I'll start my "Long Goodbye" series on a sweet note.
European sweets are amazing. They're hardly unique to Europe, of course; we'll enjoy them in the States, and there's no shortage of quality there either. What we'll miss is the brands or taste combinations available here that will no longer be accessible to us when we move back home. And there does seem to be a general heightened quality here that we'll miss.
An Aldi brand, we enjoy many varieties of Choceur chocolate bars (Feinherb Nuss, Salzbrezel, Cookies & Cream, Caramel, and Pfefferminz, to name a few). The Caramel variety plus a handful of peanuts is an amazing Snickers variant, and their "Choco und Keks" line is amazing. Will these be available in US Aldi stores? I sure hope so.
Belgian Chocolates
No trip to Belgium is complete without irresponsible indulgence in their quality cocoa concoctions. Leonidas brand is prevalent throughout the country and excellent in selection and taste. But what I like the most? Chocolaterie Mary and their dark chocolate-covered marshmallows. They are so expensive (4€ individually!), but worth it.
These famously-square chocolate bars are available in the States (I think), but the flavors can differ, and the ingredients always do (this is true for any brand). Pfefferminz was my favorite here.
Liquor-filled Chocolates
When the Germans put alcohol in chocolates, they take it seriously. These chocolates pack a punch- a delicious punch. Asbach and Eierlikor pralines were my favorites- but always choose the dark chocolate variety.
Why are these not available in America? WHY?! The tastes and textures blend marvelously in this product. Perhaps our favorite sweets.
Gummy Bears
The German Haribo brand is widely available in the States, but I've never cared for those. The real money is in the Bären-treff brand (online store here). Their fruit snacks (grapefruit blood orange or strawberry rhubarb) are outstanding, but the best is the sour currant gummies. We also quite enjoy Lachgummi "Milchgeister" chews, which are effectively half-gummy, half-marshmallow.
Ice Cream
We will greatly miss the "eiscafes" that dot each town. I've always turned to chocolate as my mainstay- until living here. The fruit flavors are varied and fantastic; I've had green apple, blood orange, blueberry, grape, apricot, currant, and other fruit selections. They appear less sweet than US counterparts would be (if we had those flavors) and range from good to flat-out outstanding. The cafe near Burg Runkel is our favorite in the region.
I think that covers it for sweets (I'll cover baked goods later). I can always add things as I think of them.
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