The Toffee Merchant Mexican Hot Chocolate Toffee
The best toffee we’ve tried comes from The Toffee Merchant, a small-batch, award-winning confectioner in Arizona that produces tender, crunchy toffee that won’t break a tooth. Unlike any other toffee we’ve tried, this thick slab breaks easily into flaky pieces. Cooked slowly and using the highest quality ingredients, their Mexican Hot Chocolate Toffee brings a little heat. It has sweet yet dark caramel notes with buttery almonds and pecans and rich dark chocolate. But just the right amount of cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne add an intriguing spice. Don’t be surprised if you go through a bag in a day. This stuff is that addictive.
Mount Mansfield Pure Vermont Maple Candy
This maple candy is made from pure organic Vermont maple syrup—that’s it. As maple syrup connoisseurs, we adore the rich stuff from Vermont’s Mount Mansfield Maple: a family farm that harvests maple sap from over 1,000 acres of maple trees. Each soft maple leaf-shaped candy melts in your mouth as soon as it hits your tongue, tasting only of sweet—never cloying—maple with deep, toasty, caramelized notes and a hint of vanilla. These award-winning treats are so addictive, the company’s candy making process is a trade secret. All we know is, we can’t get enough. Each box is complete with 24 candies.
Martin Picard Maple Dulce de Leche
Creamy and sweet with a hit of toasty maple, this Dulce de Leche made our kitchen testers swoon. It’s made by a French-Canadian chef, Martin Picard, who operates a sugar shack and maple grove, as well as the renowned Quebec restaurant, Au Pied de Cochon. This rendition starts with the familiar rich, caramel-y flavors that are essential to dulce de leche, but adds a twist of nutty, homemade maple syrup for a more complex and luxurious result. Serve drizzled over pastry and desserts like waffles, sandwich cookies and cakes, use as a spread for toast, as a filling for croissants, or as a dip for cut fruit.
Mount Mansfield Maple Drops Candy
Made from pure organic Vermont maple syrup, these maple drops are addictively good. As maple syrup connoisseurs, we adore the rich stuff from Vermont’s Mount Mansfield Maple: a family farm that harvests maple sap from over 1,000 acres of maple trees. Each smooth maple leaf-shaped hard lozenge is individually wrapped to stay fresh, tasting only of sweet maple with deep, toasty, caramelized notes and a hint of vanilla. It’s the closest you’ll get to a spoonful of straight maple syrup.
Tastëlanghe Hazelnut Caramel
Incredibly hard to find in the U.S., Tonda Gentile hazelnuts are considered some of the best in the world. Grown exclusively in the Langhe area of Piedmont, Italy, Tastëlanghe has been producing them since 1891. In their Hazelnut (Nocciola) Caramel, those renowned hazelnuts turn into a creamy, rich, sweet caramelly spread with a hint of salt. Light in texture but deep in flavor, this spread is full of caramel flavor from a mixture of caramelized hazelnuts and milk that is cooked down to perfection. It’s like dulce de leche, but less dense and far more flavorful. Spoon it onto ice cream, cakes, cookies, or any baked good, spread on toast or eat straight from the jar!
McCrea’s Black Lava Sea Salt Caramels
Good caramel is hard to do well—it’s quite literally a science—so it makes sense that the genius behind McCrea’s Candies has a background in chemistry. And his research really pays off: McCrea’s caramels are some of the best we’ve tried. Their Black Lava Sea Salt is a fun twist on traditional salted caramel, which balances sweet, dark, toasty caramel and small flecks of black sea salt expertly. And unlike other salted caramels, the punch of salt in this version doesn’t disappear into overly sweet caramel. But it’s really the distinct texture that brings these treats to the next level. Soft with a slight bite, this caramel won’t stick to your teeth, it only melts in your mouth. And the salt adds a light, pleasant crunch, too. Each box comes loaded with about 20 caramels, but don’t be fooled—these addictive candies will disappear fast.
François Doucet Apricot Pâte de Fruits
Translucent, richly pigmented and rolled in sugar, these jewel-like soft gelled candies from François Doucet Confiseur were historically referred to as “dry jam.” And we can’t think of a better way to describe their flavor. Pâte de fruits have to be made with a high percentage of fruit puree and pulp (François Doucet uses 51%), which gives the jellies a bright fruitiness. They have a higher moisture content than supermarket jellies—so they are not dry, tough or overly chewy—and the light sugar coating prevents stickiness and adds a light crunch. Candy-making is a family tradition for François Doucet, co-founder of the confectionery; his great-grandfather created the first fruit paste in France’s Auvergne region, which inspire today’s pâte de fruits. To make these candies, apricots and raspberries are harvested at peak ripeness and cooked with sugar (and a hint of pectin for hold) in large copper pots. Try all three flavors: Raspberry, Apricot and Honey Lavender, made with rare, delicate lavender honey from Provence.
Wally and Whiz Lime with Sour Lemon Winegum Candies
Wally and Whiz's Nordic Winegums are chewy—not sticky—candies that have a gumdrop-like texture without the granulated coating. Kristian Them Hansen started his company in order to create gummy candies with real fruit flavor, not just syrupy sweetness. We love the two-tone flavor and modern-looking cube shape of Wally and Whiz winegums, echoed by the neat boxes these sweets are packaged in. This flavor is perfect for the citrus lover: The sweet-tart, zesty lime coating gives way to a golden, sour lemon interior.
Il Colle Del Gusto Sicilian Pistachio Spread
Made from Sicilian pistachios and extra-virgin olive oil, Pistacchiosa is a creamy, aromatic spread you will want to put on all your desserts and, yes, eat straight out of the jar.
Koy Pantry Figs in Syrup
Tender and sweet, preserved in a warmly spiced syrup, Koy Pantry’s Figs in Syrup are unlike most other fig products on the market. Made with whole young Turkish figs, the fruit is quick-pickled, then cooked down and preserved in a glossy, pourable syrup spiked with cloves. Unlike fig jams and preserves where the fruit falls apart, Koy Pantry’s figs remain firm with a satisfying chew—so you can serve them whole on a cheese board or chop them up to add to pizza. Sweet and earthy with a slight tartness, they pair well with both strong and mild cheese and salty cured meats; can be added to desserts, cakes and crumbles or stirred into tangy yogurt. Or use just the syrup—it’s delicious drizzled on a panini, stirred into a cocktail or swirled into oatmeal.
Wally and Whiz Hibiscus with Raspberry Winegum Candies
Wally and Whiz's Nordic Winegums are chewy—not sticky—candies that have a gumdrop-like texture without the granulated coating. Kristian Them Hansen started his company in order to create gummy candies with real fruit flavor, not just syrupy sweetness. We love the two-tone flavor and modern-looking cube shape of Wally and Whiz winegums, echoed by the neat boxes these sweets are packaged in. For this subtly floral flavor, a bold, tart raspberry coating hides a sweet, earthy hibiscus interior. It's one of the smoothest pairings we’ve tried yet.
Hotaru Foods Matcha Milk Jam
Milk jam, like dulce de leche, is a thickened mixture of dairy and sugar. This version has matcha green tea powder mixed into it for a unique and delicious twist. The luxurious and spreadable texture is paired with a slightly grassy aroma that hints at matcha’s earthiness. We love the bright, vegetal, and slightly bitter taste that finishes sweet and nutty. And the beautifully vibrant green color from the matcha doesn’t hurt either.
