Better than Oreo - Benton's Carrot Cake Creme Filled Cookies

Carrot Cake Creme Filled Cookies - Aldi

Easter is literally this weekend. How did that happen? Where does the time go? I think munching on clearance Valentine's Day candy post-holiday has messed with my perception of seasonal snacking time. Spring is officially here! To celebrate, I have another seasonal Aldi cookie. 

You know, after how bad the Hot Cocoa Cremes were (I ultimately threw them out) I thought I would be done with Benton's seasonal cookies, but the Red Velvet Cake flavor really did win me over.  Let's hope that Carrot Cake is just as awesome. 

Mr. Owl's Eggs? - Tootsie Roll Eggs

Tootsie Roll Eggs - Dollar Tree

Tootsie Rolls are one of those products I never think to buy on their own, but I am always happy to see it in a candy dish or in a seasonal candy bag. They're simple, chewy, chocolatey, and unlike other candies, they still taste exactly how I remember them. (Can't say the same about Crunch bars or Buncha Crunch, have you guys eaten those lately? What the heck happened to it?!)

Other than a few new flavors of Tootsie Pops over the years, like banana, pomegranate and others, there hasn't been much innovation to their product line. Which is why these Tootsie Eggs, essentially Tootsie Rolls with a crispy sugary shell, were so intriguing. Would it drastically change my opinion on the candy? After all, I'm a sucker for a crispy shell. I love chicklet-style gum, I love the candy shell on Cadbury eggs, m&m's, and the Reese's cup with Reese's Pieces mixed in is phenomenal. Probably my favorite new thing Reese's has done in the last 5 years. So, why not see what a crispy shell can do for a classic like Tootsie. 

Two Tantalizingly Tangy Tropical Taffys! - Pineapple & Guava Laffy Taffy

Pineapple and Guava Laffy Taffy - Dollar Tree

First those Laff Bites last week, and now these? 

Turns out I've been doing this for long enough that I have finally forgotten what items I've reviewed and what I haven't. In my mind I thought I had already written up a bunch of flavors of Laffy Taffy, so I searched for them on my own blog and ended up finding only one post, the fall themed Pumpkin Donut and Apple Crisp flavors they released in 2016. (And last week's Laff Bites of course.)

That's it. How is that possible? I know for a fact I have eaten a ton of Laffy Taffy in my lifetime, maybe not so much in the last 3-years, but still! This is something I should remedy, and thankfully Dollar Tree had this fun tropical peg-bag at the ready. 

Oh, and when can peanuts laugh? 

Banana Laff Bites - Lafflettes

Laffy Taffy Gone Bananas Laff Bites  - Dollar Tree

I really liked Laffy Taffy as a kid, back when there used to be monsters on the wrappers and mix-ins, like candy watermelon seeds, but since they changed to a more stream-lined look with less texture, it just hasn't been the same. I still buy it from time to time, and if there is a new flavor (like apple crisp) I'll write about it, but when it comes to my normal non-blogging candy cravings, they just aren't in the rotation. 

When I spotted these at Dollar Tree I thought it was interesting that another product was looking for a way to ditch the wrapper and go bite-sized. I also wondered if this really was the same as normal Laffy Taffy, just more snackable, or if it suffered the same fate as all the unwrapped Starburst products that were completely reformulated. 

Let's find out. Oh! And why did the banana need medicine?  

Double Dose of Melon Goodness - Haribo Watermelon and Major Melon MTN Dew

Watermelon Haribo & Major Melon MTN Dew

Spring has sprung, literally yesterday, but I'm already craving summer, and nothing says "summer" like watermelon. I have two different products today, one a candy, the other essentially humming bird nectar, who wants to take bets that I'll be bouncing off the walls later? 

Pucker Up - Lemon Crisp Kit-Kats

Lemon Crisp Kit-Kat - Walgreens

Hi everyone! I disappeared again. (Sorry!) In my defense, my one-year pandemi-versary is coming up and reflecting on the past year has put my head in a weird place. I am still surrounded by candy and things I want to post about, but editing the photos and typing posts requires a level of focus that I just don't have right now. I'm trying to schedule a bunch of reviews over the weekend to fix all that, but in the meantime, there's a new Kit-Kat in town! 

Peeps, Revisited: Cotton Candy and Party Cake

Cotton Candy & Party Cake Peeps - Dollar Tree 

Sorry for tapping out there, it was totally unplanned, but I gave myself a week off. Now I'm back, refreshed, and about to bombard you with more sugary Peep goodness. 

Marshmallows are one of my favorite things ever, right up there with gummies. Whether they're tiny freeze-dried ones for cereal and cocoa, to braided pastel-colored ropes, to jumbo S'more, to Peeps. I love snacking on them, cooking with them, and strategically leaving them out to age like a fine wine. (Stale marshmallows are the best marshmallows. Unless they're freeze dried, which is like stale without the chew.) 

Fierce Cinnamon Flavor? Don't be Chicken!

Hot Tamales Peeps - CVS

I haven't had Hot Tamales in ages, but you know what I have had? Red Hots. And no offense to Tamales fans, but I think they are the superior cinnamon-based candy.  

Red Hots are tiny dot-shaped candies with a glossy exterior and crunchy, sugary, interior, both packed with bold cinnamon flavoring. Think Big Red, but with a crunch. 

This might just be a me-thing, but my favorite way to eat them is when they are stale. When Red Hots have been sitting in your pantry for a while the first layer of candy softens and gets kind of chewy, while the interior stays crisp and crunchy. It's the best. I like to add them to holiday baking, so I always have some on hand and the older they get, the better they are for snacking. Just like Peeps! When those little bunnies and chicks get old, and a little shriveled, that's when Peeps are at their prime. (Bunny shape is vastly superior thanks to it's ears! Why can't fancy flavors come in bunny-shape?) In my opinion they get more similar to Mar-bits aka freeze dried marshmallows. I used to stab a bunch of holes in the clear window of the Peeps package and leave them on the counter for a while.  

So, when I saw these new Hot Tamales Peeps, I was excited because it's the best of both worlds, but skeptical about how "fierce" they would actually be. 

Let's get (hopefully) spicy! 

A Duet of Duos

Kit-Kat Duos: Mocha & Dark Chocolate and Mint  - Aldi

American Kit-Kats are finally getting a steady stream of creativity and innovation! 

Previously, all my fun Kit-Kat reviews came from flavors that were sold overseas, like wasabi or bakeable Sweet Potato, but in the last four years we've had a healthy amount of American flavors. Seasonal offerings, like pumpkin pie, red velvet, and raspberry, a few local-flavors (like California Strawberry), and now stand alone packs of Apple Pie, Birthday Cake, and these Duos. 

The mint Duo came out over a year ago, and I guess it was successful, because it's stuck around and now the line is expanding with this new mocha flavor. So, why not check both out and see what they have to offer?