I've seen some freeze dried candies and we've tasted a few freeze dried candies here, mostly Skittles and Starbursts, and they've typically been someone's homemade version of it. But recently manufacturers have started getting into it too, and the official freeze dried candy options have exploded!
Our friends Beth, Mike, Savannah, and Charlotte are visiting us today and I know a couple of them that love love love candy. This seemed like the perfect taste test to do with them!
SweeTarts Freeze Dried candy, which we'll be comparing to SweeTarts Chewy candies.
Jolly Rancher Freeze Dried with the Jolly Rancher hard candies.
M&M Caramel Pop'd. I didn't think you could freeze dry chocolate, but I guess if you put caramel in the middle it will!
Lemonhead Freeze Dried.
Skittles Pop'd.
Sour Skittles Pop'd.
And finally Spree Freeze Dried.
What should we start with? Well since everything on the table is some form of fruity candy, except one, let's start with the outlier.
Caramel M&M's Pop'd. The freeze dried M&Ms look a little worse for wear. Freeze drying makes the candy delicate and if they're tossed around too much, they can break apart.
Joe - The regular is good. It's got a little piece of caramel inside it. And it's M&M chocolate.
Theresa - It is the same ingredients, so it should taste the same. Just a different texture mostly.
Mike - It's very caramel forward. You taste the caramel more.
Joe - Agreed. I don't get much chocolate flavor. I like the crunch.
Mike - It gets stuck in my teeth more.
Savannah - Mine too.
Joe - The regular one was more "creamy" caramel.
Charlotte - We should do Jolly Rancher last because you have to suck on the hard candy.
Joe - True. Good idea.
What's the next one?
Theresa - It's got to be Sprees! I stare at them and I need it!
Joe - The original Sprees were so hard to find! They're like an "old" candy. I found them with the Necco Wafers and Bottlecaps. I couldn't find Chewy Sprees anywhere, which I think is what the Freeze Dried version was probably made from, but we go with what we have.
These sweet little discs just seem to have cracked open revealing their white insides.
Savannah - Which color is your favorite?
Theresa - Purple.
Beth - Purple.
Theresa - Sprees are so good.
Ian - Those freeze dried ones are really crunchy.
Beth - The freeze dried loses its flavor. I'm not getting as much of the purple flavor. It's less purplely.
Theresa - Is the flavor just on the outside of the Spree? Is that why we're not getting it as much? All the insides have puffed up and there's more surface area?
Mike - I don't like the texture of this one. It feels "sharp".
Joe - I don't like the freeze dried either. I'll take the regular ones.
Sour Skittles Pop'd is next. Unfortunately it looks like this particular bag of Sour Skittles got humidified. That's a bummer. I just bought these.
It also looks like Sour Skittles Pop'd have thrown us a curveball, choosing to go with different flavors for their freeze dried version.
There's Strawberry which is now Strawberry Sour but pink now. Lemon changing to Lemonade Sour. Lime, Grape, and Orange have all disappeared though, to be replaced with Blue Raspberry Sour, Watermelon Sour, and Cherry Sour.
Let's give them a try.
Ian - It's more sour than the original. Which is crazy cause Sour Skittles are already pretty sour.
Mike - So much more sour.
Theresa - If I eat too many of the regular sours, it will hurt my tongue. If you like Sour that's the way to go.
Theresa - Regular Skittles are yummy.
Ian - Tasting a regular Skittle is telling me how sour those Skittles Sour Pop'd is. Very sour!
Joe - I like the texture of the Skittles Pop'd. I like the crunch.
Theresa - You know what though. I like chewy candy pretty good too. Freeze Dried might not be my jam.
Joe - The Skittles Freeze Dried more dissolves in your mouth. Not like the Sprees. The Sprees were "sharp" and then turned chewy. These feel like they melt in your mouth.
Ian - I do like the Pop'd more than the regular Skittles. Except for the fact that I could down so many more of these Pop'd in one minute.
Charlotte - I like the flavor of the freeze dried ones, but I don't like the texture.
Theresa - I'll be honest. Put them both in front of me, and I'd eat them both.
Mike - It feels like a lot more sugar in the freeze dried ones.
Lemonhead Freeze Dried candy is next.
Theresa - I LOVE Lemonheads. So much.
Theresa - The freeze dried one isn't as satisfying because it doesn't last nearly as long.
Joe - It has the same flavor for sure.
Ian - I thought Lemonheads were supposed to be sour.
Theresa - Just a little bit
Joe - The regular ones are a little more sour.
Joe - I crunch them.
Savannah - I like the freeze dried because of the texture. It's the same flavor, but it feels puffy.
Ian - I like the regular Lemonheads a lot more.
Joe - The freeze dried lost the sourness.
Mike - They need to pair up with Skittles Sour. I went back to a Sour Skittles Pop'd after that Lemonhead. Whooo!
Beth - Puckered you up? Why would you do that?
Theresa - I don't think I like those freeze dried.
Ian - The regular is really good though.
Joe - The texture is "chalky" but not quite. It shatters weird.
Last up we have Jolly Ranchers. Wow the freeze dried version gets huge! Almost as big as a ping-pong ball.
Theresa - This one is mine.
Alli - Can I split that with you?
Theresa - It could almost be a loofah.
Savannah - MMM! That's good! This blue tastes exactly like a jolly rancher.
Beth - Mmm! Oh wow.
Theresa - And the watermelon tastes exactly like it too.
Ian - This is so good and so much easier to eat.
Theresa - The problem is that you can suck on the hard candies for a long time. I could eat so many of these so fast. Instant calories.
Beth - Did you put the whole thing in your mouth at once?
Joe - I did. Definitely get that Jolly Rancher tang.
Joe - The flavors though. These ones held up the best.
Beth - Jolly Rancher Freeze Dried are the winners.
Charlotte - The Pink Jolly Rancher.
Beth - I liked the Jolly Rancher.
Theresa - My favorite freeze dried candy was the Lemonhead. But I think I prefer the regular version of everything over the freeze dried version.
Joe - My favorite is the Original Skittles. I didn't hate anything.
Alli - I liked Skittles Pop'd too.
Mike - I liked the Sour Skittles Pop'd. For regular candy, I liked Sprees.
Ian - I liked Sour Skittles Pop'd too.
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