Old Candy Critic Articles - Frozen treats I made myself

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog.  This week I'm posting an article I wrote about freezing some of your favorite liquids, into frozen treats.

Summers coming... Actually this article was written in February with about two feet of snow outside my window, but I'm a little lazy, that and I really don't see any problem eating frozen treats all year round. When I was a kid I used to eat frozen treats before going skating because it would fool my body into thinking it was warmer outside. Sure I could have died of hypothermia but when you want to skate you'll do just about anything.

Rather than deal with the old and slightly melted treats that are left at my local store, I decided to do a bit of experimentation and try and create some frozen treats of my own. Some of these treats worked, others don't, either way I get a nice cool snack before building a great snowman outside.

Pudding Pop

Bill Cosby you're a great man, but unfortunately you weren't great enough to keep the pudding pop on the market. I'm not going to take this lying down though. I'll get myself a package of instant pudding, mix it up and freeze it myself. Guess what, it's exactly the same. Joy of Joys, Mr. Cosby I may not be able to watch you plug my frozen treats, but alas I can enjoy a super smooth pudding pop. I love these things, I could eat them all day long. For my birthday this year I want a brand new freezer so I can eat these and only these every day.

Yogurt, Jam, and Granola

What the heck am I doing, this is some kind of healthy treat! I might actually be improving my health by eating this, and worst of all I'm endorsing it on Candy Critic. Well I'm not really "endorsing" it because it's not the best frozen treat I've ever had. I could do without the granola in particular. It's also a little bit bitter, seeing as my sweet tooth throbs, maybe that's why I don't like it. I do have to say though, for a "good for me" type treat it's pretty tasty, well it beats out celery anyways.

Jell-O and Fruit

I'd never thought of freezing Jell-O until someone, on My Space I think, suggest that I try freezing a little Jell-O with some fruit. Well person I can't remember, you are a genius, this is an awesome snack. It's simple, tasty, and the texture is out of this world. I thought maybe it would have been too jiggly, but it wasn't. It was smooth and fruity, just right. I was also sure to use a canned fruit salad mix so the chucks where nice and small, and didn't dominate one bite. The only problem with the fruit is they all floated at the top so they where kind of stuck together. It may have been nicer to have the fruit dispersed but to be honest the Jell-O on it's own was pretty good.

I think this might be my new favourite homemade frozen treat.

Just Juice

Maybe I shouldn't have saved this one for last, because it really doesn't hold up at all. Sure it taste pretty good (lemonade), and sure it's simple, but maybe I'm just craving a little something extra. I guess the lesson learned is that cool treats don't have to be simple, get up and toss something a little different in your Popsicle mold tray thing. Sure it takes a little more work, but it's worth it I assure you. Having said that if you're lazy, a plain Popsicle is better than a kick in the pants.

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Not That Strange A Candy, In Our Asian Candy Review-a-Thon

Normally when I do review-a-thons from other countries I find that many of the treats have something strange about them.  Sometimes it's the treat itself, sometimes it's the package, and sometimes it's how you eat it.  Today's review on the other hand is strange, only because it's really not that strange at all.  It's not that it's bad necessarily, it's just not that strange.

Click here to read our not very strange new review.

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It's National Animal Crackers Day!!!

So go bite the head off an elephant, or crunch a baboon.

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Wednesday's Candy Links

The association between Trayvon Martin and Skittles is a phenomenon.  The question is, is this a phenomenon that Skittles wants?

Would you eat your walls? What if they tasted really good?  What if they tasted like Jaffa Cakes?

Here's more news about the over-consumption of chocolate, and how it's going to affect prices of chocolate in the future.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Sour Jelly Beans  - Gimbal’s - I really want to try a pomegranate flavoured jelly bean. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Post Easter Treats From Friends

Before I start this post, I want to clear a few things up.  First of all, I'm in Greece right now, and Greek Easter just finished this weekend.  Secondly a lot of my friends have other plans this time of year, but we like to get together after this kind of holiday.  I say all of this because after a recent get together celebrating being friends, a few of my friends brought me some Easter treats, after the holiday.  I could hold onto this treats and write about them next year, but frankly they'd go bad and I might forget about them.  So I present, some great post Easter treats that I received this weekend.

My friend Outi from Finland brought me an amazing package of eggs from here home country.  Made by the famous Fazer brand, these eggs look so amazingly real.  They look so real, only because they are real... well sort of.

The white shell of these treats are in fact real chicken eggs.  The eggs are emptied out and filled with chocolate.  You can kind of tell where they're filled from, but it's still an amazing feat.  The chocolate is the regular high quality you'd expect from Fazer and it's solid.

My friend Michal came back from Israel with a couple of bars.  At first I thought that they where a couple of my favorite Israeli chocolate bars Pesek Zman (Time Out), and they are... well sort of.  For Passover each year the folks at Elite, who make these bars, make a special run of these, but Kosher.  So some of the ingredients are changed in order to suit the dietary needs of the community.  This is amazing, and something no one ever thinks of in many countries.  I tried it out and it was pretty good too, the only difference I can sense is a slightly less crunchy wafer.  Easter treats are so great, even after Easter.

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Candy Art - Simplicity Can Be Wonderful

Don't get me wrong, I love those complicated and detailed pictures of famous people made out of Jelly Bellies. The thing is, I also love watching somebody make a funny little picture using only the candy from a single bag of Skittles as well.

Click here to see a few simple pieces.

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Seedy Asian Review is Part 3 of Our Asian Review-A-Thon

I get a lot of grief from people who tell me that treats, like today's review, are in fact not candy.  Seed and nut treats are a bit of a grey area, but when I see one that I'm sure is a candy, I review it.  You may have a difference of opinion, but then it begs the question, what percentage must your treat be made up of nuts or seeds for it not to be candy?

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

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Tuesday's Candy Links

Have you ever eaten an "upscale" hard candy?  I'm not sure if I have, but if I haven't, I'd like to.

Some don't consider sugar cubes to be candy, I do, in fact I think they're the original candy.

Free chocolates if you use an app, so not only do you get something for your phone, but you also get candy... Is that a good deal?

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Her Royal Highness's Choice of Soda

Did you know that many royal families officially endorse products.  There's great debate on this subject, because many people assume that the royal family involved actually produces most products they endorse and profit from it.  So that's basically these families using the status that the state gives them as a promotional tool to make them money.  I frankly don't really care that much about that.  What I always wonder is how these particular royals actually feel about the product.  Does the Queen of Finland actually eat the chocolates she endorses, does the princess in Sweden actually eat the cakes named for her?  Most importantly, does the Queen of England actually drink this soda pop?

While shopping at our local grocery store the other day (in Greece strangely enough), Allison and I came across Britvic soda.  According to the can this drink is made "by appointment to H M Queen Elizabeth II".  So if I ever pay a visit to Buckingham Palace (like that's ever going to happen), is this the soda I get to drink?

It's a good thing I sampled a few of these because the flavour is fairly surprising.  The Bitter Lemon, is actually fairly bitter.  I enjoyed this a lot, even though it only offered a small 150 ml taste.  It's nice to occasionally drink something that isn't super sweet and sticky.

The Ginger Ale on the other hand is, as it says, spicy, not hot but spicy.  I'm not a big fan of spicy drinks, so I didn't really care for it as much as the lemon.  I'm not sure if Ginger Ale was originally spicy when it was invented, so I'm not sure if this is more authentic or not.  If any member of the British royal family is reading this, please let me know if you actually drink this stuff.

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This Week In Candy

Candy News - Two things have come up a lot this week.  First of all there seems to be many lists and articles about which candy bar is the most famous.  Some lists talk about the most famous candy in the world, while most just talk about the most famous candy in their particular area.  I'd always heard that the best selling candy bar in the world is a Kit Kat bar, but I could be wrong now.  I've also been reading a lot of news about how candy companies are using social media.  Are you a part of your favorite snacks Facebook group, or do you follow any candies on Twitter?  I might write something about this later on, check out who's doing what, and where.

What's Happening At Candy Critic - I've decided that this week would be the perfect week for a review-a-thon.  I'm going with Asian treats because I have a lot of Asian reviews that the world needs to read.  Asia has, to the western eye, some of the strangest candy ever created.  It's not all tasty, and some require instructions, but they're always an adventure to eat.

Rant - The Easter season is totally over now, if you include Orthodox Easter as well.  I have mixed feelings when a candy heavy holiday is over.  I'm sad because I know that I have to wait a whole year before chocolate bunnies and eggs are available again, but I'm happy because I know that there might be some left over treats on sale right now.

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Day 2 of The Asian Review-A-Thon

Today's review is a little strange.  It's strange because it's not something you'd normally associate with Asian (in this case Japanese) candy.  It's simple, tasty, and I'm fairly certain almost every continent, and maybe every country, in the world has something similar.  So although not original, I think this it's a very important treat to sample no matter where you visit.

Click here to read today's review.

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Monday's Candy Links

Did you know that the OREO cookie and Life Savers are both 100 years old this year?

Here are "12 Fascinating Food Facts", included is an interesting experiment one can do with Altoids and hot peppers.

Would you eat a Mike, or how about an Ike?  It appears you may soon have that option.

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Day 1 Of Our Asian Review-a-Thon!!!

I always love doing review-a-thons.  It's fun to review a whole bunch of treats with a common theme.  With most review-a-thons from countries that don't write with the Roman alphabet, I also love trying to figure out the true names of the treats as well.  If you happen to read a review this week, and you know what the treat is called, feel free to send it my way so I can update it on the site.

So here's the first of many Asian reviews.

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Spooooooooooooonnnn!!! Sweets - Walnuts?

Every day this week I'm going to sample a different spoon sweet and let you know what I think.  For those unfamiliar with spoon sweets, they're pretty much fruit preserved in a syrup.  It's kind of like jam, only it's much juicier and the fruit is most often whole, or only sliced in half.

I was just as surprised as you probably are when I discovered that they make walnuts in a spoon sweet.  I was even more surprised when I bit into it and fell in love with this flavour.  This particular spoon sweet is heavily flavoured with cinnamon as well, but it doesn't stop the nutty flavour at all.  Best of all, this wonderful nutty flavour is accompanied by a beautiful subtle crunch.  Before having tasted this, I thought the idea of having a nut spoon sweet was really strange, now I'm starting to think it's the best way to have them.

And just in case you're wondering, you do in fact eat the whole walnut, shell and all.  Here's a picture after I took my first bite.


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Friday Candy Video - Insane Korean Hand Made Candy

These guys manage to produce a string candy that has over 16000 strings, in less than a few minutes.  Best of all is the enthusiasm they have while they make it.

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Friday's Candy Links

I can't say I've ever tasted Hawaiian cocoa, but I'd love to.

Chocolate printer is now available, what's the first thing you'd print out of chocolate?

First I hear Cadbury is making a special edition bar for the Queens Jubilee, now it appears that Walkers is creating a special edition cookie tins as well.

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4pm Licorice Facts

Next Thursday is National Licorice Day, and the folks at Red Vines have sent me a whole mess of licorice facts to share with you guys.  So I'm going to give you a new fact, every day, till National Licorice Day.

Today is National Licorice Day... That is all.

Thanks gang at Red Vines!

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Spooooooooooooonnnn!!! Sweets - Figs

Every day this week I'm going to sample a different spoon sweet and let you know what I think.  For those unfamiliar with spoon sweets, they're pretty much fruit preserved in a syrup.  It's kind of like jam, only it's much juicier and the fruit is most often whole, or only sliced in half.

This is very, very sweet.  Figs are pretty much one of sweetest fruits that I know.  Put them in a syrup and they get even sweeter.  This variety of fig spoon sweet uses unripened figs instead of the mature figs, so maybe it makes it a little less sweet.  The texture is kind of chewy, but the sweet flavour just overpowers.  In fact because of the subtle flavour of the fig, all you pretty much taste is sweet.  Don't get me wrong, I love the sweet flavour, I just like something else to accompany it.


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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising - I Can't Explain This

I don't really understand what this advertisement is trying to say. I see that it's a play on the RCA dog advertisements, but with a cat.  However I have no idea what this might have to do with cocoa.

Found this on Vintage Ad Browser

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Thursday's Candy Links

Fazer, one of the great European candy companies, is looking to expand to Asia, when will they expand to North America so my friends can try their awesome chocolate?

What's the most popular type of chocolate bar in the United States?

This story has nothing to do with candy really, but I just love the headline "Jerky Segment Growth To Continue"

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4pm Licorice Facts

Next Thursday is National Licorice Day, and the folks at Red Vines have sent me a whole mess of licorice facts to share with you guys.  So I'm going to give you a new fact, every day, till National Licorice Day.

In 1925, silent film star Charlie Chaplin asked the American Licorice Company to make him a shoe made out of black licorice—Chaplin’s character ate the shoe to avoid starvation in the movie the "Gold Rush."

Thanks gang at Red Vines!

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Stuff I Want To Try

Doritos Dinamita  - Frito-Lay - Because they're compared to taquitos, and who doesn't love a good taquito? - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Spooooooooooooonnnn!!! Sweets - Niranzi (Bitter Orange)

Every day this week I'm going to sample a different spoon sweet and let you know what I think.  For those unfamiliar with spoon sweets, they're pretty much fruit preserved in a syrup.  It's kind of like jam, only it's much juicier and the fruit is most often whole, or only sliced in half.

Niranzi (sp?), on its own is the worst tasting fruit I've ever eaten in my entire life.  Imagine the most bitter orange in the whole world, then double it, then triple it.  The first time I ever tried one of these, I touched my tong to it, and it went numb for about 20 minutes. This fruit is so bad your taste buds shut down upon contact. So does it make a good spoon sweet?  Well I can tell you that boiling this fruit in sugar does improve it.  The bitterness is much less, although it's not gone.  It basically tastes like a sweet/bitter orange.  Since I've never tried regular orange spoon sweets, I'm not sure how this would compare. Maybe oranges can't be preserved, and this is the only way to get that orange flavour in a spoon sweet.  It could also be that no one really knows what else to do with these horrid fruits, and this is the only way to make them palatable.

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Wednesday's Candy Links

Luden's is looking for a jingle to sell their cough drops, here are a few words that rhyme with "soar throat" to help you out:  tore moat, chore boat, more gloat...

Did you hear that?  It sounds like the best chocolate bar I've ever tasted.

Soft serve beer foam, keeps your beer cold and looking a little like a Dairy Queen Sundae.

This is the kind of news that really ticks me off, apparently there are reports that some bad bottles of coke (here in Greece) have gotten out to the public.

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4pm Licorice Facts

Next Thursday is National Licorice Day, and the folks at Red Vines have sent me a whole mess of licorice facts to share with you guys.  So I'm going to give you a new fact, every day, till National Licorice Day.

More than 60 million pounds of Red Vines are made each year—or more than 400,000 miles of licorice--enough to wrap around the Earth more than 17 times!

Thanks gang at Red Vines!

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Candy Art - Tooting My Own Horn

 I thought this week I'd toot my own horn a little.

 I'm going to be adding some new candy prints onto bewarethecheese.com soon, and I figured I'd give you a quick sampling.

I'm also looking for inspiration on my next candy shoot, if you're willing to give me a little.

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Spooooooooooooonnnn!!! Sweets - Kumquat

Every day this week I'm going to sample a different spoon sweet and let you know what I think.  For those unfamiliar with spoon sweets, they're pretty much fruit preserved in a syrup.  It's kind of like jam, only it's much juicier and the fruit is most often whole, or only sliced in half.

The kumquat, all I can say about this fruit is that the name is really fun to say.  If you've ever sampled a fresh kumquat before, you probably wondered why in the world people sell them in the first place.  I've heard that kumquats are OK for cooking, and occasionally as a garnish, but frankly I've never seen a good use for them yet (at least as anything an orange couldn't do).  So I guess you're wondering what I thought of them as a spoon sweet.  I think they're a little better as a spoon sweet, but they're not something I'd rush out to buy.  The bitterness of the kumquat is greatly reduced, but not eliminated in this spoon sweet form.  The texture is kind of like a slimy semi-hard candy.  When you bite into it, an explosion of sticky juice fills your mouth and you have a kind of orange like flavour on your palette.  I really think that the only reason people like to use (or eat) this fruit at all, is so they can claim they've tasted a kumquat.

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Tuesday's Candy Links

Queen City Bacon Schnecken, I know what bacon is, but I'm not sure what a Schnecken is, either way it looks tasty.

Does chocolate control your very emotions, here's some science to help you answer that question.

I always prefer my food to be squishy and in the shape of a perfect sphere, here's the science behind it.

Here are some post Easter links:

Looking for a quick way to spruce up some Cadbury Creme Eggs after Easter?

So you're staring at your Easter load that the bunny brought you, here's "Nine Things You Didn’t Know About Your Easter Candy"

Here's some information on how your Easter candy stays fresh... you may or may not want to read this.

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4pm Licorice Facts

Next Thursday is National Licorice Day, and the folks at Red Vines have sent me a whole mess of licorice facts to share with you guys.  So I'm going to give you a new fact, every day, till National Licorice Day.

Licorice is one of the oldest types of candy known. Licorice candy is thought to have originated in Holland at the start of the seventeenth century. It became a standard product for candy producers when the candy industry developed in the mid-1800s.

Thanks gang at Red Vines!

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Spooooooooooooonnnn!!! Sweets - Cherry

Every day this week I'm going to sample a different spoon sweet and let you know what I think.  For those unfamiliar with spoon sweets, they're pretty much fruit preserved in a syrup.  It's kind of like jam, only it's much juicier and the fruit is most often whole, or only sliced in half.

I decided to start this exercise with something fairly simple and straight forward, cherries.  I'm finding that most spoon sweets seem to come in more exotic and strange flavours, such as kumquat or fig. You don't really find apple, or peach spoon sweets as often.  It could be because these fruits are more common and not worth preserving, or it could be the places I happen to buy my spoon sweets.  These cherry spoon sweets are pretty good.  They're not as juicy as cherries, but the flavour is really surprising.  You would expect these to be uber sweet, since they've been soaking in syrup for a while, but they're not.  In fact they have a great tart taste that balances the sweet really well.  The best food to compare these is to a really good Chinese sweet and sour sauce.

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What Does This Thing Do?

While window shopping at an appliance store the other night, I spotted this elephant for 11 Euros.  What I want to know is, what does this elephant do?  It's with a bunch of other kitchen utensils, and it appears to have an on/off switch.  Any ideas?

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This Week In Candy

Candy News - It appears that the worlds chocolate supply is not certain right now.  I know this is the last thing you want to hear at Easter, but there appears to be both environmental and political uncertainties that could lead to even higher priced chocolate in the future.  Savor that chocolate bunny, you may not get too many more of them in the future.

What's Happening At Candy Critic -  While continuing on our top secret project this week, we're also posting a special series of posts about spoon sweets.  Some people know them better as preserves, but spoon sweets sounds so cool.  We hope to post a photo and a little information about 5 different spoon sweets, one each day this week.  I know that we also owe you guys another review-a-thon, but it's just been very busy with other projects and we don't want to go halfway on a review-a-thon.

Rant -  I wish Tupperware would invent a chocolate saver.  They have products to keep just about anything else in the world fresh, except chocolate.

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Monday's Candy Links

I don't often link to other reviews, but this 22 year old box of Batman cereal review is great.

The world needs more cocoa, if we don't get it that means we might have a global chocolate shortage.

Serious Eats has a list of 10 must buy "food souvenirs from Germany", many of them are pretty sweet.

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4pm Licorice Facts

Next Thursday is National Licorice Day, and the folks at Red Vines have sent me a whole mess of licorice facts to share with you guys.  So I'm going to give you a new fact, every day, till National Licorice Day.

For centuries Herbalists have used Licorice Root for arthritis, asthma, bursitis, canker sores, chronic fatigue syndrome, colds and flu, cough, emphysema, fungal infections like athlete’s foot, gingivitis, gout, heartburn, liver problems, Lyme disease, menopause, pre-menstrual syndrome, prostate enlargement, psoriasis, shingles, sore throat, tendonitis, tuberculosis, ulcers, viral infections and yeast infections.

Thanks gang at Red Vines!

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It's My Easter Review

It's strange that I've never reviewed a Cadbury Creme Egg before today.  I've written about them many times, but I've never posted and official review.  Today I'm really happy that I waited so long to do this because I get to eat a Creme Egg for the site.  If I didn't wait so long than I would have had to go out hunting for another Easter treat, and who knows what I may have found.

Click here to read my Cadbury Creme Egg review (hint, it probably went really well).

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Happy Easter!!!

I hope the bunny brought you lots and lots of sweet treats.  Sit back, eat an egg or two, and enjoy this video of scientists destroying Cadbury Cream eggs in many different ways.

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4pm Licorice Facts

Next Thursday is National Licorice Day, and the folks at Red Vines have sent me a whole mess of licorice facts to share with you guys.  So I'm going to give you a new fact, every day, till National Licorice Day.

If one is looking to maintain health, and heal injuries, there is no single herb better than Licorice Root. Licorice can also quiet the appetite and reduce the desire to smoke tobacco and consume alcohol. It will increase blood flow and help a person stay alert.

Thanks gang at Red Vines!

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4pm Licorice Facts

Next Thursday is National Licorice Day, and the folks at Red Vines have sent me a whole mess of licorice facts to share with you guys.  So I'm going to give you a new fact, every day, till National Licorice Day.

Alexander the Great's  physician told the troops to carry and chew licorice root in order to quench their thirst when water was scarce and to give them stamina and endurance during their long marches. He also said that it was good for stomach trouble, throat trouble and liver and kidney disorders.

Thanks gang at Red Vines!

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Strawberries Are Suggested

 The other day I was enjoying a plate of yummy pancakes when I notice something really peculiar about my topping choice.  As you can see I enjoy strawberries on my pancakes, with a little whipped cream and some maple syrup.

 As it turns out, without having planned this at all, the folks that make my maple syrup also agree that strawberries are good with maple syrup.

Stranger still, the folks that make the whipped cream I was eating also endorse the use of strawberries with their product.

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Friday Candy Video - Happy To Find Some Cheezies

No man on the face of the planet has ever been happier to find a bag of cheezies and a couple of chocolate bars.  It could be because he's just finished a trek to the South Pole and back, just to find some treats that he buried on his way there.

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It's National Caramel Popcorn Day!

Strange how yesterday was "National Caramel Day" and today is "National Caramel Popcorn Day".  I guess it gives you a way to use up any extra caramel you might have left over from yesterday's festivities.

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Friday's Candy Links

I like it when a candy company puts serious thought into their boxes, but only if they're putting more thought into the candy.

So what does this article about a new technology in candy panning have to do with your candy fix?  Well it might improve the crunch on your gum balls.

Candy as a marketing tool, as long as people remember to write down your phone number before they eat your edible business card, it's great.

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4pm Licorice Facts

Next Thursday is National Licorice Day, and the folks at Red Vines have sent me a whole mess of licorice facts to share with you guys.  So I'm going to give you a new fact, every day, till National Licorice Day.

Licorice Root was found in great quantities in the tomb of King Tut among his gold, jewelry and art treasures. It was presumed that King Tut wanted to take the root with him on his journey to the next world so that he could make his sweet drink "Mai sus" when he got there.

Thanks gang at Red Vines!

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Easter Links - Part 3

xkcd does some strange math with Cadbury Creme eggs.

Kraft has got some Easter Egg hunts planned for Easter, but only in Ireland.

Too much packaging in your Easter treats this year?  Some say as much as 30% of your treats are actually just non-recyclable packaging.

Here's more Peeps in famous scenes, only this time from television shows, not movies.

A completely insane man decides that he wants to go on a full Easter candy diet.  Here's a few Cadbury Creme Egg recipes that would probably help him out.

With all of this Easter insanity going on right now, have you ever wondered where the Easter Bunny came from?

What are other people getting for Easter this year? Are you jealous?

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An Egg Shaped Holiday

Advice for candy makers this time of year: All you have to do to make your candy an Easter candy is shape it like an egg.  No one will complain, and you'll sell more treats this time of year.

Ad found on Vintage Ad Browser

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It's National Caramel Day!

There is no better reason to celebrate, than to celebrate the burning of sugar perfectly.

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Thursday's Candy Links

A candy called Vagabundo Paletas has been recalled, who would have thought a candy with a picture of a hobo on it might not be perfectly safe.

I don't want to say I predicted a boom in the Israeli candy market, but it appears it's happening.

One of the most dangerous things candy companies can do is change a classic candy, however "Allen's Minties will now be chewier".

Peeps dioramas has truly blossomed as an art form, here's a great collection of Peeps dioramas based on Oscar winning films.

Check out the Zurich chocolate salon, it's pretty much any chocolate lovers dream.

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4pm Licorice Facts

Next Thursday is National Licorice Day, and the folks at Red Vines have sent me a whole mess of licorice facts to share with you guys.  So I'm going to give you a new fact, every day, till National Licorice Day.

The main ingredient in licorice is Wheat (that's sweetened, flavored and baked)—so basically licorice is unleavened bread. That’s why it's chewy, so when it’s exposed to air it can get stale. (You can microwave Red Vines for 10-15 seconds to make them soft again).

Thanks gang at Red Vines!

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Theater Security

I went to a theater this weekend, and I was shocked when I saw the entrance to the bulk section.  It was more secure than any other part of the entire theater.  I would have had an easier time sneaking into a movie than sneaking away with a hand full of gummy bears, not that I condone stealing.  In fact I imagine they wouldn't have built this candy stronghold unless many people were stealing candy.  It's pretty shocking.

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Skittle Easter Egg... Just in Time For Easter

Henry Writes:

"Hey Candy Critic,

Thought you might like this video. It's an Easter egg from the Skittles touch videos."

Now you've seen it too.

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Old Candy Critic Articles - Dinner Treats Part 3

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog.  This week I'm posting Part 3 of an article I wrote about the candies you get after a dinner at a restaurant.  I posted so many treats in this article I've decided to break it up into several posts.

I never really thought about the industry that supplies candy to restaurants before. Often, when I go to a restaurant that doesn't require me to return a tray, I get a candy with my bill. The thing about this treat is when you get it with your bill, you never give it much thought. I mean there you are with your stomach full of mashed potatoes and a chicken dish with a really nice cream sauce, and someone hands you a candy. The last thing you're going to do is think about is the quality of this treat.

Well I decided to give it a little thought. I've decided that these treats need a little scrutiny, and maybe see if they're worth tipping over. So let's take a look at how I would tip if all I got was the treat at the end of the meal.  I should mention that each of these treats was collected after a real meal.

Fresh Mint

The name of this mint brings up an interesting point. It's funny how we associate fresh and mint together. I've tasted many a fruit and vegetable that had not a trace of mint but still tasted fresh. I've also taste a few mints that aren't really that fresh tasting either. I have no opinion on this idea, just a comment. Oh the Fresh Mint, it's not bad, not great either.

Tip: 8%

Dare Orange

I like the idea of not getting a candy that's minty as a candy after a meal. Sure I don't really know the point, particularly after desert but who am I to complain about treats after treats. Some people may really hate this sweet, after all it doesn't really taste like orange. I however love it because although it lacks in the real citrus flavour, it more than makes up for it in its similarity to tang. So if you really like the greatest powdered drink mix ever created, or if you're an astronaut, than this is the after dinner treat for you.

Tip: 9%

Ovation

This is the cream of the crop, not that I really understand that expression, but this little treat is something you'll get from only the finest places; chances are your local burger joint doesn't throw one of these on the table after your sloppy cheeseburger and fries.

Tip: 15%

Striped Mints

This is pretty much as basic as basic gets. Nothing spectacular about these and you'll find them pretty much everywhere. Is this a bad thing? Well that all depends how you feel. If you're at some crazy exotic restaurant that has all kinds of strange food, a candy at the end of the meal that matches the exotic flare might be a little more up your alley. Also if you're at a posh restaurant with napkins made of cloth, you might want something a little more classy as well. However if you just ordered grill cheese and tomato soup and your soft drink comes in the can with a glass of ice, these little minty treats will do just fine.

Tip: 7.5%

Striped Mints Round

Does shape really make any difference? I think it can, a mint can not only be a great way to freshen up ones breath but it can be a great fidget toy in ones mouth. Like Kojac and his lollypop, a candy can provide a great amount of entertainment on that long bus ride home. These little round balls are great fun for that; although I have to be honest the mint flavour is a little lacking so your breath will only get a little fresher.

Tip: 9%

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Wednesday's Candy Links

What do avalanches and chocolate chip cookie dough have in common?  Apparently a lot.

Here's the kind of headline I love to read "Eating Chocolate 5 Days A Week May Make You Thinner"

If you live in Spain, and you want a chocolate bar your way, Nestle has a solution for you.

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Easter Links - Part 2

Check out how Bloomer Candy is dealing with Easter this year.

Proof grown ups don't really get Easter anymore, an Easter egg hunt in Colorado was canceled because of them.

I don't normally post recipes, but this collection of Easter treats seemed appropriate.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Queen Elizabeth Limited Edition Chocolate Bar  - Cadbury/Kraft - Because I might be making a certain visit to commemorate my favorite Queen. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Candy Art - Sweet Crochet

The great thing about this hand knit box of chocolates is the site also gives you instructions on how to make your own.  Not that many candy companies can say they'd do the same.

Click here to learn how to make yourself some crochet chocolates. (Link vie Mental Floss)

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Tuesday's Candy Links

Learn all about the Haigh family, and what it's like to grow up in a "chocolate dynasty".

Check out Mental Floss' awesome Food Fads of the 60s and 70s quiz.  Lots of candy related questions.

What's better than a chocolate Millennium Falcon filled with some kind of gooey chocolate filling?.. No seriously, I really think there's nothing better.

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Our New Friend Jon Has a Question About Chili.

It's a question that made us think, but we couldn't find an answer:

"Do you remember a (possibly Canadian) canned brand that sold chili? I'm positive it's discontinued, but I really miss it. But I can't remember the name at all. You might though, it had a name like "Bentley" or "Netley"."

Any ideas?

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This Week In Candy

Candy News - I think the biggest news this week has to be the fact that Easter is on its way.  I'm a big fan of Easter because it's the only holiday dedicated to giving away candy that doesn't involve me getting dressed up in a costume.  I'm not really that into costumes, so other than the candy, Halloween is a bit of a bummer for me.  Being in Greece right now, Easter is particularly interesting because of the Greek Orthodox traditions.  In fact Easter here is a bigger holiday than Christmas.  Although many of the traditions are religious based, they still get into the chocolate egg thing, and better still, there's some traditional Greek treats only available during this season.

What's Happening At Candy Critic -  I know I've mentioned this a million times now, but I'm working on something that's a little "top secret" right now.  I can tell you that it involves Greek sweets, and I can tell you that I'm expanding my horizons.  This project may also involve a live web feed starting soon that may not explain much, but it might allow you to watch me make a lot of mistakes live.  I will be opening the live feed to Facebook followers, Twitter followers, and friends of the site, for a preview very soon.

Rant -  This has nothing to do with candy, but more about the other end of this site, technology.  How come every time I get one form of technology working, another has to break down.  Last week I had problems with Photoshop, this week it appears that our sister site bewarethecheese.com is down.  Just once I'd like to spend time writing, taking pictures, and sampling sweets without having to spend several hours fixing tech problems.  Most of the problems don't even seem to be mine.  The Photoshop glitch was a common problem that wasn't worked out, my site being down must have something to do with the service provider, that I pay.  Just for once I want my stuff to work just right.

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It's National Peanut Butter and Jam Day

Just because it's Peanut Butter and Jam day doesn't mean you have to have your PBandJ between two slices of bread.  There's a lots of alternatives out there.  There are even many candy treats that put these two flavours together for you, like these Peanut Butter and Jam M&Ms.

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Monday's Candy Links

Quick, Lint is giving away a free chocolate basket, the contest ends today!

The Republican party of the USA figures that siding with candy lovers will win them an election, what do you think?

Summer is coming, and what better way to learn the art of making s'mores than a handy infographic.

It appears that science is looking for a way to help people who are allergic to peanuts, it's something called "Tannins".

According to science, meat eating creatures lack a sweet tooth, so if you're ever being chased by a lion or a tiger, cover yourself in candy.

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Pie Flavoured Gum

There are few foods that attempt to imitate others foods the way candy does.  In fact the only one I can think that even comes close is vegetarian food, with their version of vegetarian meats.  Candy on the other hand doesn't try to copy the food exactly, but instead they attempt to simulate it with a twist.  This gum is a prime example, and it makes me wonder.  Has anybody ever tried to make bubble gum flavoured pie before?

Click here to read the latest review.

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