The Many Varieties and Flavors of Candy Treats

The Many Delicious Types of Candy

Candy is a beloved treat around the world. The sugary sweet confections come in endless varieties of flavors, textures, and colors. While candy should be enjoyed in moderation as part of a balanced diet, it can be hard to resist these tasty snacks.

Chocolate Candy

Chocolate reigns supreme as one of the most popular types of candy. The cacao-based treats come in many delectable forms, from silky smooth bars to decadent truffles filled with ganache. Some of the most common chocolate candy varieties include:

• Milk chocolate - Sweet and creamy milk chocolate is a classic choice loved by many. It contains milk powder or condensed milk to give it a smoother, less bitter taste than darker chocolates.
• Dark chocolate - For those who enjoy rich, bold chocolate flavor, dark chocolate has higher cacao content and lower sugar than milk chocolate. The cacao percentage can range from 60% to over 80%.
• White chocolate - Despite its name, white chocolate contains no cocoa solids. It's made from cocoa butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla. The result is a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth confection.
• Chocolate bars - Bar chocolate comes in snack sizes or larger bars for breaking into pieces. Popular kinds include Hershey's chocolate bars, Snickers, Kit Kat, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and Twix.
• Truffles - These are made by coating ganache (a rich chocolate and cream mixture) in cocoa powder, chopped nuts, coconut, or decorative drizzles and designs.

Fruit and Nut Candy

Candies featuring fruit and nut ingredients offer tantalizing flavor combinations. Some fruit and nut candy varieties to enjoy include:

• Skittles - These colorful button candies have fruit juice and flavorings at their chewy center, with favorites like wild berry, lemon, and orange.
• Starburst - Similar to Skittles, these soft square chews pack a sweet fruit punch in flavors like cherry, strawberry, orange, and lemon.
• Jelly beans - Small jelly bean candies come in an array of fruit flavors and colors. Popular around Easter, they have a firm outside with a soft, chewy middle.
• Dried fruit candy - Tropical dried mango, pineapple, citrus slices, berries, and more are sweet and tangy low-cal candies.
• Trail mix bars - Granola, nuts, seeds, chocolate, coconut, dried fruit come together for a tasty, high protein candy bar.

Hard Candy

From old-fashioned mints and lozenges to whimsical novelty sweets, hard candies offer long-lasting flavor in crunchy or smooth textures. Some examples include:

• Lollipops - These come with fruit or other flavors wrapped around a stick handle. Popular varieties include Dum Dums, Tootsie Pops, Blow Pops, Charms Blow Pops, and Fireball Cinnamon lollipops.
• Butterscotch discs - Flat, round butterscotch candies have a smooth, mellow brown sugar and butter flavor.
• Mints - after dinner mints like Andes and Junior Mints offer a crisp, cooling burst of minty freshness.
• Candy canes - Traditionally these are minty hard candy sticks with red and white stripes, popular as Christmas candy.
• Salt water taffy - Whipped and pulled for a very chewy texture, these come in classic flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.

Gummy Candy

Gummy candy features gelatin for an exceptionally chewy, yielding texture. These sweets are available in an array of playful shapes, sizes, and colors. Favorite gummy candy picks include:

• Gummy bears - These gumdrop-shaped gelatin treats have a fruit flavor matching their color, like red cherry and orange.
• Gummy worms - Long, soft gummy worms wiggle and jiggle with each bite. Kids and adults alike enjoy their slimy yet satisfying gummy texture.
• Jelly rings - Shaped like gemstone rings, these stiff gummies have a bite followed by a burst of sweet liquid fruit juice in the softer center.
• Gummy cola bottles - Popular gummies replicating the classic soda bottle shape capture flavors like cherry cola and lemon-lime.
• Sour gummy candy - Puckering sour sugar coating gives gummy shapes like frogs, sharks, and butterflies an extra tangy kick.

Fun Variety Packs and Assortments

For candy lovers who enjoy mixing up their sweet snacks, variety packs and assortments offer miniature sizes of different candies in each package. A few fun options include:

• Candy necklaces - These resemble beaded necklaces but feature small hard candies threaded along elastic string so kids can eat the candy "beads".
• Candy jewelry - There are ring pops, necklaces made of linked sweet tarts, and bracelets patterned with gumdrops or M&Ms.
• Candy grab bags - Scoop bags or cone bags let you fill up on an exciting stash of mixed candies, often for holidays like Halloween or Valentine’s Day.
• Candy variety packs - Selected favorites like Skittles, Starburst, Nerds, and Lifesavers come grouped in a pack to enjoy an array of flavors.
• Chocolate assortments - Miniature chocolate bars, truffles, caramels, and clusters make up chocolate lovers candy gift boxes and baskets.

Nostalgic Candies Through the Decades

Candy companies keep classic treats on the market for those feeling nostalgic. Brands bring back retired candy for limited releases, or simply maintain production of best-selling candies decade after decade. Take a sweet trip down memory lane with old fashioned candies like:

• Candy necklaces - These resemble beaded necklaces but feature small hard candies threaded along elastic string so kids can eat the candy "beads".
• Zagnuts - Honey roasted peanuts coated in crunchy, buttery toffee date back to 1890.
• Necco Wafers - These old time thin, square wafers imprinted with the letter “N” come in chocolate, lemon, lime, orange, clove, cinnamon, and wintergreen flavors.
• Squirrel Nut Zippers - Peanut flavored taffy with an outer cinnamon coating still satisfy candy cravings decades after their 1926 launch.
• Bit-O-Honey - Bite into the honey and almond nougat swirled within this beloved 1920s candy.

Unique and Unusual Candies

Candy makers continuously experiment with wild new flavors, sensory experiences, and unexpected ingredients. These innovative sweets range from startlingly sour to surprisingly savory.

• Bacon candy - Maple syrup, chocolate, and candied bacon fuse for a tempting bacon candy treat.
• Cricket protein bars - These chewy, protein-packed bars feature ground crickets for sustainable nutrition.
• Ghost pepper gummies - Brave an intense burn with these sweat-inducing spicy gummies
• Sour gummy pickles - Pucker up for sour gummies shaped and flavored like tangy pickles.
• Mystery flavor Jelly Bellys - Test your tastebuds guessing the flavors in thisBertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans-style assortment.

With endless types of candy to savor, from nostalgic selections to adventurous new inventions, there's sure to be some perfect picks to satiate any sweet tooth.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.