Candy

Photo from TasteOfHome.com

As I stood in line at the grocery store over the weekend watching the woman in front of me unload what must have been the 100th can of soup onto the belt, I decided to make the most of my wait and flip through the magazines at the register. I skipped over the tabloids in favor of something more appealing – the brightly-colored little glossy full of Thanksgiving recipe cards, taste of home. While I whole-heartedly recommend you grab a copy for yourself, I should warn you this is not an issue to read while hungry. It is absolutely packed with deliciousness! But beyond the mouthwatering recipes for apple & herb roasted turkey and gingered pumpkin bisque – and mouthwatering they are! – I came across a couple dessert recipes that broke the traditional Thanksgiving mold of pies and muffins. Don’t get me wrong, I love pies and muffins! But these petite treats are much cuter, and include candy, which I’m kinda partial to.

Turkey Pilgrim Cookies – The first candy-covered dessert to catch my eye was the Turkey Pilgrim Cookies. These are almost too cute to eat, but I think if I close my eyes I can manage! The recipe calls for the following ingredients, which should give you some insight into what makes these so good: Oreos, candy corn, miniature peanut butter cups, candy corn kisses, chocolate frosting, vanilla frosting, mini marshmallows, mini Oreos, Rolos and orange food coloring. And the best part, other than all the tasty ingredients, that is? There is absolutely no baking required! The frosting serves as a ‘glue’ of sorts for all the candy and cookie building blocks making these a dessert the little ones that can help put together. As there is no baking required, the kids can create these while you’re cooking to keep them busy, or it can be a fun family project the night before.

Pilgrim Hat Cookies – Just like the Turkey Pilgrim Cookies above there is no baking required for these yummy treats. Ingredients include: vanilla frosting, yellow food coloring, orange mini Chiclets, miniature peanut butter cups and fudge-striped cookies – that’s it! These are even easier to create than the Turkey Pilgrim Cookies, though I have to admit they aren’t quite as cute. What can I say – a dessert with marshmallow eyes wins my top vote! That said, I plan to make both cookie and candy concoctions this season, if not for Thanksgiving itself as a fall-themed snack for anytime. After all, with so much amazingness on Thanksgiving day, and the days full of delish leftovers that follow, I want to give my candy-packed desserts an opportunity to shine.

The Thanksgiving Recipes Cards issue of taste of home is $4.99 and marked for sale through November 22, 2011. Grab your copy the next time you hit the grocery store, and check out more great recipes on TasteOfHome.com today!

I am writing this post while curled up on the sofa, wrapped in a warm blanket, my mind and body swimming with sugar, surrounded by piles of empty wrappers. Yes…it’s Halloween night! I’ve consumed enough Laffy Taffy to giggle for days, and enough snack size chocolate bars to build a buffet. You might assume that having eaten more than my share of sweets, they would be the furthest thing from my mind, yet that is simply not the case! But instead of thinking of the traditional Halloween candy, of which I have just immensely partaken, my mind is on the Halloween candy of the future. Or, more specifically, the new candy of today that may become the traditional candy of the future.

With all the exciting new treats that are created every year, and the fact that most of us (myself included) most often eat the same few favorites we’ve been eating for as long as we can remember, it can be easy to miss some bright new stars in the candy circuit. But for as satisfying as Peanut M&Ms may be, and as perfectly sweet as Trolli Gummi Peaches, its only fair to give the new candies a taste as well, for their benefit and our own! After all, what if nobody every tried that first handful of Peanut M&Ms many years ago and they weren’t still with us today? I know, I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have gone there. It’s too horrible to imagine, but I’m trying to make a point, so bear with me! And my point is simply that we should take a peek and lend a taste bud or two to some of the newest candy creations…

Hershey’s Air Delight Chocolate Bars – You already know how delicious Hershey’s chocolate is, and that much of the enjoyment of eating chocolate is in relishing its many tantalizing consistencies, so it’s only natural to want to give a new consistency a try – aerated chocolate! Bursting with airy bubbles, the Air Delight bar is unlike anything you’ve ever tried before, while still being decidedly ‘Hershey’s.’

Skittles Blenders – As far as I’m concerned, with the possible exception of the green ones (sorry, green fans!), original Skittles are pretty much perfection in the non-chocolate category o’ candy. They’re my go-to favorite at the movies, I NEVER get tired of them, and even after all these years I can’t decide if I like the red or purple better. Ahh, they’re both so good! And the orange, and the yellow… Yes, original Skittles will make my ‘5 Candies You Can Bring to a Deserted Island List’ every time, no matter what. But for as strongly as I feel that the original is their best work, I have to admit that I’ve recently been more drawn to Skittles Blenders. It may be the rush of a new romance; the way the Melon Berry Burst makes me feel young again! It may be their brilliantly bright colors. It may be the way they dance across my tongue, exploding in a fruity splash of Skittles-tastic-ness! Whatever it is, please don’t tell original Skittles. I’m sure I’ll return to my true love one day, but for now I’m rather enjoying my Blenders adventures!

For as quickly as September slipped away, October went and won the race for speed! Even if these last 7 days trickle by like molasses, this month will surely come out on top for fastest. But just like December, October holds one of her most exciting days for the very last day of the month, and with that happy holiday on the horizon, we can’t quite find it in ourselves to complain that the month is almost over!

Yes, in just a week Halloween will be here, in all its ghoulish, goblin-y glory. And for as cool as all the costumes are, and as devilishly delightful the decorations, Halloween just isn’t Halloween without the candy! Have you been putting off Halloween candy shopping for fear that you would eat it all before the 31st? Don’t worry – you won’t find any judgment here; we’ve done it, too! But with Halloween just a week away, the time for candy shopping is now or never. And Blair Candy still has plenty of awesome choices available and ready to rock your goodie bags. Let’s look at 3 fun and unique options…

Glow Stick Pumpkin Lollipops – When it comes to trick-or-treating, the only thing that’s more important than having fun is being safe. The simple fact is that it’s getting dark earlier and earlier, and the brighter your costume and accessories the better. These lollipops help make it a bit easier to be seen with a stick that snaps and glows like a traditional glow stick. Kids should still carry flashlights and wear reflective gear, of course, but this adds a little extra illumination that’s also just plain cool!

Twisted Terrors Halloween Lollipops – Do you prefer to give 1 or 2 ‘big treats’ instead of a bag of smaller ones? Twisted Terrors lollipops are perfect for you! Each box contains 24 twirled lollipops in the shades of the season, which are decked out with 4 Halloween plastic rings shaped like skulls, spiders, pumpkins and witches. A super unique lollipop for kids ages 3 and up, these are sure to elicit at least a few exclamations of “Awesome!”

Palmer Eye Candy Mix – This bag proves that the eyeballs have it! The chocolate eyeballs, eyeball bubble gum and eyeball lollipops, that is. It’s not hard to ‘see’ that this is a full-on bag o’ fun, and with 60 pieces per bag it’s an awesomely affordable way to ‘envision’ Halloween goodie bags that are an absolute ‘ball’ for kids to dig into! OK, we’ll stop now.

It’s no secret that candy can be a sweet part of a balanced diet, whether you are on the path toward losing a few pounds, working to maintain your current weight, or are simply mindful of everything you eat on the journey to be as healthy as possible. What most of us have learned, whether we like it or not, is moderation is key! It turns out there is a difference between one serving of Peanut M&M’s and one bag of Peanut M&M’s. Oops. And as we all know too well, M&M’s are far from the only candy that makes a limit a tricky task. One other such treat is marshmallow Peeps.

Sure, we open the package knowing we should just have one or two. We open the package with the best of intentions. We open the package thinking, “These Peeps will last me a week! I will have no more than 2 per day, because I have self control!” But…that doesn’t always happen. And it’s not our fault! Once that ooey-gooey goodness touches the tongue, stepping on the brakes is so hard. Once that plump, pillow of sweet marshmallow finds its way to your mouth you are no longer responsible for what becomes of the package of Peeps. You are only human! Since the dawn of time, humans have been no match for marshmallows. It’s just science!

Shed no tears, marshmallow-lover. In this great battle between a balanced diet and that undefeated enemy – Peeps – there is someone in your corner. Someone you may have least expected. Yes, coming into the ring with an orange satin robe trailing behind is none other than Sugar Free Peeps! *The crowd goes wild!*

Who is this Sugar Free Peeps? What is the relation to regular Peeps? Don’t worry, there isn’t a soap opera-worthy family rivalry that you’ll find yourself smack dab in the middle of. Sugar Free Peeps and regular Peeps are practically besties! They’re both cute and colorful, and they both taste delicious. It’s just that the Sugar Free variety aren’t as likely to leave you bouncing off the walls at midnight because you accidentally ate six servings while you were watching Law & Order. They’re also a great choice for people who must closely watch their sugar intake, and those who simply prefer the taste of Splenda. As for me? I think I’ll keep both in the cupboard. I can “mmmm” my way through a pack of Sugar Free Peeps any day, but sometimes I like to bounce off the walls at midnight. When else is the bathroom going to get cleaned?!

As deliciously untradeable as you and I may think they are, there will always be kids willing to take Mary Jane Candy and Gobstoppers to the Halloween bargaining table. It won’t be all of them, of course…but it will be some. And it won’t just be Mary Janes and Gobstoppers. There will be Smarties open for candy negotiation, Sugar Daddy lollipops awaiting a switch, Tootsie Pops added to the auction. And why would kids be willing to part with these sweets – the very bounty that is their pay for a long night of Trick-or-Treating? For one reason, and one reason only: chocolate.

Rest assured that the taste buds of today’s youth are very much intact, and they are fully capable of enjoying each of the above treats just as much as you or me. And, to be sure, almost any other time of year they would gobble them up without a second thought. Trade? What trade? Nom, nom, gone. But to be certain, this isn’t any other time of year. This is the time of year that comes immediately after ‘if I don’t eat this chocolate bar in 30 seconds or less it will melt all over everything within 5 feet of me.’ You know…that time of year!

Outside of a well-chilled chocolate bar here and there, fresh from the fridge or freezer, it has been months since we’ve been able to trust a candy bar not to melt into a pile of ‘oh no!’ at the bottom of our purses and backpacks. And in kid months, a few months is at least 4 ½ years. It seems like another lifetime when they were able to leave a Kit Kat in the car! And as such, the fall marks a return not only to school, changing leaves, pumpkin carving and long sleeves – it is also, more importantly, a return to chocolate. And NOTHING holds more value than that at the Halloween bargaining table.

If you’ve already got all the candy you need for trick-or-treaters, there’s no need to stress if you haven’t included chocolate bars in the mix. They may trade some of their stash for chocolate, but will surely partake of other favorites as well. And once chocolate fever has calmed down a bit and they are more accustomed to the chocolate-friendly temperature, their universal love of all candy will return! But if you haven’t got all your Halloween treat sacks packed just yet, consider adding some Fun Size Snickers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins and M&M’s. Chocolate candy currency has never been worth more than it is now, and you could make the trick-or-treaters that find their way to your house the ‘richest’ kids in town.

It might just be our imagination, but the consensus at Blair Candy Headquarters is that September was the fastest month this year! It seems we just turned the calendar page, and tomorrow we will be turning it again. While we hate to see time move so quickly, when each passing day gets us closer to Halloween, we can hardly complain! Not only is it a fun-packed holiday full of sweets, but decorating for Halloween is a treat unto itself.

As much as I love my pretty Christmas décor, the creepy, cute, and creatively-designed decorations for Halloween are my favorite. And this year, I’ll be adding plenty of edible awesomeness to my decorations by incorporating Halloween candy into the design!

Decorating with Halloween candy can be as simple or as complex as you like. We’ve put together a little list of ideas for how you can add something sweet to your decorations this year, but don’t be limited by our ideas! Use as many or as few as you like, and always feel free to exercise your creativity and see what you can dream up. Just don’t forget to share it with us in the comments so we can try it, too!

Break out the Halloween candy bowls. Whether they are shaped like pumpkins and ghosts, or are simply ceramic bowls in the shades of the season, scattering candy bowls throughout your house not only adds a homey touch, but makes it easy to grab a caramel apple pop or two no matter which room you’re in!

Show the sweeter side of potted plants. If your thumb is lacking a green hue as much as mine, chances are good that you’ve lost more than one potted plant in your day. So what’s a guy or girl to do with all those pretty, empty pots? Fill them with marbles or decorative rocks of course! Once your pot is filled to within an inch or so of the top, plant some Halloween lollipops inside. Our witch finger lollipops won’t wilt like a daisy or sunflower, and they taste a lot better, too. So don’t be surprised if some of your ‘flowers’ go missing as time goes on!

Let guests know they’re being watched! We don’t recommend actually spying on your friends and family members, but you can add to the creepy feeling of being watched by adding gumball eyes throughout your home. Peeking out from behind pictures, sitting next to the hand soap in the bathroom, hanging from strings inside the refrigerator door – anywhere spotting a set of eyes peeking back will freak someone out is the perfect location!

And don’t forget one of the biggest advantages of all to decorating with candy – there’s no storage required. Simply snack your way to a post-Halloween house come November 1st. You don’t have to pack it away when you ‘pack it away’!

Whether you are shopping for candy that works with your own dietary needs, or want to ensure that every Trick-or-Treater that stops by will find something that suits their needs in your bowl, our Sugar Free Halloween Candy and Gluten Free Halloween Candy sections are for you!

Following a gluten free or sugar-conscious diet can be tricky at times, and the holidays are perhaps the hardest times of all. But for as difficult as it can be to turn down a treat that it seems everyone but you can eat, you know you’re doing what’s best for you! And luckily, while you, your children, or a few Trick-or-Treaters may have restrictions on what they can consume, candy is not an all-or-nothing indulgence. In fact, BlairCandy.com offers a delicious assortment of sugar free candy and gluten free candy that would tempt any tastebud!

Gluten Free Halloween Candy

Many people are surprised by some of the candy they find in our gluten free selection. These aren’t specialty candies that you’ve never heard of – they’re favorites that we’ve all been happily enjoying for many years. They just happen to be gluten free as well as scrumdiddlyumptious! Some All-Stars you might recognize best include Butterfinger candy bars, M&M’s, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Gummy candy is also often gluten free, and your many mouthwatering options include Gummy Peaches, Trolli Strawberry Puffs, and a favorite of so many kids – Sour Gummy Worms!

Sugar Free Halloween Candy

What’s soft, orange, oh-so-yummy, and melts in your mouth? We’ll give you a hint…It’s not carrots, and it rhymes with ‘beeps’. Ohhh, it must be Peeps! But these aren’t just any Peeps; these are Sugar Free Peeps shaped like pumpkins! Each pack contains three petite Peep pumpkins sweetened with Splenda, ready to brighten your day the sugar free way.

Prefer something that lasts a little longer? Because let’s face it…if there are Peeps in the house, they don’t exactly get a lot of time in the pantry before they’re in someone’s belly. And for those times that you need a sugar free candy fix and the Peeps have gone missing, or you are filling a few sugar free Halloween treat bags to have at the ready, our selection of Brach’s sugar free hard candy makes a sweet choice. Choose from sugar free versions of candy classics we all love, including butterscotch hard candy and cinnamon hard candy.

To make it easy for kids and parents alike to know you have sugar free and gluten free candy available for Trick-or-Treaters, consider setting up 3 baskets or boxes to hold your Halloween treat bags. Simply attach a ‘Sugar Free Halloween Candy’ index card to one, and a ‘Gluten Free Halloween Candy’ index card to another to separate the sweets. Affixing the identifying cards with a clothespin should do the trick for your treats!

Just like a book, a person, and countless other things in life, you can’t always judge a candy by its cover. There are plenty of sweets out there that might not win a beauty contest, but are a beautiful treat to the tongue where it counts! But just as we can’t assume less-than-pretty candies won’t be delicious, we also can’t assume that candy with a cute, clever and colorful style is getting by on looks alone. Yes, some candies really do have it all – the eye-catching appeal, the delicious flavor, and in some cases, their own handle! OK, to be fair it’s not really a handle, it’s a stick. But it sure does make eating lollipops easier, and lollipops are what we’re looking at today. Halloween Lollipops, to be exact, since Halloween is fast on its way!

Coffin Creepers Halloween Lollipops – As if the clever coffin packaging wasn’t enough to make these a must-have, the adorable little creatures peeking out from the windows captured every heart at Blair the moment these arrived. One of my favorite things about Halloween is all things ‘scary cute’, and these are topping my list this year. As for the flavors, my personal fave is Bone Rattlin’ Blue Raspberry (plus, I can’t resist his oversize innocent smile!), but Vampire Very Cherry and Mummy Wrap Green Apple are scary good as well.

Crazy Bones Lollipops – These tiny little lollis feature a fruity, round lollipop top attached to…a plastic arm or leg! Yes, where you might expect the elbow or knee to be you’ll find candy instead, which means that while eating a Crazy Bones lollipops everyone sees a little hand or little foot peeking out of your mouth! As for the flavors, these come in an assortment of classics: orange, grape and green apple. And while we don’t know for sure, we think they taste better than a real arm or leg by a landslide!

Twister Terror Halloween Lollipops – These cherry-flavored lollipops have a funky, modern feel to them, but also have an element of classic candy charm with their twist design. This update on an old-fashioned candy store staple is re-imagined in the shades of Halloween – orange, black and white – and decked out with 4 awesome Halloween rings per pop before being wrapped and cinched with a black ribbon! These make a memorable treat for friends, family and trick-or-treaters, who always remember the houses that give out the best stuff!

I’ve had a touch of Fall Fever for weeks now. As usual, it started slow, eyeing up all the decorations in stores, dreaming of changing leaves and the many pumpkin-flavor-infused treats that have just begun popping up at coffee shops. But it progressed beyond casual, fleeting fall thoughts. I have found myself absent-mindedly searching for fall recipes online, with visions of corduroys swishing in my head. I’ve retired all but one pair of flip-flops to the closet, and dusted off boxes with beautiful boots inside! But it wasn’t until this past weekend that Fall Fever got a solid hold over me, and I don’t think it will be letting go.

A cousin celebrated her upcoming marriage with a bridal shower this weekend, and decked the halls in fall-tastic-ness. The venue itself had a warm, autumnal ambiance, with rich woods, exposed beams, and wrought-iron touches here, there and everywhere. And in this naturally ‘fall’ location she draped tables and chairs with burgundies, deep oranges, chocolate browns and mossy greens. Decorations and favors were rustic and fall-themed as well, relying heavily on a pumpkin motif, but not the brightly-colored pumpkins specific to Halloween – fall-y pumpkins! The setting was at once opulent and cozy, luxurious and laid-back…kind of like fall itself. And in the midst of all this marvelousness was something supremely sweet that gave an air of sugary magic to it all – a candy bar.

The candy bar was full of giant glass jars with scoops, much like the counters of the candy stores of yesteryear. There were paper candy bags for storing your chosen treats, and enough fall-friendly and Halloween candy to keep you wired well beyond the holiday weekend! I filled my bag to the brim with Brach’s candy corn, caramel apple pops, Reese’s Pieces and Reese’s Miniatures. A decorative dish of shoestring licorice was left on the table to tie off the bags with a flavorful flourish, but my bag was too full for tying so I simply ate my lace.

And when the festivities were over, and all the hugs had been had and well wishes wished, I walked slowly back to my car through the gorgeous grounds with my candy in hand. I took the long way – through the garden, past the pool, down a tree-lined path. I appreciated my surroundings…appreciated the fall in the air…enjoyed my lollipop without rushing a bite. I let summer slip away a little more with each step, and fell gently into fall.

As football fans living in Pennsylvania, where the weather on game day can range from a tad bit chilly to can’t-feel-my-toes-frigid, we know firsthand that a little frost on the windshield won’t have you cancelling game plans! Most fans will weather even the coldest days with blankets and gloves in tow while wearing more layers than a cake! But for as open as we are to embracing what Mother Nature throws our way, it is imperative that the game we attend have a concession stand fully stocked with the many food groups of football, namely: Beer Nuts, Cheese Popcorn, Planters Heat Peanuts, Sports Lollipops and Freestone Pickles. There are a few other snacks and sweets you should have as well, but I want to be sure my favorites are covered before we move on.

So what are the consequences of a poorly-stocked concession stand? What is the worst that can happen if you run out of popcorn or never even order Slim Jims? YOU DON’T EVEN WANT TO KNOW. It may start with an empty seat in the stands here and there that used to be filled, but with each passing week less and less people, and more and more empty seats in the stands, will become the norm. In time, the stands themselves will fall apart from depression, for all their joy lives in the excitement of the fans!

And then, of course, there are the football players, coaches and mascots. Have you ever seen a mascot shuffle aimlessly about the football field as though his whole purpose in life has been ripped away? Have you ever seen a player score a game-winning touchdown only to look out into the empty bleachers and realize it went largely unseen? No…you wouldn’t see that. Because you wouldn’t be there to see it, and no one else would either! And why? For what? Because someone forgot to place an order, followed by forgetting to place another order, and before anyone knew what happened the concession stand was full of nothing but forgotten dreams and absence of hope.

The entirety of ‘town spirit’ may be depending on your well-stocked concession stand. OK, we may be exaggerating just a little! But do you want to risk finding out for sure when prevention is just a few clicks away?! We can promise that the temperature climbing into the single digits won’t keep us away from a football game. We can even promise that we’ll pack extra hand warmers in case the game goes long. But by golly, we can’t promise we won’t be forced to venture elsewhere in pursuit of Planters Peanuts if they aren’t available. And that’s just the football-lovin’ truth!