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Stitch's Candy Jar: Holiday Kisses
17 years ago
General
A while back, I griped about how American candy makers were falling behind on the all-important 'creative candy flavors' curve. The Japanese are outstripping us on the Kit Kat front, the English have licorice allsorts, and the Aussies have got both the Cherry Ripe and musk-flavored Lifesavers to contend with. We Americans, however, have traditionally been given the choice of which stuff we want mixed in with our waxy chocolate: crispies, wafers, or crispy wafers.
However, thanks to the good folks who make Hershey's Kisses, we may finally be catching up a bit. I'm old enough to remember when white chocolate kisses and kisses with almonds in them were startling, maybe even dangerous innovations, but now... now there's all kinds of intriguing, kissy goodness to try out. Regrettably, we're still stuck in the 'seasonal offering only - get it while it exists' mode of thinking, which means that even a truly delicious flavor goes bye-bye just as you're finishing off your first and only taste. Still, an ephemeral treat is better than no treat at all. Feast your peepers on these newly-minted flavors: http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a9.....idayKisses.jpg
From left to right, you're looking at Pumpkin Spice, Hot Cocoa, Cherry Cordial, Mint Truffle, and Candy Cane.
Pumpkin Spice: Pleasantly creamy, pumpkin pie sort of flavor that reminds me quite a bit of carrot cake.
Hot Cocoa: Tastes like a mouthful of Swiss Miss cocoa mix (the kind with little marshmallow bits in). It's essentially a more fudgy version of a classic Hershey's Kiss.
Cherry Cordial: The outer chocolate shell tastes kind of like a cordial, but when you bite into it, it releases a gusher of chemically-tasting, artificial cherry goo that paints the inside of your mouth. The idea was nice, but this one tastes like cough medicine.
Mint Truffle: Between the sweet chocolate coating and the pleasantly cool, creamy mint center, these remind me a lot of those Thin Mint cookies the Girl Scouts come shilling every year.
Candy Cane: With their festive red and white stripes, these certainly win in the eye candy department. Better still, these pepperminty white chocolates (sprinkled generously with crunchy little candy cane nibs) are pleasantly buttery and minty as well.
Like I said, they're seasonal offerings only, so get 'em while you can. (Skip the cherry one, though. Trust me.)
However, thanks to the good folks who make Hershey's Kisses, we may finally be catching up a bit. I'm old enough to remember when white chocolate kisses and kisses with almonds in them were startling, maybe even dangerous innovations, but now... now there's all kinds of intriguing, kissy goodness to try out. Regrettably, we're still stuck in the 'seasonal offering only - get it while it exists' mode of thinking, which means that even a truly delicious flavor goes bye-bye just as you're finishing off your first and only taste. Still, an ephemeral treat is better than no treat at all. Feast your peepers on these newly-minted flavors: http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a9.....idayKisses.jpg
From left to right, you're looking at Pumpkin Spice, Hot Cocoa, Cherry Cordial, Mint Truffle, and Candy Cane.
Pumpkin Spice: Pleasantly creamy, pumpkin pie sort of flavor that reminds me quite a bit of carrot cake.
Hot Cocoa: Tastes like a mouthful of Swiss Miss cocoa mix (the kind with little marshmallow bits in). It's essentially a more fudgy version of a classic Hershey's Kiss.
Cherry Cordial: The outer chocolate shell tastes kind of like a cordial, but when you bite into it, it releases a gusher of chemically-tasting, artificial cherry goo that paints the inside of your mouth. The idea was nice, but this one tastes like cough medicine.
Mint Truffle: Between the sweet chocolate coating and the pleasantly cool, creamy mint center, these remind me a lot of those Thin Mint cookies the Girl Scouts come shilling every year.
Candy Cane: With their festive red and white stripes, these certainly win in the eye candy department. Better still, these pepperminty white chocolates (sprinkled generously with crunchy little candy cane nibs) are pleasantly buttery and minty as well.
Like I said, they're seasonal offerings only, so get 'em while you can. (Skip the cherry one, though. Trust me.)
English candy, however, sounds delicious; I really want to try Chocolate Limes.
Anyhow, its nice to hear somebody's reaching out for a larger audience.
Never tried Chocolate Limes, but I did recently score a bunch of Aussie candy that I'm dying to sink my teeth into (Peppermint Crisp bars = pure joy). If you like English candy, keep your eyes peeled for some Walkers' Toffee and licorice allsorts. Mm.
And around here we're more IHOP people, after all I Hate Old People.
I remember when I was a kid, they used to sell Twizzler's licorice in many flavors. Some of my favorites were chocolate (brown), apple (green, and grape (purple). Sometimes, I still see the chocolate ones around Easter, but they're hard to find.
Nowadays, candies and drinks once flavored with Safrole are flavored with Wintergreen. This has lead to an inferior flavor in most goods, including sassafras tea.
Now, as for chocolate, I rather enjoy the really dark varieties. About 70% cocao. Anythign less tastes artificial and watery, be it Coco or a nice bar of chocolate.
I did once try a new Hershey's kiss, Cheesecake. I found they were only bearable if frozen solid. Past that they were WAY too salty.
I never go much above 70% on chocolate, as I find that the bitter flavor starts to overwhelm the palate after that. Mass-market chocolate is pretty weak on the actual chocolate flavor, so I find that it's best appreciated as a sort of chocolate substitute. Good for baking, not so much for snacking. Never tried cheesecake kisses, but I'd be willing to give them a whirl.