Candy Bars Archives - Page 7 of 29

February 25, 2021February 25, 2021 Michael

Milky Way (European) – Like 3 Musketeers, But Different

Candy Bars

This is the Polish version of Milky Way, though as far as I’m aware, all European versions of this candy bar are the same. That’s not true for the American Milky Way, however, which is what the rest of the world knows as a Mars Bar.

European Milky Way, on the other hand, is closer to the candy bar that we know as 3 Musketeers in North America. Confused yet?

Yes, the European Milky Way is reminiscent of 3 Musketeers, but different enough to feel distinct. The consistency of the fluffy nougat is about the same, but the flavour is entirely different; the stuff in a 3 Musketeers bar has a mildly chocolatey flavour, while the filling here has more of a malty kick. It’s interesting — it almost tastes like Maltesers, but soft and chewy instead of light and crispy.

It’s a bit grainy, however. I’m not sure if the chocolate or the nougat is the culprit, but the texture is slightly off. Still, it’s tasty enough, and if you assumed it was just going to be 3 Musketeers under a different name, it’s worth seeking out.

Manufactured by: Mars
Nutritional info (1 bar, 21.5 grams): 97 calories, 3.6 grams of fat (1.7 grams of saturated fat, unknown grams of trans fat), 0 mg of cholesterol, 80 mg of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, unknown grams of fibre, 13 grams of sugar, 0.8 grams of protein.
Ingredients (Google translated from Polish): Sugar, glucose syrup, skimmed milk powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, sunflower oil, milk fat, palm oil, lactose and milk, whey powder (from milk), barley, barley extract, emulsifier (soy lecithin), egg powder, milk protein, natural vanilla extract.

February 21, 2021February 21, 2021 Michael

Reese’s Bar – Like a Reese Peanut Butter Cup with More Chocolate

Candy Bars

I don’t normally comment on (or care about) candy bar packaging, but the wrapper for Reese’s Bar is admirably uncluttered and really catches your eye. I like it.

Okay, maybe I’m commenting on the packaging because there isn’t a whole lot to say about this one — it’s pretty much exactly what it looks like. If you enjoy Reese Peanut Butter Cups but wish the PB-to-chocolate ratio were skewed a bit more in favour of the chocolate, then Reese’s Bar will be right up your alley.

I actually do wish that a Reese Peanut Butter Cup featured more chocolate, but this is a clear case of being careful about what you wish for, because the Hershey chocolate here is… well, it’s Hershey chocolate. It is what it is.

The whole thing is tasty enough, but the very sweet milk chocolate is overwhelming; the nice salty counterbalance you get in a standard Reese PB Cup is somewhat minimized.

Still. It’s peanut butter and chocolate. That’s never not going to be tasty.

Manufactured by: Hershey
Nutritional info (4 blocks, 40 grams): 200 calories, 12 grams of fat (6grams of saturated fat, 0.1 grams of trans fat), 5 mg of cholesterol, 80 mg of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 1 grams of fibre, 22 grams of sugar, 3 gram of protein.
Ingredients: Milk chocolate (sugars (sugar, lactose), cocoa butter, milk ingredients, unsweetened chocolate, lecithin (soy), polyglycerol polyricinoleate), peanuts, sugars (sugar, dextrose), cocoa butter, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, hydrogenated palm oil, palm kernel oil, salt, corn starch, TBHQ, citric acid.

February 14, 2021February 20, 2021 Michael

Coffee Crisp Stix: Salted Caramel – Sweet Wafery Goodness

Candy Bars

What is that thick layer in the middle of a Coffee Crisp? Flavoured white chocolate? I honestly have no idea.

Whatever it is, it’s missing from Coffee Crisp Stix. I would have thought that this would make this thing taste less like Coffee Crisp and more like a generic wafer bar, but its identity is relatively intact; it definitely has the distinctive flavour of its namesake.

I basically tastes like a lighter, more wafery version of Coffee Crisp. It’s tasty in most of the same ways, so suffice it to say, if you like Coffee Crisp you’re probably going to like this (and if you’re not Canadian and have no idea what Coffee Crisp is — don’t worry, you’re not missing out on anything too mind-blowing).

I’m pretty sure the exterior is actually mockolate and not chocolate (it’s pretty waxy), but it’s thin enough that it’s not really a big deal.

As for the salted caramel, I didn’t notice much of a caramel flavour, but there’s definitely a mild saltiness that does a nice job of complimenting the bar’s sweetness.

Manufactured by: Nestle
Nutritional info (2 bars, 32 grams): 160 calories, 8 grams of fat (4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat), 5 mg cholesterol, 65 mg of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fibre, 14 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein.
Ingredients: Sugar, modified palm and vegetable oils, wheat flour, modified milk ingredients, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, salt, coffee, cocoa, baking soda, yeast, polyglycerol polyricinoleate, protease, xylanase, natural flavours.

February 10, 2021 Michael

Hershey’s Gold – Kinda Tastes like a Reese’s Pieces Bar

Candy Bars, Chocolate

Like a lot of Hershey products, the word “chocolate” is conspicuously absent from the packaging of Hershey’s Gold. The reason for that is pretty simple — chocolate (even white chocolate) has to have a certain percentage of cocoa butter to legally use that name, and if you look at the ingredients here, you’ll notice a couple of types of oil, but zero cocoa butter.

Which means that while the base of this bar is theoretically caramelized white chocolate (a type of white chocolate that’s roasted to give it a deeper flavour), the stuff here is actually “caramelized creme.”

It also has peanuts and pretzels, and it’s actually pretty good. No, it’s not real chocolate. Yes, it’s a bit waxy, as you’d expect from the fake stuff. But it’s tasty enough.

The bar is so thoroughly suffused with little crispy and crunchy bits that the mockolate’s lack of creaminess is never all that obvious; the peanuts and pretzels add enough texture to (mostly) hide the mockolate’s faults.

It actually reminded me quite a bit of the filling of Reese’s Pieces; there’s no peanut butter in here, but the peanut bits are so generous that it definitely has that flavour.

As for the pretzel, it’s mostly just there for crispiness and for a mild hit of salt; the pieces are too tiny to particularly stand out.

Manufactured by: Hershey
Nutritional info (1 bar, 39 grams): 210 calories, 13 grams of fat (7 grams of saturated fat, 0.2 grams of trans fat), 5 mg of cholesterol, 85 mg of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fibre, 19 grams of sugar, 3 grams of protein.
Ingredients: Sugar, modified palm oil and modified vegetable oil (shea, sunflower and/or safflower), milk ingredients, peanuts, wheat flour, lactose, lecithin (soy), salt, malt, soybean oil, yeast.

February 7, 2021 Michael

Jelly Belly Mint Filled Chocolate Bar – Shockingly Good

Candy Bars

I’ll admit that I had extremely low expectations for this one. I mean, it’s Jelly Belly. They’re legendary for their jelly beans, but what do they know about chocolate?

Quite a bit, apparently!

Yes, this is a Jelly Belly product, but it has absolutely nothing to do with jelly beans — it’s just milk chocolate with a minty filling. It’s so much better than I thought it was going to be.

It’s basically like something that Andes would make, but better. Unlike an Andes product, it’s real chocolate, which helps. And it’s good quality chocolate, too — it’s nice and snappy, it’s rich and creamy, and it has a satisfying flavour that isn’t too sweet.

In a lot of bars like this, the chocolate itself is infused with a minty flavour, which makes the whole thing taste a bit toothpastey. But the mintiness here only comes from the filling, which gives the bar a great balance of minty and chocolatey flavour. I feel like this might have been slightly more satisfying if the mint were a bit softer (it’s basically the exact same texture as the chocolate), but that’s a minor complaint.

I started out assuming that this would be more of a novelty than anything else, but now I feel like I need to seek out other Jelly Belly chocolates. It’s weird how good it is.

Manufactured by: Jelly Belly Candy Company
Nutritional info (1 bar, 49 grams): 280 calories, 18 grams of fat (11 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 35 mg sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 26 grams of sugar, 0 grams of fibre, 3 grams of protein.
Ingredients: Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, chocolate liquor, soy lecithin (an emulsifier), vanillin), sugar, coconut oil, cocoa butter, nonfat dry milk, contains 2% or less of the following: whole milk powder, soy lecithin (an emulsifier), natural flavor, vegetable and fruit juice (color), turmeric (color).