Marshmallow
Marshmallows are an overlooked confection in my opinion. I think part of the problem is how we Americans eat them, which is paired with something else like s’mores, rice crispy treats or in peanut butter fluff sandwiches. Or maybe I am just speaking for myself as this is how I always had them growing up. It was almost unheard of to eat one straight out of the bag, and when you did, the texture was often strange and the flavor lacking. It was enough to keep you from doing it ever again.
I started seeing stuffed marshmallows when I was in Japan five years ago during an architecture study during school. I was first shocked at the idea, taking something that’s pretty much pure sugar and adding more sugar to it. I gave some a try, I recall getting a strawberry, blueberry and a pudding variety a try. All of which ended up being so sweet that I could only eat a couple of them. Like eating a marshmallow plain, the experience left me not wanting to try it again.
I first encountered Gud Fud Stuffed Marshmallows back when I first started writing for CandyAddict.com. I enjoyed them, and aside from seeing them at the All Candy Expo again that year and in a few select stores, I had forgotten about them. I was also dismayed to find Cybele at Candyblog reviewed them after I had gotten my samples, only because she suggested some cool ideas of alternative ways of eating them.
So, as you might have guessed, I was recently contacted by the nice folks at Gud Fud offering to send me some samples to review. I was excited to give them a second go, and next thing I knew, I was swimming in 1600, or 8kg, of Gud Fud marshmallows.
A picture was necessary!
Even though I didn’t have any of the actual store packages on hand with this new set of ample samples, I do recall my impressions when I first saw them as they’re very striking. Firstly, the GüdFüd (I believe it’s pronounced Goood Fooood, with that fun long “oooo” sound) caught my eye as I feel it’s a clever way of expressing and presenting the name. Then the artwork caught my eye: illustrations of little crazy-looking marshmallows with varying expressions adorn the wrappers. It’s cute as they’re all getting the “stuffing” shoved into their heads, and they look so gleeful about it. Alongside the smiling marshmallows are the Japanese katakana translations of the flavors.
Each marshmallow come individually wrapped, true to their Japanese cousins.
The marshmallows are a a good size, a little larger than a silver dollar. They have a nice shape to them too, about 3/4 inch tall and and round and squish nicely between my fingers. They feel firm, yet have that nice give to them that tells me they are quite fresh.
The don’t have much of a smell at all, just lightly sweet, like most marshmallows do. The texture is great, it’s firm, yet soft, just like how it feels in my hand. It feels pillowy and soft, and it allows me a to chew it a few times in my mouth before ti dissolves. As far as flavor, it’s lightly sweet and, just, well, marshmallow-y.
Strawberry: The berry flavor is strong, with a juicy, floral perfumey note to it with hints of bubblegum. It reads a strawberry, yet I hesitate to call it an authentic representation. It’s color is a bright pink and is very striking against the white marshmallow.
Orange: Very juicy and zesty, and like the strawberry, not authentic, but still tasty and enjoyable. I’m get a mix of marmalade and orange soda if I had to lay my finger on what the flavor reminds me of. It has a good strength of flavor and I’d say it’s the punchiest of the fruit flavors.
Grape: The flavor reminds me of Smuckers grape jelly mixed with that tart kick and intense sweetness of grape soda. It isn’t terribly strong as a flavor, and it compliments the marshmallow nicely. By far the mildest of the three.
Chocolate: This marshmallows smells, and it smells lightly of hot chocolate. The flavor reminds me immediately of hot chocolate powder or packaged brownie and cake mix. It’s chocolately for sure, but it’s not the real deal, as so to speak. You can taste the “flatness” of the cocoa, yet it works well with the marshmallow. Besides, they’re “stuffed marshmallows with chocolate”, not “marshmallow covered” chocolate, so I’m glad they worked on preserving the marshmallow as the primary component, especially with such an aggressive flavor.
I am happy to say, I enjoyed these now even more than when I first tried them. Something about the subtle flavors and chewy texture is really appealing to my candy cravings as of late. I’ve also had a lot of fun trying different ways of eating them, inspired by Cybele. I’ve toasted them, microwaved them, dipped them in chocolate, sandwiched them, eaten them with Golden Grahams, and of course shared them with friends. All experiments have been successful.
I’m hoping that I will be able to find these more readily in stores now, as I believe Gud Fud is really working to get wider distribution (they even have a Facebook page!). If you haven’t’ seen them around and want to give them a try, Rosa over at ZOMG! Candy is having a giveaway of these tasty fellas. I highly recommend entering.
Rating: Will Buy Again
Links Gud Fud Website
Aren’t these so cute? Just perfect for Valentines Day! Not only are the shapes cute and simple, but they’re nicely colored with an appealing flavor for the season. I am pretty sure these are a new release this year, as I don’t remember seeing them last Valentines Day. Does anyone else recall?
The hearts come in a nicely protected pack of 9, each set of 3 in a tray. The package is very fitting for the holiday too. Pink with little “XOXO” patterns all over it. You can smell the Peep hearts immediately once you open them. The aroma is strawberry with it’s bright berry flavor and “red” essence. There’s a tart edge to these too and I can’t help but compare it to how the red SweetTarts smell.
The inside of these Peeps are pink too! How precious is that! I tried my first row fresh, so the texture was beautifully pillowy soft. The flavor is awesome, as it’s in the sugar coating as well as in the marshmallow. It’s a great strawberry taste for sure. It’s a light flavor, nothing overpowering here, but then again, when were Peeps ever overpowering? There’s a light sweetness and a good berry/perfume flavor that really give it that nice strawberry essence. In a way I’m reminded of that pink goopy medicine I was given as a kid when I had strep throat, but that’s a good thing here. I loved eating that stuff.
I bet these, along with all other flavored marshmallows, will be fun to experiment with. In hot cocoa? In Valentines Day s’mores? Fondue? Such possibilities!
Rating: Will Buy Again
Links
Marshmallow Peeps Website
I’ve heard tales of the infamous Walnut Whip. Many love it and consider it a very overlooked confection, others say it’s really nothing noteworthy. So when I was presented with a pair of Whips, I was excited to try them and see where I stood in the great Walnut Whip controversy. Would it be as good as some claim? Or as blah are many insist?
This Walnut Whip is the vanilla flavor (there’s others?) and comes in this cute, bright blue, upright standing package. The wrapper describes it as “Milk chocolate whirl with a vanilla fondant cream center”. Sounds tasty!
As soon as I open it up it smells of the iconic, sweet, Nestle milk chocolate. I was slightly disappointed to find that my walnut has loosened itself and had fallen to the bottom of the package.
Taking the candy out and placing the walnut on top where it should be. I admit, it’s a pretty funny looking candy. It reminds me of a beehive, a tall swirled mound. I first ate the walnut, alone. It’s buttery and fresh with that slight astringent taste from the skins. Then my first nibble of chocolate: it tasted sweet, buttery and of maple syrup. It’s nice and smooth with good flavors of cocoa and milk. It’s a sweet milk flavor and has no tang to it as British chocolate often does.
The vanilla fondant center is really fluffy, I was surprised by. I was expecting more of a thick, ganache center as fondants usually reads as heavy and thick in my mind. Instead, it’s light and fluffy like a nougat or marshmallow. The fondant is very sweet with the light vanilla flavor that is supplemented with notes of butter and hints of strawberries. It’s a little tangy and it’s very tasty.
I found the most enjoyable way to eat this was pick the walnut off the top and then bite into the chocolate at the peak. From there I lick out the fondant center and then eat the empty shell. Yes, I am aware that I’m weird.
Rating: Will Eat Again
One thing that I really love about Charles Chocolates is their willingness to experiment with a multitude of different flavors. Their standard line of chocolates use all sort of additions to their tasty chocolate; from the traditional to the exotic. Regardless of what ingredients are used, the result is always pleasurable and delicious.
One of their most recent creations are a series of bars made especially for Bi-Rite Creamery, which are inspired by their infamous ice cream flavors. It’s a match made in heaven, as both companies share similar philosophies: making delicious treats in small batches while using the freshest ingredients. Besides, ice cream and chocolate are a natural pairing, and I’m interested to finally see ice cream in chocolate as opposed to the other way around.
Before I get into describing the flavors, I want to mention first that the base of these bars is a mix of dark and milk chocolates. This makes the chocolate exceptionally sweet and creamy, very reminiscent to how an ice cream base tastes. I thought this was a clever method of getting the “essence” of an ice cream’s flavor while still missing the texture.
Peanut Praline (a crunchy peanut candy in a rich blend of dark and milk chocolate): It has a terribly enticing aroma that’s hints of caramel, nutty, and very chocolatey. There’s large chunks of the candy in the bar and they are quite visible. The taste is of the chocolate: sweet, creamy, and of rich cocoa. The praline is crunchy and gives a great texture. The flavor is very buttery and nutty with a good dose of salt.
It’s exactly how I imagines a peanut praline would taste in chocolate. I love how the chunks of the praline aren’t too small so that I’d lose the texture in the chocolate, as I love to chomp on the chunks. Neither element of this bar is compromised for the other and it’s really nice.
Rocky Road (housemade marshmallows and salted almonds in a rich bled of dark and milk chocolate): Wow. Rocky road is right! This bar is just loaded with chunky bits of marshmallows and nuts and really looks like it needs a good pave job. Just breaking off a row I immediately hit the marshmallows and they softly pulled and stretched. You can tell they’re fresh and it’s awesome.
This bar is all about the texture. You get the intense crunchiness of the nuts and they’re very hefty. The marshmallows are soft, spongy and have a good “give” to them which is a great contrast to the nuts.
Flavor-wise it’s of the nice chocolate blend but supplemented with some saltiness from the nuts. It’s sweet and slightly stronger on the vanilla from the marshmallows.
Coffee Toffee (housemade almond toffee and coffee beans in a rich blend of dark and milk chocolate): This bar is extremely textured, and you can really tell just by looking at it. You can easily see the bits of toffee and espresso beans and it makes the bar look very mottled and spotted. Breaking off a row the texture is a little more crumbly and the snap is softer from all the additions.
The aroma is very roasted and sweet with a distinguishable coffee scent. It reminds me of mocha.
The flavor is immediately creamy with notes of the toffee with caramel and burnt sugar. The coffee flavor comes through after that initial burst of sweetness, with a smooth flavor that’s light and compliments the toffee and chocolate. Once you have all three flavors working together, it’s really wonderful, as all they’re all expertly balanced.
I’m happy to say that there’s no coffee grounds in this bar to deliver the flavor. Instead it’s bits of espresso beans and combined with the chunks of toffee it’s a very satisfying crispy texture.
This is my favorite of the bunch.
I love these bars and it’s a shame that unless I made the trek to the San Francisco to buy more, I probably won’t have them again. They’re certainly worth picking up if you’re in the area and I highly recommend you do so.
Rating: Will Buy Again
Links
Charles Chocolates Website
I grew up in a household devoid of marshmallow peeps. It wasn’t until college that I finally became familiar with this popular marshmallow confection. My roommate bought them by the dozen around Easter (they were still an Easter exclusive item back then) and set them out to get stale. She then nuked them in the microwave, froze them, and finally consume them. I had never witnessed such an elaborate candy eating ritual, and I was both confused and intrigued by it.
Since then I have tasted my way though the different types of Peeps. Their light, marshmallow texture is delightful but the flavor leaves a lot to be desired in my book. They come across as flat and cardboard-tasting, and they remind me a little of Communion wafers. They’re terribly cute though, and I can’t help but eating a row of Chicks in the spring and some Pumpkin ones in the fall. Perhaps my love form them would grow if I experimented with my eating techniques a little. As of now I enjoy them fresh.
Enter the newest Marshmallow Peeps, Chocolate Mousse Bears for St. Valentines Day.
These look the same: puffy marshmallow with a colored sugar coating in an standard animal shape. They smell noticeable different, though. It’s a very sweet, cocoa aroma, like a good hot chocolate mix.
The flavor is much sweeter than a normal Peep to me. I’m also surprised to find they’re actually really flavorful, and I’ve tried all the varieties to date. They taste like I just took a spoonful of Nestle’s Quick, except in that wonderful puffy Marshmallow Peep form (you know, soft inside, slightly crunchy sugary outside). Immediately I finished off a row, promising to save the rest out in the open to get stale. They didn’t last a week.
Finally there’s a Peep I can say that I’m hooked on. I can’t help but recommend them whether you’re a Peep lover or not. You may just become a convert like myself.
Rating: Will Buy Again
Links
Marshmallow Peeps Website
