Candydiosis

I was curious to try this M&M style candy from the makers of Jelly Bellies, a local company called Goetz. (Can you believe I still haven't been to their factory tour?), so I picked some up.  These were the "chocolate" assortment which included caramel, chocolate, coffee, and a couple other flavors. They were okay, but really nothing to write home about (or spend calories on).  I ended up eating a few and throwing the rest away.  They weren't that bad, but I knew I would eat them if I had them around and I just didn't want to. I think I'll stick to the M&M iterations from now on.

I really wanted to try as many Choxie chocolates as I could, and at 75% off, how could I resist! This mix, however, that I skipped at 50% off, was definitely not worth it.  The truffles (sorry, "artisan chocolates") came in holiday themed flavors like Gingerbread, Egg Nog, and others. I thought there was too much chocolate in the coating: it was too hard to bite into and there wasn't enough filling.  I also didn't like the fillings. So I dutifully bit into each flavor, and promptly pawned them off on my family. I don't think I'll be buying more Choxie chocolate, even if it is 75% off.

Yet another Christmas "steal". I am a fan of Ghirardelli chocolate, particularly their squares with caramel or mint.  I hadn't tried the peppermint bark squares, and I was curious.  Well, I should have passed. First thing I was surprised about - this is peppermint flavored candy with *milk* chocolate! I expect and prefer that peppermint bark will have a dark chocolate attachment, so I was disappointed right away with this bar.  Also, the peppermint part wasn't nearly flavorful enough, with little to no texture. I definitely won't be paying full price for this next year.

This is another of my post-Christmas finds. I loved the Target brand Choxie Espresso Truffle Bar so much, that I wanted to try their other chocolates, but they are expensive! Well, not in comparison to other expensive chocolate, but you go into Target expecting a bargain, right?

Anyway, I got these fruit and nut tiles 75% off just after Christmas.  They were very good.  All of the chocolate had the same additions: one almond, one dried cranberry, and another nut that was really salty but I couldn't place the taste of it.  I wasn't as fond of the white chocolate version, but the milk chocolate was so good! It reminded me of the Bissinger's cranberry bark I bought recently. I guess I'm on a bark kick lately. Anyway, I'm not sure I would buy these for full price, but you can't go wrong with 75% off!

I've been trolling my local Target for cheap Christmas items, and this was my most recent purchase. I had been wantin to try Kissables anyway, and at 60 cents, who could say no?! 

They really do taste like Hershey's Kisses, which is good, but as a comparison to M & Ms, which I know is what they were going for, they are a bit weird. I'm not fond of the shape in a hard form.  I do like the fact that the chocolate is a bit softer and creamier than that in M & Ms, but all in all I don't know that I would buy these full price.

I also bought them because I had been buying M & Ms to make into "chocolate chip" cookies, so I thought these might substitute as well. They do not do well standing up to heat.  I ended up throwing out the cookie dough because I just didn't like the melting and/or coating of these candies in cookies.

All in all, I'd buy a smaller package for a snack, but I wouldn't buy a larger one again, unless it was 69 cents!

I was introduced to Mrs. Prindables apples a number of years ago, and once I tried one I was hooked! I loved the toffee walnut flavor, and had to travel to Neiman Marcus to find them locally.  They were only out at Christmas but year-round I craved those 1500 calories!

Well, they're back with a vengeance, and a website, Mrs. Prindables.com.  They're still $20, with at least $10 shipping, but they sounded so good!

Not so fast.

In the three or four years since I've had a Mrs. Prindables apple they have changed the recipe considerably.  First, they used to start with sweet apple, probably a Fuji, then covered it with toffee, chocolate and nuts. Now they are proudly using Granny Smith apples, and mine was so sour even my kids wouldn't eat it! Covered in candy!

Also, the toffee has changed and was nowhere near as good as it used to be. I'm really sad, and $30 poorer, but at least I saved those 1500 calories!

I was walking home past Whole Foods today and had a chocolate craving, so I decided to go in and see what they had. I guess everyone has their own Belgian chocolates these days, and Whole Foods are no exception. It's not organic, which is a surprise, but it is Belgian chocolate. 

I wasn't impressed. First I ignored all the hazelnut chocolates (sue me, I'm American and I hate hazelnuts. I read a great book about the Hersheys and the Mars family and how the Mars family has been trying to get hazelnuts in one of their chocolates but they never make it because Americans don't like hazelnuts. I'm patriotic that way.), but I did choose a couple that had coffee or mocha centers, and just plain ganache centers. I wasn't impressed.

I don't have one of those developed palates that can tell you the notes in the chocolate or what bean they come from, but I know what I like and I don't like these. Give me Target's Choxie any day.

This Bissinger's bark is heavenly! My DH bought it for me after we randomly sampled the dark chocolate version at our local upscale grocery store and I fell in love. Even in milk chocolate, it is delicious!

This is made with Bissinger's sweet milk chocolate, with tons of dried cranberries and pecans.  The dark chocolate version is a bit better, since the milk chocolate is a bit sweet with the sweetened cranberries, but this version is also amazing! I'm impressed with the amount of mix ins, unlike other bars I've had that only have a bit.  This is chock full of fruit and nuts.  It's so good, you'll wish it wasn't seasonal!

Look what my DH bought for me! (And this is only half ....)  Bissinger's caramels! According to the website, this collection includes Salted Margarita Caramels, Chardonnay Salt Caramels, Vanilla Caramels, Blackberry Caramels, Raspberry Caramels and Bear Claws.

I started with the second row from the right (not knowing each row was different), with some salt caramels. I've never had salt caramels before and I'm not entirely sold on them. I think I may end up scraping off the salt and eating them plain.  I also had a milk chocolate caramel which turned out to be one of the Bear Claws. It's basically a tiny turtle, and really good!

I also tried one of the dark chocolate caramels.  At first I thought it was raspberry flavored, then cherry, now I don't know if it's raspberry or blackberry, since they offer both, but it's really interesting.  It tastes like they flavor the chocolate with fruit flavor, and the caramel is vanilla. Very interesting.

ETA: It is definitely blackberry, because I tried the raspberry and it is a much more intense flavor. I really prefer the blackberry since it is such a light fruity flavor. I also tried the vanilla, which has a dark chocolate coating, and it's fine.  So far my favorites are the Bear Claws and the Blackberry Caramels.

I'm a huge caramel fan, so this was just up my alley! 

On my way out of Target today I finally decided to try some of their Choxie chocolate. It isn't cheap, which is usually what I'm looking for at Target, so I haven't tried their chocolates before, but the bar couldn't be too expensive (it was $2) so I figured why not.

I got the Choxie Espresso Truffle Bar and it was delicious! My husband likes more bittersweet chocolate and I like more sweet chocolate, but this must have been just the right amount because we both loved it! It was a mildly sweet (sweeter than chocolate chips I think) dark chocolate, with the flavor of espresso. The chocolate looked like it would be hard but it wasn't - it was truly like eating a truffle in a bar, because it was slightly soft when you bit into it.

If this is a good example of the quality of Target's Choxie chocolates, I'm definitely a fan!!!