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CLASSY CANDY: CARMELS-CHOCOLATES

Remember the 80s?
Okay maybe not-but back then-chocolate Kisses and Tootsie Rolls, candy corns (Halloween), Bartons almond chocolates (Passover),Peeps (Easter) and candy canes (Christmas only) were the highlights  of household chewy candies-with occasional eats from travel locales (think salt water taffy, chocolate coconut patties).



source retro80sgifs.tumblr.com
Now-forgettabout it...even  teeny tiny off the beaten roadside convenience shops sells exotic Organic Fair Trade single origin chocolates year round...no artificial flavors-or colors-less the GMO corn syrup stuff too... sea salt-ed or exotically spiced up sweets, year round.

Some HIGHLIGHTS

we are major fans of DAGOBA chocolates-USDA Organic+Rain Forest Alliance Certified (now owned by Hershey)

new from Droga-caramels. ADDICTIVE Money on Honey Wildflower Honey Caramels are 3 bite a square sized-(4 , 9 pieces,  a 16 oz bag at Costco- or  splurge worthy 60 piece size options available. Truly YUMMY Wild flower honey, real butter and dairy fresh cream are blended into a rich caramel melt in your mouth-center, surrounded by rich deep dark chocolate with a sprinkle of reach sea salt up top. Gluten free, non-GMO. WOW A worthy SOFI AWARD WNNER!



Also available-premium Peanut Butter Bots and Nutty Puddles-are indulgent gourmet versions of those childhood staples peanut butter cups and nutty cups-surrounded by rich dark chocolate.
even the cat loved these delicious Money on Honey Caramels...see the sprinkle of French sea salt on top. Needless to say-no leftovers. 
Loved the old fashioned rolls-reflection of founders Dutch/German heritage--Süss Pumpkin Caramel with Sea Salt -with hints of pumpkin spices and pepitas-sweet salty crunchy-chewy bites created by a former stay at home mom inspired. FYI süss means sweet in German.

They are based outta Brooklyn but MILKBOY SWISS Chocolates has Swiss retro packaging that caught our eyeballs (inspired bySwiss  countryside paper-cutting art)...as did the 6 flavors-including the unusual rich deep dark chocolate with essential Pine Tree Oil-pictured above. It works-subtle hint of pine...! Six other flavors available including Milk Chocolates with lemon and ginger...and  White Chocolate with Bourbon Vanilla that is the real deal. Eco bonus points: UTZ Certified Cocoa and Forest Stewardship Council paper for retro packaging.
Allergies? No worries...ENJOY LIFE's MO is gluten free and dairy, tree nuts/peanuts and soy free allergy food friendly products without compromising on flavor/tastes....including these ready to bake with-or eat-mini chips+ mega chunky semi-sweet or dark chocolate morsel sweets. Non-GMO certified too. While most food we write up is kosher-Enjoy Life is also Halal certified.





A gourmet grown-up version of the iconic Oreo cookie..we quickly ate our sample of  Williams and Bennetts deep rich version- that childhood classic drenched in rich dark Belgian chocolate. No milk dunking needed. Trust us.











Real deal peppermint flavor-is so much better-than the fake corn syrup kind-doesn't deserve to be even mentioned in the same breath. GO ORGANICS-had a lot of fans at the Fancy Food Show-doing passes for samples...of their USDA Organic, gluten-free hard candies...sweetened with organic brown rice syrup and organic evaporated cane juice minimally processed and not as highly refined as tapioca syrup. Def taste the difference. 
USDA ORGANIC-Davidson's - known for their Teas...took their tea infused flavors for their NEW rich indulgent chocolates...that have floral and inspired spiced up ingredients---like Earl Grey Lavender (citrusy undertones with lavender hints-aromatic too), Classic Chai (rich cacao with evocative spices) and Imperial Match Green (unlike the tea which we think needs loads of sweetner-this chocolate-rich dark one-has  subtle green flavor).

Our mom LOVED Chimes-one of the first more exotic candies to make it past the front door on a regular basis-the original  spicy sweetish ginger chews. are now joined by Toasted Coconut Hard Toffee-made with coconut milk-so gluten and dairy free-vegan chewy sweets...inspired by the Malaysian version of toffee.
WHAT ELSE:

Annie B's Popcorn + Caramels...get the packaging prize for this gorgeous NAUTICAL GIFT box with 8 of their award winning- delicious caramels (original, maple, chocolate, butter rum, amaretto, black raspberry, black licorice and fav sea salt)-160 pieces-gluten free-....with an accompanying story book and sealed with wax stamp---NICE.