My Favorite Chocolates In the Whole World

One of my sisters-in-law's parents just sent my family some See's chocolates! YAY! I hadn't eaten lunch yet, but I ate three chocolates anyway! How could I resist? See's is my favorite candy company. If I could get a lifetime supply of anything, it would probably be See's chocolates -- the ones I've circled below.


What's YOUR favorite gourmet chocolate or candy?

Favorite Chocolate Bar?

I've closed the most recent Pro Chocolate Poll, "What is your favorite chocolate Bar?". Here are the results (out of 19 total votes):

Snickers: 4 votes, 21.1%
Mr. Goodbar: 4 votes, 21.1%
Kit Kat: 3 votes, 15.8%
Other: 3 votes, 15.8%
Heath: 2 votes, 10.5%
Butterfinger: 1 vote, 5.3%
Baby Ruth: 1 vote, 5.3%
3 Musketeers: 1 vote, 5.3%


I thought you might like to know what the top 10 candy brands in the U.S. were in 2000 (2000's data is the most recent I could get my hands on.). The source is The Manufacturing Confectioner ("The Business Magazine of the Global Sweet Goods Industry"), and the research actually covers brand/sales in dollars for the first quarter of 1998.

1. M&Ms 26,128,204
2. Hershey 18,721,350
3. Reeses 16,876,411
4. Snickers 15,565,099
   
5. York Peppermint Patty 6,971,883
   
6. Butterfinger 5,645,239
   
7. Three Musketeers 5,283,848
   
8. Nestle Crunch 5,213,076
   
9. Russell Stover 4,615,111
   
10. Almond Joy 4,358,023

So Nestle Crunch, really? And Three Musketeers? Who buys those? Also, number 10 tells us that people feel like a nut more often than not.

Hershey's Kisses Peanut Butter Cookies

I think Hershey's Kisses cookies are the prettiest kind of cookie. Look at that chocolate sheen. YUMMY.

You can get the recipe for these cookies on the back of any Hershey's Kisses bag (I think the Hershey company calls them Peanut Blossoms.) If you want a bigger batch and a more peanut buttery taste, though, try my sister-in-law's recipe:

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup soft butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
2-3 dozen Hershey's Kisses (There are more than enough in one regular-size bag.)

1. Mix ingredients.
2. Roll dough in sugar and place on cookie sheet.
3. Bake @ 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
4. Put Hershey's Kisses on top before the cookies cool. (Right after they come out of the oven works the best.)


I'd like to add a baking tip here. That is, it's almost ALWAYS best to mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. Make sure you beat your butters and sugars for a few minutes so that you get a really fluffy, creamy mixture. Then add the egg and vanilla. Again, mix the dry ingredients. Then add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, beating only until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet mixture.

This really is a good way to get smooth and fluffy dough. I promise! I've read about it over and over again in all of my recipe books!