Flesor's Candy Kitchen

At the suggestion of Mrs. Chicken, Henry and I went to Tuscola last Saturday to sample the candy at Flesor's Candy Kitchen.

Oh. My. Ya'll.

Flesor's is a destination, not just a candy shop. First H and I had lunch, a mushroom and swiss burger and potato salad for me and a big bowl of potato bacon soup for H. We just drank water, big mistake, Flesor's is a full service soda shop and the drinks other tables were getting looked awesome.

ANYWAY, lunch was very good and hearty.

Then we went to check out the candy. We peeked in the back and saw chocolates being made by hand. Henry decided on a bag of gummy bears and a dark chocolate and strawberry fluff Easter egg. I chose a pound box of mixed chocolates to take to my grandmother. The gummy bears were as good as a gummy bear can be, fresh, soft, nice enough flavor. The Easter egg was a HUGE hit. Henry was entirely silent and focused as he s-l-o-w-l-y ate every bit of it. The boxed chocolates were beautiful and the charleston chew-like piece I ate was very chewy/sticky and the chocolate was dark.

Flesor's Candy Kitchen is in the downtown area of Tuscola which I had NEVER been to even though I have driven thru Tuscola many times a year for 12 years. You go to last/first stoplight at the west end of town on Hwy 36 and go north a few blocks to Sale Street. Flesor's is on the south-west corner. Go, take your kids and your grandparents, everyone will enjoy the trip.

Pease's Candy

Pease's is a totally different experience than Del's. Where Del's is all old-timey, Pease's is like a laboratory, all white, glass, and stainless steel. Pease's and Del's offer many of the same candy and popcorn items, but Pease's does molded chocolates (Abe Lincoln, surprise surprise) and chocolate bars. You can also watch the candy makers through a glass window. I spent another $13 on candy to try.

From least favorite to most favorite, I tried:

Raspberry Dollars: they were fine, not too sweet, not to raspberry. Good candy to sneak into a movie.

Mint Melt-Aways: I liked these a lot. I love a mint/chocolate combo generally.

Raggedy Anns: YUM. I think these might be their specialty. A sublime combination of carmel, pecans, and chocolate.

Dark chocolate covered blueberries: Man, these were DE LI CIOUS. Just the right combination of sweet and tart. But at $6 for maybe a cup and a half, they were the most expensive treat I bought at either store.

Look! You could throw a kid's party there. Not cheap, but it looks like an experience they would remember.

Del's Popcorn Shop

Easter is just over three weeks away so I thought this would be the perfect time to tell you about some candy jewels in our midst.

This week I went to Del's Popcorn Shop and spent under $13 and got a box of 12 truffles, a baggie of Kookaburra Strawberry Licorice, a baggie of crunchy bears (for the kids!) and 2 large caramels. Tonight Bob, Henry, and I sat down to sample the goods.

Our least favorite was the Kookaburra Strawberry Licorice because the flavor wasn't very bold. We both expected more real strawberry flavor. I'd have to sample their regular strawberry licorice to really gauge the difference. It tasted slightly herby.

Next we liked the crunchy gummy bears which has a huge blast of flavor. I couldn't figure out the pink flavor, but the blue was a strong (and good) raspberry. The crunchy gummy bears were the biggest hit with Henry. He wanted to hoard them for play.

I ate a pecan caramel on my drive home yesterday. I woke up my sweet tooth without putting her to bed. It was not as sweet as a Kraft caramel but more flavorful.

Now we get to the best, the chocolates. Oh. My. God. the truffles were SO good. Both the dark and milk chocolate were some of the best quality chocolates I've had (and I've had some good chocolates cause my dad orders them from chocolatiers). Bob and I both melted into puddles on the floor after the first truffle and immediately decided we weren't putting them away just yet.

Del's stores are really cute. They are like the original that Cracker Barrel copies but only stocked with popcorn, candy, and ice cream. I could see taking a child there and letting them browse a long time before selecting just the right treat. I went to the downtown Springfield location for ease, but they are also in Decatur and Mount Zion. Take a look at these cute popcorn bunnies. (They're cuter in person) If we celebrated Easter these would be my choice for the basket's main attraction.

Yum Yum

Candy sampling will take place tonight. I admit one caramel might not have made it to the photoshoot.