Ahh, Twix. The pinnacle of snackitecture. I mean, a buttery cookie draped with caramel, then cloaked in milk chocolate? And then to have not one, but two bars in each package?! Frank Gehry himself could not have constructed a more impressive confectionery structure.

Now, I usually see no reason to mess with excellence, but those evil geniuses over at Mars have a history of riffing on perfection. Case in point: TwixPB. With peanut butter in lieu of caramel and a chocolate cookie base, it is a decadent, special occasion kind of Twick.

Given this example, I do not deign to question Mars' judgment. So when I found Twix Java (boasting coffee caramel and chocolate cookie covered in milk chocolate), I didn't recoil in horror. Instead, I chose to embrace their vision and put my faith in the Artificial Flavorteers.

Although Twix Java is by no means better than Twix original, it is successful in its own right. The coffee flavor is so bright (it tastes the way Sanka smells), it actually pairs well with the slapdash chocolate cookie and milk chocolate robe. Think of it as a Starbucks caramel mocha in candy bar form: A bastardization of many great things, but so trashily delicious, you just don't care.

Some say that Heath Ledger's chilling performance as The Joker is the best thing about The Dark Knight. But I dare say that the best thing about The Dark Knight is its promotional Special Edition Reese's Peanut Butter Bat.

Before I get to that, I must expound my philosophy: Reese's Special Edition Cups (which also include Halloween Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkin and Easter Reese's Peanut Butter Egg) consistently trump traditional cups because they have a higher peanut butter to chocolate ratio. See, classic Cups are weighed down by the shell's chocolate crimping, which leaves us peanut butter lovers pining. But Special Edition Cups forgo the frills and pack as much PB as possible into a thin chocolate casing. In fact, if we're really getting down to brass tacks, Egg beats Pumpkin solely because Pumpkin has the little all-chocolate stem at the top.

Let it be known that I am a die hard Limited Edition Foods fan. I lived and died by Pepsi Kona, and I essentially redefine myself with each new incarnation of Kit Kat. That said, imagine my excitement when a friend of mine presented me with New Indiana Jones Mint Crisp M&Ms. (While they do not specifically say "Limited Edition", they do imply as much with "Get 'M' Before They're Lost!") One look at these puppies and you know you're in for an epicurean adventure of chilled-monkey-brains-buffet proportions, 'cause these M&Ms are all kinds of divergent from the original.

To wit:

• They are shades of green and white
• In place of the simple "M", some of the candies have mystical graphics (including a skull, a compass, a temple, and Indy's hat)
• They are chocolate-mint flavored
• Their core is a rice crisp

Many "limited edition" candy bars are limited because they are tied specifically to some event or celebrity (Reese's Peanut Butter and Banana Elvis bars) or maybe a holiday. A lot of limited edition candy bars are also, well, just lame. But this ones sounds promising: Twix Java.

Besides being an excellent name for a video game character, Twix Java is a new limited edition candy bar that consists of coffee, caramel, and chocolate cookie covered in milk chocolate. The Candy Addict has tried it and really likes it.

Since this is a limited edition, maybe you can buy 20 or 30 bars for your favorite coffee/chocolate addict and put them in a Christmas stocking.

The limited edition Kit Kats released in the UK resulted in consumer overstimulation and, in the US, too, consumers are seeing more and more limited editions on the shelves. Some of them seem to be only limited in their packaging, not the actual product.

Candybloggers Cybele, from CandyBlog, and Brian, from Candy Addict, were interviewed in a piece in the New York Times magazine that asked "what is the point of these releases?" The companies don't seem like they're asking consumers if they want to see them as part of the "regular" line-up, but there are so many limited edition candies on store shelves that they don't seem all that special anymore.

Personally, I don't mind seeing a new product every time I go into the store, but it can be annoying if a new favorite is never seen again after only a short run. There is no way for us, the consumers, to tell if this trend will continue or not - but do we want it to?