Skip's Candy Corner Fudge: Assorted Flavors

I just returned home from a couple of weeks in New York, and while I wasn't able to get out as much as I would have liked -- 'cause, y'know, lupus is the gift that keeps on giving -- I did manage to see Net, my "Sister from Another Mother" in New Jersey.  And I can't thank her enough for taking me out to Peddler's Village, just over the New Jersey border in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  We had a fantastic day overall, but certainly one of the highlights was a visit to Skip's Candy Corner.





You know that expression "kid in a candy store?"  Yup, that was me.  Actually, think "overly hyper and caffeinated-up food blogger with a debit card" -- that would be more accurate.  But good grief, Skip's (and to be honest, Peddler's Village overall) has so much stuff that I'm lucky that I didn't see it all. As it was, I was debating whether or not I really had to pay the rent...and that's not because the prices were tourist-trap outrageous (which, by the way, they were not), but because I literally could have taken 90% of the store home.

So I decided to think about the things I had to have, and then come back before we returned to New Jersey (and sadly, we dawdled so long elsewhere that they closed before I got back).  Hmmmmm, hard decisions!  Just feast your eyes on the yumminess pictured below....













Drooling yet?  If you aren't, don't complain to me -- complain to a psychiatrist!

Once again I have Net to thank: she knew she had to take some fudge home and made her purchase in advance -- and we ended up talking to the fantastic woman who was manning the store at that time (I am so sorry I didn't get her name -- honestly, I was so overwhelmed by the all the sugary goodness surrounding me that I wasn't paying as close attention as I should have).  Well, as she explained to me, all of Skip's fudge is made in house.  And to make a long story only somewhat less long, she ended up sending me home with some fudge for review!



As you can see below, she gave me five different varieties to sample.




So, without further ado, I shall start the review with...

Salted Caramel Fudge:



This is the one I thought was going to be my favorite, as you all know about my current obsession with anything salted caramel. This one has a layer of caramel sandwiched between two layers of chocolate fudge, and is topped with large flakes of salt. And yes, I was right, it is my favorite.  The fudge is rich with just a little bit of grain to it. The caramel is of the more solid varity, and while it pulls apart easily with some some stringing, there certainly no oozing -- and I think thats really the only way it could be done in this instance. I don't imagine a caramel that was fluid would work well here. The caramel has a nice buttery note to it, and I would have happily eaten it all by itself.  Probably the best fudge I will ever have!  The only thing I would have changed is salt flakes on top.  Mind you, I liked them -- but I think a sprinkling on the caramel as well would have pushed this square to the point where its goodness would be outlawed.  Hell, it's pretty close to that point now!


Amaretto:



I always think of this flavor as being one of those classic fudge flavors. I don't care how many times I have had it before; I am having it again. This one has a thin layer of chocolate fudge atop a thicker layer of the amaretto flavored fudge. The chocolate is top notch...but it's the amaretto layer that's the star for me. It has a cool, smooth melt on the tongue, and it is easy to imagine it is this close (*holds thumb and index finger a hair's breath apart*) to being poured from a liquor bottle.



The only thing I didn't love about this square was that it is dusted with cinnamon. While it makes the fudge look pretty, I just do not care for the combination of the flavors.  No problems, though -- the cinnamon is only on the very top, so it was easy to work around.


Peanut Butter:



Okay, whenever I get fudge at Disneyland it is always the Tiger Butter (which is what they call peanut butter). Not surprisingly, Skip's has outdone this flavor as well. It has equal layers of chocolate and peanut butter fudge. The chocolate is fab, but it's the peanut butter that I loooooo-o-o-oove. It tastes as if the nuts are fresh and just roasted. It's perfectly smooth with just enough salty tang.  Fantastic!


Rocky Road:



Yes. it has marshmallows...which pretty much means Enough Said!  Well, all right, I have to say more than that.  The thing about Rocky Road that I always seem to forget until it's too late is that it also has nuts. I know that sounds stupid, but I usually just eat the marshmallows and work around the nuts. In this case, I forgot to ask which kind they used -- but I am pretty sure it's walnuts.  And once again Skip's used chocolate fudge, folded into which are mini marshmallows and huge chunks of nuts.



This fudge is so fresh, and the marshmallows are still perfectly moist and gooey!  Marshmallow heaven!  And though I don't usually like them, I also tried the nuts (oh, what I will do for a review!).  They are quite crunchy and taste as fresh as the marshmallows -- if you like nuts in your fudge, you will surely love these.   So, my own personal nut caveat aside, this one is yet another winner.


Maple Nut:



Last but not least, I am once again digging into a nut fudge. I absolutely love pretty much any maple candy. Unfortunately (at least at the time of my visit) the only maple fudge they had with it was this one...and it also contains walnuts. But thats OK, because I know that a lot of people love nut candy, so here you guys go...



If you are looking for a chocolate-free fudge, look right here. The maple flavor is bright and sweet. It reminded me of the topping on maple doughnuts or those maple syrup candies you can get in New England (talk about things I love).  It was absolutely, incredibly good.  Even with the nuts, I didn't want to share this one with anybody else.  (The nuts by the way are huge and crisp. Walnuts lovers should go crazy over this.) 

All in all, there is no shortage of great things I could say about Skip's and their fudge.  But don't think I am just torturing you guys with things only locals can get hold of.  Skip's will ship their goodies to you anywhere in the U.S. -- and perhaps even outside the U.S. as well.  Check out Skip's website for more info.

I cannot wait to go back in few months!

Freeze Dried Ice Cream

This review is admittedly aimed at my eight-year-old self who would have thought freeze dried ice cream was just the shiznit. Well, I am no longer eight, but I still picked up this package of freeze dried ice cream in a NASA-themed gift shop at Houston's George Bush International Airport. Sadly, the shop was almost entirely aimed at kids -- and not big kids like me --- but hey, never let it be said that I let pouting get in the way of a possible review! Doing research on the history of freeze dried ice cream (AKA what can I learn from Wikipedia in three minutes or less), it was interesting to note that all these fantastic little packs of ice cream that can be found at gift shops the world over -- and that all proclaim their contents to be genuine astronaut ice cream -- are really only about as accurate as I am when I tell my nephew that I am in fact cool.

Freeze dried ice cream as we know it was developed for the Apollo missions, but actually it ended up flying only on Apollo 7 in 1968. It apparently wasn't very popular, and by the 1970s they were able to send real ice cream up. So yeah, this is "space ice cream" in the sense that it made one single voyage. Kinda in the same sense that I was considered cool once back in 1996, and that for about five minutes. Obviously, this is not filling me with hope. Is it sad to admit, pre-tasting, that I wish the gift shop hadn't been sold out of the ice cream sandwich? The thing is I never, ever eat Neapolitan ice cream in real life. Blame my parents for being too cheap and/or lazy to buy actual good flavors. It's not that I don't like chocolate, vanilla and strawberry alone; I just don't like them together.



So how was my space treat?

The little brick was surprisingly thick. If you have a small group interested in trying it, there's plenty to be shared. It is also surprisingly lightweight for its size -- and surprisingly fragile. As you can see, it shatters like glass quite easily. The texture reminded me of a very dry, very dense meringue that sort of liquefies on your tongue...and yeah, that effect was kind of cool (although the novelty quickly fades). Obviously the "ice cream" is not as creamy as even the lowest of the bargain brands of ice cream, but it does have a vaguely dairy-like mouthfeel. The three flavors varied, so we will talk about them individually:



Strawberry: Had a pleasant berry flavor that actually came off as natural. However, the dairy notes were just plain funky. It reminded me of milk that had been left out too long but had not quite turned yet.

Vanilla: I think this tasted more like "residue of chocolate" than vanilla. Again, the dairy was just funktastic -- even more noticeably than it was with the strawberry. That's probably because there was no real flavor to mask it.

Chocolate: It tastes like freebasing cheap chocolate syrup. Not bad -- but only in the sense that it was the most edible of the three flavors. The chocolate was strong enough to hide the nasty dairy taste.

Yeah, I think I know why the astronauts held out for the real thing. It was fun to try, although I certainly won't be rushing to try more (or even finish this package).



PURCHASED FROM: Random gift shop at George Bush International Airport, Houston, Texas

PRICE: $3.99

CALORIES: 110 calories per 3/4 ounce package

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: luvyduvy.com

Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Nougat Crunch

Ben & Jerry's is on fire lately. I swear they must be reading my mind, because when it comes to this year's batch of new flavors, absolutely everything has sounded good to me.

Chocolate Nougat Crunch is a sweet cream based ice cream with fudge-covered wafer cookies and a chocolate nougat swirl. I am one of those people who loves nougat; be it the soft, fluffy style that you find in candy bars, or the harder Italian-style that has nuts and/or fruit in it. Admittedly, I like the softer style more (and once again, with my recent jaw surgery, soft is all I can have for a while). So I lucked out, because the soft kind is what is used in this ice cream.



Digging into this pint you'll notice that the sweet cream base is indeed both sweet and creamy (imagine that!), and I like the nice, mellow vanilla-ish flavor it leaves in your mouth. What I don't like about it is that once you have had a few spoonfuls, it gets lost in the stronger nougat flavor. I would have liked the base to have been stronger, but it is still tasty.

What I really loved about this pint was the swirl. The day Ben & Jerry's can't make a kickass swirl is the day I stop eating ice cream...but it looks like that ain't happening anytime soon! The swirl is almost like eating a fluid version of a Milky Way bar. It's chocolately, and not surprisingly, it has a nice sweet thing going on. I think On Second Scoop nailed it perfectly when they said it was sort of like chocolate marshmallow (read their review here). Best of all, out of the several pints I have had, all of them had generous pools of swirl!



As for the fudge covered wafers: First, if you are expecting, say, a 'Nilla wafer -- don't. The cute little fudge covered wafer squares reminded me more of sugar wafers, minus the creme filling. I actually think I prefer this type of wafer over something more cookie-like. The texture of the wafers seemed to vary from really crispy, to some that had softened a bit -- kind of like a cake-style ice cream cone does when you get down to the bottom. The wafers are slightly sweet, but don't really have much flavor of their own.

The fudge: if you've ever read one of my reviews where Ben & Jerry's fudge covered anything, then you know that I am not a fan. I regard it as a necessary evil. I know most people don't mind it, but it has yet to win me over. Apart from that, however, no worries -- this is a really good ice cream overall.

So far this really is a great year for Ben & Jerry. I am really loving the lineup! Be sure to also check out The Impulsive Buy's review here.



PURCHASED FROM: Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE: $3.49

CALORIES: 250 calories per 1/2 cup serving.

ADDITIONAL INFO: Allergy information: fudge covered wafer pieces have been manufactured on shared equipment that also processes peanuts and tree nuts.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: benjerry.com

Oreo Birthday Cake Cookie: Limited Edition

I have to thank Jim for his review of the Oreo Birthday Cake cookies, which sent me out on a multi-store hunt to find my own bag. I finally found them at CVS when picking up my prescriptions. Yeah, drugs and cookies...I feel like I should be watching an episode of Weeds. Once I finally had my cookies in hand, I had one other hurdle to jump: the fact that I am still unable to eat anything other than soft food. But I am a trouper! By golly, I was not about to let a little thing like a messed-up jaw keep me away from cake batter flavored Oreos.



OK, so I cheated a little. I don't like to phone in reviews, even if it is only a small portion -- but in this case I decided there was a loophole I could exploit. You see, it is only the creme of the cookie that is flavored with cake batter...and that's pretty soft, right? The actual wafer of the cookie is the classic chocolate Oreo we all know and love. Yes, the cookie is crispy, chocolaty and just like every other Oreo cookie you have ever eaten in your life. (Except that while one side has the classic Oreo design, the other has a birthday candle and the legend "OREO 100" on it.)



Once you have the bag open, out wafts the wonderful sweet scent of yellow cake batter. Even my cats wanted in that package after they smelled the cookies. (No, I didn't let them!) The inner creme, as mentioned, is the real star here. I opted to try it with both a dry and a milk-soaked run. For the dry run, I twisted the top cookie off and did the classic Oreo cookie lick.



When you twist off the top cookie, you are treated to the sight of the sprinkle dappled cream. I was worried that this was going to be one of those things that smelled better than it tastes -- but once again, Oreo delivered. I loved the slight crunch that the sprinkled added. The sweetness of the hint of vanilla tasted even better to me when I dunked the cookie. (I am one of those people who soak Oreos to soggy deliciousness.) So how was it, you ask?

Well, this is possibly the best Oreo ever! Don't take my word for it; this is a limited edition. Go out and get your own bag while it's still available! (Be sure also to check out reviews 0f these cookies at The Impulsive Buy and Foodette Reviews.)



PURCHASED FROM: CVS

JELL-O S'more Pudding Snack

I may have said this a million times or two, but there will never be enough products with marshmallow in this world for me. I love everything about them. I love them "raw" (a.k.a just out of the bag), I love them roasted, and I especially love them burned to a post-eruption lava like crisp.

When the kind folks at JELL-O offered to let me try a pudding with marshmallow, I just about erupted myself. And just in case the FTC is reading this--while yes, I did get this pudding for free, I am not so shallow as to allow myself to be bribed by things with free marshmallows in them. It takes slightly more than that buy my allegiance. (Note to people who may want to bribe me: I only said SLIGHTLY more than that.) So why do I have the feeling that now the FTC is going to sic their own version of Men in Black on me? Anyway, on to the review...



The JELL-O S'more pudding cup consists of two layers. The bottom portion is a chocolate flavored with graham cracker, and the top is marshmallow flavored. The two layers are also differently textured.



The marshmallow layer: OH EM GEE! First, I love that they made this layer with the "mousse" texture, à la the Temptations line. Yes, I love that entire line...and having a marshmallow version only makes it better. The flavor is close to that of a toasted marshmallow. It seemed a little malty to me (but I liked that). Here's what's kinda odd, though: even though the graham crackers are in the chocolate layer, you can actually taste them more in the marshmallow layer. Go figure, huh? But it was still a very nice flavor, so that's not a complaint. As far as I am concerned, I could skip the chocolate and just have an entire cup (or vat) of this.



But there is still that chocolate graham layer waiting below for me, like a sea of dense, dark water--you know that sounds kind of scary--like a bad Shark Week trailer--oh, wait! Let's run with that! Maybe we can somehow work in a cross-promo with the Discovery Channel, where I talk about sharks while reviewing the pudding by eating it off of...oops, duh, I meant eating it with, yes with, Mike Rowe. Silly readers, how dare you think I had my mind in the gutter! Granted, I am mayor of the gutter, but I hardly see where that matters. We are supposed to be talking about pudding here, right? And sadly, it is Mike Rowe-free pudding. What did you say? Okay, fine, have it your way, I will get back to work on this review. Sheesh.

So, before my mind took its perv detour, we were starting to talk about the chocolate layer. And so we shall.

Unlike its best friend the marshmallow layer, which is mousse textured, the chocolate layer is the classic smooth and creamy style of pudding. On its own the chocolate seems to be not quite as infused with graham cracker flavor as the marshmallow layer, but you can tell it's there. I actually think it works better that the chocolate is the stronger flavor in this layer. It keeps things from being too sweet, and I like the contrast in textures. That said, I do think it would have been even better to have a layer of actual graham cracker crumbs in the cup. That would have been pretty tasty.

Now that I have talked about the layers separate, how are they together?

I have no idea how this is even possible, but the layers together reminded me more of a rum ball then of a S'more. I doubt kids would ever pick that up, but it may be an extra selling point for the grown ups (and right now the JELL-O people are probably wondering why the hell they ever let me near a sample). It's a delicious combo either way. And again, I would love to see the marshmallow layer get its own dedicated cup.



Also check out reviews by:
The Impulsive Buy
Foodette Reviews

PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company

CALORIES:
110 Calories per cup

OFFICIAL WEBSITE
kraftbrands.com

Snickers: Peanut Butter Squared

This is one of those cases where I have been woefully slow on the uptake getting to my review. I've been dying to try these since Cybele got the first scoop on them on Candy Blog back in July, and once I heard they could be found "in the wild" I proceeded to drive my mother insane scouring every store we went to for weeks until they showed up at CVS.

And I don't normally do this, but I love the commercial for them so much I have to share it:



I will grant you it is completely possible that some of my glee with that ad comes from the fact that I have a close family member named Steve, and it is safe to say there have been occasions when feeding each other to sharks sounded like a good idea.



Snickers Peanut Butter Squared comes in both the "fun size" bags and the bar version. I got my hand on a bar. In a departure from the normal single bar, the Peanut Butter Squared is broken up into two generously sized squares. I like it; it's cute, and if I feel like sharing or saving the second piece, this makes it super easy. I realize I could achieve the same thing by just getting the "fun size" bag to start with -- but admittedly if it is something that I end up really liking, I find it harder to control my personal portion because it makes it so easy to tell yourself "just one more..."

The bar is enrobed in the classic Snickers milk chocolate. Let's face it -- if you have ever had a single American Mars candy bar, you have had the smooth, slightly sweet milk chocolate that's on this bar. There's nothing even remotely noteworthy about it.



What makes this bar different is everything else. It has a much thinner layer of nougat. That's my favorite part of the classic bar, but then again, they had to make room for the peanut butter somewhere.

The peanut butter takes up the bulk of the filling. It's a smooth, creamy style peanut butter. There's not much to say about it except that it's on the salty side. I couldn't tell if that was from the peanut butter itself or the actual peanuts in the bar.

Speaking of the peanuts, while they were crunchy and fresh, there didn't seem to be as many of them as there are in a comparable portion of a normal Snickers. The caramel is also nothing to write home about. It's not bad; it's just the same stuff that's found on all the other Snickers.



In the end it's tasty, and I like it enough to scarf it down, but I really missed the nougat layer. It's certainly not my favorite variation of the Snickers bar. (I think that would be the Almond Snickers, although Snickers Dark is up there too).

Rod also reviewed it, so check out his opinion here.



PURCHASED FROM:
CVS

PRICE:
$1.69

CALORIES:
250 Calories per pack (2 squares)

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains peanuts and soy. May contain almonds.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
snickers.com

Temptations by Jell-O: French Silk Pie

There are many three-word phrases that get me excited. Examples include:

New Droid Phone
New York City
Gerard Butler Naked

-and-

French Silk Pie.

In an ideal world I could have all of those things simultaneously. In this one, sometimes you have to settle for whatever is doled out one at a time. And somewhere along the line in the last couple years, I have started to like pie a lot more than I used to. As a rule I prefer fruit pies to cream pies, but I have always had a soft spot for French Silk Pie.

Need I thus explain how happy I was when the generous folks at Jell-O sent me a package of their French Silk Pie Temptations to review? I didn't think so!



To keep calories down -- as with their Lemon Meringue Pie entry -- there is no pie crust to be found here. But that's OK, because the pudding (or filling, if you will) is so good that you won't miss it. (Though I can't say that the addition of a chocolate cookie crust wouldn't have been worth the extra naughtiness.)

The main portion of the cup is a dense, rich chocolate. I loved the texture. In fact, I liked it more than I did any of the actual French Silk Pies I have ever had. The reason is that actual pie filling tends to be a little too runny for my liking. But the Jell-O Temptations were thicker than standard pudding, and at the same time seemed to have a slightly whipped, mousse quality to it. It just held up really well and gave you the best of both worlds.

The flavor reminded me a lot of an actual slice of French Silk Pie. The large bottom layer is a really rich chocolate. It's like classic Jell-O pudding, but with a stronger cocoa flavor.



It is also topped with a smooth creamy layer, which was terrific. The texture holds its own, and is silky smooth with a slightly sweet, chocolate/vanilla flavor.

I loved this cup! It's up there with either of the chocolate Mousse Temptations for me.



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company.

PRICE:
MSRP is $2.89.

CALORIES:
140 calories per 1 cup serving (3.9 oz)

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
jello.com

New Tree Chocolate Granola Bar

I have liked New Tree chocolate since the very first bar I found on a visit to Zabar's in New York City. The first one I tried was the Tranquility bar, which is milk chocolate and lavender (new and improved review to come soon -- but for now, my rather lame first review can be read here). I love unusual flavors and New Tree has no shortage of those. Since I started trying New Tree's chocolates, they have changed their packaging from the old heavy cardstock and rather simple drawings of the theme ingredient to a glossy, sleek photo-style envelope. And it looks like chocolate bar itself has been re-molded as well...which is yet another reason for me to redo my older reviews.

The bar I'm reviewing now is part of New Tree's expansion into healthier options that take another step into more unconventional flavor combinations. This bar, for example, boasts having antioxidants and three times the fiber (along with 30% less sugar) than its similar counterparts. And if that's not a good reason to eat chocolate, then I am just going to call it a day permanently. Other than raw fruit and veggies, that's about as close to health food as I really feel the need to get.



Anyway, New Tree's Granola bar is a 31% milk chocolate that not only features little bits of granola, but is flavored with lime and green tea as well. I love green tea with lime as a drink, but will they play well together with chocolate? I am looking forward to finding out.

I do, however, have one complaint prior to actually tasting anything. It is a minor complaint, but it irks me. While New Tree has indeed changed the exterior packaging to a more modern look -- which I really like -- the new package illustration also shows a change to the molding of the bars themselves. That's all well and good...except that the bars actually are still molded just as they were when I first tried them almost four years ago. As you can see below, the bar is broken up into smaller square tiles rather than the brand-name embossed bar portions with the jaunty little tree designs that you see on the label. I realize that's not a big deal in the grand scheme of life -- but it's not truly representative of what you're getting. It's like a chocolate version of that hot girl you meet with the seemingly titanic rack: it looks great pushing out against her shirt, until you remove said shirt and find out you got duped by a push-up bra. Yes, I know the chocolate still tastes just as good (and the girl probably does too, but that's not within the scope of this review), yet it's still a disappointment. I guess the lesson here is that, much like many other aspects of life, it is the inside and not the outside that should count. It's just that sometimes the inside has to work a little harder to win you over once the outside has let you down.



So, after all that dime-store philosophizing, how did the inside work out?

Pretty well, actually. Regardless of its molding, the little squares have a great aroma. It's zesty and floral with a nice creamy finish. And the taste is even better.

The first thing you taste is the lime. It's bright and tangy but not sour or overpowering.



I am not sure that if I didn't know this bar had green tea in it that I would have guessed exactly what I was tasting. Actually, on first taste, it reminded me of mild pepper rather than tea. Then again, it is tea extract, and I can't say I have ever tasted that before. Maybe tea extract is just peppery? (Anyone out there have information on that?) Peppery or not, though, it was quite good.

The little clumps of granola are toasty and oaty and perfectly crunchy, which adds a nice contrast to the smooth texture of the chocolate. And, speaking of the chocolate: even three-years-plus after trying it for the first time, I am still in love with it. New Tree is a Belgian company, and -- yes, I have said it before -- those people can give the Swiss a run for their money any day when it comes to making chocolate. (But neither the Belgians nor the Swiss should get too complacent, because there are plenty of other countries who want a piece of the high-end chocolate action, and some of those efforts might surprise you. For instance, I've reviewed an Icelandic chocolate that was absolutely delicious, which you can read about here. I've also reviewed a very nice assortment box from Bolivia, which you'll find here.)

The chocolate is just strong enough that the lime and the tea flavors don't run it over. There is a really rich, milky taste to it. It's definitely on the sweeter side, but I think that with the tart lime, that's for the best. I can see where the lime might be too aggressive otherwise.



It has a reasonably smooth melt -- but remember, there are the bits of granola to melt around. It's a pleasant contrast.

Bottom line: As someone who loves citrus and chocolate together, this bar was an easy winner for me. I really think lime needs to be paired with chocolate (and not white chocolate!) more often. If you should see this bar, by all means get it. You won't be sorry.



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company.

CALORIES:
170 calories per 100 grams.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Allergen info not listed.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
newtree.com