Summer is upon us, and that probably means you’ll be spending a lot of time at the movie theater. Forget about the popcorn (Here’s an insider secret from someone who used to work at a movie theater: it’s usually stale because a lot of places store uneaten popcorn in trash bags for the next day); you’ll enjoy your movie a lot more with a candy treat – and you won’t have to worry about getting butter everywhere.

Here’s a list of the best movie theater candy that will be worth your $12 (that’s about what they’re charging these days, right?):

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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 love it when I go shopping for one thing and end up finding something else instead. That’s what happened when I went holiday shopping the other day. I went in looking for a certain gift and ended up walking out with a box of the new Junior Mints Peppermint Crunch. Isn’t the box pretty? I love how festive it is!

Junior Mints and I have a sordid history. As a kid I’d only really have them at Halloween since they weren’t something I’d ask for. Each year when I’d give them a try, I knew why. I was never a big fan of mint and chocolate (although I’m warming up to it now) and they’d always end up in the trash.

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“Take it back inside and give it back to the man at the counter.”

My mom looked at me pointedly. Tears welled in my eyes. I clutched a box of Junior Mints, a box my mother knew the cashier hadn’t seen and she hadn’t paid for. I was four.

“That’s called stealing,” Mom said. “Take it back in and say you’re sorry.”

I did. To this day, I pay for every box of Junior Mints I consume. Looking back, I’m not sure what made me choose Junior Mints that fateful day. Maybe it has something to do with the glossy chocolate coating and how it encapsulated a perfect, creamy mint center. A retro candy staple first released in 1949, Junior Mints were my first mint love. Now that I’m older, I love garden mint body spray, mojitos, and any combinations of mint and chocolate I can find. Junior Mints were my candy gateway to all things mint.

They certainly don’t seem to compare to the other candies I preferred when I was a child. I loved bright, colorful, fruity candies, sweets so chewy they tugged at fillings. I fell for gimmicks, like special candy I could squeeze from a tube or wear around my wrist. But Junior Mints didn’t have to look cool. They tasted cool.

I’ll never forget them, because they taught me a pretty valuable lesson. Just because you can easily swipe a box of Junior Mints without paying doesn’t mean you should do it. Thanks, Ma (and delicious Junior Mints).

• Junior Mints website

Buy Junior Mints online:

• at Old Time Candy
• at Candy Crate
• at Candy Direct
• at Amazon

junior mints, mint, chocolate

I eagerly anticipated Inside Outs since I discovered them when I reviewed Junior Caramels, so when I finally found them at Target, two 4.75oz boxes made it to the checkout line. I’ve been a fan of Junior Mints for years, and had high hopes for Inside Outs.

The Inside Outs were smooth and flavorful. Most were the same size and shape as regular Junior Mints, but a few were misshapen, some like globes and some like irregular blobs. They’re minty, but not quite as clean-tasting as Junior Mints. The box refers to the outside of the candy as “white topping” and “white coating.” The taste is somewhere between yogurt and white chocolate. The inside “dark chocolatey mint center” was soft without being gooey.

I started feeling a little sick of the Inside Outs after half a box, but I can empty a box of Junior Mints and still want more. Something about that white coating is off—it’s tasty, but also after-tasty. I’d like to try the dark center coated in the original Junior Mints housing instead of the white stuff. The bottom line is that they are a refreshing twist on a delicious original, but I’d definitely pick Junior Mints over Inside Outs if I had to choose.

• Inside Outs homepage
• Cybele’s review of Inside Outs

candy, sweets, chocolate, mint, Junior Mints, Inside Outs, limited edition