The Rare 140-Year-Old Candy You Can Find At Cracker Barrel

For 57 years, Cracker Barrel has been something of a time capsule, preserving a vague sense of yesteryear with its vintage Americana theming and simple, greasy-spoon menu. A big part of this is the Old Country Store attached to every restaurant, which sells a wide array of old-timey trinkets, foods, and treats, including a vintage candy you can pretty much only find at Cracker Barrel.

Sherbet Mints are thin sugary wafer discs with a minty flavor that come in bright pastel colors of pink, yellow, and green. Cracker Barrel has seasonally sold them for Easter and Christmas since 2007, but they're gaining new popularity from an employee's viral Instagram reel about them. 

Each box of 50 melt-in-your-mouth wafers is hand-poured in Austin, Texas, by Lamme's Candies, the way they've been made since 1885. And while they can be bought directly from the manufacturer, Cracker Barrel is their only major national retailer, which sells boxes in 2-packs for $39.98. They're an exciting current addition to the lineup, but Cracker Barrel fans know they're far from the only vintage candy available.

Cracker Barrel is a haven for fans of old-fashioned candy, like the ones made by the Spangler Candy Company, a vintage candy company behind several classic brands, either through invention or acquisition. Some of Spangler's better-known vintage brands include Dum-Dums, the original marshmallow circus peanut, and Necco wafers — the latter of which can commonly be found at Cracker Barrel.

Another classic Cracker Barrel candy with nearly half a century of history is Cow Tales, made by Goetze's Candy Company. This brand now comes in different flavors like strawberry smoothie, brownie, and caramel apple, but the classic formula of a caramel stick with a creamy center has intrigued eaters since 1984, and continues to stoke sweet nostalgia today.

These vintage candies are part of Cracker Barrel's classic, unpretentious, down-home vibe. That's why, even though high-end professional chefs like Gordon Ramsay might hate this chalky classic candy with a passion, you can still find Smarties at Cracker Barrel. They're a slice of nostalgia to remind one of yesteryear, even if the world's candy tastes seem to have moved on.