Despite being one of the grossest tasting candies on the planet, Necco Sweethearts continue to top the list as the most popular candy for Valentine's Day.

Right off the bat, I'll tell you I have a negative view of these little hearts for the same reason I absolutely hate carnations.  In middle school, Student Council sold carnations that were delivered the Friday before Valentine's Day.  Most of my girlfriends would get what amounted to bouquets of them by the end of the day, where I'd be lucky to get one...and normally it came from my little sister who bought it for me out of pity. Same went for the "Sweethearts" candies. Boys would drop off a candy with a flirty message on it off for my friends at our lunch table. Guess who didn't get any? This girl. Stupid candy.

But not everyone is as jaded about Necco Sweethearts as I am and after being on the market for 153 years, I can understand why people are sad that they won't be able to buy them in stores in the Treasure Valley this year. According to Fast Company, Necco closed with very little notice in 2018 and Spangler picked up the rights and recipes for Necco Wafers and Sweethearts.

At one point in history, Necco focused 11 months of the year on making the candy hearts in time for February 14.  Spangler realized that they didn't have enough time to launch their version of Sweethearts properly in 2019 and delayed their re-release until 2020..so you won't be finding them at WinCo, Albertsons, Walmart or any other brick and mortar store this year.  If that breaks your heart, don't worry that's why the internet exists!

Amazon still has a supply of them that you can get shipped to your home in time for Valentine's Day baking or kid's classroom parties. Here's a few links to what's out there:

Of course, if you're a little sketchy about buying candy that's at least a year old off the internet Brach's, Sour Patch and Sweet Tarts all make their own version of conversation hearts that you'll be able to find on stores shelves in the Treasure Valley.  They may taste a little different, but at least they're fresh!

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