Today is my last review from from OldTimeCandy.com’s samples. It’s Black Cow®! I chose this candy because I had no idea what this candy was other than it was indeed a retro “classic” candy that recently made a comeback. I haven’t seen it in stores anywhere myself, so I figured it was my change to give this classic a try.

Firstly, I love the wrapper on this bar. The brown and yellow color scheme is very stylish and appealing, yet evokes an “old time” feel. It’s a flat, pliable candy, even in the wrapper. I immediately compared it to Big Hunk, Abba Zabba and the Turkish Taffy candies right away because of it. The all seem to belong to the same “family” of styles. What I find interesting about Black Cow® is that it says it’s “chocolate caramel” and not “taffy”. Sadly this bar is not real chocolate either, as there’s no cocoa butter on the ingredients list.

Opening the wrapper, the candy smells like brownie batter. We’re off to a good start! It’s chocolate colored and have a nice gloss to it. The flavor is very sweet and sure enough, I do get notes of chocolate and buttery caramel in there. I do taste the butter very strongly, and it does compliment the chocolate flavors well. The chew is dense and sticky, yet it doesn’t stick to your teeth. This really is brownie batter in taffy from wow!

Now I am sad with myself for requesting only one sample! I was floored I wasn’t expecting Black Cow® to be so good! It just goes to show you never know what a candy is like until you try it.

Rating: Hoard

Links The Warrell Corporation

One food thing that people I know pick up on quickly that aside from being “really into candy” I also am a big fan of root beer. I am not a big soda drinker at all. I maybe have a soda once every 4-5 months if that, but I am just rabid for root beer. That’s why when OldTimeCandy.com offered me samples, I immediately looked to see if they carried the IBC root beer floats hard candies that I’ve had a hard time finding. I was in luck because sure enough they did, so I asked if I could have a few for the review.

There’s a difference between the IBC root beer barrels and the IBC root beer floats. The floats, that I have here, have a vanilla section of the hard candy to mimic the ice cream. It does add an extra flavor element while keeping the authenticity of root beer. Who doesn’t love a root beer float?

The flats are about the size of a pecan. The edges are round so there’s no sharp edges to catch on your mouth. The vanilla half and the root beer half are split pretty close to 50/50. The cellophane wrapper with the IBC root beer logo in red is simple and attractive.

The candy smells slightly spicy. The flavor starts out sweet, them blossoms into that full root beer flavor. Woodsy notes of spice, wintergreen, anise and cola all mix together to make this really fantastic rich root beer flavor. The vanilla float side adds a creaminess to the flavor and really smooths the flavor out. Its so wonderful!

I love these IBC root beer floats. They really are an extremely versatile and delicious candy. I’d like to make a batch of root beer cupcakes and use these as a decorative top. I also love keeping these in my purse for long days at work and long car drives to help keep my focus. Plus they’re so tasty! I must for any root beer lover out there. 

Rating: Hoard

Links IBC Root Beer Floats at OldTimeCandy.com

When OldTimeCandy.com kindly offers me some candy samples to review, I knew I wanted to get some things I haven’t seen in a long time. I love “old” and “nostalgic” candy. So after some pursuing their selection, I settled on these Brach’s Sundaes Neapolitan Coconut to go with the Brach’s Jelly Nougats that I reviewed earlier. I also remember seeing these all over in grocery store bins since childhood. I’m happy to know that they’re still being sold.

These candies are very pretty to look at. Like the jelly nougats, they’re slightly rectangular with three colors stripes. Brown at the top, white in the middle and pink at the bottom. It mimics the Neapolitan ice cream that is so popular!

The candy smells heavily of coconut. The candy feels dense and moist when you finally unwrap it and hold it in your fingers. The flavor is intense coconut. It’s moist, dense, chewy and so sweet. I didn’t notice any difference in the flavoring between the three colors. They all have that fantastic coconut flavor. One candy is satisfying on it’s own, so you don’t have to worry about having more than you’d like with these.

if you’re into coconut, you must give these a try. You can find coconut candies like this in many variations, these are the smallest ones I’ve seen. Regardless, I was pleased with how tasty these were, my memory of them totally held up. I highly recommend you try them.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links Brach’s Website

There’s a lot of candies that feel “timeless” to me. A lot of Brach’s candies fall into that category for me. These Jelly Nougats are certainly one of them. It seems like I’ve always seen them around in grocery store bins. One thing I’ve noticed since moving to Los Angeles is that I don’t’ see these Brach’s bins in the stores here, which make me a little sad since I’m so accustomed to see them.

OldTimeCandy.com was kind enough to write me and offer some candy samples for me to review. I was super excited to see they carried these Jelly Nougats since it’s been so long since I’ve seen them sold anywhere. I immediately selected a few and eagerly awaited for their arrival.

Upon arriving, I immediately opened the bag as I was excited to finally try one after all these years. They are as pretty as I remember them. They’re slightly rectangular little blocks that have a creamy vanilla colored base with bright chucks of jelly in them. Often in tones of ruby, orange and yellow. I tried to squish them a little with my fingers and the nougat has no give to it. I was a little worried that they were a tad old since they felt so rock hard.

The candy smells sweet with a hint of vanilla. Taking a bite I was relieved to find that these are actually pretty soft to bite into. My teeth easily took a bite of the candy off and it softened even more as I chewed it. The flavor is creamy and has a soft, barely there vanilla flavor. It has slight fruity notes from the jellies. I get some “red” flavors, while others are more orange and even lemon. It’s a nice mix of flavors, and it’s very delicate and not overpowering at all.

I really enjoyed these, but since they’re such a “stranger” candy because of the intense chew and subtle flavors, I don’t think they’re for everyone. I really appreciate how unique these candies are, so I will always be excited to see them. Since they are on the rarer side, if you seem them, it’s not a bad idea to give them a try.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links Brach’s Website

Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews are a very well know candy if you’re a Philadelphia local. It’s a classic candy, as it’s been around since 1917. I hadn’t had one until summer 2005 where I stumbled across a promo for them on the streets of Manhattan. I tried the free samples I was given and feel in love with their flavor. It’s delicious and timeless.

Now some years later, Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews have re-designed the packaging and are trying to get the word out about Peanut Chews. I for once, am happy to help, as I know a “local” candy can sometimes have a hard time branching out. I feel they’re doing a good job, as I have seen Peanut Chews around here in Los Angeles on occasion. When Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews asked if I’d like some samples for a review, I excitedly said yes!

I want to start by saying I love the new packaging. It’s retro yet keeps the essence of the candy. It doesn’t look out of place on the candy shelf, and it’s eye catching at the same time. Peanut Chews come in two varieties, milk and dark chocolate. Each is color coded and easy to identify.

For those of you who don’t know what exactly is a peanut chew? It’s a chewy center made of peanuts mixed with a molasses then covered in chocolate. Simple yet tasty. I have to also say that, these Peanut Chews are not using real chocolate. They’re mockolate, as there’s no cocoa butter in there. It’s right there in the ingredients.

The milk chocolate variety smells sweet and full of peanuts. The flavor is very heavy on the milk chocolate’s sweetness and the toasty peanuts. The chew is nice and think and there’s no hint of the molasses.

The dark chocolate has a very different flavor. The flavor is not as heavy of on the peanuts, you taste more of the chocolate and the molasses. I think I like the dark chocolate version better because the notes of the molasses is are really unique and wonderful flavor.

Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews are a candy that I keep coming back to. They have such a classic flavor and its simplicity is really delicious and addicting. That combined with the nostalgia factor and the connection with Philadelphia (which really means a lot to my Philly raised fiance!) makes Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews a candy that is found in my candy stash very often. 

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Peanut Chews Website