Andes Candies and Grandma

Dropping by my Grandma's house was one of my favorite things as a child. Grandma always had something homemade hiding out in the fridge or wrapped up on the counter. If she didn't (and even sometimes if she did), she would run to the pantry for something sweet for us kids. Grandma always had something sweet around for those with a sweet tooth.

The one sweet treat I remember the most, other than Grandma's homemade goodies, is Andes Candies. I feel like the Andes Candies are a little old fashioned now and are not as prominent in the candy aisle. In their understated green package, perfectly lined up in rows, it seemed fancy to me as kid. Each rectangular chocolate is individually wrapped. The two flavors I think they produced when the product launched in the 1950's (then called Andy's Candies, for a fun fact) are Creme de Menthe and Mint Parfait. Both included the light, minty green color candy with the chocolate. The Creme de Menthe had the mint layer sandwiched between two chocolate layers and the Mint Parfait was the opposite. Both were equally enjoyable.

Of course the after-dinner mint was meant to last. You should be able to keep a package of these in your pantry for quite some time. Not after I showed up at Grandma's. I remember her opening the package, removing the cellophane and setting it on the table for me. She used to remove the first one, since they were packed so tightly into their cardboard tray. By the time she turned the corner, I could devour the first of the two rows of mints. The second could be reserved for later, but rest assured, I could eliminate that row too. Maybe after using the candies to substitute for the missing domino in Grandma's domino set.

Whenever I saw the commercial for Ande's Candies on TV, I thought of my grandmother instantly. Ande's touted itself as the number one after-dinner mint. Surely it is. You can't find another mint chocolate in the aisle. Especially something nice enough to put on the table with coffee after you have served your guests dinner. I think this is why it seems old fashioned to me. It is reminiscent of the 50's and this is why I like to have them around. I like the creamy texture, the refreshing minty taste and the way it reminds me of my Grandma every time.