Easter Candy Favorites

Wha'd up my Peeps?

Who doesn't love Peeps!  Well actually, a lot of people.  They're pretty sweet.  But they can also be a lot of fun in the microwave.  Peeps were always one of my favorite treats in my Easter basket. Growing up we just had the basics, but now they have chocolate covered, on a stick, rice crispy treats, chocolate and fruity flavored peeps, and many others.

Peeps originated in Pennsylvania by candy maker Sam Born in 1953. The yellow sugar coated marshmallow chicks were the first type of peep. In the 80's the bunny (my favorite) was introduced.  Last Easter over 700 million peeps were consumed. That's a lot of sugar highs!

NoBunny Knows Easter Better Than Cadbury

Remember that commercial of the Cadbury bunny clucking like a chicken? The original ad was aired in 1980.

See the link below for a classic commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFCNvZ_1gg0&feature=player_detailpage

Cadbury creme eggs are milk chocolate eggs with a super sugary cream fondant "egg yolk" inside.  They originated in the United Kingdom and are currently being produced at a rate of 1.5 million eggs per day. The Cadbury company originated in 1824 when John Cadbury opened up a cocoa shop in Birmingham. In 1831 he expanded to a 4 story factory and so the Cadbury Chocolate Company began. In 1875 Cadbury started producing an Easter egg, but this version was filled with sugar coated chocolate drops and coated in a dark chocolate shell. The original Cadbury creme egg was made in 1923 but didn't make it to the store shelves until 1971. It later gained popularity in the 1980's when that silly bunny started clucking.

The Super Flavorful Jelly Belly

 In 1960, David Klein wanted to make a new kind of jelly bean with intense flavors both inside and in the outer shell. He brought his idea to 4th generation candy maker Herman Goelitz Rowland and the Jelly Belly was born. Most jelly beans at that time all tasted the same. Jelly Bellys were very flavorful and were made from natural flavorings when possible. The first flavors were very cherry, lemon, licorice, root beer, cream soda, green apple, grape, and tangerine.

Former President Ronald Reagan loved jelly beans. He was quoted as saying "we can hardly start a meeting or make a decision without passing around the jar of jelly beans". Jelly Bellys were always found in the oval office and on air force one during his presidency. Jelly Belly even created the blueberry flavor in 1981 for Reagans inauguration. They also made jelly bean art out of him. What's your favorite Jelly Belly?

Have a Happy Easter!