from MontanaPomegranate, sea salt and chipotle oh my! Not necessarily the flavors you associated with caramel but the award winning artisan caramel maker Robin Bequet from Montana thinks inventively when it comes to her soft sweet candies that friend Jessica was gracious enough to give me a box of for my birthday. They are spectacular.
Olde Timey YummyI was excited to find Cup O Gold at Galco’s (read more about it in the drinks section). My mom would often reminisce about the chocolate/coconut/marshmallow cup of deliciousness as the one thing she craved while pregnant. It’s hard to find but more popular in California than anyplace else. It’s super yummy and I wish the candy, which has been around since the 1950’s, was more available.
5702 York Blvd, Los AngelesIn a town rife with nondescript strip malls, Galco’s Soda Pop Stop is amongst the most nondescript and strip mally. Its bare bones appearance would never necessarily compel a visitor or local to stop by unless they had inside knowledge that this place is completely awesome (I owe this insight to my friend Shaun and this week’s book pick, LA Bizarro). The soda pop super store has been family owned and operated for over a hundred years: a wild achievement in our world of chain super-stores.
Inside you can find almost every kind of soda pop known to man. Jim guzzled a molasses Root Beer from Rhode Island while Laura and I found bliss in a cucumber soda that the owner told us would change our lives. Not surprisingly, the beer selection is also impressive and they boast quite an array of olde timey candies. Jim dared the Idaho Spud (a coconut and chocolate covered grayish marshmallow that tastes better than I just described it). I was thrilled by a plastic-wrapped tube of just the innards of my beloved Butterfinger as well as the famed (at least in my home) Cup of Gold, a coconut/chocolate cup filled with gooey marshmallow creme: the one thing my mom craved while pregnant with me.
Click here for the rest of Galco’s Soda Pop Stop
From an old family recipe in 1923, to the best mid-level gift baskets of today, Almond Roca has earned its proud moniker, “America's Finest Confection”.
Reed's Ginger Chews are probably the cheapest things you can find at Dean and Deluca (two bucks opposed to the seven some of the chocolate bars cost) and the added bonus of being good for the digestive system makes the deal even better.
Reed's also makes great candied ginger and, according to their site, a ginger ice cream that sounds incredible, but it's not something I've come across yet myself.
Maybe it's just the recent stress at work that's turning me into a comic strip stereotype of a chocolate craving office lady, but the other day I had a bite-sized Midnight Almond Joy from the candy canister in the middle of a meeting and then… I had another.
The things were brilliant. Delicious and brilliant. I feel like a nut!
Those wacky Icelanders! Mixing black licorice and sugary pink ganache in one dessert? Well, to my surprise – the result is pretty delicious and even pickier eaters than me (read almost everyone) agrees – my whole office rejoiced in the treat which Grace brought back from a trip to Helsinki.
Added bonus – the adorable packaging featuring the beloved Moomin characters! I cut off the box top to save, but it was the one thing on my desk the cleaning crew decided to throw out, boo
This tasty bar of “bread and dark chocolate” called Phinney 3400 comes from Theo, a company devoted to making the world better. According to their site, they do this by:
Using only pure ingredients that are grown sustainably. We source our ingredients locally whenever possible.
Partnering with our growers by ensuring they earn a living wage and have access to education for their families.
Honoring and respecting our employees and suppliers. This is possible due to the unique fact that we control every step of our own manufacturing process.
Using green energy sources to power our factory.
Using sustainable packaging and printing methods.
Educating about social and environmental accountability 7 days a week through public tours of our artisan factory.
Available at Whole Foods, the chocolate is excellent. Aside from the crispy bready flavor, which tastes like a less crispy and much better Kit Kat, we oohed and aahed over their mild Coconut Curry Milk Chocolate.
Since then, two new flavors have emerged: Fig, Fennel & Almond Dark Chocolate and Hazelnut Crunch Milk Chocolate, yummm!