Taffy Mail review and Nerds Cupcakes with Popping Candy Frosting

Have you heard of Taffy Mail? It's an American Candy delivery service which delivers a mystery box of American goodies to your door every month. I love American candy especially those of the peanut butter variety. I usually stock up whenever I travel to America or will ask friends if I know they are going to America and won't mind picking up a few things for me. I'm running low on my American Candy stock so it was very timely to receive a box from Taffy Mail to try. 

This is their festive box so there's a festive theme to the goodies. Never the less it's a good haul and I recognise most of them except for 'Mike and Ike' which I've never tried before. I wanted to bake something with the contents of the box which is how I came up with these Nerds cupcakes with Popping Candy Frosting. I was a little dubious about the flavour pairing but it worked beautifully. I baked a basic vanilla sponge and added in the Nerds candy which provided a watermelon and cherry flavour and some crunch. The popping candy which was peppermint flavour worked well in the icing and set of the tangy Nerds flavour in the cupcakes. In case you are wondering, the Nerds did not melt after baking and remained intact and crunchy. 

 The Taffy Mail festive box 

What was in my box? 

1 can of Arizona Ice Lemon Tea - I love ice lemon tea and I do like the teas from this particular brand. It's a sweet drink with a distinct taste of lemon.

Hershey's Kisses in candy cane flavour - the mint was quite strong and there was mixed opinions on this in the household

Junior Mints - Delicious minty chocolate, a definite favourite

Butterfinger - crunchy, peanut butter candy - one of my favourites

Chiclets - fruit flavoured chewing gum. I rarely eat chewing gum so I'm a bit biased on this one. 

Reese's Peanut Butter Christmas Tree - another favourite. It's a peanut butter cup in a tree shape

Sugar Daddy Milk Caramel Pop - good caramel flavour

Mentos strawberry flavour - chewy and fruity tastes just like the Mentos you can buy here 

Mike and Ike - chewy fruit sweets 

Frosty Nerds - watermelon and wild cherry punch flavour 

Pop Rocks - peppermint flavoured popping candy 

My verdict - This would make a great gift for someone who loves American Candy. You can buy most of them here in specialist shops or online but they are usually quite expensive. These boxes are priced at £14.99 per month including delivery, Personally, I think it's a little expensive for what you get but I do appreciate that it has to be imported. The good news is that I have a special code for all my readers if you want to try out a box or a few for yourself. Use the code BAKINGADDICT at checkout at taffymail.co.uk and receive £2 off for three months.
I've only had 1 box so I can't comment on whether you get different items each time or if you repeatedly get certain items. I do like the mystery element which is fun as you just won't know what you are going to get. However, I think it can be a bit hit and miss and you might get stuff you don't particularly like but that's all part of the fun!

 I decided to bake with these ingredients - Wonka Nerds and Pop Rocks Popping Candy  

 Adding Nerds to the cupcakes - they look so pretty and very festive 

 ready to go in the oven 

 I like how you can still see bursts of colour through the cupcake 

 decorated with more Nerds candy and popping candy 

Makes 15 cupcakes

For the cupcakes 

250 butter, softened

250g caster sugar

250g self raising flour

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

120g Nerds candy

For the icing

250g butter

500g icing sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

20g Nerds candy

Popping candy 

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
• Sift in the flour and add in the vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste.
• Finally stir in the Nerds candy.
• Divide equally into cupcake cases and bake for approximately 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before decorating. 
• To make the icing, beat the butter and icing sugar until smooth. 
• Add in the vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste.
• Pipe the buttercream on top of each cupcake in a swirl and decorate with Nerds candy and popping candy on top. 

Disclaimer: I was sent a box of Taffy Mail candy for review purposes. A positive review was not required and all opinions are my own. This is not a sponsored post.