Sugar addict confessions

I'm a confirmed sugaraholic.  For me to choose my favorite way to consume sugar would be impossible.  Cake, yum.  Cookies, delicious.  Bars - bring 'em on.  Candy - so many amazing kinds of candy!  And don't get me started on ice cream.  You know what makes ice cream better?  Add cake.  Add cookies.  Add candy.  That's the only way to make ice cream better.  Not consuming large quantities of sugar every single day is one of my greatest challenges.  Walking past the candy aisle or not opening that bag of M & M's is a herculean feat.  And the holidays are the worst.  Not only are there amazing flavors of candy but... and this is the worst.. they are for a LIMITED time!  You must get as much as you can while you can, because they will be gone and then what?  You wait a whole year for your next fix.  Never good.  So let's start with some of my favorite holiday candies.

Let's start the year off with the next holiday up and coming - Valentine's.  What's on the shelf today that I have a hard time resisting you ask..

These bad boys right here.  Love them.  Love that they have distinctly different flavors so that you can mix them or eat several at a time.  And don't you dare tell me they taste like chalk.  I've umm... accidentally tasted chalk back when we had blackboards, not white boards, and they do not taste anything like chalk.  They are delicious.  Bonus - cutesy little messages for those too chicken just to come right out and tell someone they are cool.

That pretty much wraps up my Valentine craving, except for those giant boxes of mixed chocolates.  But are they really a Valentine treat?  They do have a very similar (although not heart shaped box) version at Christmas time.  How many of you use the enclosed map to make sure you get a chocolate you like?  How many throw it to the gods of fate?  I'm not ashamed to say that my goal is always to get the caramels first.  After that, they are all equal in the eyes of my stomach.  Wait - is that a thing?

Moving on...  Easter is already appearing on the shelves.  And that means my all time favorite treat in two, count them TWO different versions.  The Cadbury egg.  It doesn't get any better than a Cadbury egg.  I know I've blogged on this before.  The only thing better than the gooey goodness of a big old Cadbury egg, are the little mini eggs.  There is nothing else offered even remotely like them.  And guess what Sophie and I found at Christmas time.  Mini eggs!  I hope that wasn't a one time thing and we see them twice a year from here on out.   Cadbury is apparently realizing that some of us can't wait a whole year because they also offer the regular egg at a second time each year.  Welcome, the "Screme" egg.  Thank you Cadbury!

But Easter isn't just about the Cadbury egg.  Easter also brings us the fruity goodness of jelly beans.  Although Jelly Belly beans are my favorite and they are available year round, it is only at Easter that you can get the original ones - complete with the yummy black ones.  Or the Skittles version, those are nothing to turn your nose up at either. 

Easter also gives us Peeps.  Now Peeps have ventured out into all the other holidays so they aren't an Easter specific candy any more.  But they will always be an Easter candy to me.  I don't love or hate them.  They are just part of the holiday.  It doesn't feel like spring until I've had a Peep (or a line).  But Peeps went too far with the Christmas flavors.  Gingerbread Peeps?  Really?  Disgusting.

Last, but not least, let's not forget the Reese's egg.  Soooo much peanut buttery goodness.  Yes, they are unbelievably thick and rich.  A person should, could, would maybe only need one.  But if they are there, in front of you - who can pass one of these up?  And did I hear they make them in "trees" now?  Smart move, Reese's.  

This brings us to the fourth of July.  I know what you're thinking, "Independence Day doesn't have holiday specific candy."  Wrong!  This may have been true in the past, but this year Skittles through a wrench in that plan.  How many of you tried the American Mix?  If you didn't, you missed out.  I wish these were offered all year long.  I believe I had to steal a bag of Sophie's once to satisfy a craving.  But I'm sure I replaced them. Pretty sure. 

Halloween brings all the candy.  Fun size, snack size, jumbo size, you name it.  Nothing too unique about Halloween candy except for candy corn.  I did discover that they make it in Christmas and Easter colors now.  However, candy corn, and their close cousin the candy pumpkin,  will forever be a fall treat in my book.  I know it's the oldest snack in the book - but a bag of a candy corn and a bag of peanuts.  Pure delight. 

Finally we arrive at my favorite holiday.  Christmas.  Christmas is known for its many, many different holiday treats.  So I'm going to pick out a few that we don't get to see in other versions year round.  The first being the chocolate orange.  The only one in my house that gets me when it comes to the chocolate orange, is Libby.  Which is an okay thing because then I don't have to share.  This is another treat that I really should stock up on because it is a sad day when I can't find them on the shelves any more.   Probably good for my waistline though.

These scrumptious little Christmas mints.  The only problem with these buggers is that I, apparently, cannot figure out how to not eat so many that they give me a gut ache.  They are so amazing that I eat too many and always regret that decision. 

 I don't think I had a one of these this year.  Which is so sad and so wrong.  These crazy little peppermint Christmas tree nougats are chewy and delicious.  And only offered at Christmas.  So gone!

Well, this is a little silly because anything Ghiradelli is amazing.  But I adore the peppermint chocolate squares.  Hershey's has a version of peppermint chocolate that is quite good.  But nothing even holds a candle to these little squares of goodness.  Holiday happiness! 

Well - I've shared my favorite holiday treats.  I bet I didn't even scratch the surface of some of the ones I wouldn't turn away.  As I was typing this I remembered those malted milk balls shaped like eggs.  Or the little Dove chocolate wrapped eggs.  Or.... well... I'm just going to quit while I'm *cough* ahead.  Ish.