YumSugar

Could America Be Facing a Sugar Shortage?

YumSugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 03:30:30 -0700

If you've got a sweet tooth, you may be forced to reckon with a bitter truth. In a letter sent to US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, several of the country's largest food companies, including General Mills, Kraft, Hershey, and Mars, said the United States could "virtually run out of sugar" if the government doesn't let up on sugar import limits.

To keep prices within reason for domestic sugar farmers, the government only allows unlimited sugar imports from the Mexican market without paying tariffs. Global shortages of the commodity have led to a skyrocket in price, culminating in a 28-year high this week. Sugar purchased from other countries, such as Brazil, is limited by a quota. If those restrictions aren't eased, food manufacturers say they'd be forced to hike prices, slash jobs - and run out of sugar to make items such as cereal, cookies, and chocolate. However, the USDA appears to be taking this plea with a grain of sugar, claiming early this week that domestic supplies were increasing.

With opposing interests, it's hard to know what to think. Who do you believe - and would America be better off with less sugar?

Taste Test: Coconut M&Ms

YumSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:30:56 -0700

After reading the comments on a recent M&M's quiz, I decided it was high time that I sample the new limited-edition Coconut M&M's from Mars.

Once a beloved snack of mine, I was around the candies so much in a former life that I ate myself sick of them. But these could be a different story. "Coconut M&M's? That's crazy!" a coworker said in passing. Indeed, it was. Upon glancing at the package, which featured the sultry Green M&M basking in the sun with a flower behind her ear, I immediately envisioned candy-covered morsels filled with flaky, sweet coconut, Mounds style. Did they live up to my expectations? Keep reading.

Taste Test: Hershey's Extra Dark Chocolates

YumSugar — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:00:58 -0800

Despite the fact that Valentine's Day has passed, my brain is still in a chocolate state of mind. I've eaten a lot of chocolate lately, so when I received a pouch of assorted Hershey's Extra Dark Chocolates, I was eager to try them.

At 60 percent cacao, Hershey's Extra Dark falls somewhere in between the brand's iconic Special Dark, which is only 45 percent cacao, and its newer Cacao Reserve, which has 65 percent cacao. Hershey's describes Extra Dark as a "velvety smooth, rich dark chocolate" with "just the right balance of taste, aroma, and sweetness," and has been touting it as a healthy source of antioxidants. The chocolates come in a slew of flavors, including raspberry, blueberry, cranberry and almond, pomegranate, and cranberry macadamia. To hear what Party and I thought of the different flavors, read more.

Pure Dark Chocolate: Hershey's bills its Special Dark as "the dark chocolate for milk chocolate lovers," but I think this flavor could also appeal to those who are weary of dark chocolate. Despite being dark chocolate, it still has lingering sweetness, a creamy consistency, and isn't bitter at all.

Raspberry Infused: This was our least favorite flavor. Party declared it "artificial smelling," and its taste wasn't much more authentic.

Pomegranate: Party and I decided this flavor was the best of our tasting: Because the dark chocolate already had fruity notes, it paired exceptionally well with the tart, juicy flecks of pomegranate, which were slightly chewy and added a pleasant texture to the bar. Unlike its raspberry counterpart, the pomegranate actually tasted like real pomegranates.

At $3.29 for 12 pieces, I would definitely buy this chocolate again, as it's a terrific bargain. The assortment is nice, too, for those of us (like myself) who can't decide which flavor to commit to. Have you tried any of the Hershey's Extra Dark Chocolates? What did you think of them?

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Hershey's Closes Scharffen Berger, Joseph Schmidt Plants

YumSugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:00:34 -0800

Lovers of local artisan chocolate, be prepared for some bitter news: This week, Hershey announced plans to close the plant where Scharffen Berger chocolate is manufactured, as well as the factory where Joseph Schmidt chocolates are produced.

Although Hershey will continue production of the two brands, the chocolates will no longer be produced where they first became popular – in the Bay Area. The plants are not commenting, but a spokesperson from Hershey's headquarters said, "We will maintain the highest quality standard for all our artisan productions."Both brands, founded in San Francisco, were pioneers credited for increasing the popularity of high-end, premium chocolates. Scharffen Berger, founded in 1996, made a name for itself with its discerning selection of cacao beans, its diligent roasting techniques, and the the chocolate's complex, smooth flavors. Its Berkeley, CA-based plant offered factory tours to local visitors.

I'm sad to hear this news, and a bit skeptical of Hershey's promise. After the company acquired both brands in 2005, it reassured customers that it wouldn't alter the businesses, and would most likely expand them. Hershey's insists it will maintain both brands' integrity, but the chocolate czar recently made the choice to switch to cheaper ingredients.

Does this signal an end of an artisan chocolate era? Will you continue to buy these brands?

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Despite Other Rising Food Costs, Dairy Prices Have Fallen

YumSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:15:12 -0800

From rising avocado prices to the McDonald's Dollar Menu falling on hard times, over the last year, every section of the food industry has paid the price of cost increases. One segment of the food world, however, seems to have taken an opposite turn.

Prices of dairy products have seen a downward trend, as the weakening global economy has caused demand to decrease for US exports like milk. This decline has hurt certain sectors, such as dairy farmers and cheese producers: The value of cheese has dropped 40 percent over the last month. On the other hand, quite a few companies have seen the silver lining of falling dairy prices. Companies like Kraft Foods and Hershey's, and chain stores such as Domino's Pizza and Starbucks Coffee expect higher costs to be offset by favorable prices of milk and cheese.

While Kraft and other companies wouldn't comment on future price cuts, the plummeting value of dairy could trickle down to the consumer segment. Does it come as a relief to hear that at least one aspect of the food industry is seeing cost decreases?

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12 Days of Edible Gifts: Hazelnut Kiss Cookies

YumSugar — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:00:12 -0800

Every holiday season, I love indulging in those classic peanut butter cookies dimpled with a Hershey Kiss center. For our 12 Days of Edible Gifts, I experimented with this same concept to create a Ferrero Rocher-inspired treat. The combination of hazelnuts and chocolate is always divinely delicious and these crumbly hazelnut cookies with chocolate middles are no exception. They're simple to make and easily gifted in a festive basket or decorative to-go container. To make these delectable cookies for your friends and family, read more.

Hazelnut Kiss Cookies
Adapted from The Taste of Home Cookbook

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup Sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup ground roasted hazelnuts
48 unwrapped Hershey Kisses

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Place whole hazelnuts on a large cookie sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes until fragrant. Be careful to not burn the nuts. Fresh from the oven place hazelnuts in a clean dish towel, rub against the towel to remove the skin. Grind or finely chop hazelnuts.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix eggs, yolks and vanilla well. Combine flour and salt and add a third at a time to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in nuts.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie baking sheets. Flatten each ball and place a Hershey Kiss in the center of each cookie.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until cookies have set. Only the bottom of cookie will turn golden brown. Watch the cookies closely as the tip of the chocolate can burn. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Print recipe with images | without images

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Candy-Off: Hershey's vs. Brach's Candy Corn

YumSugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:00:42 -0700

Happy National Candy Corn Day! This Halloween, grocery aisles have been stocked with two distinct types of my favorite seasonal candy: the traditional version made by Brach's, as well as a newer Hershey's rendition.

Last year, when I first tried the Hershey's candy corn, I thought it had a cloying aftertaste, and despite giving them a second chance, I still didn't care for them. Just to make sure I was giving the candy a fair assessment, I sought out some other Sugar gals for a second opinion. To see what they had to say, read more.

"Candy corn is not allowed to have a wrapper!"
"Hershey's tastes more artificial, if that's possible."
"The candy corn lost something in the texture . . . just not right!"

While both are overly sweet, the Hershey's Kisses version lacks the wonderfully waxy, granulated texture that makes candy corn so addictive. Instead, it has the creaminess of white chocolate and a rich, butterscotch-y aroma. Many of us agreed that had Hershey's simply not labeled it candy corn, we would have preferred it.

The bottom line? When something is labeled as candy corn, there are expectations in taste. Candy corn may taste plastic-y, but an artificial rendition of it tastes even worse. There's one attribute, however, that both share in common: too much of either, and you'll be left with a belly ache.

Yummy Links: From Food Photography to Budget Weddings

partysugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:45:36 -0700

Tips for taking the most beautiful food photos. - Vegan Yum Yum
Learn how to participate in a hunger challenge. - Cooking With Amy
Simple and delicious: Asian pear and gouda grilled cheese sandwich. - Chow
More on Hershey's chocolate's new formula. - Candy Blog
Chopping chocolate is easy if you use a serrated knife.- The Kitchn
Hold a bake sale for kids' cancer.- The Epi-Log
Why do Italian noodles cost a lot more than their Chinese counterparts? - Serious Eats
Breakfast ideas to keep you full until lunch.- FitSugar
Tricks for keeping your wedding menu costs to a minimum. - InStyle Weddings

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Taste Test: Crunch vs. Krackel

partysugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:15:01 -0700

Last Friday after hearing the news that Hershey's had changed its chocolate formula, YumSugar and I decided to perform a taste test. Luckily we had the perfect place to host a chocolate taste test - CasaSugar's space at Park(ing) Day! For the taste test, we pitted Nestle's Crunch against Hershey's Krackel. To check out the taste test in action watch the video below!

To see the results, read more.

We blind folded each participant. Next we gave them a bite of Krackel followed by a bite of Crunch. The taster had to answer the following three questions:

Which is the Krackel and which is the Crunch?
Which tastes better?
Which tastes more chocolate-y?

According to our tasters:

47 percent think Krackel tastes better
53 percent think Crunch tastes better
79 percent could identify when blindfolded, while 21 percent guessed wrong!
33 percent thought Krackel was more chocolatey
67 percent thought Crunch was more chocolatey
Split on which was crunchier

If you were to choose one, which do you prefer: Hershey's Krackel or Nestle's Crunch?

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Hershey's Switching to Cheaper Ingredients

YumSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:00:15 -0700

Hit by the worsening economy and the rising costs of raw materials, candy giant Hershey's has not only raised candy prices, but has also begun replacing cocoa butter, the ingredient that allegedly gives Hershey's candies their delicious flavor, with vegetable oil.

The formulas of candy products such as Whatchamacallit, Milk Duds, Mr. Goodbar, and Krackel, among other candies, have been changed. Since experts say that the change was meant to go unnoticed by consumers, why the copy edit? Because without cocoa butter, FDA rules will not allow the product to be called milk chocolate.

The new formula has little impact on the nutritional value of the chocolate, and a Today Show blind taste test showed that half of the consumers actually preferred the new vegetable oil formulations. Fans after the taste of authentic milk chocolate can still find the real deal in Hershey's Kisses, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and the classic Hershey's chocolate bar. If in doubt, avoid labels that read "chocolate candy," "chocolaty," or "made with chocolate."

What do you think of this news? If you eat Hershey's candies often, have you noticed a difference? Do you feel cheated by the news of cocoa butter being removed?

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