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
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| we are major fans of DAGOBA chocolates-USDA Organic+Rain Forest Alliance Certified (now owned by Hershey) |
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| 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! |
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| 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. |
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| even the cat loved these delicious Money on Honey Caramels...see the sprinkle of French sea salt on top. Needless to say-no leftovers. |
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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.
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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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).
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| 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:
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| 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. |
