Sweet Treats Redux

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. The weather has been beautiful here in San Diego after a cloudy and cold week and I’m definitely enjoying the weekend by relaxing and being out in the warm sun. I wanted to take a minute to share some recent sweet snacks I’ve consumed and liked.

Bissinger Gummy Pandas

I was originally drawn to this because they were called gummy pandas. While they don’t look anything like pandas, I am still totally in love with them. I love gummy candies and after eating these, it’s hard to go back to other brands. Not only do they come in unique flavor pairings like pomegranate white tea, apricot green tea, raspberry yumberry, and more, but they use natural flavors.  And you can really taste the difference. When you bite in, each gummy is packed with intense fruit flavor and you taste the fruit juice first rather than all the sugar. A lot of gummy candies just taste like sugar and food coloring with maybe some artificial flavoring, but these taste so natural and so good.

My only gripe is that they look nothing like pandas, just like regular bears, and a lot of the bear faces aren’t formed very clearly.

You can find Bissinger gummies at the more gourmet grocery stores like Whole Foods, Bristol Farms. I also found them at the Surfas baking store in Orange County. You can also buy them online.

Cookie Chips

Have you tried Cookie Chips yet? I’m completely in love. It combines two of my favorite things and it does it well. Each “chip” is thin, round and wafer-like. It packs quite a big crunch, definitely more like Kettle chip crunch rather than a cracker crispness. And they manage to keep all the flavors you expect when you eat a cookie. The chocolate chip tastes just like a chocolate chip cookie but with the crunchy texture that can only be described as a chip.

I was recently sent complimentary samples of chocolate chip, cinnamon sugar, original flavor and salted peanut butter. I liked them all but my favorite was the chocolate chip, much like my favorite cookie is the chocolate chip. Each cookie tasted as described and I didn’t feel myself feeling unsatisfied and in need of a “real cookie.”

They remind me of those snack packs of mini chocolate chip cookies, except I think these have a much better cookie flavor and I love the thin, round shape.

My meals usually end with me wanting something sweet. This is then usually followed by wanting to munch on something crunchy. Now I can satisfy both cravings at once. As soon as I run out of my samples, I’m going out to buy more.

You can find them at most grocery stores like Vons, Safeway, Whole Foods. You can view the complete list here as well as order online if you can’t find them at a store near you.

Bissinger Chocolate Covered Wine Grapes

I bought these out of curiosity. I was worried they would taste like chocolate covered raisins, but they don’t. Inside is a wine grape. It’s pleasantly moist, providing the slightest bit of juice.

I tried to examine the inside contents of one. They do resemble a raisin, but a very juicy one, like it’s been soaked in juice. The website description says it has been infused with Syrah. The wine flavor is very subtle but I just enjoy biting into these and getting that small burst of moisture. Unfortunately these are a little harder to find. I’ve only seen them at Surfas and online.

Swallow My Words Chocolates

I was having a stressful day at work and wished I had some chocolate. About half an hour later, I got this email asking me whether I’d like some chocolate samples. Perhaps next time I should wish to win the lottery? Anyway, I couldn’t resist the chance to sample chocolate and I also liked that this company chose a bird as their name and logo.

I was gifted with a few of their chocolate barks. I really like the packaging and the boxes are really easy to open. Each one has a cute name like “Monday Blues” and “1 AM.” The chocolates themselves were good, but didn’t particularly stand out. Each one is studded with different toppings. My favorite was the Members Only because I like crystallized ginger. I do wish there were some more unique flavor topping options, something you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else.

What does make these chocolate unique though is that you can put customized messages engraved on the back. I didn’t have any engravings on the samples I tried, so I can’t tell you what they look like, but I do like the idea. You can engrave your own message or pick one of their predesigned messages like “Sorry about where I took you on our first date” or “You are on a diet, you are on a diet. OMG this chocolate. YUM!” The company is still pretty new so the chocolates are only available online. I wouldn’t buy them for everyday snacking (a little too expensive), but I do think it’s a unique gift idea with the customized engraving.

That’s it for now. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend. And to all the mothers out there, Happy Mother’s Day!