No.228
Revive the complacent world of candy by discussing and sharing your favorites - hidden gems or underappreciated classics, foreign or domestic, gummy, chocolate, or something else entirely, anything goes.
I have lamented before that it often feels as if all the big candy bars were invented decades ago and that innovation has greatly slowed down these days, especially in the chocolate bar world. One realization I had recently was that there are still people out there trying new things at a mass-production level - it's just that these ideas always get funneled into being a spin-off of an existing candy, for marketing purposes. For example, we're not getting new bite-size chocolate candies ala M&Ms, but we are regularly getting new "flavors" of M&Ms. I still think this is less delightful than an aisle full of products that feel truly distinct, but things could be worse.
You can always go to local candymakers for out-there flavors or ingredients (the quality will be much better too), but there are some unique candies that are probably only really feasible at mass-production scale. I'd love for both to succeed and continue making interesting new candy!
Hell, even bars that had their own name for many years (and still managed to hold their own in the candy aisle) are being bought up and rebranded as spin-off candies. The candy bar formerly known as "Take 5" is now "Reese's Take 5", complete with an orange-wrapper makeover. This makes the bar blend in with all the other Reese's variations on the shelf, and I honestly had no idea it was in there until I looked closer the other week.
Anyway, apparently picrel is the biggest upcoming candy launch, should be in stores Feb '25 - Reese's pieces bark. Would you try it?
No.232
>>229>Even if it's just a coating on the outside, it dominates the flavour and everyone loves it because everyone loves chocolate.I love (dark) chocolate, but I can understand this. It's usually the primary flavor in whatever it's in.
>I don't like sweet things much any moreI still like sweet things a fair deal, but I find I need breaks of savory/salty to not get palate fatigue if the sweet thing is more than a small serving. I guess dark chocolate helps in that regard, since its bitterness makes it less tiring to eat.
No.239
Candy is crack. Sugar is the worst drug on earth. I hope to kick this habit and eat candies only once a week.
No.241
>>239>Candy is crack.Well, I don't think it's
that addictive, or destructive. I do think excessive sugar consumption is probably the single biggest dietary hazard for most people. But I made this thread under the assumption of responsible consumption (´･ω･`)
Once a week sounds totally achievable and reasonable if that's what you want to go for.
>>240She hates coconut? Many such cases. I think as a kid I always gave away my almond joys.
No.247
>>240NOOO I LOVE ALMONDJOY
No.253
MAKE CANDY GREAT AGAIN
No.299
Opinions on black licorice?
No.301
>>299I love black licorice! well, some types can be a bit cloying. but I love "salty" (ammonium chloride) black licorice. I've tried a bunch of brands but I think venco is my favorite so far, which is nice, since it's easier to come by than a lot of the other ones I've tried
No.327
>>312>>301Uwaa, grownups...
No.2744
>>239>>241Eating sweets once a week sounds nice... Maybe I'll save it for Marzichan Mondays.
Anyway, I think I have the biggest sweet tooth out of anyone here, but I'm partial to stuff like cookies or pastries. I
do love chocolate however, much to >>229's chagrin. I think my go-to chocolate candy snacks are either Snickers or Reese's. There's a reason why Snickers is the best-selling candy bar on the market after all, the combination of nuts, nouget, and caramel topped with a hint of chocolate (just enough to not overpower everything else) is such an unparalleled flavor profile. And for Reese's, well, you can't beat the simple combination of chocolate and peanut butter.
My taste isn't limited to only chocolate, however. Whenever we vacation in New Hampshire, my girlfriend likes to get this saltwater taffy from a local candy shop and it's very underrated. I think we typically get half a pound, and it lasts us for a while. I recommend trying saltwater candy if you're ever curious about it, it should go without saying that saltiness and sweetness go well together.
No.2745
Ah, forgot to respond to the OP's question: I think I would pass on it if I saw it on store shelves. I think it's how they're advertising it but it looks too hard of a candy bar for me to enjoy :(
No.2748
>>2744>it should go without saying that saltiness and sweetness go well together.I've had plenty of saltwater taffy from new jersey before (actually just had a couple pieces the other day), but I thought I had read that the "saltwater" part of the name was just some historical oddity, no? I don't think they contained more than the tiny "normal" amount of salt for candy. is yours different? I do love salt :^v
>Reese'sI do really enjoy both chocolate and peanut butter, but with name-brand reese's I'm always a little disappointed by the way the shell lacks any snap (I think they're not tempered). they're expensive, but you should try out justin's cups sometime if you haven't; they're really nice.
>>2745>it looks too hard of a candy bar for me to enjoy :(hm, I know it looks kind of like a brittle, but I don't think it has any hardened sugar components, so my guess would be that it's no harder than a chocolate bar with crunchy pieces inside
>>2747>Marzipan is disgusting actually(´；ω；`)
I really like it! though the stuff you can get in american supermarkets usually is not very good. if my only exposure was the rittersport bars, I might not like marzipan either.
I enjoy both mint and licorice, so maybe I'll have to try that candy you mentioned.
No.2749
>>2748Expect a review of Justin's Cup and the barkbar this monday ;)
No.2750
>>2749ooh, I'll look forward to it! hope you enjoy them :)
No.2751
>>2747you said the quiet part out loud
No.2752
>>2751huh?! don't tell me I'm surrounded by marzipan haters D:
No.2753
I suddenly remembered a childhood chocolate last month, and couldn't find it in the shop (ended up getting scammed with an easter egg + 1 chocolate bar bundle just to get the candy).
When I tried it, it was the cheapest below-average tasting chocolate, and the caramel was sickly sweet. Not at ALL what I remembered. It was like advent calendar/gold coin chocolate if anyone knows what that is like.
People always say X tasted better years ago, the recipe changed, they cheaped-out with ingredients, palm oil etc
I hope that's the reason, and not that my own taste has changed too much to enjoy simple things.
It sucks that everything is tasting worse, the sizes are getting smaller, and the price is going up...
>>2752I'm going to try it again one day, just for marzi...
No.2754
>>2753>I hope that's the reason, and not that my own taste has changed too much to enjoy simple things.if it's a matter of changing taste, don't feel too bad - kids just usually like sweeter foods more. I'm pretty sure it's a studied phenomenon, so it doesn't necessarily mean you've forgotten how to enjoy simple flavors or anything :)
maybe they changed the ingredients for that product, but since it's a novelty item, it wouldn't surprise me a ton if it was always using really cheap chocolate.
is it a hollow shell filled with normal rolos, or what? reminds me of picrel
>I'm going to try it again one day, just for marzi...it's fine if you don't like it, I just didn't know people felt so strongly as to call it disgusting (^^;)
surely there must be at least one other person who likes it on this website (´･ω･`)
if you can buy some niederegger to try, I think that brand is great
No.2755
>>2754>is it a hollow shell filled with normal rolos, or what?It's just a hollow chocolate egg that companies sell around Easter time. They toss 1-2 of their own candy bars into the box and sell it for a premium leading up to Easter.
I meant that instead of being able to find the rolos on their own, I could only find them with that more expensive bundle.
>if you can buy some niederegger to try, I think that brand is greatThose are super expensive... maybe I'll try it...
No.2756
>>2755>It's just a hollow chocolate egg that companies sell around Easter time.ohhh, I understand now. yeah, I haven't had rolos since I was a kid, but I remember them being really sweet. I wanna say I also remember the sort of grainy, low-quality chocolate texture you alluded to, but maybe I'm just imagining it because you mentioned it
>Those are super expensive...yeah, it's not a regular purchase for me (^^;) I hear it's much cheaper in germany.
the base ingredients are very cheap - you can make really great marzipan at home assuming you have the tools (mainly a food processor, unless you buy preground almond flour), but it's kind of a project if you plan on coating it in chocolate afterwards, or whatever else. I've only done it once before, though I keep thinking I should set aside the time to do it again. if you don't need to store it long-term, you can also use a much lower proportion of sugar when making it at home, which really lets the almond flavor come through. cheaper marzipan tends to use much more sugar
No.2832
>>2831I'm glad you liked it! they are pretty expensive compared to something like reese's, yeah
>I'm so sorry...two wrongs make a right, so I'll join you!
I've only tried the normal peanut butter ones, so I got some cashew butter ones this time. you can definitely tell it's a different flavor! it's been a little while since I had the peanut butter ones, but I remember the filling being fairly wet/soft. this cashew one feels much more solid, like a moldable paste. it's a bit grainy too, but not necessarily in an unpleasant way. I think cashews are lower in fat than peanuts, which would make sense.
the flavor is tough to pin down - I wanna say it tastes closer to almonds than peanuts, but I'm not so confident
No.2974
A surprise candy post!? [Tim Allen grunt sfx]
During my 6am trip to Walmart for milk & bread, I was greeted by a big advertisement stand in the middle of the aisles that was displaying these. Normally I loathe impulse buying, but I felt obligated considering I failed to secure the "Bark Bar" mentioned in the OP... I brought both flavors to better compare and contrast, even if I'm more of a strawberry person.
The /v/erdict?
I started with the grape one and upon opening, I was surprised about the weighty size of it, despite the adjectives yelling BEEG on the packaging. The smell was kinda weird and eating it, the flavor was "eh"; You could tell it was artificially made and chocked full of HFCS, but it was passable. Unfortunately, it left a bad aftertaste of grape jelly in my mouth, which reminds me of why I grew out of that flavor despite being fine with it as a child. Upon the second cup, I'm actually thankful for the huge amount of peanut butter they added because they do a good job of masking that icky taste. It's worth mentioning however, that it's inferior to the Jerry's Cup I had the other taste. Less creamy and more sawdusty.
I would try the strawberry one now to compare but honestly, I already feel unhealthy eating two of these back to back. I'll save it for later and give a brief update on my thoughts, but for now, I wouldn't recommend these at all. It's a flop and honestly, it makes me want to try more higher quality chocolates over continuing with this brand (Not that I'm a die-hard Reese's loyalist, but I have to admit I usually absent-mindedly get one of their products when I want a small treat).
No.2977
>>2974ooo...
thanks for taking the plunge for us, anon. it's a bit daring of them to take such a combination immediately to the BIG CUP size, but I guess maybe they had trouble getting the jelly into a normal size cup. yeah, I can't say it sounds like it'd be great, but maybe that's just because I'm anticipating low quality - for example, I'm sure a small candy store could develop a pb&j-filled chocolate that tastes great. even just typing that, I can imagine its taste and texture (*´﹃｀*)
>(Not that I'm a die-hard Reese's loyalist, but I have to admit I usually absent-mindedly get one of their products when I want a small treat).I was never a big reese's person growing up, and I still don't really bother with the cups, but some of their spinoff products (or ones they've bought) are pretty good, like the "nutrageous" or the take 5 I mentioned in the OP
No.3157
>>2831>>2832I tried some of the almond espresso ones - very, very nice!!
No.3193
A bit of white chocolate with a cup of coffee is nice.