Next to chocolate and gourmet hot chocolate, my other weakness is caramels. Growing up, I always looked forward to going to my Italian Nana's house, especially around the holidays, as I knew she would have her glass candy bowl filled with caramels, and other candies. The candy dish had sections, and it spun, so all the grand kids would find themselves gravitating towards the formal dining room where the candy dish was, taking turns spinning it and trying to decide what to choose. I remember my Nana always catching us as we tried to sneak a few pieces of candy. She would tell us just one, as she didn't want us to spoil our appetites as she was always cooking up big meals for us to eat. If you are Italian, then you know that Nana's especially like to fill up their family and keep saying, "Mangia, Mangia" which means "Eat, Eat." We never wanted to disappoint or offend her, so we would sit and eat and eat. But, there was always a little space left for her caramels and candies. And, before we left, she would bring us over to the candy bowl and fill our pockets for candies, and then say, "Shh, told tell your mom." I can still picture the holidays and my Nana filling my pockets with candy. Ahh, the good 'ole days. I wish my Nana was still here so she could have met my girls, and filled their pockets with candy. :-)
Even though my Nana is not around, I am thankful that she gifted me with her glass candy dish before her passing. She knew how much I loved it, and that I would carry on the family tradition of hosting family dinners, and filling the bellies of family and friends with her recipes that she taught me. And, what goes well with a hearty Italian meal....candy, of course. Pocket fulls. :-) And, this year, I will be filling her candy dish with McCrea's Caramels, in addition to other favorites of my family's.
Last month, I was sent a sampling of McCrea's famous small batch caramels to try. I stumbled across their website looking for caramels for my birthday/Christmas gift. What you don't do your own gift shopping? :-) If I don't shop for myself, then my husband will get me things that don't fit or I would never wear, or candles. And, right now, I have enough candles to open up my own candle shop. :-) So, I like to shop and pick things that I know I will love, or have been wanting to try, and let my husband and the girls wrap and leave under the tree for me.
Like I said, the folks at McCrea's sent a box of their Taste of New England caramels for me to try, and just righting this post and thinking of their caramels, it is making my mouth water. What sets McCrea's apart from other caramel makers is that their caramels are hand-crafted and made in small batches. These slow cooked caramels are also made with natural ingredients, and you can notice this with the first bite you take of the individually wrapped caramel
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They didn't skimp in filling each of the three 5.5 oz tubes of caramels that make up the Taste of New England Tall Gift Box I was sent, and that retails for only $54.95. As soon as I removed the lid of each, I had to dump them out as count them, as I could tell the containers were filled to the brim. There were 18 individually wrapped caramels in each. And, as you can see in the photo below, the caramels are not small.
OMG, the flavors of these caramels are like none I have ever tasted before. The sweet caramel flavor paired with the sea salt, maple syrup or vanilla bean really make these caramels tantalize your taste buds, and having your wanting to reach for another. While it was hard to choose a favorite of the three flavors, I do have to say that I found myself reaching for the Tapped Maple container more times than not. There was something about the sweet caramel paired with the pure New England Maple Syrup, that made my taste buds dance, and leave a smile on my face. When I stumble upon great tasting candies like this, I can't help but think of my Nana and wish she was here, so that I could share them with her. I know that if she was here today, I would be gifting her with a McCrea's box of caramels for her to enjoy. And, while she would share some of the caramels by adding them to her glass candy dish, she would also fill the pockets of her dust coat, so that when she wanted to satisfy her sweet tooth, she could reach into her pocket and grab a caramel to enjoy. :-)
If you are a fan of caramels, or know someone who is, or are looking to give a gift to that special foodie in your life, then you will want to check out McCrea's caramels. You will not be disappointed with the high quality of these small batch hand-crafted caramels. And, they are also made right here in the USA (right in Massachusetts -- Hyde Park to be exact)!
Disclosure: I was sent a sample from the vendor in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.
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