On my last trip to my favorite Asian grocery store, T&T, I was surprised to find what looked like a lot of takeout coffee cups on the shelf in the candy section. Had a crowd of coffee drinkers decided to abandon their beverages in the candy aisle en masse? But upon closer inspection, it was merely the latest candy offering from Glico, Walky Walky – a pellet-shaped candy packaged in a container that resembles a fast-food coffee cup.

The coffee-cup-shaped container is a cute gimmick, even if it did lead me to believe that they might be coffee-flavored. (Coffee and strawberries? Surely not.) Since they’re made by Glico, otherwise known as “the Pocky people,” my first thought upon looking at the package was to wonder if these were just a bunch of Pocky sticks that had been sliced up into little Tart ‘N’ Tiny-sized pellets, and this first impression turned out to be pretty much correct.

The name “Walky Walky” even sounds a bit like “Pocky” – whether this is intentional or not I don’t know (it’s not like Engrish snack names are known for being logical). I suppose the idea behind the name is that these are easier to eat “on the go” than regular Pocky, though it’s not like Pocky are an awkward shape to eat while walking or anything.

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Now that the holidays (and all associated sweet eating) are over, I’m looking once again at the 100 Calorie Bars from The Hershey Company. If you missed the first two installments in this four-part series, you can still check out my reviews of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Wafer Bar and the Hershey’s Crisp Wafer Bar.

For those who are dieting (or pretending to diet), Hershey’s has a line of at least six different bars to satisfy the sweet craving without ruining the waistline. Five of the varieties are listed on the Hershey website – the four I’m reviewing here along with a small-sized 100 calorie version of Hershey Special Dark. I saw an advertisement recently for the newest member of the line – a small, 100 calorie Snickers. It just keeps getting better!

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To me, there’s no better holiday tradition than overeating without guilt. Stuff your face with extra stuffing? No problem, it’s Thanksgiving. If you can’t fill your gut on Thanksgiving when can you? Devoured that box of chocolate-covered popcorn in one afternoon? Hey, blame the Boy Scouts for delivering it during the middle of the holiday season.

So, continuing with my December sweets blitz, I decided to try another candy recipe to warm my belly on a cold, winter Midwest day. This time, I’ve discovered what may be the easiest ever candy to make from “scratch”: Rolo turtles.

The sharp-eyed reader may have noticed that I put the word “scratch” in quotes. Unlike grocery store sign writers who put the word “chicken” in quotes in their store windows – Fresh “Chicken” only $3 a pound! – I actually know how to use quotes correctly. Now this “from scratch” recipe requires no flour, measuring or mixing. Perfect for the man who hates baking but loves eating.

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I did something recently that I swore I’d never do: I moved to a place with no Trader Joe’s. To the TJ uninitiated, this may seem like no big deal. But for those of you who have enjoyed TJ’s amazing food, drink, and CANDY (at even more amazing low prices), you understand my loss and dismay. So please join me in bidding a fond farewell to three of my all time favorite TJ candies.

Image by Anthemic Tangle
Milk Chocolate Clouds: Behold the chocolate, caramel, pecan glory that is the Trader Joe’s Milk Chocolate Cloud. Honestly, these are better than any other turtles I’ve ever had. The caramel is buttery and chewy, but doesn’t stick to your teeth. You can fully taste the sweet pecans and somehow they still retain some of their crunch. And, to top it all off: the milk chocolate is sooooo good. Unlike some milk chocolate, it’s not too sweet and is plenty chocolaty. And they don’t skimp on anything: each cloud is jam-packed with chocolate, caramel, nutty gooey goodness. Ah bliss!

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Recently, I’ve gotten the relatively rare opportunity to taste and review a number of American products (thanks Sera!) and I’ve realized a few things. For instance, eating pretzels as candy is a very US-based food phenomenon. Products like the Pretzel Pete Chocolate Peanut Butter Gems, large pretzel sticks dipped in chocolate and rolled in toppings, pretzels added to desserts and so on are really only something you find on American shores.

Needless to say I was super excited to try Hershey’s Take 5 bar and ripped it open immediately (as evidenced by photo above). The Take 5 bar is made with a long list of my favorite things: chocolate, pretzels, caramel, peanuts and peanut butter. Based on this list alone, what’s not to like? The bar itself is actually two bars – two vaguely oval-shaped lumps, each about 2.5 inches long.

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