This time of year, when I think of candy recipes, there is really only one that’s worthy of contemplation: bark. Though I adore a good piece of bark, I rarely find myself consuming it before November and after January.

But how many times can you eat the same old peppermint bark? Well, if you’re like me, you can eat it a lot – but that doesn’t mean I don’t want something new! So in honor of this festive candy, here is a bark recipe steeped in Italian culinary tastes for those of you who desire a hiatus from the classic.

I call this recipe Spumoni Mastiff Bark. Get it? Neapolitan Mastiffs are a type of Italian dog that are known for their daunting size, Neapolitan and Spumoni are both ice cream flavors, and plus, dogs bark…. Well, maybe the name isn’t that funny/clever, but that doesn’t mean this recipe isn’t tasty!

This recipe consists of a dark chocolate cherry almond layer coupled with a white chocolate cranberry pistachio layer. Though it may seem complex, don’t let this discourage you! Bark is one of the easiest candies to make.

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My friends often wonder how I can consume so many sweets and not weigh a million pounds. Well, I run. But here’s something they might not know – I eat candy when I run! Back when I trained with some ultrarunners, I learned to eat while running. Typical endurance foods such as PowerBars just didn’t taste that great to a Candy Addict like me, so I started taking more appealing yet equally energy-boosting treats, such as Snickers bars, red licorice, M&Ms, gummi bears, and ooh, Jelly Belly jellybeans!

Well, manufacturers of energy foods have gotten smarter, and they’ve started producing endurance treats that actually taste good (that means they taste like candy). Clif, the makers of Clif Bar, have developed a carbohydrate and electrolyte replacement product called Shot Bloks that are rather like gummi candies. Offered in a number of flavors, including strawberry, cola, orange, lemon lime, and cran razz, these little cubes are designed to give the athlete a boost of energy. Some of them contain caffeine, but all boast organic brown rice syrup and are sweetened with organic evaporated cane juice.

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Whilst on a run-of-the-mill Target trip today, I came across an exciting assortment of Endangered Species Chocolates: dark chocolate with delicious, antioxidant packed flavors and a generous spirit (10% of their net profits are donated to “support species, habitat and humanity”). What’s not to like, right? Plus, they were all natural, ethically traded, on sale, and had pictures of cute animals all over the packaging. How could I not grab every variety available and be inspired in a third grade, let’s-describe-ourselves-using-words-that-begin-with-each-letter-in-our-name kind of way? (Hey, chocolate does that to me sometimes.)

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My friends and family were good to me this Christmas and, naturally, many of the exciting gifts I received were candy. Of all the various treats I was given, I was most intrigued by a tin from Peet’s. I’d never heard of Peet’s before, and was ready for some good eatin’ from the looks of the high-quality packaging. All four varieties in the one-pound tin looked and sounded tasty: Toffee Almond Crunch; Chocolate-Covered Cherries; Chocolate-Covered Blueberries; and Chocolate-Covered Cranberries. My only dilemma was deciding which candy to try first.

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What do you look for when you pick up a pack of gum? Do you want it to freshen your breath? Maybe you’re trying to quit smoking cigarettes and you need something to chew on to help deter you from continuing the bad habit? Or do you want something with long-lasting flavor for a long, dull day at the office?

I discovered out that gum can have more than one duty when I found a package from the Action Candy Company in the mail. The company is releasing a new line of five sugar-free gums in January 2008, and three of those gums have a dual purpose – not only do they please your taste buds and freshen your breath, but they also help you out in other ways. The other two are intensely flavorful and breath-freshening.

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