Fanny May

I know that since I moved to California that Fanny May closed and then was reopened. What I didn't realize was how much the product changed!! I received some chocolates for Christmas and was very disappointed, the "trinidads" for example didn't even have the coconut in the coating. The overall quality was very poor. Am I crazy or do I remember them as being better then they really were?

Barnew wrote:I know that since I moved to California that Fanny May closed and then was reopened. What I didn't realize was how much the product changed!! I received some chocolates for Christmas and was very disappointed, the "trinidads" for example didn't even have the coconut in the coating. The overall quality was very poor. Am I crazy or do I remember them as being better then they really were?

Trinidads without coconut! I checked the FM website (http://www.fanniemay.com/store/item.asp?ITEM_ID=194&DEPARTMENT_ID=39) and they still list coconut as an ingredient. Wonder if you got a defective box.

I've ordered FM for my crazy aunt and for last Valentine's Day for The Wife, and I can't say I've seen much (if any) degradation in quality. I was sorry to see FM leave the area, but from what I've seen, the quality seems to have been maintained...except, apparently, in the case of your aberrant Trinidads. You should perhaps contact FM and tell them of your disappointment.

Hammond

In October, my MIL gave me a box of assorted FM candy - she hand-picked some that she thought I'd like. It had a couple Trinidads and they were as they used to be, I am almost positive. All candies in the box were quite good, can't say I noticed any differences, but I am not a candy connoisseur. My only grievance was that my MIL thought I liked fruit and candy. She gave me many raspberry and chocolate creams but neglected to provide the Mays with the dark chocolate/vanilla fondant. Oh, my. Those, to me, are the best and they were sadly absent.

I'll admit to being a lifelong Fannie May addict and I can confirm that both the formulation and the manufacturing technique has changed since the new owners took over. It's not the first time this has happened, though. I remember the Fannie May creams of my youth being very rich and laden with buttery taste. Sometime in the 70's they changed the formulation and real butter was obviously removed from the recipe. Although that changed the taste, I still remained a loyal customer. This time around, the candy is being made in a completely different factory (the company who bailed out Fannie May's bankruptcy bought the company, but not the factory). The creams now have an even less rich taste and the chocolate (although tasting the same) is applied in a thicker, less delicate coating, changing the overall taste and mouthfeel of the candy. I can't speak for no coconut in the trinidads, but the chocolate filling has certainly changed. I'm not saying that it's necessarily worse...just different.

I stopped at the Golf Mill Fanny May this weekend to pick up some sugar free meltaways to bring to the diabetic snowbirds in Florida next weekend.

This was my first visit to a Fanny May since the change in ownership.

I could not resist a taste of my all-time favorite confection, the dark-chocolate vanilla buttercream. The quality of this item has not changed one iota. Creamy, snow-white, sweet buttercream surrounded by a starkly-contrasted slightly bitter dark chocolate: It's delicious and I'm glad it's still there.

Best,
Michael

Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is the favorite of my taste buds. . .the only one I would ever buy for myself. And it's never been as good by any other candy maker. . .I should go and get some. I really should. Thank you for helping me make that decision

The Fannie May vanilla buttercreams are still my #1 favorite candy. I can't tell you how many hundreds f FM candy pieces I stuck my thumb into the underside of trying to find the vanilla creams (milk or dark)...little did I know that the single "line" across the top is the telltale mark.

I was saddened by the closing of the stores and of the Chicago manufacturing plant a few years ago and looked to the changeover and re-opening with mixed feelings. The first verdict when they re-opened was that the vanilla creams were not as creamy as before but the taste was still there. The box I got this past Christmas was REALLY good, though, and I applaud the new ownership for bringing FM back to Chicago and keeping the quality and the nostalgia in place.