As the outer rain bands of Tropical Storm Fay reach my house, I’m met with a sense of resignation that my weekend will be spent inside. The atmosphere at work Friday evening was one of tense anticipation, but when I woke up this Saturday morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find a windy, gray, dry sky. I was able to run, walk the dogs, and lay down the basketball goal in case of strong winds. As the sky continued to stay dry, two thoughts crossed my mind - I wanted to go to the beach, and I wanted candy.

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To all who know me, it’s no secret that I can eat my weight in Junior Mints, so when I first heard about Junior Mints Deluxe, I checked the mail impatiently every day until my samples arrived. When they did, I was a little sad to see that the Florida sun had taken a toll on the confections, but they were still mostly intact, and I got ready to chow down on some minty, chocolaty goodness.

The Deluxe candies are shaped a lot like cherry cordials, but otherwise the concept is the same as regular Junior Mints - dark chocolate on the outside, soft, minty filling on the inside. Here’s what Tootsie Roll Industries has to say about their latest Junior Mints product:

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I used to work in an Italian restaurant, so I’m no stranger to tiramisu. In fact, I’m no stranger to the good, the bad, and the ugly side of tiramisu. I became addicted to its layers of firm, creamy goodness at the restaurant, and have since been on a quest to try the dessert almost everywhere I go.

When a sample of new Dove Desserts Tiramisu Silky Smooth Dark Chocolate Promises arrived on my doorstep, I was both excited and wary. I’ve been burned by bad tiramisu before, and couldn’t imagine how a candy company could properly imitate the good stuff in a tiny, foil-wrapped square.

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When I opened a package addressed to me at Candy Addict, I expected the usual assortment of sugary treats sent by most candy manufacturers. Instead, a bright blue box with the words “Cavity-Free Kit” shone up at me. I wondered if the delivery was my dentist’s idea of a joke. Don’t get me wrong - I don’t want rotten teeth, and have only had one cavity in my entire life (in a baby tooth!) - but as a lover of sugar, I was hoping for a box of sweet stuff.

Curiosity was definitely beginning to overtake disappointment, so I opened the box to find out exactly what a Cavity-Free Kit really is. Inside, I found boxes of gum and mints, a tube of toothpaste, and a bottle of mouthwash. Directions were included with the kit, and after poking through all the boxes to check out the gum and mint flavors, I read about Epic’s ideas for a healthy mouth. Apparently, the sweetener xylitol is key.

Problem number one that I have with Epic is that the directions for obtaining a healthy mouth include using Epic products six times per day. Yes, six. The manufacturer stresses that you can choose the combination of products to add up to six, but I don’t like requirements on my gum and candy. I do, however, love sugar-free gum, especially in pellet form, and was quite excited to give the four flavors a try.

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Seldom do I get as excited about candy as I did when the shipment of Zingerman’s Zzang! Bars arrived after a long workday. The hip, slick packaging, the simple mixed with fancy ingredients, and the interesting flavor combinations promised a unique treat. And, with three varieties, I felt sure my palate would be artfully stimulated.

I tore into the Original first, because I wanted to use it as a base to compare to the other flavors. Zingerman’s marketing team made me salivate with anticipation:

“Starting with a honey nougat made with natural peanut butter, we dip it in a sensual caramel made from muscovado brown sugar. The biggest and best butter roasted peanuts we can find come next, and the whole endeavor is finished off with a dip into a rich bath of dark chocolate.”

It looked great and smelled good, but the taste was disappointing. It was very peanutty and rich, but left an odd, almost smoky, aftertaste in my mouth. I expected the bar to be sweeter, and was left wishing I’d eaten a Snickers instead. Dang. Next…

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How do you find your bliss? Hershey’s hopes we’ll all find it in their Bliss Chocolates, and they’re banking on three flavors to satiate our palates. I recently sampled all three - Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate Meltaway, and Dark Chocolate. I found that only one of the candies left me feeling blissful.

Each variety comes as individually wrapped foil squares in flavor-specific bags. They all have a nice, chocolaty smell, and the color choices for the foil are appealing. I can imagine a cute display of Bliss squares in a candy dish. Cute or not, I’m most interested in taste.

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The 2008 Top Ten list of Candy Addict’s most-wanted Easter candies ought to have you crossing your fingers that at least a few of these treats end up in your basket. Although some may not agree with all of our selections, there’s definitely something for everyone on this list. Wait - make that something delicious for everyone! Happy Easter!

10. Reese’s Pieces Pastel Eggs

Crunchy, peanut buttery, addictive. Reese’s Pieces Pastel Eggs seem to taste even better this year than they did last year. Festively colored and egg-shaped, these candies are easy to eat by the handful. Try not to get carried away - there are nine other candies that will hopefully end up in your basket!

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Home Economics: my dream class, and one that ended up being a lot more useful than just providing an opportunity for an easy “A.” I can’t remember if I took Home Ec in middle or high school, but what I can remember is one of the most fun ideas to ever sit atop the kitchen counter - the Easter Bunny Cake.

Of course, there are time-consuming and rewarding recipes to make a cake and the frosting from scratch, but we were teenagers, and our teacher wasn’t about to delve into scratch baking with us. Besides, it was a lot more fun to turn some random round cakes into an Easter Bunny than it was to learn how to actually bake.

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After reading the Awesomely Addictive raves about Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg, I was ecstatic to find Reese’s Peanut Butter White Egg and Reese’s Peanut Butter Fudge Egg at Walgreen’s for fifty cents each. I generally love all Reese’s candy, and couldn’t wait to get home and try the eggs. I wasn’t sure what to expect - would the peanut butter be mixed with different flavors, or would the coatings just be different from the usual milk chocolate?

I randomly chose to open the White Egg first, and took note of the flat-back egg shape similar to the Almond Joy and Mounds Eggs. The White Egg was solidly encased in an off-white substance that looked and felt a little oily. My excitement dwindled, and I cautiously bit into the candy.

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Did someone say gummy sardines? If not, you should have, because the Squishy Fishies available on Stupid.com’s candy page are a hilarious idea and come in a whimsical plastic case.

I’ve never eaten sardines - gummy or otherwise - but I have marveled at the cool tins that efficiently package the dead fish. The Squishy Fishies container mimics a real sardine tin, and even comes with a key to turn to open the lid. I have to admit, I love this idea. I’m a sucker for tins (even if they’re not actually tin), and the fake sardine gimmick just seems like a whole lot of fun. Plus, the gummy fish are fruit-flavored, not fish-flavored, which makes the product much more appealing.

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