Everyone knows a Life Saver – the sweet, minty or fruity hard candy with the candy-with-the-hole shape. I’m no Life Savers connoisseur, but I do enjoy them. I like being able to pop one in my mouth for ten minutes of flavor enjoyment. I’m a Life Savers sucker – not a muncher.

I recently tried a different type of Life Saver, one that you almost have to chew, one that is completely different from the Life Savers I grew up loving. These are Life Savers Gummies – the gummy worm version of this iconic American candy gone modern.

What can I say about gummy candy? It’s… gummy. Beyond that, I’ll refrain from giving my personal opinion of candy gumminess. You know if you like gummies or not. Your opinion is the only one that matters since I’m not coming over to eat candy with you. (Unless you’ll be sharing some See’s Chocolate.)

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The last time I headed into Dylan’s Candy Bar it was for a fairly hideous Swedish Fish event. So, it was with some trepidation that I ventured back for a media get-together with Beth Kimmerle, author of Chocolate: The Sweet History and Candy: The Sweet History (among others). Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable the afternoon turned out.

The event basically showcased Beth’s crafty creations using candy. Some of the things were absolutely amazing (I especially liked the pretzel butterflies – see above), and all were great ways to find creative uses for candy as well as being fun to do with the kids. Beth is a big fan of Life Savers Gummies (who isn’t?) and a lot of her creations seem to utilize the tasty treats. One big thing I found out is that the packaging is changing for Life Savers Gummies – instead of that tubular thing that never seemed to hold quite enough, they’re now coming in small bags. They’ll still fit in your purse, but you get more. Woot!

When we left we got a gift bag containing the ingredients to make some of the creations. Now, let’s face it: these tasty candies are never going to make it past the “open package insert into mouth” stage of creation, but it was a nice thought. We also got some of the recipes highlighted at the event, and I thought our more ambitious readers might enjoy trying one out. So, without further ado, here’s the recipe for those gorgeous Pretzelfly Pops:

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I think I have been craving tropical-flavored sweets all this week simply because graduate school applications are starting to be due; whenever I am stressed, I usually return to the sorts of candy that bring me back to a state of tranquility. And if you can’t go to Hawaii to relax, you can at least enjoy its flavors.

Tropical LifeSavers have been a staple of my tropical obsession since I was in elementary school. I never cared much for the other flavors of Lifesavers, but these were different. They sported an assortment of flavors that were nuanced for the candy world at age six because for the most part they avoided the clichéd strawberry, cherry, etc….

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For a long time my official “car candy” was Altoids. I liked the regular flavor, but my husband preferred wintergreen, so we kept two tins on hand (but his disappeared first, since his habit was to crunch through several Altoids at a time!). Oh, but I digress. My current car candy is the tart and lovely Life Savers Fruit Tarts. These come in two varieties: the purple tin contains Grape Berry, Green Apple, and Strawberry Watermelon; the gold tin has Watermelon, Cherry Lemonade, and Mandarin Orange. I usually alternate between the two tins.

The little fruit tarts are sugar-free but not, according to the tin, a “low-calorie food”. Whatever. The tin is very clever and cute. You press down in the center of the lid, and the sides release and pop open. The close, you replace the lid and just pinch the sides, and they snap back into place. Should I confess that I could not for the life of me figure out how to get these tins open? My husband had to show me. In my defense, though, these are car candies, which means I was too busy driving to read the instructions.

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One of the few things I have a terrible time resisting is a new experience, especially when it comes to candy. I came across the Holiday Creme Savers at the grocery store this week and saw that “Pumpkin Pie” was listed as a flavor (a vice of mine)! Well before I knew it, the package found its way into my cart.

The packaging is very festive and beautiful, it caught my eye right away. A beautiful red shimmery base with green and gold accents. The three holiday flavors are clearly displayed on the front: Gingerbread, Eggnog and Pumpkin Pie. Considering I’m a huge fan of pumpkin flavors and gingerbread (I could give or take Eggnog) I knew I was in for something yummy.

Upon opening the package I immediately noticed an uneven ratio of the three flavors. The inside contained roughly 60% gingerbread, 30% eggnog and 10% pumpkin pie. I understand how distribution is never completely even, but I was hoping for more of the pumpkin pie flavor. A shame!

Here’s how the flavors rate:

Gingerbread: comes in a red wrapper with a gold gingerbread man on it. The candy itself is the standard smooth semi-circle shape, with a creamy white base with brown swirls. It really tastes of a gingerbread cookie! It’s pleasantly sweet without overdoing it. It has a nice slow melt and creamy texture just like all its relatives in the Creme Saver family. I’m now very glad that a majority of the bag is this flavor, yum!

Eggnog: Comes in a golden wrapper with red mug design on it. The appeareance is similar to the gingerbread, except the swirls are a nice golden yellow. It’s sweet with a very strong buttery rum flavor. Actually, let me rephrase that, it’s a very strong rum flavor with a sweet, sort of chemical aftertaste. There’s also a hint of nutmeg in the aftertaste as well, but it’s very subtle. You’ll really enjoy this one if you’re an eggnog lover, but I could take it or leave it.

Pumpkin Pie: The one I was looking forward to! The wrapper is green with a golden slice of pie on it. The candy has a beige base with dark orange swirls. The flavor is……strange. It didn’t taste of pumpkin pie at all when I popped it into my mouth, nor by the time I finished it. It tastes sweet, with some odd hint of a floral essence, then finally a peppery/clove/nutmeg aftertaste. I felt like I was sucking on a holiday potpourri. Most disappointing.

Overall, I think the Holiday flavors are worth buying. The Gingerbread and Eggnog flavors are pretty tasty, it’s just the pumpkin pie that really lacks. These would look beautiful in the candy bowl at work or a party. Just don’t wonder why only the green ones (yet again, right?) are leftover.

• Creme Savers Website

Buy Holiday Creme Savers Online:

• at Candy Direct
• Buy other flavors of Creme Savers at Amazon

candy, sweets, holiday, festive, lifesavers, pumpkin, egg nog, gingerbread