Photo: courtesy of Sprinkle Bakes.

For many years,  my mother would give my brother and me coal in our stockings –presumably to remind us both that we were more on the “naughty” side of the spectrum than the “nice” one. The message was tempered somewhat by the coal itself — it was actually chewing gum, albeit this rather foul-tasting brand. I can’t imagine that chewing on coal would have been any less pleasant, to tell you the truth.

A better fake-out might be this candy from Sprinkle Bakes — not only does it actually look like coal, but it’s apparently quite tasty and refreshing, too. Not a bad stocking stuffer for the naughty — but lovable — kid in your life.