Candy Reviews

16 Tasty Year Round Uses for Candy Coated Almonds

Starring Jordan Almonds from Oh Nuts

by Joi

Candy Coated Almonds

I recently had the pleasure of reviewing a bag of Oh Nuts Candy Coated Almonds.  Being a complete nut fanatic, I couldn’t wait for the bag to arrive in the mail. When it did, it took me all of 2 seconds to tear into it. I was probably on my third candy coated almond before the mail carrier was off of our street.

I have no shame when it comes to nuts, coffee, chocolate, or catfish. No shame whatsoever.

My mind has been buzzing over the many uses for these wonderful and beautiful candy coated almonds. I’m afraid that the pictures here just don’t do them enough justice. They’re so bright, shiny, and colorful!

Below are just some of the ways I’ve come up with for enjoying these little lovelies.

Blue and White Candy Coated Almonds

  1. Celebrate March Madness with your favorite team’s colors. I bleed UK Wildcat’s blue and white, so it’s little wonder that I chose these two colors! Leave the delicious candy coated almonds in candy dishes, throw them in a bowl with fresh popcorn, or use them to spell out your team’s initials on top of a cake.
  2. Use colorful candy coated almonds in Easter baskets and/or as Easter decorations.
  3. During baseball season, choose the colors of your favorite team. I’d have St. Louis Cardinals’ colors in baskets, candy dishes, bowls, etc.
  4. These beautiful candy coated almonds would make excellent wedding favors. There are countless wedding favor bags and boxes available.  Simply order candy covered almonds in the chosen wedding colors and fill the bags/boxes.
  5. These are perfect for snacks at the office. Keep the bag in your desk drawer and you’ll have healthy snacks readily available throughout the day.
  6. Fourth of July? Red, white, and blue candy coated almonds would be gorgeous on cupcakes, cakes, and cookies.
  7. You could use these almonds as favors at a baby shower, much as you would a wedding.  There are colors available that make me instantly think of baby showers: pink, blue, yellow, white…
  8. Speaking of pink, activities and fund raisers for breast cancer awareness would be a perfect fit for the beautiful pink candy coated almonds.
  9. A bag or two of candy coated almonds would be delicious additions to gift baskets, whether it’s for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, or Christmas.
  10. Send a few bags to your favorite college student.  We all love to send treats to those we love and, quite frankly, Oh Nuts products are PERFECT for this. Nuts travel well and won’t spoil or get “messy” like a lot of other treats. As a bonus, they’re as healthy as they are delicious!
  11. Use beautiful red and white candy coated almonds in heart-shaped candy dishes as part of your Valentine’s Day decor.  Give some as gifts to your favorite valentine as well.
  12. Choose red, green, white, gold metallic or silver metallic  for Christmas decorating. They’d be beautiful additions to fruit baskets.
  13. Orange and Black Candy Coated Almonds are perfect for Halloween!
  14. St. Patrick’s day cupcakes call for green candy coated almonds.
  15. NFL fans can choose their team’s colors for tailgating snacks.
  16. The metallic colored almonds (see #12) are also ideal for New Year’s Eve AND silver or gold wedding anniversaries.

White Candy Coated Almonds

Health Benefits of Almonds:

  • Since almonds are a plant based food, they contain no cholesterol.
  • Almonds are loaded with protein, fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E and other antioxidants and phytochemicals.
  • Studies show that just 3 ounces of almonds a day can actually lower a person’s cholesterol by 14 percent. 14 percent!
  • When we munch on healthy snacks, like nuts, we stay away from unhealthy and harmful snacks like chips. That, alone, makes them worth their weight in gold.

Wonka Candy Just in Time For Easter

Get Those Easter Baskets Ready!

by Joi

Wonka Sweetarts Jellybeans CarrotAs someone with a head full of sweet teeth, I recently hit the mother-load. Wonka Candy sent me a goody bag filled with outrageously delicious candy to review on Get Cooking and I love them dearly for it. The candy had an adorable Easter theme, so for those of you who will soon be filling Easter baskets, pay close attention.

First of all, here’s one you’ll want o pocket – as in, don’t put these in any Easter Baskets, you’ll just take them right back out. Wonka Exceptionals Scrumdiddlyumptious Chocolate Eggs are as delicious to eat as they are fun to eat. Cute candy shouldn’t have such a Heavenly chocolate flavor, right? That intense chocolate goodness should be saved for the high brow bars wrapped in shiny foil. I guess someone forgot to tell Wonka.

Thank goodness.

The Wonka Exceptionals Scrumdiddlyumptious Chocolate Eggs are milk chocolates shaped like Easter eggs. Oh, but get this – Wonka has more up his sleeve. These milk chocolate eggs are teaming with delicious toffee, crispy cookie, and crunchy peanuts. When I first bit into one, I immediately looked down at the remaining egg in my hand – to see what made it so extraordinary. I was expecting a chocolate egg, with nothing but chocolate (which would have been delightful as well), but then I got this amazing surprise of crunchy deliciousness. When I looked down, I saw the culinary culprits – toffee bits, peanuts and cookie crisps.

Are you registering just how delicious these eggs are? If so then you know what I mean when I say don’t let the Easter Bunny put these in any baskets – keep them for your private stash.

Also delicious are the flavorful and adorable Wonka Springy Double Yummy Gummies. The flavors are orange (represented by a duck), yellow (represented by a sheep), and strawberry (you guessed it, a pink bunny). These are stupid good. My youngest daughter is madly in love with them and wants to stockpile them for the entire year. I thought she was kidding until I saw the look of determination in her eye. I think I’d better take her seriously.

These are extremely good and so cute I can’t even describe it. These little guys have the fruity gumminess you’d expect PLUS a little fluffy marshmallow surprise. You can’t have Easter without at least a little marshmallow.

Wonka is just outdoing himself this Easter. Look in the candy aisle of your favorite store for these candies PLUS Wonka Gobstoppers (a personal favorite – I dig out all the reds and grapes… drives everyone crazy, but I just Wonka Sweetarts Jellybeans Easter Candysay, “Beat me to it and they’re your’s” – I’m a loving mother but I take no prisoners when it comes to candy.), and Wonka Sweetarts Jellybeans. The Jellybeans are bright and colorful and more delicious than you remember jelly beans being.

They have some packages of orange jellybeans shaped like giant carrots. I had one sitting in an Easter Basket on the table right in front of an adorably Ty rabbit. It lasted a few days – until one of the suspects (my sources say it was daughter #2) couldn’t resist temptation any more. The rabbit never saw it coming.

The orange jellybeans aren’t just cute when they join forces to make the carrot, they’re actually delicious – with a distinct orange flavor.

When it comes to making Easter and spring cupcakes, cookies, and cakes – you’ll want to grab a few of these bags to have on hand for decorations.  I love to ice sugar cookies and use jellybeans to create a border.  The same approach makes some pretty darn cute cupcakes, too.

Don’t wait for Easter Sunday to enjoy all of these Wonka treats – make the season last as long as possible by enjoying them now. Do like I’ve done and create a big Easter Basket filled with them on your dining room table, complete with bunnies, chicks, and “grass.” You might need to set up a surveillance camera, though.

Especially if you invite anyone in my family over.

Dove Chocolates: For a Valentine’s Day You’ll Never Forget

New Swirl Candies are the Stuff Dreams are Made Of

by Joi

Dove Promises

We’ve always been big fans of Dove chocolates in our home.  Dove Chocolates give you the rich, smooth, and creamy flavor of extremely expensive chocolates without costing you a small fortune.  Another big plus?  They’re easier to find than trouble.  No need to “check for a retailer near you,” just run to your favorite grocery or department store and grab reinforcements as soon as you run out.

Or, better yet, do as I do and grab reinforcements before you run out.

A chocolate-y sense of irony just occurred to me.  I’m writing a chocolate candy review while eating a couple of chocolates (Dove’s Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Swirl candies) and drinking a cold mocha frap.   And that’s not all.  As all of this is playing out, it’s doing so as I’m surrounded by the aroma of a chocolate cake in the oven.

Can you even picture how widely I’m smiling right now?

You still have time to sweeten your Valentine’s Day gift.  Run to your nearest store and stock up on Dove Chocolates.  You MUST, MUST, MUST find their newest delectables:

  • Dove Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Swirl bar – The smooth chocolate combines with the sweet raspberry in a way that delights every cell in your body.
  • Dove White & Milk Chocolate Swirl bar – While I can tell you that this candy bar is outrageously delicious (truly, truly spectacular), I missed the chance to give you the imagery that would have done the flavor justice.  When each of my daughters tasted this candy bar, their expressions summed it up perfectly.  Imagine the look on someone’s face when they’ve just eaten something so delicious they feel a little bit guilty.  Picturing it?  Now you have a fraction of an idea of how wonderful this bar is.
  • Individual sized Dove Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Swirl candies – These stupid good little candies made me vow another New Year’s Resolution:  I resolve to NOT let a day go by without having at least one of these little wonderful treats.  The good news is I’ve finally made a resolution I’ll keep!  Honestly, I intend to eat one of these every day for the rest of my happy chocolate-loving life.
  • Dove Promises are outstandingly smooth and delicious little candies.  The little individual candies have fun, uplifting little messages inside the wrapper – we always get a huge kick out of these.  As though we needed another reason to tear into them.

So there you have it.  A couple of suggestions from the world’s biggest chocolate lover – if you want to really step up your Valentine’s Day efforts this year, head off for the store now and buy each of the suggestions above…

… then watch their face!

Divine White Chocolate with Strawberries

Let it be written, let it be posted, let it be tweeted:  Divine Chocolates are extraordinary!

A few weeks back, I was sent some Divine chocolate candy to review on my food blog. When it comes to something like chocolate, I always pinch myself… “Is this person really asking me if they can send me chocolate?” L-U-C-K-Y! The best I can figure, fate must smile upon those who live right. Fortunately, sometimes it hands you chocolate as its smiling.

LOVE when it does that.

Divine Chocolate mailed me a Dark Chocolate with Raspberries bar, some adorable little heart-shaped candies (dark and milk chocolate), and what will forever go down as one of the most sensational candy bars I’ve ever eaten – their White Chocolate with Strawberries. Not surprisingly, I thought we’d start the review with this one!

The Divine White Chocolate with Strawberries bar (shown in all its glory at the top of the post) is smooth, creamy white chocolate with crunchy pieces of real strawberry crisp. The explosion of wonderful, full strawberry flavor works like a dream with the creamy, delicious white chocolate. It’s a combination that I can’t get out of my mind. It’s just sensational.

Divine Dark Chocolate with Raspberries

Another dream combination is Raspberries and chocolate – in fact, it’s one of the most magical combinations I can think of. Divine’s Dark Chocolate with Raspberries is out of this world, as well. Even people who aren’t wild about dark chocolate (seriously, people?) will love this bar. The raspberry flavor works like a charm.

The adorable and delicious heart candies were also a huge hit in our house. Perfect for throwing in your mouth any time you feel the need for chocolate. You don’t even want to know how often I get in touch with that need.

Each of these remarkable candy bars (including the hearts) are suitable for vegetarians. What’s more, they are free from artificial flavorings, colorings and preservatives. And did I mention they were remarkably delicious?

About Divine Chocolates or What Makes them Truly Divine

Choosing Divine as your chocolate treat is a delicious way of playing your part in a more equitable trading partnership. Divine is the only Fairtrade chocolate company which is 45% owned by the farmers. While Fairtrade ensures farmers receive a better deal for their cocoa and additional income to invest in their community, company ownership gives farmers a share of Divine’s profits and a stronger voice in the cocoa industry. That’s good business! – From Divine Chocolates

You can order Divine Chocolates online, or use their Store Finder to find the store closest to you. If you want to give your Valentine candy they’ll never forget, here’s your chance.  A word of caution, though: You’ll want to buy yourself a few bars as well, they may love you but they aren’t going to want to share!

Divine Dark and Milk Chocolate Hearts

Good ol’ Dan’s Chocolates – they think of everything. Don’t get me wrong, like any self-respecting chocoholic, I’d love them even if they thought of nothing. Fortunately, though, they’re as clever as they are Heavenly.

Dan’s Chocolates has every occasion you can possibly imagine, as well as some you may not have thought of. Their outstanding chocolate candy will be delivered to you (or your lucky recipient) in a great-looking box – ready and willing to celebrate whatever occasion is at hand.

The box above is the Back to School Chocolates and can you imagine the look of sheer joy on a student’s face when you surprise them with this box of deliciousness – or even when you have it shipped to them?  The THANK YOU’s would never stop.

Back To School Chocolates

  • Chocolate truffles delivered directly to you.
  • We can make chocolate delivery anywhere in the USA.
  • A 1 pound box includes 36 truffles or 16 1 oz bars.

Back To School Chocolates – About this Gift Box

Dan’s Chocolates makes this great chocolate truffle gift box for students returning to school or college. 36 fresh cream truffles will not be forgotten easily. The school bus design is printed on the box cover.

Head over to Dan’s Chocolates and enter Back to School Chocolates in the search box.

While you’re there, check out the other amazing gift boxes and gifts. There’s a Back to School Teddy Bear with chocolates that I have both eyes on….If I can just convince the husband I don’t have to go back to school to get it…

One of my favorite candies is also one of the funnest to eat:  M&M’s! I love the plain and peanut equally. Not only do I eat them straight from the bag like there’s no tomorrow, I LOVE to put them into my popcorn – whether at the movies or home.  They’re also remarkable in cookies, cupcakes, and brownies.

Basically, there’s no wrong way to eat M&M’s.

I adore the personalized M&M’s too. How freakin’ clever!  If you have a special graduate in your life, you’ll want to impress them to the moon and back with their own personalized bag of M&M’s.  Click through the banner below to learn more and to place your own order.  It’ll earn you instant hero (or heroine) status with a lucky graduate who’ll show them off to everyone they know!

Affiliate Banner / 12% off

You can also personalize your M&M”s to flaunt your favorite sports team – beyond cool.  It’d make a perfect gift for Father’s Day, in a bag along with a jersey or hat featuring his favorite team… maybe even tickets! View Show your team support with personalized MY M&M’S® candies. for more details.  They even have GORGEOUS M&M dispensers featuring your favorite team’s logo.  Father’s Day, nothing, I want the St. Louis Cardinals one!

Too cool. Too cute. Too clever. You know what that means… It’s perfect for mom! M&M’s have made their popular, personalized candies for quite a while now and everyone loves them. (Seriously, how could you not love M&M’s?)

They’ve come up with something extraordinary for all the mothers of the world, though. You can select from an endless variety of colors, add personalized messages, and even upload a face to create special gifts for your mom – or for to fill candy dishes in her house for an outrageous surprise. Imagine HER face when she picks up a bite of candy only to find YOUR face looking back at her.

Click the ad below for more information.


Affiliate Banner / 10% off - Mothers Day

My family and I just had an unbelievable chocolate task – we tried to decide which one of Madelaine Duets Double-Filled Chocolate Truffles were the best.   Dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it… and I insist upon it being me!

I was sent a gorgeous box of Madelaine Duets double filled chocolate truffles to review for Get Cooking.  Have I told you lately how much I love what I do? These truffles are so amazing, I’m in complete awe of them.  We all went back and forth over which one is the best – I think we finally decided that we’d walk across glass for any of the varieties.

As if through magic, Madelaine has created four flavorful and wonderfully creative combinations: Peanut Butter & Caramel, Milk Truffle & White Truffle, Raspberry & Peanut Butter and Raspberry & White Truffle.   Each delicious combination is encased in the finest milk chocolate shell imaginable.  And they aren’t small truffles by any means.

The Madelaine® Chocolate Company researched and experimented with several flavors to create the best combinations.

“We experimented with the finest ingredients and numerous flavor combinations to find the perfect flavor harmony. The raspberry could not be too tart or too sweet or it would overpower the peanut butter. At the same time, we needed a buttery caramel that would enhance the flavor of the creamy smooth peanut butter. And of course the milk and white truffle had to be perfectly balanced.”

My daughters’ favorites were the Peanut Butter & Caramel and Milk Truffle & White Truffle.  My husband (who was working when the box came and was left with one to try!!!) loved the Peanut Butter Caramel Truffle (poor dear, he lives with a houseful of chocoholics who readily share everything except chocolate).  As for me, you know what, I think I might barely choose the Raspberry & White Truffle.   I’ve always been particularly crazy about the flavor raspberry and don’t often have the chance to enjoy it as a candy – especially not while paired with white chocolate.  You can’t even begin to imagine how outstanding this truffle is!

Whatever you do, head over to Madelaine Duets website and place a couple of orders:  Grab some for yourself, of course, and grab a couple of varieties for your mom.  Mother’s Day is just  around the corner and I promise you, these truffles will put a smile on mom’s face that will fill your heart with happiness.

These chocolate truffles are completely and utterly sensational.

As you know, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.   And if you’re anything like me, if it’s a special day, you HAVE to have great chocolate and plenty of it.  Actually, I have to have great chocolate every day, but I digress.

Chocolate doesn’t get any better than Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate – which is why I write about it so frequently here on Get Cooking:

Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate Give Us Reason to Celebrate

Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate: As Chocolate as Humanly Possible

Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate is Still the Best Chocolate on Earth

Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate Has Done it Again and I Love Them

Obviously, I’m hooked.  There’s one thing you’ve surely noticed about me by now and that’s that I am extremely Brand Loyal.  If I find a brand of chocolate (Green & Black’s), shredded and sliced cheese (Sargentos), Gourmet Cheese (Beemster’s), dishwashing liquid (Dawn), etc. that never lets me down – I never let it down. I stick with it and I praise it to the hilt.

Green & Black’s Organic chocolate most definitely fits this bill.  Take it from the world’s most addicted  chocoholic – this is top of the line, delicious, creamy chocolate.

We all know that chocolate is a necessity year round, but  Valentine’s Day is custom made for it.  Nothing says “You’re Special” better than the gift of premium organic chocolate.  Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Green & Black’s has introduced its first U.S. exclusive flavor to its family of premium organic chocolate bars. Green & Black’s new Peanut bar is a blend of premium 37% milk chocolate with a delectable combination of caramelized peanuts and a hint of sea salt.

How over-the-top incredible does that sound?!?!

Below is an outline of chocolate-y wonderful ideas for celebrating Valentine’s Day the way it was intended to be celebrated.  These ideas are courtesy of Green & Black’s and I hope you’ll let them inspire you to go all out this Valentine’s Day.

Whether you’re single and celebrating with a group of friends or planning a romantic evening for two, Green & Black’s has enlisted Micah Carr-Hill, their Head of Taste, to create a romantic menu for an unforgettable Valentine’s Day!

Singles: Wine and Chocolate Pairing Party

This year, avoid the crowded restaurants and host an intimate wine and chocolate pairing party that your closest friends won’t soon forget.  Your guests will fall in love with the latest wine pairings just for Valentine’s Day including:

  • Green & Black’s Toffee and Zinfandel

Chocolate, toffee and wine…three of life’s great pleasures. It’s never truer than when pairing the rich, dark-fruit characters in the wine accentuate the chocolate’s buttery sweet toffee flavors.

  • Green & Black’s White and Chardonnay

This may just be the world’s perfect pairing. The silky smoothness, creamy texture and vanilla finish of Green & Black’s White is perfectly complemented by the tropical fruit and hint of oak in a classic Chardonnay.

  • Green & Black’s Dark 85% and Syrah

Intense! This is the only way to describe the pairing of Green & Black’s Dark 85% and a rich Syrah. The complexity and sturdy structure of the wine softens and enhances the dark, intense chocolate.

Couples: Romantic Chocolate Tasting for Two

There’s nothing better than chocolate to set the mood for a romantic evening for two.   Candles and rose petals are great, but nothing will show your special someone they’re the sweetest than a passionate chocolate tasting.  Take these tips for an at-home chocolate tasting from Green & Black’s:

  • Conduct the tasting like you would a wine tasting
  • Choose up to six of your favorite flavours  to taste
  • Start with the lightest variety (White) and finish with the darkest (Dark 85%)

Green & Black’s is a chocolate that makes no compromises. The great tasting chocolate made from the world’s finest organic ingredients also gives back to the environment.

In celebration of the launch of the new Peanut bar, Green & Black’s is offering a special $1 off coupon for customers.  Visit www.greenandblacks.com for a downloadable coupon which can be used at select retailers, including Target.

************

Target is pretty much my home away from home, so it’s where I get all of my Green & Black’s chocolate candy.

Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows

Oh Joy! Oh Happiness! Oh Unspeakable pleasure! I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that I’m either in the middle of a cup of coffee, a chocolate experience, a delicious cookie, or am currently going one on one with candy of some sort.

I’m actually sort of out-doing myself right now. I just finished my pot of coffee and am losing myself in the best cup of hot chocolate I’ve EVER had. Did you catch that? – - – - EVER!

As always, I made my favorite Hot Chocolate recipe (It’s the one on the back of Kroger’s Baking Cocoa – funny, huh? I’ve tried every hot chocolate recipe known to exist and the best one is on a container of baking cocoa…and a store brand at that! What!?) This recipe always, always, always makes an outstanding cup of hot cocoa. However, I was feeling pretty full of myself this morning, so I kicked it up a notch. Right before I laddled the hot chocolate into our eager holiday mugs (my oldest daughter Emily is always my partner in hot chocolate adventures), I stirred in a little Hershey’s chocolate syrup.

Then, I poured the chocolate, aromatic, liquid Heaven into our cups. I topped hers off with three Chocolate Chipetta Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows – the look on her face was all I needed to tell me that she was in Chocolate Heaven and didn’t want to ever return. I took a sip and I must say – it doesn’t get any chocolate-y-er than this. YUM!

I topped my hot cocoa off with 3 Caramel Swirl Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows. Then, with my intentions clear, I sprinkled on a little Sea Salt. You got it! I was aiming for the effect of Starbuck’s Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. I honestly, humbly, and with chocolate and marshmallow goo on my face believe I outdid myself. This was a truly remarkable, ridiculously delicious cup of hot chocolate. I’ll just go ahead and say it – it’s even better than the drink Starbucks once made (then heartlessly yanked away!). The delicious caramel flavoring in these marshmallows isn’t just delicious – it’s slap your face delicious.

The same is true of the Chocolate Chipetta Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows. I know my chocolate, and these are premium, first class chocolate marshmallows. They earn the term Gourmet with every single bite.

Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows

I’ve thrown the Chocolate Chipetta Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows on top of a dollop of homemade whipped topping in coffee and highly recommend it! Think about it: Coffee, chocolate, candy… all in one place. It makes a remarkable cup of coffee that tastes like it came from a coffeehouse.

I’ve also tried the Luscious Lemony Meringue Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows. If the amazing smell of these gourmet marshmallows doesn’t knock you out, the flavor will. Heavenly! I toss them on top of hot tea – for those of you who (silly gooses!) who don’t care for green tea, these gourmet marshmallows will make the experience one to remember. You’ll drink every last drop.

The different flavors of gourmet marshmallows are outstanding on smores, too. I just build them and put them in the microwave. Everyone loves them. They’re perfect, beautiful, and delicious snacks for eating during ballgames, holiday specials, reruns of Andy Griffith, or your favorite Food Network show.

Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows

I’ve also toasted them (on the stove) and used them as dips for chocolate and caramel sauces. Amazing… that’s the best word for the experience… amazing!

There are Peppi-Mint, Cinnamon, and Vanilla Bean varieties that I’ve yet to try. I’m especially eager to meet the Peppi-Mint and Vanilla Bean flavors. Oh the plans I have for them!!!

Do yourself (and the people you’d consent to share with) a wonderful favor and head over to Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows to read more and, best of all, to order your own gourmet marshmallows. These are NOT, NOT, NOT like traditional, store-bought marshmallows. It’s like the difference between an eagle and a housefly.

Drat. My mug’s empty. Time to make more!

Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows

Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows on YouTube!

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