations, that's just mean.

My first idea is simple, and is based on one of the most popular character in the entire franchise.  Best of all, we know for a fact that Chewbacca will be in the new movies, so you'll be fine selling these now.  The key is to make this treat look like a square cube of fur, yet also make it chewy.  The recipe is simple, take a caramel cube and cover it with spun sugar. You can make it a dark caramel with a nice burnt flavour, as I'd imagine that a Wookie would have a slightly toasted nutty taste.  This would work best for all those high quality chocolatiers out there wanting to take part in this movie franchise.  Why not fill your case with something fun for this movie, I bet the kids will go "nuts" for them... Come to think of it, some nuts mixed in would really ad to the "Wookieness" of this.

This is the one candy that I'm surprised no one has made yet, gummy Jabba the Hutts. In fact, why stop there, with so many gelatinous looking characters in the franchise, I'm really surprised there aren't a bunch of jelly/gummy Star Wars tie-ins.  Jabba would work best though because you could pretend that you're a spiteful frog getting his revenge on the evil Hutt for eating his brothers. This would take a little bit of effort to make at first, but once you have the mould it would be easy to make millions more.

This was not my idea, my friend Raph came up with the name.  I just came up with how one would deliver a candy called "Light Savers".  I think having them break off a hilt would be the best idea.  You could also have an LED light at the base of the hilt so the Light Savers would glow.  What could be more fun than having sword fights with your friends, then eating your sword.

There you go JJ Abrams/Disney Corp, while I'm sure you'll be making more money on action figures and other toys, I think these candies could earn you enough money for a new summer home at the very least.  Check back after I see the movies (which I imagine will be soon after it comes out) to see if anything from The Force Awakens inspires anything else.

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Stuff I Want To Try

The Pizza Cookie - Pizza Hut/Hershey's - If I order this, I'll probably have to skip the pizza. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Caramel Crème Pretzel and Vanilla Frosting Pretzel - Combos Baked Snacks - It's about time they went the salty sweet rout. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Chocodile - Hostess - This is some kind of retro Twinkie thing that I've never tried. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Raw Chocolate - Various Companies - This is the way chocolate can become a health food. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Hot Tamales Tropical Heat - Just Born - I'm more enthusiastic about the sweet, but a little heat might be nice. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Limeade Oreos - Mr Christie's - I'll try a limeade flavoured Oreo, but I can't promise that I'll like it. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Lazy Sunday Ice Cream - Ben & Jerry's - I like the Lazy Sunday video, and I like Ben and Jerry's ice cream, so it's gotta be great. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Dragon Berry Ring Pop - Bazooka Candy - Although I've never seen How To Train Your Dragon 2, I'm still down with dragons. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

 Ghost Pepper Super Hot Candy Balls - Think Geek - Although I call the "Stuff I Want To Try", I really don't want to try this at all. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Oreo Creme Filled Chocolate Chip Cookie - Nabisco - This treat has been a long time coming. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Oreos - Oreo - If it's done right, it might be the best cookie ever, if it's done wrong, it will disappoint the world. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Chirps - Six Foods - If you haven't guessed by the clever name, it's chips made of crickets. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Sasso Bar - Sasso Candy - Finally a candy bar for grownups, now I can feel more mature... right? - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Twix Bites - Mars - I like to eat miniature versions of chocolate bars and pretend I'm a giant. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Cracker Jack'D - Frito-Lay - It would be the perfect snack with a can of Red Bull. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

M&M's Mega - Mars - I liked these when they came out as a promotion for the movie Shrek, so I'll probably like them now as well. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Beer-Flavored Lollipops - Lollyphile - For those of you that enjoy the flavour of beer, but don't like getting any kind of buzz. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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