Count Chocula cereal bar review

This might be called a cereal bar but take a look at my video and I think you will agree that it belongs in the candy aisle! 

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Ganong Marshmallow Santa review

Another marshmallow Xmas confection is up for review today, its the Ganong Marshmallow Santa.


Walking the Candy Aisle rates the Ganong Marshmallow Santa - 4 / 5

For more on all things Ganong please check out - http://www.ganong.com/

Russell Stover Candy Cane Marshmallow Snowman review

Hey all, another review for you today with the Russell Stover Candy Cane Marshmallow Snowman.


Walking the Candy Aisle rates the Russell Stover Candy Cane Marshmallow Snowman - 2 / 5

for more on all things Russell Stover please visit -  http://www.russellstover.com/

Hershey's Marshmallow Snowman review

Hi all, more Xmas reviews today, with a look at Hershey's Marshmallow Snowman.


Walking the Candy Aisle rates Hershey's Marshmallow Snowman - 2 / 5

For more on Hershey Canada please visit -  https://www.hersheycanada.com/en/home

Laura Secord's Marshmallow Bar review

We've got a fun one from a Canadian candy company that is just joining me here for the first time on the Candy Aisle, its the Laura Secord Milk Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Bar!


Walking the Candy Aisle rates the Laura Secord Marshmallow Bar - 4 / 5

For more on all things Laura Secord please check them out online at http://www.laurasecord.ca/en/

Hershey's Marshmallow Pumpkin review

More Halloween goodness today with Hershey's Marshmallow Pumpkin.


Walking the C andy Aisle rates Hershey's Marshmallow Pumpkin - 2 / 5

More from Hershey's Canada can be found online at - http://www.hersheycanada.com/

Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Tea Cakes review

As the Scottish pride swells in your breast please enjoy this review of Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Tea Cakes.


Walking the Candy Aisle rates Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Tea Cakes - 5 / 5

As much as Viva Puffs are one of my favorite cookies, this take a similar form factor and honestly just blow them out of the water. Get these if you can. Find out all you ever wanted to know about Tunnock's at their website - http://www.tunnock.co.uk/

For more UK Candy reviews, don't forget to check out this handy dandy YouTube Playlist!

Dare Marshmallow Eggs review

Famed (in Canada) for their delicious cookies, Dare enters our Easter candy reviews today with their Marshmallow Eggs!


Walking the Candy Aisle rates Dare Marshmallow Eggs - 3 / 5

For more on Dare please visit their site at http://www.darefoods.com/. And for more Easter reviews please check out the YouTube Playlist right here. See you tomorrow with another fun Easter candy review.

Hershey's Marshmallow Egg review

Today we've got more Easter coming at you with the Hershey's Marshmallow Egg.


Walking the Candy Aisle rates Hershey's Marshmallow Egg - 2 / 5

For more on this product please visit their site at this link, and for more reviews check out our Reviews Page. Later gators!

Peeps Marshmallow Pumpkins - video review

Hey all, Happy Halloween! I'm excited today, as I am every Halloween, for fun times and of course candy. I've got one more Halloween review for you today. Here's a look at Peeps Marshmallow Pumpkins.
 
Yes I know I should probably be calling them Marshmallow Pumpkin Peeps... its a long and convoluted story on why I'm calling it the other way around, just deal ok :)


Great stuff, honestly this score surprised even me!

For more on this, please check out the full written review, or all of our reviews on the reviews page. And look for a standard review coming this Friday, as we move into a look at some of the Canadian classics, before jumping headlong into Christmas candy! See you soon!

Peeps Marshmallow Pumpkins review

Its finally here! Happy Halloween everyone. Today I've got one more special Halloween review for you, its time to look at the oh so spooky Peeps Marshmallow Pumpkins.

There's something almost otherworldly ab out Peeps isn't there? I mean people seem to certainly regard them in high esteem. I for one have never fallen prey to the cult of Peeps. No its not because I hate them, I just don't get why people get so worked up over a few sugared marshmallow ducks. I'm looking forward to trying out these Pumpkins though. I can't remember the last time I actually had a Peep, so this should be exciting.

First off, Peeps all have some pretty nice design and packaging work. They're wholly original in presentation. From the font of the logo to packaging in the open, letting the candy talk for itself under clear cellophane. Its minimal and ingenious. I mean, look at how much you're getting for your money here! that's a lot of jack-o-lanterns smiling back at me.

The back of the box is pretty simple too. I like the note that they are "always in season" since its certainly true. Nowadays you can get peeps for almost any reason. They may not be on the shelf all year exactly, but anytime there is a candy holiday on the rise you'll find them in the Candy Aisle. Is that comforting to you? I'm not sure.... I guess if you're one of those die hard fans then it probably is.

Getting the actual Peep out requires a little ripping and minor disfigurements, but its all worth it. This is a squishy marshmallow candy coated generously in sugar. The sugar is very... granular, and a residue will come off on your fingers, but thats also just the nature of Peeps.
 
I'm on the record now with my complaints against candy marshmallow, and I usually stand by that claim. However Peeps may be the exception to the rule that marshmallow needs to be paired with a stronger flavor like caramel. Here its paired with simple sugar, and for the most part works very well.

There's something very viscerally satisfying about manhandling a Peep. They crush, crack, and tear so easily. Despite how adorable the face here, how kind of un-pumpkiny it actually looks (is this the Easter rabbit face design re-purposed into a pumpkin?) There's something very pleasing about pulling the cute smiling face apart. This is a happy pumpkin, and destroying it makes me happy too. Is tat weird?

And when you get down to actually eating the Peeps, you'll find its really pretty decent. The marshmallow isn't terrible quality, and the texture of the sugar adds a lot to the smooth, slightly melty mallow. This is a candy that lives, and is loved for a lot of reasons other than how it tastes, but for all that grandstanding, its really not all that bad. In fact its far better than it needs to be considering all the other stuff its got going for it.

I do like Peeps, and I do recommend the Marshmallow Pumpkins. I'm not quite ready to sign up for cult membership, but this is definitely worth your time.

Walking the Candy Aisle rates Peeps Marshmallow Pumpkins - 4 / 5

Peeps are a Just Born product, these are the same guys behind Mike & Ikes and have possibly the best company tagline ever, "A great candy isn't made... it's Just Born.". You can find them online at http://www.justborn.com/

Russell Stover Caramel & Marshmallow Pumpkin - video review

Its almost here. One day left! check out this review for Russell Stover's Caramel & Marshmallow Pumpkin.


Nice work guys! Check back tomorrow for yet another Halloween review! For more on this little gem, please check out the written review, or all of our reviews over on the reviews page.

Russell Stover Caramel & Marshmallow Pumpkin review

Russell Stover just loves the holidays, and that's why we've got another review from them for you today. Its the Russell Stover Caramel & Marshmallow Pumpkin.

Here we are once again with a Russell Stover Pumpkin candy. I've generally been a fan of their marshmallow treats, and I'm hoping for something good here. Looking at the packaging I'll say I'm finding it pretty delightful. That is a very happy pumpkin. He's smiling, he's jovial, you can just tell he's glad to be there sharing all his pumpkin goodness with the world. It looks like it must be the magic hour in the pumpkin patch as well, with a yellow orange sky, and a few stars peeking out. This is a good time waiting to happen, and I am thrilled to dig in.

Getting the chocolate out of the wrapper you can see that while it doesn't have an actual jack-o-lantern carved into it, there is certainly some specific pumpkin-y qualities to be found. I really like how it actually has a round bulging shape, and the vertical lines are very reminiscent of an actual pumpkin. It also smells pretty decent, and despite a small flaw on the back (you can see that in the video review) the pumpkin gives a very good overall impression. 

Biting into the pumpkin the most important and immediate sensation is the caramel. This is excellent caramel. The marshmallow has little to do here, in fact it acts more as textural filler to support the caramel. While I have gone on the record that I'm not generally a fan of chocolate bar marshmallow, I think really the issue is that the marshmallow needs to be paired with something else to support it. In this case the caramel is really great, and ties this entire chocolate together. Oh there is a chocolate vibe as well here, but the chocolate isn't mixing too much into the caramel as it does with some higher quality bars, instead its just nice;y there adding an extra bit of separate flavor.

This pumpkin, is worth it for the caramel alone though, and I have to say I am looking forward to trying more of this moving forward. Hopefully I'll have a chance to grab one of the pure Russell Stover Caramel Pumpkins somewhere. For now this will definitely do though. This is a solid recommend.

Walking the Candy Aisle rates the Russell Stover Caramel & Marshmallow Pumpkin - 4 / 5

For more on all things Russell Stover, you can check them out online at http://www.russellstover.com/

Marshmallow Brooms - video review

Its Friday, and the Friday before Halloween at that. So today I've got another fun Halloween review for you, please check out this look at Original Foods, Marshmallow Brooms.


Yeah, not so great... Anyhow, if you want more in depth analysis be sure to check out the full written review, or look at all of our reviews over on the Reviews page.

Marshmallow Brooms review

Another day closer to Halloween, and I've got another review for you. Today we're looking at Original Foods Marshmallow Brooms.

I'm not familiar with Original Foods, but I suspect I will be soon enough. They're a company out of Quebec who make a variety of confections. Since I've been living outside of Canada for some time now I haven't come across their stuff. From their website it seems like they specialize in caramels and seasonal candy. This seems as good a place as any to start.

This is kind of a unique idea. Putting a marshmallow treat on a stick is smart. One of the biggest problem with marshmallow candy is the mess, so I'm already liking this. The design is simple, although I'm not sure how much it looks like a broom but its Halloween, and you've got to give them a little leeway in creative marketing.

The packaging is really nice, I like the cartoonish design, the colors are all very Halloweeny, but not too dark.  The bats are a nice touch too, but I really like the zombie hand coming out of the ground to hold up the marshmallow broom. Its pretty adorable. Sure, I know zombies would have no need for a broom (they're not known for their cleanliness, or a marshmallow broom, since I'm pretty sure they like to eat brains instead of marshmallow, but I'm still going with it on the cute factor. Very nice job.

Getting the bar out of the packaging you can see that the chocolate has a nice dappled effect over the marshmallow. Its surprisingly small in comparison to the packaging. They probably could've shaved a half inch off the wrapper. I'm not a fan of the practice (also heavily employed with potato chips selling bigger bags half full of air. But looking at the bar, its not really all that bad. I like that the shape is at least somewhat tapered. That's at least sort of broom-ish...They could've added some broom touches to the outer design work, but for less than a dollar a pop, I can't blame them too much for keeping it simple. The important thing is how it tastes.

And the taste is not so great when it comes to it. This is cheap, and you can taste it. The marshmallow is cheap, the chocolate isn't very good, and too thin to really make any difference, and the overall effect is just unpleasant chewiness.

Marshmallow is a temperamental thing in candy. It works best when paired heavily with something else. Since the chocolate here is so thin, and indistinct the marshmallow has to stand on its own, and it just doesn't have the muster to manage it. Actually I will say one more thing about the chocolate, its kind of chalky. And to be honest this marshmallow tastes about one small step above what you'd find in your average bowl of Lucky Charms. In other words, its crap. This isn't actually offensive, but you certainly shouldn't bother getting it.

Walking the Candy Aisle rates the Marshmallow Brooms - 1 / 5

Marshmallow Brooms are an Original Foods product, you can check them out online at http://www.originalfoods.com/

Viva Forever!

One of the first delicacies I had to search out upon returning to Canada was the classic puffed marshmallow and chocolate cookie, Viva Puffs.

If you're not familiar with these cookies you are sorely missing out. These are the jelly doughnut of cookies. Not something you're always looking for but man, when it comes along you can't help yourself... These cookies are available in Canada and some parts of the US. They come in Fudge, Raspberry, Strawberry, Caramel, and Fieldberry flavors. Get your hands on them if you possibly can.

Cozy Treats

Alongside the Halloween stuff I saw these new Russel Stover treats that just scream Fall to me. Check these out!

Now I don't know if I've said it on the blog before but I really am a a fan of S'mores,  Maybe not quite as much as some peple I know but I'll definitely have one around a campfire if offered,. As for Pecan Delight... well it sure sounds delightful. I like pecans and really like caramel so this chould be a treat I would enjoy very much.

Don't these snacks just make you want to curl up beside a fire? Maybe with a nice mug of cocoa while the first snow comes down. A brisk and cool Autumn evening where you've decided better than to go out. This is exactly the treat I want in my hand when that happens.

3 Musketeers review

Its time for another review and this week we're looking at the classic 3 Musketeers!

Well after doing my due diligence of spending 3 minutes scanning Wikipedia I've come to learn that 3 Musketeers is really a true American classic candy bar. Starting in 1932 it was once partitioned into 3 sections each flavored differently covering chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. Now though of course the 3 Musketeers is just chocolate, but man what a chocolate it is. This bar will once again show my bias, because I already know that I love this chocolate bar. This is one of those candy bars from when I was a kid that I always loved, and I expect to again here.

But let's back up a second, look at this great packaging. Brilliant silver, with red and white. Its making a statement and I'm liking it, maybe not as muted or dour as the classic Dumas book would allude to... but who'd want to eat a chocolate bar that was really themed after the middle ages. Talk about depressing. No instead this channels the themes of heroism and action that the Musketeers evoke. I really like the imagery here, and think the bar goes a long way to making it work for it. On the side of the wrapper we can see that this is a "Whipped Up, Fluffy Chocolate-on-Chocolate Taste". Now if that doesn't sound kind of dirty, yet also delicious I don't know what does. Also of note the "45% less fat than average of the leading chocolate brands" quote. Ok, I guess that might make the sale for some people... For me, I understand that this is a chocolate bar and I'm not being fooled into thinking its healthy for me.

Onto the bar itself though, and I really love the design here. Sure the bar is simple, but its coated well. It's a thick milk chocolate, but not hard, just sturdy. And I really like the swirly drip chocolate marks on the top, maybe a bit reminiscent of la Milky Way, but to me this is just classic.

As for biting into the chocolate, well let me tell you, this is truly a great experience. The insides have a real lightness to them, this really feels like whipped chocolate, but with a pull almost of a toffee. It doesn't have the chew or any kind of stickiness that toffee does, it just has a nice pull. Like the way you wish marshmallows pulled only it doesn't have the annoying gummy after-texture of your average marshmallow. This is light, chocolatey goodness. I think its actually made from whipped eggs and sugar and then flavored with chocolate, so that may help. Looking at the cross section you can really see that this chocolate bar even has tiny bubbles in the fluff, its just that airy.

For my tastes this is a great chocolate bar, it smells great, looks great, and tastes great.


Walking the Candy Aisle rates 3 Musketeers - 5 / 5
 
3 Musketeers is a product of the Mars Inc, to learn more please visit http://www.3musketeers.com


Final Question - why aren't there other chocolate bars based on classic literary figures or references. Where's my Tarzan of the Apes banana bar, or my John Carter Martian Munchies? Someone should at the very least make some gummy worms called Cthulhu Crawlers... I mean these things just write themselves.

Bunnies

We've already had a look at how many Easter egg chocolates and candies there are at this time of year. Today lets see what we've got in terms of bunnies.

Oddly, iI my local candy aisle, aside from a few outliers there really only two companies in the chocolate Easter bunny game, Russell Stover and Palmer. On with the pictures...

 

Hollow = Fail.

this seems like a good idea though.

I think this is the one I'd go for. YUM.

little.

medium.

big.

This packaging makes me angry. Why are they covering the bunny's face???

Easter classic

Ok, not technically a bunny chocolate, but it sure looks good :)

The only Hershey bunny in the lot. Sounds pretty good.

mmm PEZ...

That's all I managed to find in my candy aisle. However I did make a trip out to the bigger Walgreens down the road a bit and found a few more to share...

a HUGE bunny!

Comes with a book!

Reading and Chocolate bunnies together at last...

Ahh... good ol' Snapsy the Bunny.

Is that the Noid?!

Peanut Butter YUM

 

WTF is this?!?!

It comes in 3 flavors too!

Is that a bunny?

Do you have any different or special bunnies in your aisle? Let me know in the comments. I think of these I'd probably go with the cookies 'n creme Hershey bunny, the Reester Bunny, or the Russell Stover solid milk chocolate with crispies one.

Question, why are there no licensed bunnies here? You would think at the very least Bugs could lend his face to a chocolate rabbit? I'm not suggesting we need a full run of Watership Down chocolates (that would be depressing), but I'd definitely be inclined to buy a Roger Rabbit, or Bucky O'Hare chocolate.

Think about it...