Cracker Barrel Carries A Hard-To-Find 140-Year-Old Candy Brand. Can You Guess Which One?

There are plenty of wonderful things about Cracker Barrel. It is a veritable wonderland of Southern comfort foods, such as those super popular Chicken n' Dumplings which Cracker Barrel sells millions of each year, and niche, novelty retail goods. The business model is unique: half restaurant and half roadside shop, offering everything from home decor to candy. In fact, Cracker Barrel has candies that rival the zany selection of the discount store Five Below. But while Five Below aims for a younger crowd, many of Cracker Barrel's candy selections are quite vintage indeed. One candy sold at Cracker Barrel, in particular, is made by a brand that is over 140 years old, and it offers some seriously nostalgic flavor.

Lammes Candies, which got its start in Austin, Texas, in 1885, has many delicious candies in its line up, but there is one in particular that Cracker Barrel customers have come to love, and that is its Pastel Sherbet Mints. These mints are creamy, handmade, pastel-colored discs. Each box has discs in four colors: pink, yellow, green, and white. Customers have described them as being creamy, with white chocolate and subtle minty taste. A pack of two boxes (each with around 50 mints) on Lammes' website costs about $40, which is a bit steep, but according to fans of the candy, it is well worth the cost.

Sadly, Lammes Candies do look to be a seasonal offering at Cracker Barrel, usually available during Easter and Christmas. So if you can't find them at your local restaurant, you might be out of luck. However, there are some goodies that might serve as a good substitute. Candies such as melty or meltaway mints, which have a similar disc shape and creamy base can serve as a good swap out. You can also try making homemade cream cheese mints, which will give you a similar melt-in-your-mouth texture and a slight minty taste. 

Alternatively, you can try finding another vintage candy fix at Cracker Barrel. After all, Lammes Pastel Sherbet Mints aren't the only delicious, vintage treats to be found at this roadside favorite. The chain sometimes stocks Boyers Smoothie Cups, for example, which have been made since at least 1944, and have a delicious butterscotch peanut butter cup. You could also pick up Dillon's Pecan Divinity Bar, a pre-packaged take on a legendary Southern confection, known for being difficult to make (especially in humid weather). Or, you can go for a simple box of butter mints, which can also be found at Cracker Barrel. If you want a real flashback though, you can grab a sleeve of delicious, old school Necco Wafers candy.