I saw this Reese’s Pieces car on the road today and managed to snap a picture while driving.

A kind doorman welcomed me to the pop-up’s opening reception with a pack of Haribo Gold-Bears, and then I stepped into a vibrant, colorfully decorated room that would excite any Candy Addict®.

Again, I walked right into another piece of candy art—a rose portrait that appeared to be made of a variety of candies bordered by different milk and dark chocolates. There were also large, bright portraits made of gummy bears. Turns out, the candies are actually hand-cast in homemade molds by artist/sculptor/innovator Kevin Champeny. With a background in sculpting and prototypes, Kevin works with Jellio to design a range of pieces that include GummiLights and the Candelier, made from hand-strung acrylic gummi bears. Speaking with Kevin, I could see his deep level of passion for what he does for Jellio. He even shared with me his portfolio—that reaches far beyond candy creations.

Candy art aside, Jellio showcases a range of home decor products that will brighten up any room. Jellio is the brainchild of Mario Marsicano. An avid toy collector with a background in advertising, Mario got his start by simply creating storage spaces for his toys. He began storing them in clear cubes that could be used as tables, and his friends started asking him how they could get their hands on one. And he’s come a long way since toy storage.

Jellio’s signature item is the GummiLight. The battery-powered lights come in a variety of colors and are made of rubber, so you don’t have to worry about them breaking if they get knocked over. The GummiLight has recently been redesigned to be brighter, more lightweight and offered at a lower price point than its predecessor.

Another gummy-inspired piece is the GummiToy. Similar to a rubber duck, the bear-shaped toys are sold in packs of five, and are a must-have for any gummy-lover. Gummy-lovers will also appreciate the GummiKing, a 4-foot-tall bear that can bring happiness to any room.

If you prefer furniture inspired by ice cream and cupcakes, Jellio has that, too. Made from a polyurethane shell, topped with a molded rubber cushion, the Cupcake Seat is the perfect seat, ottoman and conversation piece. If you’re more partial to ice cream, Jellio also offers Ice Cream Cone Barstools.

The pop-up shop also spotlights GummiWear, a new line of apparel that includes t-shirts, hats and hoodies.

Whether you’re looking to add some spunk to a kid’s room or just bring out the kid in you, Jellio products are worth checking out. Anyone in the New York City area can check out the pop-up shop at 14 Wooster Street on Friday, May 18, 20012 until 5 pm and Saturday, May 19, 2012 from 10 am to 5 pm.

• Jellio Website
• Jellio at Candy Addict®

If given the choice between eight perfectly blissful, uninterrupted hours of sleep or a Happy Goat Caramel graze-for-all, I think it’s pretty obvious which option I’d choose. Sure, I’m a sucker for sweets in their various incarnations, but in light of the sheer volume of confections currently in the marketplace, a product truly has to have that certain je ne sais quoi for me to become a repeat consumer.

Happy Goat fits the bill, but not because I’m easily swayed by hipster-approved ingredients. As nice as certified organic, ethically-produced edibles are, the proof is in the actual pudding, which in this case I’d be more than happy to slather directly on my tongue in copious amounts.

Each individual, cellophane-wrapped, pliable to the touch piece possesses an amber radiance punctuated with flecks of Madagascar bourbon vanilla bean. Homemade in appearance, the small-batch caramel treasure, upon being unwrapped, tastes just as good as it looks thanks to a hormone and antibiotic-free goat milk caramel base bolstered with goat milk butter, corn syrup, and organic sugar. The gingerbread-like warmth of this particular variety is achieved through the addition of a harmonious marriage of cloves, Ceylon cinnamon, ginger and allspice.

It’s worth noting that goat’s milk is naturally lower in fat than cow’s milk, so adding it to a caramel recipe will automatically yield a final product that, while still delicious, will seem far less “buttery” than other artisan-style caramels. This doesn’t render it any less enjoyable than bovine versions, however. It’s simply just a different type of adult caramel – one that both intrepid foodies and lactose-intolerant individuals with an appreciation for sophisticated spice blends will happily embrace.

If you make a conscious effort to consume foods that are free of genetically modified ingredients and agricultural chemicals, then you’ll be encouraged to learn that Happy Goat earns a natural foodie stamp of approval for their commitment to grazing their goat herd on 100% vegetarian, totally unadulterated, ruminant-friendly munchies such as alfalfa, clover and hay. Lazing about the rolling hills and dales of the countryside, the San Francisco based confectioner’s bearded brood is free to roam where they like – and that general contentment translates into a fresh, light, and yes – truly tasty – goat milk-based product.

Easily chewable, a Happy Goat caramel will quickly dissolve in your teeth without posing a threat to dental work. If it didn’t clearly state on the package that goat’s milk was a main ingredient, you really wouldn’t be able to tell the difference – it just tastes creamy-good, and with just 3.5 grams of fat per three piece 95 calorie serving, you’ll feel pretty cheerful about eating it, too.

Boy, what a mouthful. Right out of the gate, a flood of divinely rich and surprisingly unsweetened dark chocolate will envelop your taste buds. The cacao works particularly well, offering a sobering balance to the innate sweetness of the corn syrup and organic sugar-enriched caramel base described above. As with its winter spice-laden compadre, this flavor variety rapidly dissolves into nothing more than a fond memory, with random salt and sugar crystals desperately clinging onto tooth enamel, ultimately in vain.

Hmmmm… sea salt is listed as the final of seven total ingredients and while it continues to be the hip and trendy thing for candy companies to include in their sweets, there’s only the slightest suggestion of its presence. Frankly, this caramel is pretty darn delicious as-is, and even if it contained a heavier dash of salt (or, conversely, nothing more than a single grain of it), I’d still be more than enthusiastic about revisiting my package several times throughout the day. Sea salt junkies may experience a wee bit of a letdown, but that will soon pass once they realize that they’ve finally stumbled upon a worthwhile caramel that offers all of the pleasure with none of the hypertension pain.

Whether you lean toward the spicy side of things or you like your sweets chocolatey delicious, the ten dollar investment for Happy Goat’s four ounce package of caramels is money well spent. I know – that probably sounds kind of insane (helloooo, we’re in a recession!) but goats with a pep in their step clearly crank out some seriously sultry caramely goodness.

• Happy Goat Website

Pepper and cinnamon infused beverages can occasionally deliver a spicy albeit fleeting distraction, as can certain trendy snack foods, but for a reliably complementary yin to one’s chile laden mealtime yang, look no further than certain salivation-triggering candies.

Ah yes, ever-enduring Hot Tamales certainly fit the bill. Though Americans may have a torrid, love-hate relationship with the chewy cinnamon candy, it has nonetheless continued dazzling daring palates for the better part of 62 years.

To this day, Just Born’s classic cinnamon triumph remains the top selling candy of its kind in the U.S., but the Lehigh Valley manufacturer is hardly resting on its laurels. From limited edition cinnamon jelly beans and Easter-themed spice versions to gum and the latest entry in their tongue-tingling empire, Hot Tamales 3 Alarm, your taste buds are going to kick into salivary overdrive.

Each package contains a hearty assortment of oblong jelly bean like candies in three different flavors – the orange is “hot”, while the remaining two red pigmented varieties are “hotter” and “hottest”.

My tasting panel and I unanimously agreed that Just Born zoned in on a great idea, especially in light of current spicy culinary trends and the fact that our culture embraces novelty just as much as diverse flavor choices. However, all of us had a bone to pick regarding the poorly chosen color palate of this particular product, which we though could have easily been more distinctive.

Sure, genuine cinnamon bark has far more of a bronze tone than it does red, but none of us thought that the orange-colored Hot Tamales in this flavor selection were properly indicative of the cinnamon nuances within. Similarly, the remaining red pigmented 3 Alarm candies were so close in tone that unless you’re highly scrutinizing or you hold each one up to the light while comparing them to the color chart on the back of the package, you might inadvertently chow down on a “hottest” rather than a “hotter” Hot Tamale. Editor’s Note: I had no problem picking out the difference in color between hotter and hottest.

After chewing, chit-chatting, combining flavors, critiquing, and then chewing even more, this is what four adults with very different culinary backgrounds thought of each individual Hot Tamales 3 Alarm flavor…

True Hot Tamales aficionados may view this product as slightly more gimmicky than an absolute must have, but the “hottest” flavor in this spicy cinnamon assortment may still happily engage the daredevil within. Regardless of your particular spice tolerance, whip out a pack of these cinnamon treats among mixed company and watch the conversational juices start to flow.

• Hot Tamales 3 Alarm

Candy Addict® received this product as a sample from the manufacturer. No payment was received for this review and all opinions represent an unbiased view of the product.

Amy’s should ring a bell with fans of natural and organic convenience foods, snacks, and pantry staples due to their 25 year run as a wholesome eats purveyor. Right. That Amy’s. Now they’ve extended their higher quality, minimally processed credo to the candy biz, which is a huge plus for lovers of sweet midday nibbles.

When I first got my hands on an Amy’s bar, I literally stumbled upon it among the here-today-gone-tomorrow offerings at a regional natural grocer, and if my futile online search for the very same bar is any indication, I better stock up in person while I can. Despite its health food pedigree, this particular candy isn’t even remotely like the other good-for-you alternatives carried in the same aisle – tree bark covered in mockolate it is most definitely not!

Upon sampling this Dandy Candy Crispy candy bar for the first time, prepare yourself for a most enjoyable, chewy-crunchy-chocolatey sensation. Inside the trippy turquoise wrapper adorned with art nouveau lettering, you’ll find two individually dipped, 100% certified organic bars – that in itself, a rather notable coup.

I followed the package recommendation to share my candy-coated wealth with a loved one and while it did make me feel warm and fuzzy for a few moments, I have a confession to make. If I hadn’t sampled 5 other sugary treats prior to my Amy’s experience, I would have been more than happy to gobble up both bars – which amount to 1.5 ounces total – in one fell swoop.

I know – so selfish! – but let’s face it… good sugar is hard to find. For me, that’s the mark of a really worthwhile candy experience – when that “Hell, yeah!” kicks in and you start plotting how and when you’ll be able to get your next fix. Believe me… this is good stuff.

For a relatively modest 100 calories and 6 grams of fat per generous-sized, dark chocolate covered bar, you get a texturally appealing blend of brown rice crisps, roasted almond bits, and vanilla flavored caramel bound together with what my taste buds identified as a perfectly crowd-pleasing dark/milk chocolate blend. While I wasn’t really able to pick caramel out of the lineup, I didn’t really care because amid the powerhouse team of flavors that Amy’s employed, the result was simply just pure, jaw-exercising, uber-tasty candy satisfaction.

Emulating the mouth feel of Hershey’s Whatchamacallit bar without any of the genetically modified organisms, preservatives, or trans-fats, this healthier candy bar upgrade – sweetened with organic cane sugar and organic brown rice syrup – is chock full of delicious flavor and a slightly salty edge that balances out the sweetness just right.

At an easily justifiable $1.59 per package (on sale), Amy’s organic candy bar is admittedly higher in price than mainstream offerings but no doubt, you won’t regret coughing up the extra coinage. With a sizable list of real, recognizable ingredients – every single one of them organic – the quality is more than apparent and the taste yum to the max.

The moral of the story is that you’ll feel mighty pleased about consuming an Amy’s Organic Andy Dandy Candy Crispy – it’s sort of like a legitimately good tasting, genuine chocolate-dipped energy bar minus the pesky oats and/or throat-gagging protein isolate. Just don’t let that cheat sheet out of your sight. You don’t want this sweet delight to become nothing more than a perpetually unrequited love, do you?

• Amy’s Website

The 143 year old company has achieved the adoration of the masses, not for their gummy candies or candy corns, but for their ever-enduring collection of creatively flavored “gourmet” jelly beans.

As with the majority of their confectionery biz campadres, Jelly Belly wisely rolls out new products every now and again in an effort to successfully pique the interest of short attention spanned sugar junkies like myself.

Not surprisingly, I have gamely sampled everything from their super fruit-boosted, smoothie-inspired and citrusy, Sunkist-inspired assortments to their carbonated soda copycats and much maligned, taste bud taunting Bean Boozled jelly beans.

Compared to the pedestrian, sugar-coated jelly beans that I naively gobbled up in my youth – which were nothing more than glow-in-the-dark colored, highly refined cane globules – Jelly Belly makes consistently palate pleasing, flavorific beans that have become the reliable go-to fix for fans of chewy little nibbleys.

Chocolate Dips, are certainly a happy little addition to Jelly Belly’s candy empire. Unlike their hard-shelled brethren, these particular beans are liberated from their tough exterior and instead plunged into a very thin coating of glossy, dark, confectioners glaze-laden chocolate which makes for a pretty nifty chewing experience.

While the company apparently sells a five-flavor assortment packaged in a 4.15 ounce box (which includes chocolate-dipped coconut, orange, raspberry, strawberry, and cherry jelly beans), I’ve never seen it in person. Instead, I found an abbreviated selection of the chewy cocoa-covered wonders in 2.8 ounce peg bags (in coconut, orange, cherry, and mint) at a local candy haunt – so I snapped up one of each.

Are you now wondering if you should bother seeking these babies out?

First of all, do yourself a solid and avoid Jelly Belly’s Chocolate Dips in “Mint”… that is, if you’re not a fan of what comes off as being a medicine-like candy. You’d think that I was a card-carrying member of the mint-haters club but in addition to drinking several cups of peppermint tea after dinner, I make a habit of using a mint toothpaste and mouthwash combo twice a day, so what gives?

Quite simply, Jelly Belly’s beanologists were so heavy-handed with the breath-freshening flavor that in spite of its glossy dark chocolate robe, their eensie weensie brown bean is flat-out unpleasant and dare I say far too “earthy” for something masquerading as candy. Imagine ripping a 6 inch piece of mint straight out of your garden (with soil still clinging to the roots), shoving the whole piece in your mouth, and masticating for five minutes. Yup… that’s sort of what happened in my mouth. A chlorophyll-dirt explosion. Bleccchhh!

On the other hand, this sinus-clearing flavor would make a mighty fine post-meal freshening agent. Suck on one or two and you’d be good to go, but truth be told, I haven’t yet returned to my barely-touched bag, which methinks is a bad sign overall.

Things aren’t all doom and gloom in the world of Chocolate Dips however, especially with regard to Jelly Belly’s Very Cherry and Orange flavors. Consistency wise, they’re chewy in a fruity pate gel kind of way which made me a happy camper. The longer I allowed the cherry variety to sit on my tongue, the more apparent the stone fruit flavor became, whereas the orange version was consistently bright and full-bodied from beginning to end.

Does the chocolate exterior really enhance the overall experience? The package gives no indication of the actual cacao content, but it matters not. Once you emerge past the confectioners glaze, move through the perfectly palatable thin chocolate layer and into the heart of the juicy, jelly center, all is good in the candy neighborhood. Jelly Belly’s fruit flavored Dips were fun to munch and tasty through and through.

Let’s not neglect the coconut variety – despite my somewhat low expectations, I found it to be a surprising triumph. While some might feel that perhaps a milk chocolate exterior would be better suited to such a lovely little flavor escape, I found its dark coating to be especially well-suited to the oven toasted, macaroon-like interior.

Gourmet sugar junkies may require a bit more motivation before jumping on board the Jelly Belly Chocolate Dips train, but for those seeking a better than average flavor-boosted chew, their beans deliver the goods for a respectable $1.50 per bag.

• Jelly Belly Website

I started with the mint bar, which the package describes as “rich, dark chocolate coupled with mint candies to keep its cool & chocolate cookies to keep its crunch.” I hoped this bar would remind of of Thin Mints cookies. I wanted lots of crunch and lots of mint. But both the mint and the crunch, while definitely present, were more mild than I had expected. The mint actually seemed stronger as an aftertaste, and I didn’t notice the crunch unless I took a big bite. The bar is good, though, even if it wasn’t crammed full of cookies and mint like I thought it might be. I wouldn’t have had any trouble finishing it on the spot, were it not for the three other chocolate bars waiting for my attention.

The packaging on the other dark chocolate bar has this description: “Dark chocolate surrounds a sweetly tart raspberry lemon-flavored truffle filling with biscotti bits added for intrigue.” I felt a little skeptical that I’d really be able to taste all those flavors, but to my delight, I found that I could. Just as promised, the filling is sweetly tart, and the biscotti bits were good and crunchy. This is one tasty chocolate bar – the perfect blend of flavors and textures.

When I opened the milk chocolate crème brûlée truffle bar, I could really smell the caramel. The package reads: “White chocolate truffle infused with vanilla, caramel, & a touch of toffee.” Considering that this bar contains both milk and white chocolate, in addition to the caramel (and toffee!), I figured that it had the potential to be achingly sweet — and phew, my prediction was absolutely right. This is a candy bar to be savored in very small nibbles, unless you have an enormous glass of milk beside you to help clear your throat after each bite. I wished for more buttery, salty toffee to balance the pure sugary sweetness of milk and white chocolate.

Instead, I moved on to the last bar: “creamy peanut butter, pretzel twists & roasted peanuts, inside pure milk chocolate.” This filling doesn’t skimp one bit on the pretzels or the peanuts, and the sweet, rich peanut butter filling that holds it all together stole my heart.

Kudos to Choxie for these chocolates. I consider my $10 well-spent.

• Find Choxie at Target
• Choxie at Candy Addict®

The chocolate bar has been around since 1847. In one form or another, cake has been around since long before then. But in recent years we’ve seen a surge of interest in cupcakes, designer cakes and cake pops. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if someone somehow combined both the candy bar and the cake worlds to prove to all of the naysayers out there that this whole cake fascination is more than a fad? Well, that’s exactly what Ryan Taylor did.

Along with little sister Krystal as baker, cake-loving Ryan began experimenting with recipes that married cake and candy. The result? Cakedy (pronounced cake-uh-dee, for all you word nerds).

The Cakedy website lists three flavors—best-selling Peanutter, RedHead and Choco Chocatus—with a fourth, Red Velvet, currently in the works. (I’m assuming Mint Chocolate is another new flavor.) Each bar is made from cake nougat and candy chips, all coated in a candy shell. RedHead is strawberry cake nougat mixed with strawberry chips, covered in a vanilla shell. The other two are, of course, made with peanut butter and chocolate cake nougat.

I received two Cakedy samples—Mint Chocolate and Peanutter. The first thing I noticed was that the packaging looked semi-professional. I was impressed with the labels and happy to see ingredients on the back. There are no nutrition facts but this is common among independent products, manufactured in small quantities. I did find both packages a bit difficult to open though. But I’m sure that once mass produced this won’t be a problem!

First up, Mint Chocolate. As I sunk my teeth into the outer layer of chocolate and inner pillow of chocolate-mint cake, my first thought was that I was eating something cake-like…perhaps a brownie. The cake center made for a texture unlike other candy bars I’ve eaten. And it was pleasant. The mint flavoring was a bit overpowering though.

Next, I tried Peanutter. I bit into the chocolatey outside and peanut butter-butterscotch middle expecting more of this unique cake texture. But instead I found the texture to be more like that of a peanut butter cup. While the center didn’t resemble cake, it was certainly delightful. I could taste subtle butterscotch in each bite, resulting in a sweet, rich flavor with a hint of a tart aftertaste. Good balance of flavors in this bar.

Editor’s Note: I also received two Cakedy samples… the Peanutter was fabulous and I enjoyed the heck out of it. Sweet, but not too sweet, a great mix of flavors. Delicious! I also tried the Redhead flavor which is described as “strawberry cake nougat mixed with strawberry chips and covered in a vanilla shell”. I wasn’t as fond of this one. The “vanilla shell” tasted like white chocolate (which I have never liked) and the strawberry flavor inside was lacking.

Overall, Cakedy is a great concept and I hope these make it to the rest of the US/world and Minnesota doesn’t hoard Cakedy for themselves. You can order them online though!

• Cakedy Official Site
• Cakedy Facebook
• News and Video Footage

Candy Addict received this product as a sample from the manufacturer. No payment was received for this review and all opinions represent an unbiased view of the product.

For this review, I let my wife try each of them first (by eating half of each bonbon) since she is a mother and is the audience this product is aimed at. I noted her reaction/thoughts, then I tried each. Below is the summary of each flavor.

• Me: liked it. Wife: loved it.

• Me: not bad. Wife: hated it.

• Me: so-so. Wife: hated it.

• Me: liked it. Wife. didn’t like it.

• Me: hated it. Wife: spit it out.

So, as you can tell, we didn’t like this selection at all. At $15.00 a box ($3.00 per bonbon), i cannot recommend these to anyone. If you want to try some Chuao Chocolates (and I definitely think you should), try one some of their other products – we’ve reviewed plenty and liked/loved almost all of them. But… the Breakfast in Bed Collection should be put to sleep… permanently.

If you do want to try some Chuao, you can get 20% off your purchase at http://www.ChuaoChocolatier.com with code MAMA – good til June 30, 2012.

CODE: MAMA

• Chuao Breakfast in Bed Collection
• Chuao Chocolatier
• Other Chuao reviews at Candy Addict®

Candy Addict received this product as a sample from the manufacturer. No payment was received for this review and all opinions represent an unbiased view of the product.

Okay, fellow Candy Addicts®, it’s time for a road trip! If you live near Greenville, South Carolina, or plan to travel there before June 2, you should plan to stop by The Children’s Museum of the Upstate to see what appears to be an incredible art exhibit. Eight famous “paintings,” including the Mona Lisa and The Starry Night, are on display. The catch? The paintings are made out of Jelly Belly jellybeans — more than 10,000 jellybeans each! Even if you don’t consider yourself an art aficionado, I guarantee that you’ll recognize most of these pictures. And if you visit the museum, you’ll even get a chance create a jellybean mosaic of your own.

Jellybean art is nothing new, but I’ve never had the chance to see it up close and in person, and it weren’t for the minor complication that I live on the other side of the country, I’d have been to see this display several times already. Fortunately, for those of us who are forced to be armchair travelers when it comes to this display, Jelly Belly has an art gallery section on their website that lets you see more images of the jellybean replicas. Check it out!

• Children’s Museum of the Upstate
• Jelly Belly Bean Art Collection