Freeze-dried candy at new Jersey Shore spot is crunchy and bursting with flavor

Freeze-dried candy — puffed-up sweets reminiscent of space food — has taken over TikTok, and by extension, kids everywhere.

Jenny Kenny-Figueroa, Jenna Schaal and Jesse Francisco are getting in on the fun with Freezy Favorites, a candy store they opened in November in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township.

"We're really crafters that fell into the candy world," said Kenny-Figueroa, 38, of Berkeley Township. She and Schaal, who are childhood friends, were preparing to sell their handmade ornaments at a fall festival in Smithville and decided to try their hand with the candies.

"We brought 600 bags of candy and came back with four," she said.

With that, they were in the candy business. In their Bayville store, they freeze-dry candies of all kinds: Skittles, Jolly Ranchers, Starbursts, gummy worms, marshmallows, chewy caramels, Airheads, Lemonheads, lollipops, peach rings, Nerds Gummy Clusters and Junior Mints, among others ($5 to $20).

The process of freeze-drying removes moisture from food, and depending on a candy's moisture content, the process takes between four and 24 hours, Kenny-Figueroa said. Food prepared this way can last for at least 25 years, she added, because without moisture, no mold can grow.

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How does it taste? The puffed-up candies are crunchy and melt on your tongue like cotton candy. Kenny-Figueroa said freeze-drying magnifies flavors tenfold — and she's right.

The store also sells packaged freeze-dried s'mores, cheesecake bites, Oreos and sugar-free candies, and has a dedicated gluten-free and nut-free freeze dryer. The trio also is planning to make freeze-dried spices, yogurt bites and fruit.

"You can do anything," Kenny-Figueroa said. "And we're crafty, so we're really good at it."

Go: 510 Route 9 in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township; freezyfavorites.com.

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Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected], follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Trendy Treats: Freeze-dried candy store Freezy Favorites now at Shore