Walker is a small town with a main street that looks and feels like a trip back in time.  Aunt Belle’s boasts old fashioned homemade candies and fudge.  According to their website, you’ll step into their store and feel like a kid again.  I did feel giddy like a kid in a candy store (pun intended) and picked out all the goodies I thought I’d enjoy; chocolate dipped brittle, chocolate covered potato chips, chocolate covered nut clusters, and chocolate fudge.

While they had several different types of nut clusters such as the traditional turtle, I chose one of the variations called the Bear Paw. 

The Bear Paw is a caramel pattie with mixed nuts, completely covered in a dark milk (blend of milk and dark) chocolate.  With full coverage that’s more chocolate than a typical turtle.  And with more nut variety too, it piqued my interest.  However, the combination brought great expectations but delivered mediocre results. 

I was disappointed by the chocolate impact.  The chocolate was too mild for the sweet caramel and nutty flavors of the pattie.  I did not taste much chocolate even at the end.  The caramel was sweeter than it was buttery and, unfortunately, some of the nuts were a bit off-flavor.  Overall, it reminded me more of a vending machine candy bar experience - I was simply not impressed nor satisfied.

Now, part of the joy of sampling is to keep going, trying something else, and giving the confections as many second chances as you can.  I know, it is a tough job, but chocolate lovers just have to do it! :)  Next week, I’ll review one of the fudges in Aunt Belle’s assortment.  Did Aunt Belle’s get it right?  You’ll find out!

Insects have long been enjoyed as a culinary delicacy all over the world. The owner thought of giving cicadas a shot in her own kitchen.

According to the owner, Olivia Swallows, the popularity of her very own chocolate covered cicadas started when the people behind their peanut shop posted a message about it on the store’s Facebook page. The word of mouth and social media really made a lot of people get curious enough to have a taste of this confection.

The thought of tasting a sweet and crunchy cicada really made an impact on a lot of people. Dozens of daring souls had to see and taste this treat themselves. Little do they know that there is a dark secret behind the latest fear factor-like craze.

The secret that lies hidden under this treat’s sudden rise to fame is actually a chocolate covered honey toasted pecan. The consumers were actually punked, peanut style! It is not the real thing. The reason for this fun idea is to persuade the people to tell their friends and acquaintances about the delicious cicadas.

The fun part is that there were only a few people who discovered the pecan – cicada swap. The peanut prank totally gave a positive response to the people who went for the prank and because of that the owner decided to use the real thing in the future.

Fannie May began in 1920 when H. Teller Archibald opened a chocolate shop on LaSalle St. in Chicago.  In 1946, the famous Fannie May Pixies® were introduced and it continues to be their best selling item.  Pixies are caramel covered nuts drenched in chocolate.

In 2006, 1-800-Flowers.com bought Fannie May in the hopes of turning its fortunes around.  Now, with increased online sales, it is once again becoming a thriving business.

According to David Taiclet, president of gourmet food brands for 1-800-Flowers.com, people care about Fannie May products and the memories that go with them.  The new owners plan on keeping the decades-old candy recipes.  These recipes may not be trendy, but they certainly have a loyal following.

By the end of this year, 2010, Fannie May will have a total of 85 stores in 6 Midwest states and will produce about 10 million pounds of chocolate.

I recently tried their Milk Chocolate Whole Cashews and I must say I enjoyed them very much!  My chocolate preference is dark, but I do enjoy a milk once in a while.  The reason I enjoyed this particular milk chocolate and cashew combination is the way the milk chocolate pulls out the bold, buttery, and salty flavor notes from the nuts and enhances them.

The aftertaste is a lingering buttery note which I prefer over a lingering “milky” note that so many other chocolate-covered nuts offer.

It is rare that I enjoy a chocolate-coated tree nut.  I have been disappointed too many times – not because of the chocolate, but because of the nuts.  I am blessed and cursed with the gift of “super-taster.”  In the flavor sensory world that means I am extremely sensitive to flavors in general, but most particularly to “off” flavors.  Even the tinniest hint of oxidation, or rancidity, makes me scrunch my nose in disgust.

I was not disappointed this time.

In fact, I have to be careful not to eat the entire bag in one sitting.  Darn.

Another reason I like this product is that when I share them at work, I am instantly popular among my co-workers.  Today I am reaping the rewards of a good treat.