Favorite Nostalgic Candy That Stands the Test of Time

Kids love candy. Adults love candy. And adults love candy that they ate and enjoyed as children. When I see nostalgic candy collections in shops I am always amazed at the initial rush of excitement I feel and then the let down as I view the assortment that doesn't quite measure up to the expectation.

I have seen many nostalgic candy collections lately that are grouped according to decades. I find that hard to imagine since several of my favorite candies as a child are still available today. Those real favorites of many are still around; some have updated wrappers, logos and have variations as well as the original. The bottom line is that some candies are so well liked that they just endure. Lucky for us!

I have five favorite categories of candies. I have listed them with samples of my favorites as a child and discuss which ones I am able to share with my children and grandchildren. Some I can only describe. I do enjoy sharing my favorites that are still available with my grandchildren.

Chocolate

Hershey's chocolate bars are wonderful. As a child I enjoyed the milk chocolate bars and they were always in my Christmas stocking. I loved the fact that you could break the bar into small squares which could then be shared or enjoyed one square at a time. Now I enjoy not only the milk chocolate bars, but Hershey's with almonds, Special Dark chocolate bars and Mr Goodbar. Of course I can't forget Hershey Kisses. Oh they have a favorite place too. I always enjoyed popping the entire kiss in my mouth and allowing it to slowly melt. Yum! Of course I can't talk for a while but the melting and tasting process is wonderful to experience. More and more flavors of Kisses keep showing up and I enjoy trying each one. And then there are M&Ms. M&Ms have to be one of my all time favorites. I always enjoyed the plain chocolate M&Ms but now my favorite is Peanut M&Ms. I do enjoy trying the new flavors as they appear....coconut, peanut butter and jelly, pretzel and I'm sure more to come.

Candy bars

I list candy bars separate from the chocolate bars listed earlier because there are so many wonderful candy bars that include, but are not just, chocolate. I loved Rollo candy as a kid. Again I like the fact that there were many small sections that could be enjoyed one by one or shared with a friend. The small cylindrical sections are filled with smooth caramel. As you bite down on the chocolate the caramel squishes into you mouth.

I guess the majority of my favorite candy bars as a child had small sections. I liked that. Sky Bar was another which fits that category. Each chocolate section was filled with a different flavor.

I also like, and liked as a child, Mallow cups full of marshmallow crème, Reese Peanut butter Cups, Zero candy bars which are covered with white chocolate and filled with a soft center which contains small pieces of peanuts.

Hard candies

It is hard to decide on a favorite hard candy; I am torn between root beer barrels and fireballs. How could I choose a favorite? At time a root beer barrel is what I really like and at other times a fireball hits the spot. Ok, the fireball was fun when I was a kid because in the process of having it in my mouth I would have to take it out to see what color it was. It constantly changed color as it grew smaller and smaller as it melted.

Suckers and lollipops fall under hard candies. I guess my favorite sucker is a Dum Dum. Everyone can find a flavor of Dum Dum that they like. I bought Safety Pops for my kids when they were small. They loved them as they grew older they too enjoyed Dum Dums and now my grandchildren also like Dum Dums.

LifeSavers were another hard candy favorite. The original five flavor roll was fine. Then they came out with many, many variations such as Tropical Fruits and Choco Mint. Choco Mint was one I really enjoyed. I looked for it not long ago and could not find it.

Taffy

Do kids still eat taffy? This is not one that I have chosen to share with my children or my grandchildren. It is not that taffy is not good; it is. It just isn't an all time favorite of mine. I did like Sugar Daddy, Laffy Taffy and Brown Cows as a kid. They all had different qualities and the fact that they took forever to eat was not great. I didn't like eating them at one sitting and storing them was not easy.

Candy dispensers

Some of my favorite candies came in really fun dispensers or packaging. I always enjoyed Pez. I remember using my first Pez dispenser and eating the small candies. I always had, and still do have, trouble holding the dispenser open to insert the candies. I used to try to prop the dispenser open between and arm or elbow and leg while I slid the entire stack of candies into the dispenser. Sometimes it worked and sometimes the dispenser slipped sending the candies flying about the room.

I always enjoyed getting a LifeSaver book for Christmas. New flavor rolls were included along with the famous, original five flavor roll.

Although I see new candies and new variations of old candies I most often buy the old, time tested candy favorites to give or to share. I know it is going to taste wonderful and that it will be enjoyed.