Jelly bean facts and recipes for Easter and National Jelly Bean Day

The jelly bean is one of America’s favorite candies. Largely associated with Easter, these fun candies can be found in a variety of colors and flavors all year round. Plus, it just so happens to be National Jelly Bean Day on April 22, giving us another reason to celebrate these colorful treats.

This fun little confection has come a long way. Based on a Middle Eastern candy called Turkish Delight (yes, that’s what Edward was so fond of eating in The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe), the jelly bean has been popular in the U.S. since just before the turn of the 20th century.

Today, some manufacturers, like Jelly Belly and The Jelly Bean Factory, keep the world of jelly beans exciting with unique and fun flavors available at multiple stores. Jelly Belly, for example, makes over 50 flavors in addition to specialty flavors like Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, popularized by J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels, which features jelly bean flavors like mashed potatoes, gravy and ear wax.

• It takes seven to 21 days to make a single jelly bean.
• In the early 1900s, the term “jelly-bean” was a slang term for a stylish man with no other positive qualities (like a “dandy” or a “drugstore cowboy”).
• Jelly beans were President Reagan’s favorite candy and Jelly Belly created the blueberry-flavored jelly bean especially for his inauguration.
• Jelly beans were the first candy to be sold by weight, rather than by the piece.
• During Easter season, an average of 16 billion jelly beans are manufactured — enough to circle the Earth more than three times.

• 2 lemon + 2 coconut = Lemon Meringue Pie
• 2 strawberry + 2 vanilla = Strawberry Shortcake
• 2 green apple + 1 cinnamon = Candied Apple
• 2 banana + 1 vanilla = Banana Cream Pie
• 2 cappuccino + 1 cream soda + 1 chocolate pudding = Tiramisu
• 1 strawberry daiquiri + 1 raspberry + 1 blueberry = Berry Smoothie
• 2 blueberry + 1 buttered popcorn = Blueberry Muffin