There are things in life that just shouldn’t be missed: opportunities to travel, champagne for breakfast, hugs from a child, the chance to laugh.

To that list, I would humbly add Garapiñados Leal’s.

My first experience with garapiñados was during Carnaval three years ago. Caught in the mass of humanity in the Plaza Machado, I was carried into a street fair nearby, where the booths mostly offered light-up crowns and wands, colorful confetti and noisemakers. The exuberance was contagious, the lighting dim and the noise a happy cacophony. Drifting along with the crowd, suddenly the irresistible aroma of warm butter and sugar filled the air, and I was drawn (not against my will) to one of the more brightly lit stands. There, Jesus Leal was vigorously stirring a pile of shiny, sugar-coated peanuts in a copper kettle over a gas flame, a knowing smile on his face as he watched the effect on the crowd in front of him.

The rest, as they say, is history. I watched as he cooked several batches – pecans, peanuts, cashews and pumpkin seeds – using only sugar, vanilla, water and a tiny bit of butter at the end - to create these exquisite candied nuts. Everyone bought some; few, if any, escaped empty-handed. Dieters take note: they are difficult, if not impossible, to resist.

Leal’s is a family businesses capitalizing on something special; in this case, a recipe from a great, great grandmother that’s simple but perfect. Cousin Eva Gomez, at the shop in Centro, explained to me that besides the two in Mazatlan (in Centro and the Gold Zone), the family has shops in Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta and Ciudad Guzman in Jalisco. garapiñados – sugar-coated nuts - are not common here, she explained, and they’re the only people in Mazatlán that make them fresh, from scratch, every day and on-the-spot at festivals and fairs. And that’s the hook: the aroma of the sugar and vanilla cooking is irresistible, and, Eva added, people love to watch them being made and then buy their own little cellophane bag-full, still warm, to munch on.

The shops also carry all sorts of other candies, both traditional Mexican delicacies like dulce de leche and frutas secas (dried fruits) as well as more contemporary things like gummy bears and M&Ms. There’s a myriad of cocoanut confections and the dulce de leche options are dizzying - tiny rolls with nuts and sprinkles, gift packages or just a bag of tiny snack-size “pillows” perfect for a purse or desk drawer (ahem). Leal’s also makes candy and tamarind apples, and carries rompope (eggnog) in a variety of flavors.

At both shops, you can watch the garapiñados being made every morning at 11. You’ll also find Leal’s cookin’ up a storm at Carnaval and elsewhere during outdoor

I’ve learned to either avoid deliberately or head directly to the Leal family’s shop on Benito Juarez, which is either conveniently near or dangerously close to my house. Great as a snack, fabulous in spinach salad and a simple yet extravagant gift, you just can’t go wrong.

Janet Blaser has been eating for a living and writing about it for more than 20 years. Send comments, suggestions to her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .