Cybercandy | Part Two

Click here for part one.

Moving on, we are faced with a variation of the peanut butter cup by Megaload, which is filled with caramel instead of peanut butter. (£1.15)

From left to right, the caramel cups are topped with Almond 'Buttercrunch', Candy-coated chocolate pieces, and Peanut 'Buttercrunch'. Not as interesting and original as the combination before, with their peanut butter cups. The m&ms are here again, between two very similar-looking 'buttercrunch' variations. This pack doesn't get me as excited as the peanut butter cups. I mean, two out of three of those were slapped on the top with a whole cookie!

The caramel was runny and smooth, and the cup reminded me of a Cadbury Caramello Koala.

There was nothing very special about it taste-wise, but it sure looked pretty as I ate it.

I couldn't tell the difference between the next two. Because the chocolate and caramel combination is already very strong for the tastebuds, the pathetic brittle (almond buttercrunch above, peanut buttercrunch below) doesn't do anything, and it felt like their purpose was unserved.

Likewise, these caramel cups are pretty and unique, and make great gifts. (i.e. pop some into my letterbox please, I wouldn't mind)

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Treats (£1.29) is a snack bar variation of the original Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, much like the Lucky Charms Treats bar. 

My friend, Esther, and I sitting in the middle of Piccadilly Circus on a sunny day, taking pictures and enjoying the weekend. Sometimes, you have no choice but to enjoy yourself in London so much.

We watched La Bayadère at the Royal Opera House and ate lunch at Master's Diner at 4pm in the evening. We even had two minibons from Cinnabon at Piccadilly Circus. No regrets!

American cereal-ness was definitely noticeable here. It took me a long time to recognise the cinnamon taste, because most of it was just sweetness. The yogurt base was really good, and the bar was huge, tasty, and satisfying.

This was the elephant of my purchase, the main act of the variety show.

Oreo Os were the highlight of my childhood. The journey these blue boxes made from the supermarket shelves, into the multi-purpose (yes, hanging on to the handles and riding on it IS a purpose) transportation vehicle of The Trolley, momentarily hidden in one of the many white NTUC plastic bags like a cursed shell game, tucked out of reach in the cupboard, and magically appearing in a bowl the next morning next to a carton of PURA milk – all of this was ritualistic and sacred, and I treasured every aspect of these events up until the woeful year of 2007, when Post stopped producing these Oreo Os.

Where else am I going to get the best cereal marshmallows in the world? Where else am I going to get cereal which tastes like freaking OREOS?

At Cybercandy (Islington) for £6.99, it seems, with a Korean title. I cry a little, but I think about that fact that a) it is the only one of its kind, b) I can earn it back by working at my library for an hour, and c) it tastes like Oreos.

The black, crispy O's are filled with the taste of Oreo biscuits, and speckled with white bits of the stuff present in the original sandwich cookies.

Among the O's are similar-sized, sweet marshmallow circles, which have the best melt-in-your mouth feel one you get past their delicate, icing-like texture.

Like how you dunk Oreos in milk, this moreish cereal also goes well in a bowl with milk. The deep flavour of the O's is complimented so well by the milk, but don't expect any special taste in the leftover milk. You can have Oreo O's in a bowl with milk, you can have it in a box with a spoon in hand – I just wish you could have it for under £3 a box from the local supermarkets. Sam I am.

The Butterfinger (£1.19) is a famous American chocolate bar filled with dense peanut butter flakes, coated with chocolate. It is longer than the average chocolate bar, and rather heavy too. The flaky, puff-pastry like texture was rather unusual, and the peanut butter and sugar filling stuck to my teeth pretty severely. Not something I would buy again, but it was alright.

Cybercandy | Part One

Somebody was obviously discontented with the array of British chocolates, cookies, candy and cereal, and felt that the five million aisles of sweet items in British supermarkets weren't enough, so they opened Cybercandy, which imports soda, sweets, chocolate and cereal from the USA, Japan, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, and other parts of Europe, and sells them for a doubled price.

Loot:

Clockwise from left: Oreo O's, (the Korean replica version. The original cereal was discontinued in 2007) Megaload Caramel Cups, Megaload Peanut Butter Cups, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Treats bar, Boyer's Smoothie Peanut Butter Cups with Butterscotch coating, Boyer's Mallo Cup. (£1.15)

Lo and behold, a product name which implies a marshmallow filling, containing a description which promises a whipped 'creme' center. Seems like they can't make up their mind on what the mysterious white fluff in their own product is.

And neither can I. It's sort of like a tasteless white mousse similar to the insides of a melted marshmallow. Sounds appealing to some but is really nothing special at all.

The difference between this peanut butter cup (£1.15) and a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup is the butterscotch-flavoured coating, instead of the usual milk chocolate. Butterscotch is not as prominent of a flavour as chocolate, and when paired with peanut butter, just causes a confusion on your tongue. After having Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, it is just not the same when having this peanut butter cup coated with butterscotch. Your tastebuds will be wondering where that familiar chocolate and peanut butter flavour-pairing is, and what the hell is this butterscotch doing. It doesn't even go here.

On the flip side, this was a purchase which I fairly enjoyed. (£1.39) The, uh, 'King size' pack boasts three peanut butter cups, each with a different topping, namely a chocolate chip cookie, M&Ms, and a chocolate sandwich cookie.

They look absolutely tempting and adorable when opened. The toppings have held well and nothing has crumbled or fallen off.

The cookie is stuck fast to the peanut butter cup, and the entire treat looks precious. The peanut butter filling, unlike the crumbly texture of the one in Reese's, is creamy and smooth. I personally prefer the crumbly version, because it stands out from the already-smooth chocolate. I guess, in this case, it coordinates well with the crunchy cookie atop the buttercup.

The peanut butter cup with M&Ms is a colourful piece of bite-sized joy which you can hold between your fingers. I like this one – the crunchy M&Ms contrast well with the soft chocolate and peanut butter.

Even though these are not Oreo, I'm glad that the chocolate sandwich cookies are from Famous Amos, and are not some ridiculous own-brand with tastelessly patterned grooves called 'Poreo' or something.

These peanut butter cups are simply delightful to look at, and make great gifts for friends or children – they're all the same kind of people when it comes to chocolates. However, if you want a peanut butter cup for yourself, I'd much rather buy it from Reese's and slam an Oreo cookie atop it – there is nothing spectacular in terms of taste, here.

Chinese Peanut Cookies

Apparently today, April 9, is National Chinese Almond Cookie Day. I don't know who the heck comes up with these extremely necessary special days. I can understand if they decide to have International Chocolate Appreciation Day, or Cereal Day, but National Chinese Almond Cookie Day just doesn't make any sense to me as a legitimate day day. But whatever.

These are Chinese peanut cookies, which my mother often makes during the Chinese New Year period. (mid-February) They neither look, taste, nor feel like Chinese almond cookies, which, although I personally have not tried, seem to be flatter, crispier and obviously has a sweet almond fragrance instead of an earthy peanut one.

I've made these Chinese peanut cookies on two occasions so far, and they have gotten great feedback both times. Lots of this feedback comes from the voice in my head which goes, "Mmm..." after every cookie.

It all starts with this bad boy right here.

This cookies are best made with a friend or any other living thing which can provide you with an extra pair of functional hands, which will be ideal for the tedious task of rolling the cookie dough into Maltesers-sized balls.

Chinese Peanut Cookies

(makes 2-3 tupperware-boxes)

Ingredients

200g raw unsalted peanut (without skin)

300g plain flour

120g icing sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp creamy peanut butter

175ml peanut oil

1 egg  - lightly beaten (for glazing)

Method

1. Spread the peanuts on a baking sheet and roast in the middle of a preheated oven at 175C for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring them once or twice during cooking time. (If your peanuts are salted, rinse them with water and dab them dry before placing them in the oven.)

2. Crush the peanuts very finely, until they are as close as possible to powder form. (This is going to take forever, be prepared. Unless you have a fancy appliance like a food processor or whatever.)

3. Put all the above ingredients (sift the flour and baking soda and powder) and the roasted ground peanuts (except for peanut oil and egg) into a big mixing bowl and mix well. Heat the peanut butter slightly for easier mixing.

4. Add peanut oil and mix it into a dough.

5. Roll and gently press (the dough is quite fragile) them into marble-sized balls and place on ungreased baking trays.

6. Egg wash them before baking in preheated oven at 175C for 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly browned. 

7. Cool on trays and put them in an air tight container.

Roasting peanuts

The fragrance will fill your kitchen like no other.

Look at me trying to be all creative.

Dad: It looks like the Incredible Hulk.

2013 is the year of the serpent.

 The result of all this hard work is loads and loads of melt-in-your-mouth, bite-sized cookies which are just firm enough to hold, but crumble immediately as you bite into them, disintegrating into buttery, nutty goodness.

If you don't have a blender or food processor, you are stuck with a rolling pin and a ziploc bag. During my second time making these cookies, I gave up with the crushing and ended up with a few crumbly bits of peanut, which I could feel in the end product, which disturbed the powdery, little-particle texture of the cookie. A sieve is a good tool to use to ensure that the peanuts are close to powder-form.

You can find peanut oil in most Asian supermarkets.

Enjoy!