Jelly Bean Bonanza

A casual conversation about this Sunday's National Jelly Bean Day almost incited a riot among some of us in the Cooking Light editorial offices. We all mounted passionate defenses of our favorite flavors and hurled pebbles at people who dared to call our beloved bean "gross." It seems our tastes for these tiny treats are as varied as we are (which is a good thing or we might have had another fight around the candy dish). In the end, we threw down our arms to all sit around and snack on our favorite treats and reminisce about what jelly beans mean to us.

No true consensus emerged, so we turn to you, Cooking Light readers, to tell us: What's the best jelly bean flavor?

Cooking Light's Jelly Bean Bonanza
Grapefruit - 1
Root Beer - 1
Strawberry Daiquiri - 1
Toasted Marshmallow - 1
Watermelon Sports Beans - 1
Licorice - 2
Green apple - 1
Popcorn - 1
Cherry - 2
Berry Blue - 1
Lemon Lime - 2
Lemon - 2
Coconut - 1

"I love mixing flavors to get a unique new flavor. For example, blueberry jelly beans and buttered popcorn jelly beans make a blueberry muffin!" - Mandie, Photo Intern

"Black licorice, baby! The only way to go." - Deb, Test Kitchen Recipe Tester and Developer

"Oh I know right off the bat… Mine is Jelly Belly's toasted marshmallow.  Call it a guilty pleasure of that roasted-toasty delight, but I used to go far and wide in search of those brown-spotted little nuggets. It's like dozens of mini campfires in a jar, without the sticky mess and burnt fingers." - Sidney, Assistant Nutrition Editor

"I've never been a fan of jelly beans. The flavor doesn't matter; it's a texture thing. If a splurge is on offer, please direct me to the cookies or brownies instead." - Phillip, Executive Managing Editor