Sweet Tooth.

One of my favorite types of candy would be hard candy. I am often one who carries a little tin of mints around to keep my mouth fresh, but there are days I need something other than spearmint, wintergreen or peppermint to flavor my taste buds. What better way to explore the world of hard candy today on National Hard Candy Day!

163157_hi

Enter Mangini to the playing field. Some of their candies you will know by their iconic fruit wrappers as seen above. I remember being a kid and I’d be visiting family and there might have been random candy dishes out and about. You knew you hit the jackpot and were lucky to snag one of those pretty little fruity labeled candies, because you knew the rest of the hard candy in the dish was junky toffee or coffee flavored something (not the GOOD ONES, the horrible ones), more suited for the “old people who you were visiting! I’m sure karma will hit me in the tush later for making that comment!

163485_hi

But seriously, if there was a candy dish or jar out and about, I was looking for the wrappers with the fruit on them! The hard shell was tasty and you had to work your way to the soft filled center. It was like waiting for a fun little party to happen on your taste buds once you hit that soft center! You knew you were the cool kid in the room that got the jackpot from the dish! I would glare at my brothers if they found the candy dish first and grabbed out all the “good ones”! I also love these citrus flavored ones (again, pictured above). There’s always something fun and refreshing with a citrus flavored candy: orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit. Nothing like a little zing for your taste buds!

beauty2

I also remember going to celebrations at church or maybe it was a birthday party at a friend’s house and sometimes you’d get a little treat bag. I would always scope out the contents of the bag to see what kind of hard candies were inside!

163045_hi

Mangini keeps its candies true to flavor, as close to the actual flavor you’d get as if you’d picked it straight from nature itself! Mangini also has a range of other hard candy products – and they even have – yes, coffee and cream flavored candies – the ones I would run and hide from! But these taste waaay better than the “other” candies you’d find in the candy dish! If you’re looking for a hard candy to enjoy, look no further than Italy’s own Mangini, making confections for over 35 years! They have quite the product line and flavors and varieties. From fruits, yogurt, coffee, mints, caramel, cola flavored, licorice to candies that are even rhubarb flavored and can aid in digestion, toffee, to some that offer other health benefits and some have vitamins included!

Go out and enjoy National Hard Candy Day today! Please share with us what some of your favorites are!

mangini_logo

 

Advertisement

Not Your Everyday Cookie.

Do you enjoy a tasty treat while enjoying your morning coffee or afternoon tea? Do you want a different cookie that is not like the rest? Look no further because Ambrosiana cookies are coming your way in this very post! These cookies are all the way from Italy and are GMO free! Ambrosiana also has a variety of holiday selections, perfect for your party planning! Check out the different varieties available for your holiday party below!

These cookies sure are beautiful in presentation, but how do they taste? Keep reading as we’ve got several different reviews! One from a local salon and one from yours truly and my handy cookie helper!

We thought we would ask local Rosie Bella Hair Salon to switch out their regular cookies for some of Ambrosiana’s to see which cookies they liked better. We heard that immediately upon replacing the original cookies, the Amborsiana cookies were an instant hit! Delivered to the salon were Ambrosiana’s Ferri Di Cavallo Shortbread with Dark Chocolate and Fior Di Neve Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Shortbread. When pressed for a favorite, we were told, “We really can’t choose… but if our hair depended on it, we’d say the shortbread Cavallo for dipping into coffee, and the hazelnut filled Fior di Neve for… 24/7.” Thank you Rosie Bella Hair Salon for letting us share our cookies with your customers!

I decided to pick up three different boxes of Ambrosiana cookies at Kingma’s Market in Ada. As always, I had my little handy taste testing helper along with me as I dove into the set of cookies. The three different kind of cookies that were tasted: Ferri Di Cavallo Shortbread with Dark Chocolate, Pralinati Hazelnut Cream Shortbread and Fior Di Neve Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Shortbread.

DSC_0010.jpg

If you are looking for a cute little cookie to dip in coffee or tea, I suggest the Ambrosiana Ferri Di Cavallo Shortbread with Dark Chocolate. These cute little horseshoe-shaped cookies are the perfect bite size for a hot morning or afternoon beverage. Just enough chocolate to pair with the shortbread makes this cookie a tasty treat.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

If you are a fan of nuts, chocolate, hazelnut and shortbread, then the Ambrosiana Pralinati Hazelnut Cream Shortbread is for you. I think this was by far my favorite cookie of the three. I really like the creamy hazelnut center, plus having the chocolate covered shortbread with nuts gives it a nice little crunch!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I think my youngest offspring had said that his favorite was the Ambrosiana Fior Di Neve Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Shortbread cookie. While I do have to admit the box shows more powdered sugar on the top of the cookie than what actually came from the box, it works well with young children! My youngest loved this cookie and kept asking for more! This cute shortbread cookie has hazelnut cream filling inside and then is coated by powdered sugar to top off a sweet little zing.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

So what are you waiting for? Go get yourself several boxes of these cookies, brew some coffee or steep some tea and get munching on these delicious treats! It’s time for YOU to get out there and NIBBLE on these cookies!