Chocolate-Covered Coconut Orange Candy

Reminiscent of an orange Mounds bar. Smooth, creamy chocolate covered coconut orange candy.

While trying to create a recipe for this contest, I was aiming for something unique for the season of Fall. More precisely, I was aiming for using the 'colors' of Fall as opposed to using Fall 'flavors'. Orange, brown and white achieve that color spectrum for me.

I wanted a relaxing vape involving chocolate as a subtle note. Possibly even a back note. And that, in the beginning, was all I was sure of. As I was considering my options, I reached to open a Mounds candy bar(one of my favorites since childhood). As I bit into it tasting the smooth chocolate, sweet coconut and a nearly imperceptible hint of cinnamon, I swooned and sunk back into my couch totally relaxed and chilled out. My senses immediately awakened. I've only tasted that faint cinnamon in Mounds(specifically) and often wondered if it was only in my imagination, as other people I've known can't taste it at all. At any rate, it hit me like a truckload of....coconuts(pun intended)! I wanted to make an orange flavored Mounds bar eliquid. And one as relaxing as I find eating a Mounds bar to be. I've never worked with orange flavorings EVER, so this would be a very challenging task for me. Truthfully, I can't even think of a time when I even purchased an orange flavored eliquid.

I was very pleased this turned out exactly as I wanted on only my second formulation. I find it extremely pleasing to my palate and I hope you will too. On the inhale I taste coconut most prominently with a light mandarin orange. On the exhale, I taste a light coconut, stronger orange, and smooth creamy milk chocolate mixed with extremely light cinnamon at the back end. I found myself immediately mixing up a larger batch as I knew my first batch would never last long enough for even a week's steep(due to the TFA DCC recommended steep time).

I usually find coconut flavorings to be very harsh. But I believe the TFA Ripe Strawberry flavor not only enhanced the creaminess of the coconut...it also, to my surprise, eliminated the harshness of the coconut that has always been a turnoff for me. The FA Fuji always provides that 'candy' aspect to any recipe whether you are looking for candy apple or just looking to "candyize" any particular flavor, which in this case, was the orange. Fuji just adds a sort of "buttercream" candy sweetness to my mix.

This contest was a total surprise to me, as I never(on the surface) would have thought to add Strawberry Ripe, CAP CDS, or FA Fuji to a recipe if I was looking to create an orange Mounds-like flavor. But when forced to use these bastard basket flavors, I was forced to think of how to make them work for what I was aiming for. And that's something I would have never done on my own. Yes, if told to use "any" 3 flavorings plus 3 other flavorings, I would have created my Orange Mounds bar. But I seriously/homestly doubt it would ever taste as good as this mix does. Without those basket flavors, my new ADV would have never been developed. Thank you all so much for making me come out of my linear comfort zone!!

70VG/30PG

7 day steep recommended, though I find it delicious after only 2 days!!