Help me replace my favorite candy ever: ginger licorice

October 31, 2015 11:50 AM

My favorite candy of all time appears to not be made anymore and my heart is full-on broken. Darrell Lea Ginger Licorice used to be available in the US at World Market stores; it's long gone from there and it appears from Darrell Lea's website that they don't make it anymore. I need to either find a stash somewhere or find a good replacement. Help!

What I love about this licorice: It's got a great texture-not too squishy but not too hard or chewy. It's sweet and a little spicy, but not too strongly flavored (it's all ginger flavor, no black licorice flavor). Similar candies I love: jujubes, Rowntree's fruit gums, and these weird black currant candies I found at Ikea. Most gummy candies are too squishy for me to really love. While I like sour or strongly flavored fruit candy sometimes, that's not what I'm after here....any recommendations?

posted by purenitrous to Food & Drink (12 answers total)

Gin Gin candies might fill the bill--
find them at Whole Foods .
posted by calgirl at 12:47 PM on October 31, 2015

Gin Gins aren't satisfyingly chewy. Have you tried Kasugai fruit gummies? I really like them. The flavor is amazing. I wish they were a teeny bit chewier and not individually wrapped, but definitely worth trying. I see you're in the PNW; if you're near Shoreline, Central Market has them. They're also at pretty much any Asian grocery.
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:52 PM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]

I ran across these peanut butter ginger chews a few years ago, and have kept a stock ever since.

They aren't overwhelmingly sweet, and the texture is kind of like a hard taffy.
posted by builderofscience at 1:15 PM on October 31, 2015

If you know anyone in the UK, maybe they'll be willing to send you these?
posted by Too-Ticky at 1:54 PM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]

Dutch licorice with ginger is likely to be very different than what the poster is asking about, given that they say specifically "no black licorice flavor."
posted by Nerd of the North at 2:03 PM on October 31, 2015

Like many previous answers, I know this isn't exactly what you want. It is, however, delicious.
Haribo ginger-lemon gummies are a good foreign-gummy-bear texture, a bit chewier/stretchier than jujubes but more solid than American gummy bears - probably fits okay, but it's gelatin based, which means springier than licorice. The flavor is fruity (which you don't want) but also distinctly spicy/gingery (yum!). Like ginger-lemon tea in a gummy.
posted by aimedwander at 2:21 PM on October 31, 2015 [6 favorites]

You might find a reasonable replacement here: Candy you ate as a kid
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 2:56 PM on October 31, 2015

Perhaps Prince of Peace Ginger Candy? It doesn't have the same consistency as licorice (it's more like a stiff gummy), but it's definitely good and gingery.
posted by anthy at 4:10 PM on October 31, 2015

Chimes Ginger Chews might have the right flavor but could be too chewy for you (http://www.chimesgourmet.com). Could be worth a shot, though!
posted by skye.dancer at 4:21 PM on October 31, 2015 [3 favorites]

Reed's ginger chews--the ones in a box that looks like a carton of cigarettes, not a bag--may scratch the itch. They're a little tougher than jujubes but in that approximate range.
posted by tchemgrrl at 5:18 PM on October 31, 2015 [1 favorite]

Look for candies made with gum arabic rather than gelatin or agar.
posted by thetortoise at 5:29 PM on October 31, 2015

How about straight-up candied ginger, available in just about any baking aisle?
posted by Thorzdad at 9:10 AM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]