How many of you received a chocolate bunny today? Jelly beans? Peeps? Easter, like all other holidays that have become overly commercialized, offers up a plethora of holiday-themed candies sure to please even the pickiest of palates (mine). Here's the lowdown:
Chocolate bunnies: Some of these are good. Others suck. A chocolate bunny should ALWAYS be solid because those hollow bunnies are false advertising. They look all big and appealing but when you bite into one, it instantly crumbles and you just paid for a chocolate shell and a lot of packaging. Don't ever, EVER buy anything but a solid chocolate bunny. I personally love Palmer chocolate and it's about the cheapest kind you can buy. And I also like Lindt chocolate which is a higher-priced brand. But not much in between. Maybe a Hershey bunny, but anything else is just crap.
Jelly Beans: These come in all manner of brands and varieties. I encountered some interesting ones this Easter - ones that were all red, or some that came in smoothie flavors. I think the Starburst ones taste best, but I only really like the orange ones anyway. Sure, there's Jelly Bellies, but those can really shock you from time to time. Like when you're expecting a coconut and get toasted marshmallow instead. I like to know what I'm getting. Oh, and black jellybeans? The grossest invention ever! I hate anything that tastes like licorice or IS licorice. Blech!
Peeps: These quintessential marshmallow chicks and rabbits are an Easter favorite. Of a bunch of weirdos. I hate Peeps! They are marshmallows, for one, and there's not much appealing about a marshmallow unless it's perfectly roasted over an open fire and sandwiched between graham crackers and chocolate. For another thing, someone got the brilliant idea to coat Peeps with a superfine, colored sugar. Which is EWW! Because that grainy, sandy texture is in your mouth and it's so unappealing. I do not understand the appeal of Peeps, except as a table decoration, which is how I used them this year. And right after dinner the kids burned them over the fire, which is their rightful resting place.
Everything else: Note to manufacturers - just because you make your candy in appealing pastel colors, the flavor is not altered. Therefore, all the candy I hate, even though it's appealing in those soft pastel shades of Easter, will not taste better. And yet, I still purchase it "for the kids". I'll admit to tasting a few of these this year and I realized how yummy Chewy Sprees are. And how much I hate a hard candy shell around chocolate. Unless it's M&M's or Reese's Pieces. Except when the candy companies decide to get cute and offer the candy in egg shapes, which totally throws off the chocolate to candy shell ratio.
The winner: Hands down, my favorite treat this year was Palmer caramel eggs. The chocolate to caramel ratio was just right, both tasted great and I ate a whole bag over the past few weeks by myself. Yikes. Still, Palmer never disappoints me and offers this delicious caramel/chocolate combo for several other holidays as well (hearts for Valentine's day, bells for Christmas). I also love their chocolate/peanut butter combo and their chocolate/fudge combo. I just love Palmer chocolates. The runner up was Lindt chocolates - the mini truffle eggs were delicious, and the truffles never fail to please me, especially with their beautiful, spring-y packaging and special seasonal varieties.
I'm in big trouble........
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