creamy Archives - Page 4 of 8

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 17, 2021February 20, 2021 Michael

Huckleberry Gems – Like Viva Puffs without the Cookie

Marshmallow Treats

I learned something today: I had assumed that huckleberry wasn’t an actual thing, like a bumbleberry, but nope, it’s real. It apparently tastes like a blueberry, and it’s the state fruit of Idaho. So I suppose there are a bunch of Idahoans currently shaking their head at my disturbing lack of huckleberry knowledge.

Here’s the other odd thing: Huckleberry Gems, which the wrapper describes as “huckleberry marshmallow creme covered in rich milk chocolate,” contains zero huckleberries or anything even huckleberry-adjacent. A quick perusal of the ingredients confirms that no fruit was harmed in the making of this product.

That’s never a great sign, but this turned out to be decent enough. The marshmallow is creamy and not too rubbery, the chocolate is okay if overly sweet, and despite the odd lack of fruit in the ingredients, it has a pleasantly berry-tinged flavour. It reminded me of a more chocolatey version of Viva Puffs (which I just discovered is a Canadian thing; sorry Americans, you’re missing out) but without the cookie.

It’s fine, but honestly, if I’m craving something like this, I’d rather just have a Viva Puff.

Manufactured by: Idaho Candy Co.
Nutritional info (2 pieces, 34 grams): 140 calories, 4 grams of fat (2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 10 mg sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 20 grams of sugar, 0 grams of fibre, 1 gram of protein.
Ingredients: Milk chocolate (sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, soy lecithin (added as an emulsifier), and vanilla), corn syrup, sugar, invertsweet congealed sugar, sorbitol, gelatin, egg albumen, natural and artificial flavors, invertase (glycerine and aqueous extract of invertase from yeast and sodium citrate), and glycerine.

February 3, 2021 Michael

Kit Kat Chunky: Caramel – Way too Sweet

Candy Bars

I don’t think there’s any other candy bar with as many varieties as Kit Kat. It’s not even close. According to Wikipedia, over 300 flavours of Kit Kat have been made for the Japanese market alone, and Japan definitely isn’t the only country in the weird Kit Kat game.

They’re able to do this with Kit Kat because the wafer/chocolate combo is basic enough to lend itself to any number of flavour varieties, and delicious enough that basically anything you throw at it is going to taste good.

Kit Kat Chunky, on the other hand, seems to be a different story. I think the biggest problem is that, instead of merely adding a flavour to the chocolate, they actually cram something into the bar itself, on top of the wafer (caramel, in this case). This means that they have to use a smaller wafer (about half the size, as far as I can tell), which throws off the balance of the bar.

Kit Kat Chunky: Cookie Dough had the same issue. The crispy wafer normally does a great job of balancing out the bar’s sweetness, but the smaller version here isn’t particularly able to perform that function. This is especially an issue with the gooey caramel, which is intensely sweet. It’s overwhelming.

It’s too bad, because this seems like a great idea in theory, but in practice it’s a bit sickening in its unrelenting sweetness.

Manufactured by: Nestle
Nutritional info (1 bar, 55 grams): 280 calories, 15 grams of fat (9 grams of saturated fat, 0.2 grams of trans fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 55 mg sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 30 grams of sugar, 1 gram of fibre, 4 grams of protein.
Ingredients: Sugars (sugar, glucose), milk ingredients, cocoa butter, unsweetened chocolate, modified palm and modified vegetable oils, wheat flour, coconut oil, soy lecithin, cocoa powder, polyglycerol polyricinoleate, salt, baking soda, yeast, calcium sulphate, natural flavour, protease, xylanase.

January 31, 2021 Michael

Duplo – Like a Hazelnutty Kit Kat

Candy Bars

Confusingly, Ferrero actually makes two different European candy bars called Duplo; one features three segments, each with a whole hazelnut surrounded by chocolate cream, and the other is a Kit-Kat-esque wafer bar infused with hazelnut. This particular one is the wafer variety, and it’s made in Poland, with nothing but Polish on the wrapper.

It’s quite good. It has so much resemblance to a Kit Kat that it would be hard for it not to be tasty. The wafer is nice and crispy, the chocolate is creamy, and the pronounced hazelnut flavour compliments it perfectly.

I wish the quality of the chocolate were better (it’s a bit one-note sweet), and the crispiness of the wafer could be more pronounced. But mostly, this is an above average chocolate bar that really capitalizes on the inherent tastiness of the hazelnut/chocolate combo.

Manufactured by: Ferrero
Nutritional info (100 grams): 555 calories, 33.5 grams of fat (19.1 grams of saturated fat, unknown grams of trans fat), unknown mg of cholesterol, 191 mg of sodium, 56.09 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fibre, 50.49 grams of sugar, 6.19 grams of protein.
Ingredients (Google translated from Polish): Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, full-milk powder, cocoa butter, emulsifier: lecithin (soya), vanillin), sugar, palm oil, shea vegetable oil, wheat flour, hazelnut, wheat powder, cocoa powder with reduced fat content, emulsifier: lecithin (soya), wheat starch, salt, raising agents (ammonium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate), vanillin.

January 24, 2021January 30, 2021 Michael

Bounty – Delicious Coconut and Chocolate

Candy Bars

I’m really not sure how I’ve managed to get to over a hundred reviews on this blog without doing Bounty, which has always been one of my favourites. In fact, I think it might have been my absolute favourite candy bar when I was a kid, which means that in a lot of ways, my warm fuzzy feelings for Bounty are tied up in childhood nostalgia. So take everything I say about it with a grain of salt.

It’s really good, though.

It’s just coconut and milk chocolate, but as far as these types of candy bars go (I think Almond Joy and Mounds are the other big ones), Bounty is where it’s at. The coconut is very sweet but not overwhelming, with a nice coconut flavour. It’s fairly dense, and moist enough that you’re not going to be chewing on dried up coconut bits long after the flavour has gone.

The generous layer of decent quality milk chocolate compliments the coconut perfectly. The fat kid version of me bought these on a fairly regular basis, and eating it again now, I can definitely see why.

Manufactured by: Mars
Nutritional info (2 pieces, 57 grams): 270 calories, 13 grams of fat (10 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat), 5 mg of cholesterol, 55 mg of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fibre, 28 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein.
Ingredients: Milk chocolate (sugar, modified milk ingredients, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, lactose, soy lecithin, artificial flavour), coconut, sugar, glucose syrup, glycerol monostearate, glycerol, salt, artificial flavour, sulphites.