Category Archives: Candy by Color

Candy by color tips on matching color schemes to candy and other fun facts about candy of every color from ACandyStore.com.

New Year Candy

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New Year celebrations are gearing up for all of us celebrating January 1, on the Gregorian calendar and candy has its rightful place as part of any New Year party. Colored candy is really hot and so are candy buffets. It isn’t too late to order bulk supplies of colored candy for a brilliant and super stylish New Year event.

Folks in the western world aren’t the only people who herald the New Year with candy. Those who celebrate Chinese New Year also do so with special candy arrangements which are part of the celebration and luck bringing rituals of Chinese New Year. This year the New Year falls on February 3. A traditional Chinese candy tray is called the Tray of Togetherness and it is arranged in a circle or an octagon. Every item on the tray represents good fortune and it is customary for adults who take candy from a Tray of Togetherness to replace the candy with a red envelope containing money. Sounds lucky right there!

Each of the candies is placed on the tray in 8 segments because the number 8 in China is lucky in the same way that 7 is in the West. The individual candy types each have a distinct meaning.

  • Peanuts – long life
  • Ginger – many good sons
  • Lotus seed – many children
  • Candied melon – growth and good health
  • Red melon seed – dyed red to symbolize joy, happiness, truth and sincerity
  • Lychee nut – strong family relationships
  • Chocolate coins- prosperity
  • Coconut – togetherness

Another Chinese New Year favorite is chocolate candy (of course) which is easily made and is a really special treat; great if you want to try something a little bit different.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 cups butterscotch chips
  • 2 1/2 cups dry-roasted peanuts
  • 4 cups chow mein noodles

Directions

  1. Butter a 9×13 inch dish.
  2. Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Remove from heat and stir in peanuts. Stir in noodles until they are well coated. Press into prepared dish. Chill until set and cut into squares.

Whether you opt to go with the very popular colored candy options or if you decide to try something new and put a distinct cultural spin on your New Year activities, candy is sure to make the occasion sweet!

Sweet as Candy: Short Film

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This New Zealand musical, short film has been hiding away for far too long, since 2003 to be precise. It’s a confectionary tale of rock n roll, marching girls and roller skates created by director, Kezia Barnett. Barnett is clearly a genius and of the movie has this to say, “Bubble gum pop is my passion, and layering, visually and with content, is my love.”

Not to be confused with the 2006 Hollywood film called Candy and directed by Neil Armford. That film is much deeper, way more serious and much less pink. This film, Sweet as Candy takes place in the pop plastic, milk bar universe of Bubblegum Valley. It is the love story of Blue and Candy. From the musical lyrics and interspersed dialogue we know that there are rumors that Blue has been untrue and Candy is clearly not happy about it. It doesn’t take long though, for the music and hair gel to overwhelm any feelings of despair. Blue arrives at the Paperdoll Diner (where Candy is waiting) in his mint Cadillac where he breaks into song and proclaims his love for Candy.  In fact everybody, Blue, Candy, marching bands and Blue and Candy look-alikes all break into song and dance.

The movie is very candy pink and candy blue which is a little overwhelming at times. The movie look and feel is actually very similar to the popular 2010 Katy Perry video, Candyland.  Especially the candy colored hair and clothes. The plot and the cinematography are nowhere near the slick perfection of Hollywood but for those who enjoy something a little different and fun; Sweet as Candy fits the bill.  So different in fact that it makes Wonka’s candy factory look normal. The icing on the cake; the movie was produced by Bubblegum Valley Productions. Sweet!

Amazing Edible Art Around the World

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Andy Warhol would love it! His most famous paintings have long been favorites of contemporary artists to reproduce in a number of extraordinary and unconventional ways and often the artist’s tool is candy. The latest creation of Warhol art revisited is on display in London and depicts his famous Marilyn Munroe now created from sugar coated chocolate candy. Newly introduced blue Smarties were used for Marilyn’s blue eye shadow.

Although the texture and consistency of candy make it a favorite amongst pop artists there are some other fascinating food substances being used to create art. Architects Byard Dovell White used 5,000 cans of sliced bamboo shoots and stuffed vine leaves to create a can sculpture. The work of art was designed for a design/build competition for charity.

Another innovative team used multiple types of breakfast cereals to create an amazing mosaic of President Barack Obama. Hank Willis Thomas and Ryan Alexiev used Honeycomb, Life and Froot Loops to create the three dimensional image. Thomas is a sculpture who uses his art to deal with contemporary issues like race, identity, history and class as influenced by a consumer culture. He particularly wanted to depict the president.

Tofu, cabbage, ginger, lotus roots, coriander and sweet potatoes were used by artist Duoqi to recreate the famous Vincent Van Gogh self portrait. The unusual creation was displayed at the Paris-Beijing Photo Gallery from 2008 to 2009 as part of an exhibit titled, The Vegetable Museum.

Toast was the sole ingredient in a huge mosaic masterpiece by Ingrid Falk and Gustavo Aguerre. 3,053 slices in shades of white, tan, ochre, beige, rust and black toast were assembled to create an original and truly captivating image of a toaster. The variance of shade in the toast required the artists to precisely toast the pieces to varying degrees.

As stated though, candy is a great art medium and a favorite amongst contemporary sculptors and renderers of famous works. Jean Zaun is no exception. His rendition of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is painted on a white chocolate base which is bordered by a dark chocolate frame and finished with a confectionary glaze to create a stunning replica of the famous portrait.

A candy artistic innovation made from 1,000 M&M candies also captivates while eliciting a smile from its viewers. Ironically the image is a depiction of rap singer Eminem (pronounced m&m). The huge portrait created by candy artist Enrique Ramos weighs eight pounds and measure 40 x 30 inches. It aptly sits amongst a lint portrait of Lady Diana and a gumball portrait of Michael Jackson.

Caramel

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Caramel, the word evokes a sense of creamy sweetness. The deep brown tones and soft yellows of caramel actually make you feel as if you are peacefully swirling along on a languid liquid journey. That may be the reason some of the most prestigious and elegant eating and drinking establishments in the world have adopted the creamy sweet word Caramel in its name.

The two ‘Caramel Bar and Lounge’ clubs are aptly located at the center of the world’s playgrounds in Las Vegas and Dubai respectively. The Caramel Bar and Lounge is a place to go to mingle with international affluence in an air of sophisticated sweetness. The Las Vegas Caramel Club is located off the Bellagio making for easy transition to and from the fun and games of the casino and theatre, and a relaxing break to meet and socialize. The Caramel in Dubai features caramel flavored mixed drinks for the ladies.

Besides being a great place to eat and drink caramel is a movie, a color and of course a sweet treat unto itself. The latter is the world’s favorite caramel so it seems apt to share how the sweet caramel we all love is created in a fudge recipe. There are many other ways to enjoy fudge, in a sauce or a brittle for example, but we only have so much room to write so for those who want to know how to make caramel fudge, this recipe is for you.

How to make caramel fudge:

Ingredients:

3½ cups sugar
½ cup milk
1/8 teaspoon salt

½ tin sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon golden syrup
125g butter

Directions:

Place the sugar and milk in saucepan and slowly bring it to a boil, then add the rest of ingredients. Gently boil the ingredients stirring regularly for around 30 minutes. Test to see if the fudge is ready by dripping a small drop into a glass of ice cold water. If the fudge forms a soft ball then it is ready for the next step. Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until thick and then pour into a tin about an inch thick. Refrigerate for at least two hours or until set.

Great Jelly Bean Cookie Recipe

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Jelly Bean and Candy Babies

Use the base and frosting of this cookie recipe to create really delicious jelly bean cookies. Think about what you want the finished cookie to look like before you begin. Cut the cookies into shapes before baking to create the design you want and when the cookies are done and frosted, the jelly bean color and placement options are limited only by your imagination (although we do have a few suggestions:).

Cookie Ingredients:

½ cup golden syrup

1/3 cup brown sugar

60g butter

2 ¼ cups of plain flour

2 teaspoons of mixed spice

Icing as per the following recipe

Jelly beans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 212 Fahrenheit and lightly grease an oven tray

Combine the golden syrup, brown sugar and the butter in a sauce pan and stir gently over a low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the cooled syrup mix and stir together well to combine.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about a ¼ inch thickness and cut into chosen shapes.

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then cool on trays before transferring to a rack to cool

Frost the cooled biscuits and while the frosting is still moist, stick the jelly beans to the icing. Some pattern ideas might include red, white and blue jelly beans in the shape of a flag or red and white jelly beans in a heart shape. Go crazy with your ideas because baking should be fun!

Icing Recipe

125g softened butter

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 ½ cups of sifted icing sugar

2 tablespoons cream

Beat the butter until it is pale and creamy. Add the vanilla and half of the icing sugar and beat these ingredients together until they are well combined. Gradually add cream and the remaining sugar while beating, until the frosting is smooth.

The $10k Jelly Belly Challenge is On

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The Jelly Belly people have announced a fun and fantastic chance for candy lovers to make $10 000 in prize dollars – that is a lot of candy money! The prize is for the most creative jelly belly cupcake in the world.

Those who are keen to enter need only make, bake and photograph their best cupcake creation, topped with Jelly Belly’s of course. Actually, you don’t even have to bake the cupcake. This contest is about Jelly Belly’s so that’s what the judges and fans care are looking for; creativity with Jelly Beans. You can actually create on top of a ready made cupcake. The hard part of course will be having the most amazing idea in the entire world. Well, even if you don’t come up with the best cupcake in the whole world, the cupcake challenge is also offering over 2000 instant prizes so it’s worth a shot. Once you have created your cupcake, photograph it and then submit it to the contest through the JB contest website, and then all you have to do is wait.

The way the contest works is that the top five best cupcakes will square off in a final to be voted on by cupcake/Jelly Belly fans. Fan votes will be calculated to choose the grand prize winner. Besides 10 thousand dollars in cash the promoters are giving away some really neat instant prizes which include Jelly Belly tote bags, charm bracelets (made of sterling silver not jelly) and jelly beans of course.

Those who have the creative Jelly Belly talent and want to enter the contest fray can do so right up until July 31, 2011. That’s heaps of time to come up with the best cupcake on the planet.

Black Candy is Healthy and Fun

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Black Candy Licorice

Black candy has long been a favorite especially at Halloween but what many people don’t know is that most black candies contain either anise or licorice. Both of these have healing properties, vitamins and minerals but don’t tell the kids this sweet treat is good for them. This Halloween give black candy with a clear conscience.

Black candy containing anise

Anise, also known as anis or aniseed grows as a flowering plant in areas of the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia. It is the fruit of the flower that is known as aniseed and which contains the ingredient anethole. Anethole is a proven anti bacterial and anti fungal which is used in many ways other than creating delicious black candy. Anise is chewed to freshen breath and it is also worn to ward of mosquitoes. In some countries anise has been used by women for centuries to enhance fertility and limit the discomfort of other feminine conditions.

Most commonly though anise is used as a flavoring in food, candy and some of the most delectable liqueurs in the world like ouzo and sambuca. In AcandyStore.com anise is a key ingredient in a number of favorite confectionary products including anise squares, bears and black taffy candy.

Black candy containing licorice

Most people would be surprised to hear that licorice is in fact a legume, like a bean or a pea. It is perfect for making sweet treats of course because of its wonderful flavor and aroma but also because in its natural state, it is actually considerably sweeter than sugar. Besides being a wonderful black candy base and flavoring for less palpable necessities like medicines, licorice candy contains healing properties within its elemental ingredients. The healing properties of licorice are mainly attributed to the compound glycyrrhizic acid.

Licorice is commonly used in Japan for the control and treatment of viral hepatitis. Outside of Japan the strong anti viral component of licorice has been tested in the treatment of sarcoma and herpes and is used as an aid for healing stomach and duodenal ulcers and to soothe stomach aches. For more severe stomach ailments licorice can be used to treat ileitis, leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease. Although not a cure for these ailments, licorice has been shown to alleviate the symptoms and discomfort associated with them.

Some studies have shown initial results which suggest that licorice may inhibit brain enzymes involved with producing stress related hormones which have been connected to mental decline in the elderly. In other countries, like China, licorice is used to harmonize the body and relieve spasmodic coughs. Herbalists use licorice in anti cancer formulas and believe it is effective in auto immune conditions like lupus, some allergies, scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis. Naturopaths utilize licorice benefits to relieve mouth ulcers, peptic ulcers, as a mild laxative and a topical antiviral for other ulcerations and sores.

The uses and healing properties of licorice are such that you may want to save it for after all the other Halloween candy is eaten and the children are in need of a soothing stomach and calming remedy, then bring out the black candy.