The Washington State Legislature is about to make the most important
decision of 2009. This decision has nothing to do with the viaduct or
Sound Transit or education or arts budgets. No. What Washington
lawmakers are poised to decide is whether or not the locally made,
powdered-sugar-covered confection Aplets & Cotlets should be
declared the official candy for the state of Washington.
Food-loving people of the Pacific Northwest: We cannot let this
happen.
House Bill 1024 states that Aplets & Cotlets would be the
perfect state candy because “the tree fruit industry is a vital part of
the state’s economy” and “Aplets and Cotlets have been produced in
Washington for over seventy years and identify Washington State to
consumers worldwide.” The bill also recognizes that it’s time for
Washington to declare a state candy because the “legislature has
designated specific symbols in a number of categories as the official
representative for the state of Washington.”
I agree that it’s time to declare a state candy—it’d be fun,
and it’d support the idea of a vibrant (and tasty) Northwest food
culture. We already have a state tree (western hemlock), bird (willow
goldfinch), fish (steelhead trout), even a state gem, dance, and fossil
(petrified wood, square dance, and Columbian mammoth, respectively).
But if Washington officially claims any candy at all, we cannot let it
be goddamn Aplets & Cotlets.
Just look at that pitiful list of official symbols. They all suck.
The fish is ugly, and there’s no way petrified wood should count as a
“gem.” And square dance? Seriously?
Are we going to add to that list a messy, globby pile covered in
powdered sugar that sticks to your teeth? Do we really want to brag to
the world about our love of unsophisticated fruit-flavored goo?
This isn’t the first time the legislature has been faced with this
issue: In 2001, a bill to make Tacoma-produced Almond Roca the state
candy was presented and denied. Thank Christ. Although tasty, Almond
Roca looks like something left in a cat box. That is not what we want
people to think of when they think of Washington State.
The introduction of this new bill has reignited the heated debate:
Almond Roca or Aplets & Cotlets? Cat poo or sugar goo? As if those
two sweets were our only choices.
Legislators of Washington are sadly overlooking far better options,
options that are a bit classier, more elegant, yet still fantastic
representatives of our culture and economy. Frango chocolates, for
instance, in their variety of flavors, have been a Northwest tradition
since 1918 (it says so right on the famous six-sided box). They were originally created by and for the department store
Frederick & Nelson, which went out of business in 1992. Then the Bon
Marche bought the recipe, continuing to manufacture and carry Frangos
through its evolution into Macy’s. Throughout many
decades of changes, tasty little Frango chocolates have
survived—that’s how awesome and beloved they are. Even though the
candy has gone national with Macy’s, the Northwest version is still
manufactured by local company Seattle Chocolates, and their roots lie
right here. Plus, they’re motherfucking delicious.
But maybe Frango chocolates have gotten away from us a little bit,
being no longer exclusive to the Northwest. What about Seattle-made
Fran’s Chocolates salted caramels? They’re pricey little treats (about
$6.50 for three), but they’re handmade in small batches and worth every
cent. With their pungent smoked or gray salt delicately sprinkled on
top, Fran’s are the best chocolate caramels I have ever eaten. They’re
gorgeous and delicious, sophisticated but indulgent. Their ingredients
personify what Washington is all about—the smooth caramel and
chocolate represents the dairy farms in Eastern Washington, while the
salt nods to the smell of the air as it wafts in from Puget Sound. And
just like Washington State itself, the salted caramels are dualistic in
nature—familiar and conservative on the inside with an
invigorating, progressive rind of spice on the edge.
Fran’s doesn’t have the same history as
Frango chocolates,
Almond Roca, or Aplets & Goddamn Cotlets, but founder Fran Bigelow
has been making candy professionally for 25 years and the company is
dedicated to using as many locally found ingredients as
possible—for example, Fran’s gets its cream from Fresh Breeze
Organic Dairy in Lynden and its peppermint from Yakima. (Also worth
noting: Both Barack and Michelle Obama have named Fran’s dark chocolate
with smoked salt caramels as their personal faves.)
Washington State is a state of innovators—Bill Gates, Kurt
Cobain, Jimi Hendrix. It’s time for our candy to reflect just how far
Washington State has come. We’re no longer as boring as petrified wood.
Our candy shouldn’t be either. 
This article has been updated since its original publication.
I love Applets & Cotlets , and also Fruit Festives, they are a holiday tradition in my family, my Grandma always got them for me and I continue to buy them each year! I have even been to their little factory when I was a teen traveling all around our awesome and entire state of WA. While those other candies mentioned are tasty and good, I would definitely vote for A+C as perfect for WA!!!! (P.S. they are basically delicious turkish delights)
The first year I lived in Seattle, my boss gave me a box of Aplets & Cotlets for Christmas. It took me about a day to just process the name (Cotlet? Codpiece?) and I never, ever could bring myself to eat the crap. But it is a part of the Northwest and brings together Eastern and Western Wa.
Join my facebook group to make Almonda Roca Washington State’s Official Candy!!!!
Search for “Almond Roca as Washington State’s Official Candy”
I’ve heard that the company that makes Aplets and Cotlets has exploited the community it was founded in by dominating the labor market and blackmailing the town into accepting “conditions” under which the company will remain in Cashmere, maintaining economic stability and tourist interest.
Chukar Cherries is an amazing little company and delicious. Way better than Aplets and Cotlets and more uniquely Northwestern than Almond Roca. And please don’t make this into an eastern vs. western Washington argument that is just immature and ridiculous.
I hate all of the above. Surely there is another candy made in Washington.
Almond Roca was around for the “dough Boys” in world war 1. It has been produced right here in Tacoma Washington ever since. Through 2 world wars, the Great Depression, the Cold War…the list goes on. The Recipe has not changed since 1916. I should know, I make Almond Roca, as well as Cashew Roca, Moca Roca, Peanut Roca, Candy cane Roca, Rocan Thins (not the same old Roca). We also produce some very upscale molded chocolates as well as producing mints and clusters for Girl Scouts. Does Frango or Aplets and Cotlets do that?
Who cares? Does anyone really give a shit about the state candy, state tree, state flower, state song, state bird, state microbial bacteria, etc.??
There are so many things to worry about and resolve in our world right now. The state candy shouldn’t be one of them.
Are you crazy? Two-dollar-apiece chocolates? That obscene overindulgence is so last-century. I don’t care how good they are, that is not the Washington I know and love. What is one of the newly-unemployed to think, spend two dollars on a loaf of bread or a chocolate candy made out of perhaps twenty cents worth of ingredients and geared to sell on snob appeal. I think both Almond Roca and Aplets are delicious, leaning toward the Rocas, and if you hit Bartell’s on the right week you can get a whole can or box of them for three dollars, about one and a half of the snotty, salty caramels. And if you think Almond Roca look like cat poop, you need to change your cat’s diet. Hooray for candy that we can all afford. That is Washington!
I adore Aplets and Cotlets, but I really don’t care one way or another what our state candy is. State whatevers are total bullshit. Can’t we just eat some motherfucking candy and be done with it?
The best local candy I ever had was when my Grandmother brought us Cecil Hall’s Chocolates. Their kitchen and store was someplace on Broadway until about the early 70’s.
Yeah, Stranger! Your usually inept writing strikes again! Frederick & Nelson evelving into the Bon Marche? Get someone on board who knows local history! And Frangos as the official state candy? I suppose we should choose something- like Boeing- we share with Chicago.
Or not. I vote Mountain Bar.
I recently heard that GrandMa’s yogurt-covered animal cracker cookies with sprinkes are going out of business – it can’t be true! Can it?
What about Boehms in Issaquah? (Tour their facility, they give you chocolate!)
Also, did anyone tour the Vernell’s candy factory before they got sold to Brach’s? I think it was out on the eastside. I visited once in firs grade – this was my elementary school’s idea of a good field trip. I was totally mesmerized by the huge hoppers in which they made their jelly beans.
Aplets and Cotlets cannot be our state candy because they are in reality the world-famous Turkish Delight, and were developed in Cashmere by an Armenian family using a recipe that has been seen on the candy dishes of European royalty for centuries.
Fran’s Chocolates are yummy but are super expensive and known only by elitist chocosnobs who follow the trendy, and, oh yeah, Mr and Mrs. Prez. Ms. Seling, is that what Washington has come so far to?
That leaves the other contender, Almond Roca. Other commenters above have mentioned that Almond Roca is found in gift shops from Beijing to Nairobi to Montevideo to Dubai. Apparently a lot of people like the candy that looks like dog turds.
Ken Scott
What’s kinda sad about this is not that people want to duke it out over which candy they remember best from their childhood (mine’s Frangos), but that basically we’re trying to nominate a state candy COMPANY, rather than any type of candy.
Can anyone suggest a candy that’s both a regional favorite AND used to be made by their grandmother?
Let’s not make this about free advertising for some candy company.
The formula for Grandma’s animal crackers has been purchased by Kellogg’s.
Sorry Chicago, MF purchased the recipe from F&N back in the days when regionalized companies didn’t stray far from their corporate charters and trademarks didn’t receive the same importance that is placed on them today. Once again, Second City.
aplets and cotlets are gross!! the day I start to like them is the day I’ll know I’m an old fart
Join the facebook group to make Almond Roca the State’s Official Candy: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=52…
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Asslets and Cocklets, more like.
Whether Frango mints have or have not ever been exclusively a Northwest icon is ambiguous, and therefore should not be considered in the running. Having lived many years in Chicago, Frango mints have been distributed in the identical packaging and with the identical recipe for as long as I can remember (I’m 48) from much larger, much older Marshall Fields (now Macy’s) with the marketing copy “a Chicago tradition since 1918.” Do your research, it’s there. So, who ever created, owned, branded or distributed them are questions that, to say the least, deserve comprehensive research. Branding Frangos as Washington’s state candy would likely invite the opening of the can of worms. Pick a more defensible candidate. Anyway, look forward: Frangos belong to Macy’s (read: McMacy’s–they’re everywhere) and it’s doubtful Washington ownership would ever be public perception nationwide; after all, perception is reality. Check my facts.
Ah, this is hilarious, as it’s the same discussion I just had when back visiting Washington two weeks ago. My friend and I passed through Wenatchee (Wet-Snatch-ee), where we saw signs for the “Applets and Cotlets.”
Both of us grew up in Washington, and shuddered at childhood memories in which well-meaning aunts and grandmothers attempted to force-feed us Applets and Cotlets.
We then went on to extol the virtues or shortcomings of all Washington candies, and came to the conclusion that only one great true Washington candy exists.
The Mountain Bar.
Not only is the Mountain Bar delicious, it’s still made in TACOMA, which must give it some real local props.
Come on now.
Hellooo? Dilettante Chocolates for crying out loud!
CHUKAR FUCKING CHERRIES!!!! They have it all….chocolate, Washington cherries, made in Washington. What more do you fuckers WANT?
I like the Mountain Bar, and I don’t care what it looks like. At least it’s not pretentious like Frangos and as far as what people think of Washington State I really don’t give a damn.
Let’s try this again! Mountain Bars may look like a giant turd, but they are great. They should be the state candy!
Frangos USED to be good; the recipe has been messed with so much, they’re sadly unrecognizable, a mere shadow of their former selves.
Fran’s salted caramels are AWESOME.
Applets and Cotlets are made in the legislative district of one of the states anti-gay zealots. A candy from such a benighted part of our state has no business representing us today. Though the rose-water and pistachio version is kind of gay.
Almond Roca wins hands-down. It has nothing to do with taste, although they win that too, and everything to do with the history of the company and how they have treated the local economy and environment. Who would you rather stay in WA – Almond Roca, or A&C? Yeah, thought so.
Frans salted caramels are the only true choice, as they are local, taste better than everything else, and have no historical baggage (like applets and cotlets)
Fran’s all the way, but Theo’s caramels could give the ma run for the money.
Just say NO to Aplets and Cotlets and Almond Roca.
To quote the back of the box I have in my desk right now:
FRANGO–A SWEET HERITAGE
For over 75 years, Marshall Field’s has been the home of the famous Frango Mint Chocolate. Frango chocolates were created in 1918 by the Frederick and Nelson department store of Seattle. In 1929, Marshall Field’s acquired both the company and their chocolate delights, which quickly took Chicago and the Midwest by storm.
I agree that they don’t taste the same any more, ever since they got bought by McMacy’s.
Mountain Bar should be the official candy! Brown & Haley are well-founded, available all over the place and give a nod to our natural landscape. How great is that?
Fran’s chocolates are too Northwest corner of the state feeling and don’t have enough history. I never had a salted caramel (nor heard of one) until I moved to Seattle. So, I think it’s unfair and unrepresentative.
From the wiki:
Frango is a brand of chocolate truffles now produced and distributed by Macy’s department stores.[1] It is also the brand of various other related food products.
Historically associated with the Midwestern and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States, the candy is sold in outlets throughout the country. Created originally by Seattle, Washington department stores Frederick & Nelson in 1918, the company and Frango trademarks were both acquired by Chicago, Illinois company Marshall Field’s which introduced its recipe in 1929.[2] It was produced on the thirteenth floor of the flagship Marshall Field’s on State Street in large melting pots.[3]
WTF is IN Aplets and Cotlets, anyway? It looks like sweetened viscera with bits of gristle. That was always a “punishment candy” when I was a kid – “No, you can’t have a chocolate bar, have some Aplets and Cotlets.” It’s like eating gelatinized mucus.
I love Almond Roca and Mountain Bars, despite the doody factor – although I’ve mostly lost my taste for Mountain Bars, because that stuff on the inside is kind of dicey – and Fran’s is a great little shop and has been since the ’80s. But my vote has to go to Seattle Chocolates. They’re way better than Frangos, locally owned and made, and far less expensive than Fran’s.
I wish I had one of the Espresso chocolates right now…
Aplets and Cotlets???
GROSS!
So let me get this straight…
Many people are claiming that we can’t have Frangos as our state candy because it has ties to Chicago. Okay, I can live with that.
Many people are claiming that Aplets and Cotlets are versions of Turkish Delight. (A poor substitute, but a version never-the-less.) Also known as lokum in it’s native country. And many versions have been made throughout this country over the years. But how can we claim it as a “northwest” or “Washington” original. Whether you like it or not it’s just a copy of someone else’s candy.
Maybe we need to keep looking?
Fran’s…all of her candy is wonderful!!
A few years ago, Liberty Orchards threatened the town of Cashmere with shuttering their candy factory if the two major streets weren’t renamed “Aplet Way” and “Cotlet Way.” I get letting a small town be taken over by their major employer, but not the damn state.
At the same time, Fran’s salted caramels are so lefty it’s kind of embarrassing. It feels modern now, but so did the Jelly Belly when Reagan declared it as his favorite.
How about a bipartisan compromise on Fran’s Gold Bar? It’s great, it’s been around a reasonably long time, plus it has a nice shiny wrapper, like a dumb Official State Whatever should have. It looks swanky, but isn’t intimidating, and it’s delicious.
One thing both Almond Roca and Mountain Bars have over Frangos and Aplets and Cotlets: they’re not “gift candy.” Meaning that you might actually go to a supermarket or a 7-11 and end up buying one of them as a snack. Frangos and Aplets and Cotlets are b.s. holiday gifts that you would never eat at any other time of year. I can’t deny Frangos at least taste good, but Aplets and Cotlets are just a joke all around. A total novelty/trivia item and nothing anywhere near a candy that you’d ever think to randomly pick up, buy, and eat.
I took a tour of the Aplets and Cotlets factory as a kid and even that kinda sucked.
THEO CHOCOLATE – PICK A BAR, ANY BAR! This is the 21st century folks! Washington should be leading the movement towards sustainability and Theo is the only organic and Fair Trade chocolate factory in the whole country! Say it loud and say it proud, THEO is the clear choice!
I realized the hair in my candy was my own pubic hair. Still…the candy is so sticky and that is why it was there.
Here is one thing everyone is missing about this article….our tax dollars are going to the paychecks of a bunch of fucktards proposing a bill about an official state candy? What the holy fuck?!? If I wanted my tax dollars to go to absolutely nothing, I would just flush my paychecks down the toilet. This is apperantly what we pay our “lawmakers” to do. Fuck an official state candy, fuck Olympia and everyone in that waste of space we call a capital, and fuck the stranger for even existing. This paper is such a pile of shit….seriously. This is the biggest non-news story I have ever seen.
I love Chicago–lived there for five years. But you Chicagoans need to get over yourselves and admit that while it certainly has earned a beloved stronghold in your sweet-toothed memories, Frangos candy certainly originated in Seattle (as many have already pointed out having started its sweet sweet life as FRANCOS). Even Field’s slogan of the candy being a Chicago tradition since 1918 is false, since the venerable department store didn’t even acquire Seattle-based Frederick and Nelson till over 10 years later. Not only that but Field’s altered the original recipe over the years, whereas the Seattle operations have not only maintained the original but have produced it (till fairly recently) using much of the same equipment found in the F&N 10th floor candymaking kitchen. What happened to the Chicago version of Frangos? In addition to the recipe changes, production was shipped out of state. Chicago candy? I think not.
Hmm … after carefully considering all the above arguments, I think Almond Roca is the clear winner. It’s Washington-identified, affordable, memorable, nostalgic, and tastes OK. And you can make a Kitty Litter cake out of it. Meow!
I’m going to say the Mountain Bar…I love them even though they look like dog shit. Although I am saddened by the fact that they have shrunk in size considerably.
Almond Roca has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I never recall any time that anybody has compared it to cat poo. I’m sorry, that’s ridiculous. Face it, chocolate is brown. If you want to associate the brown color with poo, then almost any piece of chocolate could be compared to a little piece of poo. Almond Roca has got to be the most unique and delicious candy from Washington (with the long history to boot).
I was starting to listen to your argument about Fran’s UNTIL the comment about the Obamas. As if that’s supposed to be a positive thing! How regretful.
I love petrified wood AND Aplets & Cotlets.
I too would have to vote for The Mountain Bar (providing I had a vote to cast…)which, oddly enough, looks like what man’s best friend might leave out in the yard and not what the cat leaves in the litter box! But…they are good, they’ve been around forever, they were created to look like our beloved Mt Rainier…what more could we ask for? On the other hand…I don’t mind Aplets & Cotlets…I remember touring the A&C factory as a child…and thinking back, I preferred the Mountain Bar back then as well….
I’d like to nominate Theo Chocolate. Fair trade and organic (so very Washington), from a bean-to-bar craft process. The taste and general quality, of course, are exceptional. And made right here in Fremont. What more could you ask for in a state candy?
And no, I’m not a shill, just a fan.
I vote Emily’s Chocolates (AMES company) based out of Fife. Amazing chocolates and nuts. And chocolate covered fortune cookies. And chocolate covered peanut butter filled pretzels. And chocolate covered any-nut-you-want. And fruits. Their chocolate is creamy and never waxy, and melts amazingly in your mouth. I would suggest them for anyone and everyone.