I’m not a stranger to “healthy” candy, nor are my views on it anything but direct: there really isn’t such a thing. So if you’re looking for a candy that’s going to be something I recommend you add to your diet, you can stop reading now.

That said, I do believe there is a difference between candy and candy that is better for you. And with childhood obesity on the rise, more and more parents are looking for these sorts of confectionery avenues. Kids are always going to want to eat sweets, so you might as well buy them the ones that are not as hard on their bodies.

Recently, I have reviewed products from companies that share this vision for candy, namely from Surf Sweets and BrightSpot, so it’s not all that surprising to hear of more and more companies adopting this mantra. The latest comes from Yummy Earth, who proudly boast a tagline that their candy is “The best stuff on earth.” Hmm… Snapple anyone?

The idea for this company is steeped in genuine love of both candy and children; the founders are two fathers who teamed up develop a candy for their children that didn’t rely on all the additives, preservatives, etc. that are common in most American candy.

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Certain candies catch my eye during the holidays that I normally avoid consuming throughout the regular year. Why? Well, by the time you gulp down whatever candy you just bought, chances are it has been sitting on a shelf for quite some time. I mean, I always see gas stations stocking limited edition bars made years ago.

However, since holiday candy is seasonal, you’re more likely to purchase a product that is fresher. And with the rare exception, candy tastes better the less it ages.

So while perusing the Valentine’s Day candy aisle at Walgreens, I spotted Wonka’s SweeTARTS Hearts. Actually, it was pretty hard to miss them with the festive packaging of blue and pink swirled in a very Wonka style. If I can find fresh SweeTARTS, I usually enjoy them, so I figured there could be great potential in these. Plus, they only cost 50 cents.

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My love for Atkinson candy is well documented. But until now, I have only sampled products that encompass ingredients they are known for. What I mean by this is that Atkinson primarily centers its products on coconut, peanuts/peanut butter, and various nuts. Of course other candy companies use these ingredients, but few do so to the extent that Atkinson does.

But there is more to the Atkinson family than those staple ingredients. You see, the full name of Atkinson is Judson-Atkinson. That is because Atkinson has acquired many candies companies over the years, including fellow Texan confectionery Judson Candies, in 1983.

Judson Candies has the distinct honor of being able to claim that it pioneered the sour ball. Creator J.W. Judson was attempting to create a tart jellybean, and in the process he developed cherry sours in 1910.

There are several varieties of sours out there, but I decided the best to sample was Judson-Atkinson Assorted Sours mix because it included cherry, the original sour, as well as four other flavors.

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I bought a bag of Jolly Rancher Screaming Sours, or at least I think I did. While organizing my closet, yet another task/excuse to put off completing my graduate school applications, I stumbled across the candy.

I know I didn’t buy them in Texas, so they must have somehow sneaked their way with me from Los Angeles, making them at least a year old. Rather than treat this as an ew… old candy moment, I figured all the preservatives in a gummi candy must still make them edible. You never know – this could be like finding a twenty-dollar bill in an old pair of jeans.

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I first learned about Mamba in high school. A friend of mine, who happened to be a vegan, was making her way speedily through a package of candy during English class. I rarely saw her eat candy as few are designed for vegan consumption.

My initial reaction was one of distrust. She had “shared” her vegan candy with me before, and aside from Jelly Bellys, I tended to dislike the products; however, the voracity with which she was consuming them made me think there might be something more to them than meets the eye. I asked for a piece and she reluctantly offered me a lemon fruit chew. From that day on, English class informally became “eat Mamba and try to learn Romantic poetry” class.

Several months ago, Mamba released a spin-off to the classic flavor set with a sour variety. I found them often living in Los Angeles and regularly consumed them there, but was unable to spot them with the same frequency in Texas. This past week, I finally saw them hanging out at a local bookstore. (Seriously, one, what is candy doing in a bookstore, and two, why is Mamba always around literature?)

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