Easter Dots come in one of the happiest looking boxes I’ve seen in a long time.

They’re also crazy cheap, most of the time a theater box like this that holds 7 ounces is just a buck. When I looked at the flavors on this box I was a little confused about what made these an Easter version besides the box (Mike and Ike come in holiday boxes that are the exact same candy). The flavors are Blueberry, Lemon, Lime, Cherry and Orange. The flavors of the classic Dots box are Strawberry, Lemon, Lime, Cherry and Orange. So in this version the Strawberry has been swapped for Blueberry.

These were very fresh. Tootsie does a good job of sealing up the boxes well and Dots have a clear cellophane overwrap.

Once I opened the box I found out the big difference, it’s the color. Easter Dots are bright and opaque little nubbins.

Well, maybe there was another difference. These seem to be just as smooth but have a “shorter” chew to them, so they didn’t stick to my teeth like Dots usually do. I liked the freshness of the flavors, though it’s a little bland it’s also soothing. The blueberry was pretty convincing though I wish that one replaced the cherry instead of the strawberry.

Rating: 6 out of 10

I’ve been searching all over for these for the past month and finally found them at Whole Foods yesterday ... not with the candy but at the end of the cereal aisle.

Divine Milk Chocolate Speckled Eggs are all natural and fair trade milk chocolate eggs with a candy shell.

They’re freakishly expensive at $4.99 for 3.5 ounces, far more than I’d be willing to pay on a regular basis. I really only bought them because I’d been searching so hard for them it seemed weird to find them and then get decide they were too expensive. The chocolate is made from beans from the Kuapa Kokoo cocoa cooperative in Ghana. Seems like Easter is one of those holidays where folks may want to pay more attention to the social responsibility behind the treats.

The stand up box is charming. Inside is a little clear cellophane bag with a little more than a handful of eggs.

They’re very similar to Cadbury Mini Eggs. The shape is more football than pear. They beautiful muted colors and a matte finish.

The shell is smooth and softly decorated. The shell is quite thick and crunchy. The chocolate inside has a silky melt, a little sticky with a good caramelized dairy note. I liked them a lot and will probably buy them again next year. Hopefully they can be found in larger packages for better value. (Also, Whole Foods could do a better job of putting them where people can find them. I went to three different stores and it wasn’t until the fourth circuit of the one at 3rd & Fairfax that I found them - even after asking a stockperson.)

Rating: 7 out of 10

The Sour Patch Bunnies are like many other Easter versions of regular candies. As you can imagine these are little bunny shaped candies instead of being shaped like spiky haired children.

I liked the box a lot, it was easy to tell apart from the regular Sour Patch offerings. The only quibble is really the packaging. Like many theater box candies, inside the box the candy is inside a plain cellophane bag. As I mentioned above, the Dots are just tumbling around in the box and there’s a cellophane seal on the outside. For this version I have to open the box top completely to get the bag out, dump the candy into the box and then I’m faced with an opening that is really too large for dispensing.

They’re a little lighter in color compared to the Sour Patch Kids. Honestly, I prefer this. They’re colored enough that I can tell them apart and guess the flavor and that’s really all I need. Other than that, the shape was so vague, unless you told me these were bunnies I wouldn’t have known. Pink is the classic Swedish Fish flavor with a tangy coating. Green is lime, yellow is lemon and orange is orange. A biting sour coating, a chewy sweet jelly candy in the center ... they’re great.

Rating: 7 out of 10

I bought this Russell Stover Peanut Butter Pastelle Rabbit online from Russell Stover. I just couldn’t find it in the stores and thought it was a unique product.

The rabbit is similar to the white chocolate one I tried last year (and didn’t like that much, so I wonder why I was curious about this one). It’s a peanut butter coating (like peanut butter baking chips) with a peanut butter filling.

The three ounce flat rabbit is nicely molded. The butterscotch color is also really appealing. It smells like vanilla pudding and peanut butter. The coating though is a bit waxy and stiff, it melts but not in a dreamy way that good white chocolate does. But it’s not too sweet, which is a relief as well. The filling is a crumbly peanut butter with a salty note and a dry grainy crunch. I kind of got into it. I’d prefer it in a smaller format though, maybe one of the smaller eggs they do.

Rating: 6 out of 10.

Brach’s Classic Jelly Bird Eggs are cheap jelly beans. I don’t know what classic is, the package gives no indication what the flavors are.

They’re only 99 cents for a generous 9 ounce bag. Even at that bargain price, they’re not much of a deal. They’re pretty enough to look at and probably decorate with, but they’re inconsistent in flavor and execution. I also resent not knowing what’s inside. It’s not like the bag is tiny and has no room for information like the flavor array.

White is pineapple. It’s sweet and floral but bland. Green is lime and rather strong but lacking zest. Purple is grape and is utterly stupid ... seriously, it tastes like sweet stupidity. Black is licorice. All of the black ones seemed to be smaller than the other jelly beans. Still, they were tasty and well done. Pink is bitter and just dreadful. Perhaps it’s strawberry. Red is not as bitter but still dreadful. Orange is sweet and empty. Finally there’s yellow, which is actually pretty good, it’s like a sugared lemon peel.

Rating: 4 out of 10

So as annoying as I found the Classic beans, you’d think I would be happy with the Brach’s Spiced Jelly Bird Eggs which are quite clear on the front that they feature spice flavors.

I was hoping for rich flavors, but of course I know Brach’s well enough that I really won’t be getting much more than a decent looking product. The bag doesn’t promise much more than a good value, so I should probably adjust my expectations.

Red is a mild cinnamon, not as good as Hot Tamales and kind of tinged with some of the mint notes, but still pleasant like a cup of spiced chai. White is peppermint. I have to say that a peppermint jelly bean is a little odd especially since it’s so grainy but still fresh tasting. Pink is wintergreen which I really love except when there’s too much food dye like this one that has a weird bitter clove & plastic aftertaste - but at moments it’s kind of like root beer. Purple is clove and is actually mild enough for me to enjoy though true clove lovers will probably be disappointed. Orange is sweet and again lacking in any pizazz. Black is again licorice and pretty good (though it makes my tongue dark green).

I think the problem is that I’ve already had some pretty good spice jelly beans from Hot Tamales (Just Born) and there’s really no need to switch brands, the price is comparable, availability is the only issue.

Rating: 5 out of 10

Related Candies

1. Halloween Dots: Bat, Candy Corn & Ghost
2. Divine Fair Trade Chocolate
3. Whoppers Reese’s Peanut Butter Flavored Candy
4. Dots Elements: Earth, Air, Fire & Water
5. Cadbury Popping Mini Eggs
6. Hot Tamales Spice Jelly Beans
7. Cadbury Mini Eggs

Lovely little candy coated milk chocolate eggs with natural colorings. On top of that, they’re fair trade.

Ferrara Pan has been expanding their candy line significantly in the past five years. Their new chocolate line is supposed to give Toblerone a run for its money and their new Easter candies may challenge Farley’s & Sathers.

I picked up this rather classic mix called Chicks & Bunnies Jelly Candy. They’re sugar sanded jelly candies in the shape of baby chickens or rabbits in fruit flavors. They’re made in the United States and unlike gummi candies, these jellies are made with sugar and starch so they’re probably okay for vegans. They’re also dirt cheap. I got this 9.5 ounce bag for 88 cents at Rite Aid.

The pieces are big and nicely shaped. The mass is similar to to an Orange Slice jelly candy. The chunky bunnies and chicks were rather ordinary but easy to handle. I ate them in two bites, but I suppose one would make a large portion.

Red = Cherry: The First thing to know about these jelly candies is that they’re similar to Orange Slices. They’re sweet and firm but very smooth. They’re also not tangy, it’s all about the sweet and aromatics of the flavor. Cherry is more like a cherry bubble gum than a wild cherry. It reminded me of Cherry Chapstick.

Orange = Orange: Yup, this is an Orange Slice, only in the shape of a little chick. I like the ones that have really strong zest flavors and this one isn’t the best I’ve ever had but would certainly sooth an aching craving.

Yellow = Lemon: Was I complaining about the lack of zest in the Orange? Lemon has oodles of it, so much I think it burned a hole in my tongue. They’re zippy, I tell you.

Purple = Grape: This was weird. It didn’t taste like grapes smell, like the rest of these flavors. Instead it was like some scented stationery I bought a garage sale when I was a teenager. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but after being in an enclosed space with it for too long, I couldn’t even stomach being in the same room.

Uncolored = Pineapple: These smelled so nice, so pretty. A combination of lilies, strawberries and cotton candy. It didn’t taste like much, more like a weak pina colada, but still it was a fresh change of pace.

Green = Lime: This was a surprise. It wasn’t the typical lime, that flavor ruined by floor cleaners and cheap men’s aftershave. This was more like a soft whisper of key lime zest.

These are not exciting, they’re not revolutionary. They’re just some nicely made and inoffensive jelly candies. The kind of candy that just about everyone will eat, few will love and fewer will hate. Perfect if you need to decorate on a budget. (Seriously, instead of getting some little ocean fowling Chinese-made plastic doo dads, just grab a bag of these and put them on cupcakes or put on long bamboo skewers and add to a bouquet of daffodils.)

They also had another new product called Gummy Bunnies on the shelves that I didn’t buy. Maybe one of the other candy bloggers will pick them up. (Photo here.)

Related Candies

1. Lemonhead & Friends Jelly Beans
2. Spearmint Leaves
3. Gourmet Gumdrops
4. Marich Easter Select Mix
5. Necco Paas Gummi Baby Bunnies
6. Harry & David Fall Leaves Fruit Gels
7. The Real Jelly Babies

I think I bought too much Easter candy. But if I want to eat it, I have to review it.

I bought the Christmas edition of Sugar Babies a little over a year ago and was pretty disappointed with them.

I was suckered into them by two things: I was on vacation and they package design was prettier than before. This box shows the shape of the Sugar Babies logo as an egg nestled in stylized blades of grass, complete with a lady bug behind it.

There is something far more fitting about Sugar Babies for Easter. It’s like they’re actual caramel jelly beans. Well, I guess they’re caramel beans. They come in five colors: pink, blue, green, purple and yellow.

The candy coated panning is better this time. The colors are more opaque and consistent and maybe shinier than before.

But beyond the look of them and the packaging, I still wasn’t happy. The extra candy coating made them sweeter, which muted the wonderful milky and toasted flavors of the caramel. It was grainier and had a weird metallic note to it, like baking soda. The centers were a little firmer than I like as well, and these were definitely fresh. Nope, I’m done with the holiday editions. I’m sticking to the plain old caramel colored ones that come in a sealed bag.

Related Candies

1. Holiday Edition Sugar Babies
2. Necco Slap Stix Caramel
3. Nips: Caramel & Dulce de Leche
4. Caramel Apple Sugar Babies
5. Sugar Babies
6. Chocolate Covered Sugar Babies
7. Goetze’s Caramel Creams

Here are some new products just hitting store shelves.

Name: Popzels
Brand: Waymouth Farms, Inc.
Description: Sweet, salty and oh so satisfying, our new Popzels™ are REAL chocolate-dipped pretzel balls in three different varieties: milk, white and dark chocolate. Now available in standup re-sealable bags and bulk. 
Introduction Date: 02/01/10
Notes: I’ve tried these and they are quite fun. They’re about the same size and format as a malted milk ball. The pretzel is airy and light, so it’s not like a chocolate covered pretzel nugget. The chocolate is decent and the option of chocolate coating is good though it’d be fun for a bag to have all three.

Name: Cherry RAISINETS
Brand: Nestle
Description: With the introduction of Cranberry RAISINETS(r) last year, cherries are the second new fruit to be introduced to the brand portfolio in more than 80 years. This delicious treat follows the lead of its chocolate-covered predecessors, with premium whole dried fruit covered in 100 percent NESTLE chocolate, making them an indulgence that is a cherry on top of anyone’s day! Premium, whole dried cherries are sourced from one of the premier cherry growing regions in Michigan. These Montmorency Tart Cherries are drenched in rich NESTLE(r) Dark Chocolate, creating a mouthwatering combination that is both sweet and creamy while also juicy and tangy. For anyone looking for something different, Cherry RAISINETS provides a win-win option with 1/2 a serving of real fruit in every 1/4 cup and 30 percent less fat than the leading chocolate brands.
Notes: I was irritated when the called them Cranberry Raisinets and can’t figure out why they’re also bestowing the lowly name of raisin for dried cherries which are so much better than that. Still, I’m hoping they don’t have additional sugar on them like the dried cranberries which were pretty flavorless.

Name: Côte d’Or Chocolate Bars - Rainforest Alliance Certified
Brand: Cote d’Or (Kraft)
Description: 4 enticing selections of premium Belgian chocolate bars: dark 86% cocoa, dark 70% cocoa, dark w/ orange peel and dark w/ pistachio.
These bars have more than 30% RAINFOREST ALLIANCE CERTIFIED cocoa content. By collaborating with the Rain Forest Alliance, Côte d’Or now helps support 3 keys of Sustainability: environmental (protect against deforestation and limit the use of chemical pesticides), social (to provide workers a safe and healthy work environment, better access to medical care, education and housing) and economic (to improve farming practices, resulting in improving profitability for the farmers and dignified wages for the workers). Our special blend of roasted cocoa beans from West Africa and noble beans from South America deliver a full-bodied chocolate w/ rich intense flavors and smooth refined textures that make Côte d’Or the #1 chocolate brand in Belgium.
Introduction Date: 03/01/2010
Notes: I’m not sure why it’s only 30% Rainforest Alliance content, but hey, it’s a start. Pistachio sounds good and it’s definitely an under-utilized nut. I’m also a fan of orange peel in dark chocolate, so that’s most likely to be my first choice.

Name: Sunkist Citrus Burst
Brand: Big Sky Brands Inc.
Description: Introducing, new Sunkist Citrus Burst - the first and only citrus mint line combining all natural fruit flavors with a low calorie sugar free formulation. It’s a delicious new way to enjoy authentic citrus refreshment! Available flavors: Valencia Orange, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Eureka Lemon & Key Lime.
Introduction Date: 01/01/2010
Notes: I love the design on the tins and of course I’m a huge fan of grapefruit. I don’t know what the ingredients are in these, but if they’re sugar alcohols without artificial sweeteners I’d probably give them a try.

Name: Choward’s Guava Candies
Brand: C. Howard Company, Inc.
Description: A new addition to the Choward’s line, with eye catching graphics and an exciting new flavor.
Introduction Date: 01/01/2010
Notes: This is the first new flavor I’ve heard of from them and the fact that it’s guava is pretty intriguing.

Name: Honey Lovers
Brand: Gimbal’s Fine Candies
Description: Honey Lovers colorful heart-shaped fruit chews are made with the Natural Goodness of Real Honey and are high in Antioxidant Vitamin C. Consisting of 16 incredibly delicious flavor combinations, Honey Lovers includes Pomegranate Honey, Honey Dipped Strawberry, Honey Vanilla, Huckleberry Honey and more. A truly enjoyable treat, these scrumptious treats are an assortment of irresistible flavors topped with honey. Honey Lovers is available in 10oz bags and 38oz jars. Best of all, with Honey Lovers you can help Save the Honey Bee! Gimbal’s has committed to donate 5% of proceeds to the University of California Davis Honey Bee Research.
Introduction Date: 3/15/2010
Notes: While I didn’t like the Cherry Lovers mostly because I’m not a cherry lover, I love the concept of a whole bag of different versions of a single flavor. I loved the new Jelly Belly Honey Bean as well ... can you tell that I’m excited by this one?

Name: Mike and Ike RedRageous!
Brand: Just Born
Description: Contains Cherry, Strawberry, Watermelon, Raspberry and Fruit Punch chewy fruit flavored candies. Available in a 6 oz. Theater Size Box
Introduction Date: 3/1/2010
Notes: I like the new combinations Mike and Ike has been doing lately, but of course the whole red thing isn’t likely to be on my hit list. It’s a shame these didn’t make it out before Valentine’s Day as I think that’s a great time to introduce them.

Name: Chimes Ginger Chews Mango & Orange Flavors
Brand: Roxy Trading/Chimes Gourmet
Description: Chimes Ginger Chews now comes in Mango & Orange flavors! Ginger Chews have never been this delicious!
Introduction Date: 09/15/09
Notes: I’ve seen these in stores already, Cost Plus World Market has them and when I was at ExpoWest earlier this month I picked up a few samples that I’m planning on trying. I’m most interested in the Orange, but I have to admit that I wasn’t that interested in the Peanut Butter version and they won me over so maybe they’re right about Mango.

All photos courtesy of the candy manufacturers

Related Candies

1. Candy Tease Valentines 2010
2. Candy Tease: October 2009
3. Candy Tease: September 2009
4. Candy Tease: All Candy Expo 2009 #2
5. Candy Tease: All Candy Expo 2009 - Hershey

Lately The Man and I have been searching for a new dog. As we’ve visited quite a few pounds and rescue organizations it’s startling to see how many rabbits there are. Rabbits are great pets, but too many of them are taken home by families that don’t know what’s involved with their care. Easter is a prime impulse season for pet rabbits (and chicks & ducks) so there’s an organization called Make Mine Chocolate that urges people to reconsider live animal gifts and instead keep the pet decisions out of the Easter basket. So make your Easter basket pet a chocolate one.

I am always drawn to RM Palmer’s package and product design. Their products go downhill after that, but how could I resist this cute little chocolate bunny in a little hutch? It plays on a kid’s desire to nurture without resorting to anthropomorphism. 

The My Little Bunny is actually a fun little teaching toy. It’s a bit more realistic that the regular seated bunny or cartoon style one carrying a basket. This one is about the size of a little baby bunny or a dwarf. It comes in a small box shaped and designed like a carrying hutch with simulated chicken wire on the plastic window. I picked the blue wood-grained box version, but there’s a pink one as well. Also, I think the rabbits come in different colors, I only saw tan ones at the store.

The foil design makes the bunny look a little bit stylized with its vague smile, but for the most part it’s very bunny-like in the crouched position on all fours. The box is far larger than the candy, which is a good thing for a pet, though kind of wasteful as far as packaging. (The bunny is 5 inches long and 3 inches high, the box is 6.5 inches long and four inches high.)

I liked the little box and thought a clever or motivated child might enjoy making use of it to keep a small stuffed animal or other light toys. Unfortunately it’s poorly designed. The little tab in the top that tucks in comes undone when the little carrying handle is used, even when the box is empty. A little tape will fix that (that’s the way it comes in the store), but a bit more thought would have made this far more useful with probably no extra work or weight in the packaging.

There’s a web page just for the My Little Bunny where kids can download an adoption certificate or play games.

The candy itself is subpar. I’ve had the chocolate flavored rabbit before which looked completely fake, like some sort of vinyl dog toy. This one looks like chocolate and is called chocolatey n’ smooth crisp n’ crunchy candy which I figure is a Nestle Crunch simulation.

Since there are no easily accessible ears, I just smashed the hollow bunny instead.

It smells like caramel and chocolate cake, not actual chocolate. The ingredients are sugar, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (Palm Kernel and/or Palm Oil), whey, lactose, crisp rice, cocoa, skim milk, soy lecithin and vanillin. My goodness, cocoa is really far down on that list. On top of that look at the second ingredient, palm oil. Nestle has being going through a huge issue recently for not moving to sustainable palm oil - that campaign has targeted the KitKat bar, which uses a little dash of the stuff, for most RM Palmer products it’s a major component. It’s short sighted to encourage kids to “adopt” a chocolate bunny instead of a real one but then not use sustainable ingredients in the product itself. (Save a bunny, trash a rainforest?)

The flavor is sweet, the texture is grainy and there aren’t nearly enough crisped rice bits to make each bite crunchy. The cocoa notes are like cardboard and there’s a greasy film on the roof of my mouth by the time I finished three bites.

Blech. At least I can wrap what’s left back up in the foil and put it back in the little box and look at it instead.

Related Candies

1. Cookies ‘n’ Creme Showdown
2. R.M. Palmer Quax - The Yummy Ducky
3. Palmer Hollow Chocolate Flavored Bunny
4. Palmer Bee Mine

Perfectly made and gorgeous Passion Fruit Caramels with a little hat of milk chocolate. (Amella now completely enrobes their caramels, I’ll have a review of the new version after Easter.)

Last year I picked up the Marich Select Easter Mix. While I thought it was a beautiful assortment what I really wanted for that price was something equally cute but with more chocolate. I’ve been so pleased with Marich’s expansion of their line of all natural and organic panned items, it’s also nice to see them doing products more in the novelty area that still fit with that line.

So not only are these new All Natural Holland Mints just the right combo of mint and chocolate, they’re also all natural. So my previous complaint about the artificial flavors and their aftertaste messing with the overall experience is gone completely.

Holland Mints go by a few names, depending on who makes them including Dutch Mints and Wedding Mints. They’re a simple minty fondant ball covered in dark chocolate then a crisp candy shell.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have known that these were all natural if someone didn’t tell me. The colors are cool and muted but still vibrant and appealing: magenta, pale blue, pale yellow and white.

The version I had last year had a polished shell, these are a matte version which I actually prefer. They’re smooth and cool on the tongue at first. I’ve mentioned before that these were what I thought the York Pieces should be like. It leaves me to wonder why I’m trying to make something from Hershey’s into something else when there’s already a product that fits the bill for me (and is priced far better than the York Mints that come in the tins).

I can eat them several ways. Sometimes I let the shell dissolve, then getting a smooth hit of the bittersweet chocolate then a powerful blast of the mint fondant. Other times I cleave the shell off to crunch it up and get to the chocolate quicker. Then there are days where I just feel like chewing the whole morsel up for a crunchy, sweet, chocolately and minty combo.

Marich’s All Natural Chocolate Jordan Almonds are what I’ve always wanted Almond M&Ms to be.

They’re a premium nonpareil almond at the center, fresh and perfectly roasted. Then it’s covered in truly rich dark chocolate then a crispy candy shell.

They’re huge, sometimes twice the size of the Almond M&Ms. They’re also beautifully panned and consistent (something that M&Ms haven’t been in the past 10 years or so).

Instead of the matte shell of the Holland Mints, these are a polished and shiny shell. The colors seem more intense though they’re the same: magenta, yellow, light blue and white. I usually steer away from pink or red candies because of the foul bitter aftertaste of Red Dye #40, but these are all natural so all I taste are almonds, sugar and chocolate.

The chocolate is what stands out here, while it’s not a thick layer, it’s creamy and smooth without a trace of graininess or chalkiness. Yes these are more expensive than M&Ms, but they’re just so much better. I hope these are a year round item from Marich.

I got these half pound samples from The Natural Candy Store but I’ve also seen them at Whole Foods in the candy case. I haven’t seen them in the stand up boxes yet. Though they’re all natural there are no statements about other allergens like Wheat/Gluten and they’re not Kosher.

Related Candies

1. Marich Chocolate Sea Salt Cashews
2. Hershey’s York Pieces
3. Marich Easter Select Mix
4. Sconza Jordanettes
5. M&Ms Premiums
6. M&Ms Line
7. Jelly Belly - Full Line