The Modern Materialist : Candy

Best Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Ever

Alex Zalben — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:34:00 GMT

I've previously professed being a big fan of the Peanut Butter Cup on this blog. They mix the best of sweet and salty, in a delightful mix that rips apart my stomach if I eat too many. And then I eat more anyway.

But! Reese's has topped themselves, with this latest release:

For a limited time (until May 14th), you can get Factory Fresh Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which are pulled off the line, packed in tubs of 50, and sent to your door in under 96 hours. And by all accounts, they're delicious.

[$25, Hershey's]

Candy for Two

Laureen Mahler — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:41:00 GMT

Sure a lollipop for one is pretty sexy, but what about a lollipop made for two? Now that's sexy, seductive, and efficient:

[Bijoux Indiscrets]

Spanish company Bijoux Indiscrets (named after Denis Diderot's 18th Century novel) is new on the products for lovers scene, but they've already scored big points with these two-sided suckers. Do I smell a test drive? Something along the lines of "how many licks does it take to get to the kiss?"

The only tricky part is finding where to buy their stuff; your best bet is to send them an email for a list of nearby retailers.

Happy Hour: Maple Syrup Cocktails

Steph Auteri — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:57:00 GMT

When I saw this photo over at Apartment Therapy's The Kitchn, I immediately started salivating. Because of the maple syrup bottle in the background. Not the booze.

But if you're into the idea of a maple syrup cocktail, I've posted their recipe for a Maple Leaf Cocktail after the jump, along with a link to the maple syrup — and the maple candies — that always float my boat.

Maple Leaf Cocktail
makes one drink

1 1/2 ounces bourbon (I used Maker’s Mark)
1/2 ounce pure maple syrup
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

...

If you're only interested in the syrup, I use Whole Foods' 365 Organic brand. If you want to skip the riffraff and skip right to the maple candy...

[$15, New England Direct]

...I am not above ordering these online.

Tools of Seduction: Indulge His Sweet Tooth

Steph Auteri — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:39:00 GMT

I've tried the chocolate body frosting.

I've tried the sizzling body candy.

I've even tried the ol' whipped-cream-on-the-boobs trick. (Okay. So I didn't really try this one.)

They're all a mess! Stay clean and still taste delicious with some of these:

[$30, Sephora]

[$16-$22, Sephora]

How this will get you laid: With flavors like birthday cake batter and chocolate cupcake, these bath and body products will have the both of you hungry for some skin on skin action.

Find the entire collection here.

Related: Eat Candy, Have Better Skin

Best. Sushi. Ever.

Alex Zalben — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:28:00 GMT

You guys were pretty into the Obama sushi we posted about a month ago. But as ridiculous as that is, the above is easily the best sushi ever. Want to know why?

It's actually Rice Crispie Treats, with Swedish Fish or Licorice, rolled in Fruit Roll Ups.

I think I'm going to make myself a plate of healthy sushi right now.

[Via Boing Boing]

Valentine's Day Tip: All the Languages of Love

Steph Auteri — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:25:00 GMT

It's early afternoon on February 5, and already I'm eating Sweethearts (apparently, just Nutella isn't enough).

I find these Sweethearts to be particularly dulce:

[$2, Fred Flare]

Bilingual Sweethearts! Get one box in English, and one in Spanish.

Have a (Candy) Heart

Alex Zalben — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:01:00 GMT

[$5, Think Geek]

Sure, it's nice to have a big, gummy, strawberry flavored heart; but what if you have a candy heart attack?

You use a Red Hot stethescope! And I'll be honest with you guys... I actually thought this was a candy stethescope, but it turns out it's just a red one, so apologies for anyone else who got their hopes up that you could start eating medical equipment.

[$6, Think Geek]

Valentine's Day Tip: Their Love Was Bittersweet...

Steph Auteri — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:24:00 GMT

While Valentine's Day itself has always left me wary and primed for disappointment — single or not — I've always loved Sweethearts. I can go through an entire bag of them myself in just two days and, if I'm feeling romantic or cute, can leave them strategically on pillows or computer keyboards to express my love. Once, I even mailed one to a guy I had crushed on since junior high; it said "call me." We ended up dating for three weeks.

The messages I'd prefer to leave nowadays have shifted in their intent.

[$9.95-$19.95, Despair, Inc.]

BitterSweets come in three different collections...Dysfunctional, Dumped, and Dejected. Enjoy!

Break Me Off a Piece of That Kit Kat. . .Bench?

Shaun Seneviratne — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:35:00 GMT

Good god I want to take a bite into that thing. This isn't made from real Kit Kats OR for sale; it's an advertising campaign for Kit Kat in London.

For more candy jingles, enjoy this clip from Human Giant:

Human Giant: Commercial Jingles, Part 1 - watch more funny videos

[Via 2Modern Design Talk]

Body Chocolate That's Rated G

Laureen Mahler — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:36:00 GMT

Naked chocolate painting certainly sounds fun, but it's not for everybody. Fortunately, for the introverted, shy, or just plain don't want chocolate in your nether regions, here is the all ages version:

[$16, Fred Flare]

Candy lip balm: bringing extra flavor to makeout sessions everywhere, but still keeping it pretty G-rated.

These Meatballs Have a Secret

Alex Zalben — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:56:00 GMT

Now, I realize implying that meatballs have a secret isn't particularly appetizing, but no worries, this isn't a gross secret. Can you guess what it is? They are...

Gumballs! Weird!

[$8, Archie McPhee]

Eat Candy, Have Better Skin

Alex Zalben — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:02:00 GMT

Seems like some sort of fake magic, right? Telling people they can eat as many gummi bears as they want, and their skin will look fabulous? The thing is, you have to eat these gummi bears:

BORBA Nutraceuticals has released Skin Balance Confections Gummi Bears, which contain nutrients that supposedly go straight to your skin, and not your thighs. I guess I'll have to eat bags and bags of them, just to try this out, right?

[$25, Beauty.com]

[Via OutBlush]

A Bad Idea During PMS

Diana Vilibert — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:47:00 GMT

When I'm eating chocolate, I prefer to be completely oblivious as to how many calories I'm actually ingesting. Which is why I hope this concept chocolate bar stays a concept:

"Rompibollo" is a chocolate board which can be easly divided in pieces of different sizes--and on each piece is the exact calorie count you're about to eat. No thank you.

[Elmanco]

Related: Chocolate Pie Chart

Candyphile

Alex Zalben — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:31:00 GMT

We've raved about their absinthe lollypops, and their maple/bacon lollypops. Now, Lollyphile is giving a little something back to the people:

Candyphile is a candy-of-the-month club, spotlighting small time candy distributors from around the country. And while you may be candied out now, after Halloween, I think by Christmas (when the first shipment goes out), you'll be raring to go again.

[$204, Candyphile]

[Via Uncrate]

Halloween Tip: Most Vile Treat Ever

Steph Auteri — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:59:00 GMT

Back when I was a young She-Ra, Princess of Power, my least favorite parts of the Halloween haul were the black licorice and the pennies. Could there possibly be anything worse than a crotchety old woman who gave out pennies instead of Tootsie Rolls?

Well, maybe. I mean, there's always Zit Poppers.

[$3.50, Stupid]

[Via Jezebel]

Japan in Ridiculous, Part 3

Alex Zalben — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:27:00 GMT

I don't mean the country of Japan is ridiculous, or the people. I mean the products. I've already posted about cat clothing, and yesterday about the Sugarbunnies Choco-Fountain. There was also a news story today about a cat put in charge of a train station, but we won't even get into that.

Here's the latest and greatest, though:

The Peri Peri Electronic Candy Box Owner mimics the sound of opening Japanese candy boxes, which is apparantly very pleasing to certain people. Of course, it has its own music video:

[$10, Inventor Spot]

Thanks to Jodi for the tip!

Repurpose Unwanted Candy

Steph Auteri — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:02:00 GMT

I don't if you still go trick-or-treating (I don't, buy my mommy still buys me a huge-ass bag of candy corn every year), but this particular item is helpful-year-round, allowing you to repurpose your unwanted candy into something oodles better.

"Simply insert a compatible...candy (or mix a few together) into the top loader and turn the lever to drop it into the heater. After turning on the heater, you can use a chopstick or other stick to make delicious cotton candy."

Pure genius.

[$159, Japan Trend Shop]

[Via Oh Gizmo!]

Related: This Party is a Circus!

Wasabig Deal?

Alex Zalben — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:03:00 GMT

Wasabi: green, spicy horseradish, often served as... Candy? Well, maybe not often, but at least twice, if these are to be believed:

First up are Wasabi Gumballs. Archie McPhee is also selling Bacon Gumballs, but Bacon is so last year, don't you think?

[$7, Archie McPhee]

Then, from the makers of Bacon Maple lollipops (starting to see a trend?), comes Wasabi Ginger lollipops.

[4 for $10, Lolliphile]

So, wasa big deal? Wasabi is!

Give Your Loved One Great Head

Alex Zalben — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:00:00 GMT

Hey, we all like getting head, but how much do we like giving it? Is it maybe that, often, the taste isn't quite what you'd like it to be?

What if I told you there was an easy way to give your loved one head, and also, guarantee that it would taste great? Well, it's true, and here's how you do it:

William Shakespeare Head Pops are Blueberry! Yum!

[$28 for a box of 25, Archie McPhee]

Vladimir Lenin is Cola flavored! Double Yum!

[$28 for a box of 25, Archie McPhee]

Wait, what did YOU think I was talking about?

What's Really Inside Your Gummi Bears

Alex Zalben — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:30:00 GMT

Now, I don't want anyone to get alarmed, but I think you're going to be pretty horrified to find out what's inside your favorite candy, gummi bears:

Yes. A tiny bear skeleton. Correct. Sorry about that.

[$59, Moist Production Shop]

Thanks to Stefan for the tip!

Happy Hour: Absinthe Gummi Bears

Alex Zalben — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:00:00 GMT

New York’s own Tailor, a “contemporary dining parlor” locating in Soho, has created a Gummi Bear that’s 85% absinthe. Really.

Do you want to know the best part about it? The best part is that it’s free with the purchase of any espresso. You just need to go to the bar, order your espresso, and the Bear comes perched on a spoon on the side. That’s it.

Tailor is located at 525 Broome Street in Manhattan. And, because I’m a shameless plug whore, here’s a related video:

[Via UrbanDadddy]

Lip Service: Uncle Oinker's Strawberry Flavored Gummi Bacon

Alex Zalben — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:30:00 GMT

There is almost no part of this candy I understand. First off, it has one of my favorite things to be confused about… The cartoon animal that’s encouraging you to eat him. Seen often on the front of barbecue restaurants, it also sometimes takes the form of cannibalism, i.e. a happy pig about to chow down on some ribs. Horrifying and gross.

Once you get beyond Uncle Oinker, you have to deal with the fact that this is bacon shaped gummi candy. Bacon, the most delicious thing on earth, and yet, it does not feel, or taste like bacon. That’s like promising you heaven, and then smacking you down to hell. And not only doesn’t it taste like bacon, it's Strawberry flavored! Which makes no sense.

I will say that I’ve had these, and if you close your eyes and don’t think about bacon, they’re totally fine strawberry gummi candy. It’s when you open your eyes, and see the bacon, that life just becomes that much sadder. Anyway, you should probably get a box, just to be hilarious and ruin your friend’s days.

[$4, Merch-Bot]