2 posts tagged “candy”
I wish I liked football. I do! I wish I could be one of those cool girls who wears a football jersey and cheers when they all run one way and boos when they run the other way, and knows what “offsides” means. But I’m not. I’m an annoying girly girl who has had football explained to her 3,000 times and still doesn’t get it.
Therefore, to me, Superbowl Sunday is all about the snacks. This year, I made tiny football-shaped gingerbread cookies. I used my famous gingerbread recipe, which is actually Martha’s famous gingerbread recipe, but I like to take the credit. I chose that particular cookie because, doy, they are brown. I piped on royal-icing laces.
I couldn’t actually find a football-shaped cookie cutter, so I bought an oval fondant cutter instead. I wanted tiny cookies anyway, and I think it looks football-ish enough.
My royal icing used meringue powder instead of egg whites so I wouldn’t kill anyone. As you can see from the picture, my piping skills leave something to be desired, but whatever, this wasn’t Food Network Challenge.
In other news, I went to the store today to pick up some Valentine’s candy and saw they had a full Easter display instead. WHAT. I love Easter candy, but I’m not ready! I still have jellybeans from last year!
Valentine’s Day is in the middle of the Candy Season (which runs from Halloween through Easter), and I find the pickings to be somewhat lackluster, though a chocolate person might disagree. My tastes run more toward tart candy and just plain sugary (candy corn!) The one candy I look forward to every year are Brach*s Tart and Tangy Conversation Hearts, which I discovered in 2001. Unlike their strange, chalky cousins, the BT&TCH’s are flavorful, with a harder consistency, similar to that of a Smartie. The sayings are not merely stamped on, but embossed. Like a wedding invitation. Fancy!
The year I discovered them, I was working at a craft store. I bought about five bags, kept a stash hidden in my apron, and munched them while I was on the floor. Since I moved to Boston, I’ve had a hard time finding them. Last year there was a picture of them in a supermarket circular, but there were none to be found in any stores.
Well, since the V-day candy is arriving on store shelves, I sent off my annual inquiry to Brach*s, asking if they might be found in my area this year. I received the following reply:
Thank you for contacting us about our Brach*s Tart & Tangy Conversation Hearts. I regret to inform you that this item has been discontinued and there are no plans to reactivate it at the present time.
Please be advised that all inquiries concerning discontinued items are referred to our Consumer Marketing Department. This information is compiled and may be used to evaluate the possibility of reintroduction at a future date.
Thank you for your interest.
Yours truly,
Marybeth X
Brach’s Consumer Relations
TRAGEDY
