Coconut
This was a gift from my sister who found it on one of her many culinary adventures in New York City. I’ve seen them around cyberspace and sometimes in Marshall’s candy aisle. I can’t tell you exactly why I haven’t picked them up myself, mainly it’s because I already had so much candy to deal with that I just didn’t bother. It’s good to know that something will eventually end up in my hands at some point, so I have many thanks to my sister for this review.
I love the packaging, it comes across as very tropical and fun to me. The greens really catch my eye, and the cartoon crocodile with the neon sunglasses. It makes me giggle.
The patties are flat, square, moist cakes of shredded coconut that are neon green the sides have been dipped in chocolate. It has this “stained glass” look with dark sides and a colored inside. it smells of coconut, with it’s fresh, tropical scent. I look at the ingredients and sadly he chocolate here is really mockolate.
The texture is very dense and moist, with the chew being thick and full of the coconut shavings. The flavor is first sweet from the chocolate, then the key limes flavor comes though with a lightly sour zesty note. You then taste the coconut with it’s sweet and nutty flavor, and it really marries the zesty lime and the sweet chocolate. It’s an interesting flavor, as the chocolate and the coconut remain center stage, yet the lime is a nice accent to it which really makes it taste unique.
So overall, they’re not too bad. They were tasty, but I wish it was real chocolate. If you’re a big tropical flavor/coconut fan, I recommend you give consider giving these a shot.
Rating: Might Eat Again
I love retro and classic candy. I was a really big history nerd back in High School, so of course any sort of candy that has a long standing tradition or story behind it would make my little heart go pitter-patter. Sadly, most of these types of candies are very hard to find. Some are only carried by the most out of the way stores, while others can only be found in certain regions of the country. Still, that doesn’t keep me from scheming of hunting them all down and trying them.
Atkinson’s Coconut Long Boys are one of those classic candies I’ve always heard about but never actually saw for sale. It was only when I was in downtown Burbank did I finally locate them. It was a well stocked candy shop where they had these tucked into a bulk bin. Trying to hide my extreme delight from the cashier, I didn’t want to scare her, I bought a handful to try once I got home.
So what is a Coconut Long Boy? Well, they’re caramels that are shaped into long cylinders. They come wrapped in brightly colored wax paper that reminds me of ketchup and mustard. These Coconut Long Boys have family too, as there’s chocolate and junior varieties available too. I sadly didn’t find these at said store, they must have been separated at birth.
The Long Boys look like any typical light colored caramel. The texture is pleasant: thankfully they’re not sticky in the mouth, even thought it did stick to the wrapper a little. They’re chewy similar to Sugar Babies where chew is long, firm and grainy. You can taste and feel the flakes of the coconut too, which is a nice touch. It’s a nice sweet coconut flavor, not artificial at all and it’s not overly sweet. As for the caramel flavor, it’s certainly creamy but it doesn’t have the burnt sugar or cream notes I’m used to. It’s all overshadowed by the coconut.
That being said, they’re really tasty. I enjoyed them a lot and I understand much better why these have stayed on the candy scene for so long.
Rating: Might Eat Again
Links Atkinson’s Long Boys Webpage
I’ve noticed Mallo Cups for a long time, but never picked them up until a little over a year ago. They always read “retro” candy to me, with the very bold and classic packaging design with the intense red lettering and yellow background. The fact that they always seemed to be placed next to the classic Sky Bar certainly didn’t help my impression either. Eventually curiosity got the best of me, and I am so glad it did.
Opening the package revealed several surprised. First, was the scent of coconut! I was under the impression that these were only marshmallow, but a careful inspection of the ingredients list shows coconut. Yum! Second, the cups were so cute, about the size of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. They even comes in similar little fluted wax paper cups! They’re nestled in a nice cardboard tray for protection, which is a nice effort on Boyer’s behalf. Last but not least is the cardboard play money that’s included in each package. I got a 5 point card piece. These are meant to be saved and redeemed for freebies on the Boyer website. A nice nod to a time when every company seemed to participate in these sorts of things.
The cups are nice to look at and area little uneven on the surface from the toasted coconut that sits atop the marshmallow interior. The aroma is lightly chocolatey with a hint of coconut.
The first bite you immediately feel the gooey marshmallow and I find myself carefully pulling my mouth away so I don’t make a mess. I didn’t of course, but that’s the sensation I felt. The marshmallow is fresh and soft, but thankfully not enough so that more of it ends up on your lap than in your mouth. The flavor is lovely: a good chocolately hit from the shell the a cool, smooth fluffy vanilla flavor from the soft marshmallow that’s mixed with the toasted coconut flavor from the coconut shavings. The coconut also adds a great textural contrast to the whole cup: soft marshmallow, smooth chocolate and slightly chewy coconut shavings.
Could this get any yummier? I don’t think so. I’m officially addicted.
Rating: Hoard
Links:
Boyer Candies Website
Some great chocolates you seek out on your own and others are thrust upon you as gifts. That was the case with these adorable bonbons from Asher’s Chocolates. I enjoy seeking out chocolates on my own since I know what my tastes are and how I feel like catering to them. Yet, it’s always so nice to try something new thanks to the thoughtfulness from a special someone. Not only is the surprise nice, but I also don’t admit to knowing everything out there in the great wide chocolate world. I do need to rely on other’s experiences and recommendations from time to time.
Asher’s is a chocolate company based in Philadelphia where they rose from humble beginnings back before the turn of the 20th century. Their story is similar to that of See’s Candies, a family run business that prided itself in making excellent confections. Asher’s is actually the oldest family owned candy making company in the Unites States and are being run by the fourth generation at the moment. It’s great to see a family so interested in their sweet traditions.
I was given a sampler pack of their milk and dark bonbons:
Mint: The dark chocolate is nice and rich and thankfully not too sweet. The mint has a nice freshness without being overpowering, which is a lot of my problem with minty and chocolate combinations. The texture of the ganache is smooth, creamy and just heavenly.
Peanut Butter Cup: The peanut butter is creamier, richer, and sweeter than the crumbly, dry standard of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. The milk chocolate is very smooth and sweet. Paired with the nutty, slightly salty peanut butter it makes one addictive little treat.
Coconut:Very sweet. The coconut is moist with a good dense, chewy texture. The full coconut flakes are still intact and I love chewing them. I consider this to be a more decadent version of a Mounds bar.
Peanut Butter Bonbon: Like the cup version but since the size ratios are different, it comes off as denser, sweeter, richer…Yum!
Blood Orange: Dark choc orange. orange jelly on the inside, can taste the fresh orange oil, flavors balanced well so neither overpower the other.
Marshmallow: Very, very mellow in flavor. The marshmallow is fresh and tastes lightly vanilla. The chocolate delivers most of the flavor and it’s very creamy and sweet.
These were certainly a step above of the other chocolate confections of this type, and the best of this kind I’ve had in a long time. Freshness was a big contributor, but I also feel the quality flavors and chocolate played a big part too. I look forward to visiting their retail store someday to try what other delights Asher’s has to offer.
Rating: WIll Buy Again (Even though I didn’t buy it the first time, haha)
Links:
Asher’s Chocolates Website
When I think of certain foreign countries, very specific candy come to mind. I think of Smarties and Mars bars for the United Kingdom, Michel Cluizel chocolate for France, Haribo Gummis for Germany, and Pocky for Japan. My point to all this is that the candy that comes to mind for Australia is Cherry Ripe.
I eyed Cherry Ripe for a long, long time. As silly as it may sound, the whole reason it interested me to begin with was its intensely bright red package. Once I read the description of the bar: “ripe juicy cherries and moist coconut smothered in rich ‘Old Gold’ Dark Chocolate” I was sold on the idea of it. It was a matter of time before I got my hands on it.
My patience was eventually rewarded and I tore open the wrapper with an intense purpose. I really didn’t know what to expect on the inside of the bar from the description. Was it coconut studded with maraschino cherries like a fruity version of Almond Joy? Were they mixed in and evenly dispersed throughout? Just a flavor? I couldn’t wait.
The bar looks like a standard enrobed candy bar on the outside, smooth and dark and smelling very coconutty and sweet. Breaking the bar in half revealed the moment of truth: the interior was an intensely bright red coconut center. No cherry bits to be seen.
As for the flavor? Well, take a Mounds bar and flavor the coconut center with maraschino cherry syrup and a little Red 40 and you got yourself a Cherry Ripe. Sweet, slight medicinal cherry flavor with a hint of bitterness. The coconut really saved it with its sweet, nutty and extremely moist texture. The combination works, but comes off as a little odd to me.
I’m happy I tried this so I could put my mind and taste buds to rest. It’s not really my thing, to be honest, but I certainly will give it another go if I find myself in the land down under.
Rating: Might Eat Again
Links:
Cherry Ripe Webpage
