Standard Candy Company Archives

I’ve already reviewed the Cinnabon Cinnamon Caramel Pecan Cluster, which is made by the Standard Candy Company, the same people who make the Goo Goo Cluster. I kind of liked that one, though it wasn’t really something I’d ever want to eat again. The Goo Goo Cluster is the candy that’s allowed Standard to stick around for so many years (since 1912), so I was definitely curious to try it even if I had some misgivings about their Cinnabon-branded confection.

The Goo Goo Cluster consists of chewy marshmallow, topped with caramel and roasted peanuts and covered in milk chocolate. The marshmallow is quite dense and chewy; it’s sweet, but without the vanilla taste that you expect from marshmallow. I liked it, but if I had eaten this blind I probably would have pegged it as nougat rather than marshmallow. The caramel adds more chewiness and is definitely less sweet than the norm.

As for the peanuts, there are a lot of them, which gives the cluster a satisfying crunch as well as a nutty taste. They’re unsalted, which is good because the Goo Goo Cluster isn’t overly sweet (salted peanuts would have overwhelmed the other tastes of this candy). The whole thing is covered in decent milk chocolate. It’s quite good, and unlike the Cinnabon one, I can definitely see myself buying this again.

Manufactured by: Standard Candy Company
Calories (50 g cluster): 230

The very idea of a Cinnabon candy is pretty exciting to me – I’ve always been a big fan of Cinnabon and what they do. Diet food it is not, but when you’re on the lookout for a really rich, satisfying dessert, you could certainly do worse than one of their pastries. I also noticed, upon inspecting the wrapper, that this pecan cluster is made by the Standard Candy Company (makers of the Goo Goo Cluster), which is one of the few old-time candy companies that didn’t go out of business over the years or get bought out by the big guys. So my expectations going in were pretty high, and while this wasn’t the best candy ever, I’m glad I tried it.

They’re definitely not kidding around with the cinnamon in this thing. It smells pretty strongly of cinnamon, which is definitely the dominant flavour in this candy. This is a pecan cluster, so obviously the main components, aside from the chocolate, are pecans and chewy caramel. There are also toffee bits in there, though I’m not sure if they add much to this particular confection – all they seem to do is give the caramel a slightly grainy consistency (at least I’m assuming that was caused by the toffee). There’s also a lingering mild spiciness – nothing particularly pronounced, but it does help to add a bit of complexity to this treat.

And then, of course, there is the cinnamon. The cinnamon taste hits you almost as soon as you start to chew, and only gets more pronounced as you eat it. There’s a very strong cinnamon aftertaste, which reminded me a lot of cinnamon gum. I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but it was definitely interesting.

“Interesting” is actually a good word for the Cinnabon Cinnamon Caramel Pecan Cluster (that’s a mouthful) – I can’t say I’ve ever had a chocolate like this with such a strong cinnamon taste, and while I enjoyed it and am glad I tried it, I’m not sure I’d ever want to eat it again.

Manufactured by: Standard Candy Company
Calories (43 g cluster): 180

Tag: Standard Candy Company

Goo Goo Cluster – A Classic for a Reason

Cinnabon Cinnamon Caramel Pecan Cluster – Cinnamon Overload