coconut Archives - Page 2 of 2

January 9, 2009January 10, 2021 Michael

Coconut Patties – Coconut Candy Done Right

Candy Bars

This is the second coconut confection that I purchased from the Cracker Barrel, and it’s pretty much the complete opposite of the 3 Color Coconut, at least in terms of quality. Where 3 Color Coconut features the worst qualities of coconut candy (unpleasant chewiness combined with a lack of flavour), Coconut Patties features the best. It’s definitely one of my favourite coconut candies, alongside Bounty (which is still the king, as far as I’m concerned).

A package of Coconut Patties consists of two chewy, sweet patties of coconut, each one partially dipped in “chocolate.” The package does seem to claim that it’s real chocolate, though as far as I’m aware it is illegal to call something chocolate if it doesn’t contain cocoa butter, which is suspiciously absent on the list of ingredients. I’m not sure what the story is there, but it’s pretty much redundant anyway – the “chocolate” here only adds a subtle chocolatey flavour, so I doubt it would make much of a difference if it were real or if it were fake.

As for the coconut, it has a really rich flavour and is sweet without being too sweet. It’s chewy, but without that unpleasant “the flavour is gone, why am I still chewing this??” sensation. It’s definitely coconut done right.

Manufactured by: Anastasia Confections
Calories (2 patties, 75 g): 300

December 29, 2008January 10, 2021 Michael

Zagnut – Like a Butterfinger, but Better

Candy Bars

Zagnut surprised me. It’s one of those “classic” bars, and it’s always struck me as being somewhat ho-hum. That, combined with its limited availability (it’s not sold at all in Canada, at least outside of specialty stores), has led this to being one of the few major candy bars that I’ve never actually tried.

The bulk of Zagnut consists of crispy, crunchy peanut butter which is fairly similar (if not identical) to the stuff found within a 5^th Avenue or a Butterfinger. Both 5^th Avenue and Zagnut are made by Hershey, so it’s possible that both bars have the same base. Where Zagnut differs from the two other bars is its coating: Zagnut is covered in a layer of toasted coconut, as opposed to the chocolate (or mockolate, to be more accurate) found on 5^th Avenue and Butterfinger.

It’s surprisingly good. The toasted coconut gives Zagnut a pleasant coconutty taste, and proves to be a much better accompaniment to the crunchy peanut butter than mockolate (or even real chocolate). In fact I’m kind of surprised that Zagnut isn’t more popular than it is, as the toasted coconut works perfectly, and definitely makes this superior to both 5^th Avenue and Butterfinger. I guess the fact that it isn’t covered in chocolate probably works against it, as does the general ho-humness of the name and the packaging. Regardless, it is delicious, and definitely something I’ll be buying more often, at least when I can find it.

Manufactured by: Hershey
Calories (49 g bar): 230

December 8, 2008January 10, 2021 Michael

3 Color Coconut – Not Something I Ever Need to Eat Again

Candy Bars

I’m generally a pretty big fan of coconut in candy – Bounty, which is essentially a superior version of Mounds, is one of my favourites. But there are those who feel differently, such as Steve Almond, who described coconut as having a “creepy dead skin texture” (in his very entertaining book, Candyfreak). I can see what he’s saying with a complaint like that, though it’s not something that generally perturbs me. 3 Color Coconut, however, is drier and less sweet than the usual coconut candy, which makes the “dead skin” factor much more of an issue.

3 Color Coconut contains three sections with three distinct flavours: strawberry, vanilla and chocolate. The strawberry section definitely has the strongest flavour, with a sweet, unmistakably strawberry taste. Vanilla is just plain, sweetened coconut – only it’s not very sweet, and it doesn’t have a particularly pronounced coconut flavour (leading to the flavour running out before you’re actually done chewing it, and to the aforementioned dead skin problem). The chocolate section has a weak, vaguely chocolatey flavour (there’s no cocoa or anything even resembling chocolate in the list of ingredients, so take from that what you will).

The chocolate coating that you’d generally find in a coconut confection such as this (like Mounds or Bounty) is definitely missed here. It’s kind of dry and not particularly flavourful; while the three different flavours make this an interesting novelty, I can’t say it’s something I’ll ever buy again.

Manufactured by: Friesinger’s Candies
Calories (71 g bar): 320