In my day, I was an avid trick-or-treater. Straight through high school, pillowcases served as bags; loot was measured in pounds; and Snickers, Milky Ways, and Starbursts were blissfully consumed for months. Until that inevitable dark day, that is, when I would go to my closet after school, reach deep into my dwindling stash, and come up with a handful of Tootsie Rolls, Dum-Dums, and that curse of a confection, the bane of my Halloween-loving existence, Bit-O-Honeys. Bit-O-Honeys were the one candy that I disliked so much I would not eat them even in these desperate times and they were utterly un-tradeable. Who, my young mind wondered, likes these things? And what on earth are they?

Well Jerry Seinfeld, it turns out, is a big fan. They’re his fave. And if that’s not reason for further investigation now that I’m older and wiser and further removed from the anger, then I certainly don’t know what is. And so, finally, I sought some answers.

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Like a true Candy Addict, when I hear the word “Rocky Road” my mind doesn’t jump to ice cream, but instead lands on the candy bar of the same name. Rocky Road is a classic candy made by Annabelle Candy Company, who are the same makers of my beloved Big Hunk and also Abba Zaba. Rocky Road was Annabelle Candy’s first original candy bar, which debuted around 1950. It’s a big seller in its home state of California, where it remains one of the top 40 best selling candy bars.

What makes the Rocky Road so special? Well, it’s a unique combination of flavors to start. Take fresh marshmallow, then layer on some bits of roasted cashews before covering the whole thing in milk chocolate. A classic no matter how you look at it: original, simple and tasty. Over the years Rocky Road has tried on new flavors. Today you can find a Dark Chocolate and Mint variety. This newest version is called “Double Dipped Bits” and they are basically smaller sized Rocky Road bars in movie theater sized boxes.

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Today we have another guest review written by Tanna Reynolds who recently reviewed Mo’s Bacon Bar. (Remember, anyone can write a guest review for Candy Addict, just email us)

Abba-Zaba and I go way back… all the way back to my childhood when I would lord over my trick-or-treat hauls full of Abba-Zaba at Halloween. Recently, I decided it was time for us to be reacquainted. For me and my candy-greedy brother, Abba-Zaba’s chewy peanut taste and taxi cab yellow and black packaging was sweet perfection. Each year, when the final bell rang at the neighborhood-wide open market candy exchange in the days following Halloween, I was dozens of Abba-Zaba’s richer. My wealth could be measured in both sweet sticks and time because my brother was always willing to perform my chores in exchange for an Abba-Zaba. As long as they lasted, my brother was mine.

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As a child, I used to love to go to my grandmother’s house and raid her candy dish. From this translucent glass dish, which sat expectantly on the coffee table in her living room, I unwrapped my first root beer barrels and lemon drops. Later, these gave way to those mints that explode into powder as you bite them and the tiny Italian candies shaped like fruit that I can never seem to find anymore. Maybe I’m just feeling a little sentimental and missing my grandparents and my childhood, but I think I’m ready to bring back the candy dish.

Needless to say, it is time. My candy supply is overflowing from its dresser drawer. Yes, it is a large drawer. And that’s just what I have hoarded in my apartment. Rather than go the traditional crystal route to present my stash to visitors, I’m thinking about something a little modern like this Incline Bowl from Uncommon Goods. This small but stylish bowl practically begs to be filled with brightly colored gum drops or jelly beans. It’s also versatile enough that it can be placed anywhere in my home – like on my nightstand. You never know when you’ll have a craving, after all.

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Here is a guest review by Julie…

When I was about 8, our family moved to a remote part of Connecticut that was easily five miles from any main commercial shopping areas. The only place we could get candy was the neighborhood gas station, complete with a grungy, grumpy old mechanic guy who, though a bit scary, stocked some awesome candy in his little 2-bay garage; I have since wondered if he was a Candy Addict himself. Of all the candies that he had on display (and though I bought others, too), it was the Seven Up bar that got a sizable chunk of my allowance money every time.

Discontinued sometime in the 70’s, the Seven Up bar began its seven-sectioned life in the 1930s, before the 7-Up Bottling Company began making its soft drink. Eventually the 7-Up company bought the bar and retired it, so they had the exclusive use of the name whichever way it was spelled: Seven Up or 7-Up. None of that mattered a whit to me, as I was only interested in one thing: those seven sections of chocolate-covered different candy centers, meaning I was getting seven big pieces of candy in one regular-sized bar. Quite a bargain to me back then for my hard-saved pennies and nickels (shoot, I’d pay just about anything for one today)!

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