During a grocery shopping trip at SuperTarget yesterday I headed over to the candy isle with visions of chocolate candy bars dancing in my head. That quickly changed when I spotted the new Wonka Exceptionals Fruit Jellies.
I almost didn't pick them up because I am allergic to artificial dyes and thought that for sure these would include said dyes. The grapefruit flavor twisted my arm (ouch) so I picked up the box and immediately discovered that they are made from natural flavors and contain no artificial dyes! They are also created using fruit pectin instead of gelatin (at least the two flavors that I looked at did)...score again! The only thing stopping me from grabbing a box in each flavor was the 2.99 price tag. I settled on the Grapefruit and Red Apple varieties (they come in Red Apple, Clementine, Grapefruit, White Grape and Goji Berry).
Fast forward a couple hours later and I finally had a chance to sample the jellies...but not before working my way through 3 layers of packaging (over-packaged products really irk me). I understand the first box...and even the bag that the candies are sealed in, but what's with the box inside of a box. Maybe I'm just not getting it. Anyhow...once they were opened I was delighted by the true-to-life scent of both the grapefruit and apple flavors. The actual taste itself was also very authentic. Both of the flavors I tried were not overly sweetened and not too tart. Just right. The consistency is much softer than a traditional gummy (I guess that is why it's called a Jelly), but is also not terribly sticky or slimy. Again I give it thumbs up on the texture and consistency.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised. Grapefruit was my favorite, but they were both tasty. Despite the price tag I can imagine that I'll be picking up a box of these again in the near future (these would also be perfect for taking to the movies). If you sample these in the near future I'd love to hear what you think of them. Currently it looks as though these candies are available at Target and Walmart stores (I wasn't able to find them for sale online).
Photos by me. Stuffed bear by Mumka. *As with all of my "Real Reviews" I have not received any compensation (monetary or otherwise) for my opinions.