Buy This Now!: Junior Caramels

Junior Caramels 99 cents

In the pantheon of big-box movie theater candy, Junior Mints inhabit a privileged space--a shimmering glass oasis populated by the likes of Raisinets, Sno-Caps, Goobers and Dots. They are, as an oft-quoted "Seinfeld" episode observed, quite refreshing, but they're also bite-size, which is a favorable quality in an impatient metropolis where only the well-heeled and the downtrodden have time to indulge in an entire Peppermint Patty.

The same could no doubt be said of Junior Caramels--the first addition to the Junior line in more than 50 years and the greatest thing to happen to movie treats since Orville Redenbacher's Tender White microwave popcorn. Neither as rich as a Reisen nor as gooey as the Caramello, Junior Caramels combine the mass-produced chocolate flavor of Tootsie Rolls with the familiar caramel center of the Rolo. While this fact alone is unlikely to seduce the uptight Ghirardelli crowd, the candy's serving size likely will--13 pieces to a 190-calorie serving. Think about it: 13 soft, chewy, get-stuck-in-that-festering-crevice-you-call-a-molar pieces! In an era when four Cool Ranch Doritos and a Fresca have your dietician screaming, "Purge!" Junior Caramels deliver a veritable fistful of wholesome chocolatey goodness. Few candies couple so much good with so much plenty--not even the shamelessly self-aggrandizing Good 'N' Plenties.

Of course, the more cynical among us might argue that Junior Caramels are nothing more than a cheap knockoff of Hershey's Milk Duds. I, however, choose to believe in a world that's big enough for two kinds of chocolate-covered caramel balls. The myth is real; let's eat.--Newt Briggs