photo courtesy of Anthemic Tangle
Just in time for Halloween, the Twilight film franchise has released New Moon themed Halloween candies. The folks at the National Confectioners’ Association sent me three flavors to try.
Do you remember Sky Bars? For those of you who have never had the pleasure, a Sky Bar is a chocolate bar made of different sections, each of which contain a different filling. So in one chocolate bar, you got caramel, vanilla, peanut butter, and fudge fillings. Awesome.
Well this classic candy is getting a modern makeover. Instead of putting all the fillings in one bar, now some of the segments have their own, individually-wrapped candy bar with different Twilight New Moon characters on different flavors. I tried the Edward caramel and the Bella creme. Edward’s chocolate is etched with a family crest and says “Cullen.” Bella’s is shaped like a heart and says “Bella.” Both are good-sized chocolates.
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You know going green and environmentally conscious has hit the big time when it starts to affect our classic candy traditions. Necco’s Sweethearts conversation hearts have different themed slogans for each year, usually based on what is happening in American culture. Last year they appealed to our love of animals, this year it’s all about the weather with sayings including “Cloud Nine” “Heat Wave” “Get My Drift” and “Melt my Heart.”
People seem to have a love/hate relationship with Sweethearts. Everyone buys them for the novelty value, the tradition, and the entertainment they provide… but you may be hard pressed to find someone who actually enjoys eating them (except for our own Caitlin, of course, who actually likes conversation hearts). While not one of my absolute favorites, this year’s weather and environment based sayings make me love them just a bit more. Who hasn’t been “In A Fog” about a loved one, or wanted to say “Chill Out” to a former boyfriend?
In addition to the weather phrases Necco has added some environmentally friendly ones, including my personal favorite, “Do Good.” Obviously “commit random acts of kindness” was just too long to fit on a conversation heart. I suppose it’s true that love, much like the weather, is a bit unpredictable – hence why these new hearts are the perfect sweet present for your very own El Nino/Nina.
Valentine, Necco, heart
It’s impossible to imagine a Valentine’s Day without the ubiquitous Necco Sweethearts conversation hearts. They’ve been around for over a century, and I’ve got to say, they taste like it, too! I guess it’s kind of like those holiday fruitcakes–hardly anyone actually likes them, but nevertheless they feel obligated to buy or consume them.
Necco tries to keep up with the times by adding new slogans for Sweethearts every year. For 2007 the company is tapping into America’s love for animals by including several pet-oriented sayings, including “Top Dog,” “Go Fish,” “My Pet,” and “Love Bird.” These new phrases join the more than 100 existing ones. Interested in the sayings that graced the earliest batches of conversation hearts in the 1860s? “Be Mine,” “Be Good,” “Be True,” “Kiss Me,” and “Sweet Talk.”
The recipe for Sweethearts conversation hearts has remained unchanged, but they do offer some other choices. There are Sweethearts Sugarfree Boxes, chocolate-flavored Sweethearts, Sweethearts Valentine Gum, conversation hearts with sayings in Spanish, cinnamon jelly hearts, and Sweetheart Tarts.
For “research purposes” I picked up some of the Sweetheart Tarts, which, according to the box, are “tart” and “tangy.” I have to confess that I was a little apprehensive. I’ve had plenty of candies that claimed to be sour and tart but fell flat. I was also imagining the taste of the regular Sweethearts with a teeny bit of citric acid or something added to it, and, well, it just wasn’t very appetizing.
I was pleasantly surprised when I finally gathered up the nerve to try these hearts. They aren’t extraordinarily tart, but they are actually tart! And they actually have some flavor! They do have that same hard, slightly chalky texture, but they are definitely edible. There is one color that tasted medicinal (I think it was the white one, but I had several in my mouth so I could not pinpoint the culprit), but that was the only one. If you must have conversation hearts for Valentine’s but don’t care for the original flavor, give the tart ones a try!
candy, sweets, Necco, Sweethearts, hearts, Valentine’s Day, valentines
