nougat Archives - Candyrageous

July 27, 2021 Michael

Snickers – The Most Popular Candy Bar in the World

Candy Bars

On one hand, it’s kind of odd that I’ve gone this long without reviewing plain old Snickers. On the other hand, who needs a review of Snickers? Is it really any kind of public service to review a candy bar that literally every person on the planet has tried? If you’re unfamiliar with Snickers, I’m going to assume you’ve just emerged from an Encino Man scenario, and probably have better things to do than read a candy blog.

Snickers consists of nougat, caramel, and peanuts, all covered in a generous layer of milk chocolate. But of course, you know that already, because it’s Snickers. It’s the top-selling candy bar in the world (or at least it was a few years ago).

It’s good. There’s obviously a reason why it’s so popular: the nougat and the caramel have a satisfying chewiness, the peanuts add a nice crunch, and the creamy chocolate rounds it all out. It’s aggressively sweet, though the slightly salty peanuts do a decent job of offsetting that a bit. It’s certainly not my favourite candy bar, but it’s easy enough to see why it’s such a big deal.

Manufactured by: Mars
Nutritional info (1 bar, 52 grams): 250 calories, 12 grams of fat (4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0.1 grams of trans fat), 5 mg cholesterol, 125 mg sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 27 grams of sugar, 1 gram of fibre, 4 grams of protein.
Ingredients: Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, milk ingredients, cocoa mass, lactose, soy lecithin), peanuts, corn syrup, sugar, modified palm oil, skim milk, lactose, salt, dried egg-white, artificial flavour.

May 30, 2021 Michael

Planters Salted Caramel Nut Bar – Like PayDay, but Better

Candy Bars

At first glance, the Planters Salted Caramel Nut Bar looks like it should be identical to a PayDay. Like PayDay, it consists of salted peanuts, caramel, and a nougat centre (well, PayDay is technically caramel all the way through, but the “caramel” base is actually quite nougat-like).

It tastes quite different, however, thanks to the nougat centre, which is delightfully soft and creamy, with a fluffy consistency and an almost marshmallow-like flavour. It’s very sweet, but it’s perfectly balanced by the salted caramel and the very generous amount of salty peanuts, which have a nice roasty flavour that adds a lot to the bar.

It’s kind of like a cross between a PayDay and the Pecan Log Rolls they sell at Cracker Barrel (which, FYI, are amazing — the next time you find yourself in a Cracker Barrel, buy one. Trust me, you’ll thank me later). It’s crunchy and creamy, sweet and salty, and it’s delicious.

Manufactured by: Planters Peanuts
Nutritional info (1 bar, 85 grams): 390 calories, 22 grams of fat (5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 200 mg sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 36 grams of sugar, 3 grams of fibre, 9 grams of protein.
Ingredients: Peanuts, sugar, corn syrup, palm oil, reduced lactose whey (milk), salt, coconut oil, natural and artificial vanilla flavouring, soy lecithin, modified soy protein, invertase, natural antioxidant (canola oil, rosemary extract, natural mixed tocopherols, sunflower oil).

May 23, 2021 Michael

Mars Bar – One of the Greats

Candy Bars

Mars Bar (A.K.A. Milky Way if you’re in the States) is an absolute classic. It’s essentially the platonic ideal of a candy bar: it’s chocolatey, substantial, chewy, sweet, and thoroughly satisfying. It’s always been one of my favourites — I haven’t had one in years, and it might have been even better than I remembered.

(In fact, I think I was so eager to eat it that I actually forgot to take a photo of the bar itself. Whoops.)

It’s extremely simple: it’s just nougat, caramel, and chocolate.

Everything here just works. The fluffy nougat and dense caramel are chewy, but not aggressively so (it’s not going to work out your jaw like some overly enthusiastic nougat or caramel bars). The nougat has malted milk powder mixed in, which might just be the bar’s secret weapon. It adds a delightfully malty flavour that brings some complexity and helps to balance out the intense sweetness of the bar. Mars Bar is very, very sweet, but it’s a well-tuned sweetness; it never tastes overbearing.

And then, of course, there’s the generous layer of decent quality milk chocolate, which is what you want it to be. Sometimes the chocolate on a candy bar is basically there for appearances only, or just to bind everything together, but the chocolate here adds a lot to the bar. It’s good stuff.

Manufactured by: Mars
Nutritional info (1 bar, 52 grams): 240 calories, 9 grams of fat (6 grams of saturated fat, 0.1 grams of trans fat), 5 mg cholesterol, 70 mg sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 30 grams of sugar, 1 gram of fibre, 2 grams of protein.
Ingredients: Sugar, corn syrup, milk ingredients, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, hydrogenated palm and palm kernel oil, lactose, malted milk powder (malted barley, milk ingredients, sodium bicarbonate, salt), palm oil, soy lecithin, salt, dried egg-white, artificial flavour.

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.

January 13, 2021 Michael

Charleston Chew – Listen to the Packaging and Try it Frozen

Candy Bars

Charleston Chew is one of those old-timey candy bars that’s been around for decades and decades. Which is obvious just by looking at it — it’s named after the Charleston, the dance that was popular in the 1920s. It’s got some history.

It’s an abundantly simple bar. It’s just vanilla-flavoured nougat (it’s also available in chocolate or strawberry) with a chocolatey coating.

Yes, the chocolate is fake, but in this case it doesn’t really matter — the nougat is chewy enough to completely overwhelm the texture of the mockolate.

“Chew” is right there in the name, so it shouldn’t come as any particular surprise that it’s intensely chewy. The nougat here is quite different from the stuff you’ll find in something like a Mars Bar — it’s way, way more dense.

It’s vaguely marshmallow-esque, both in its flavour and texture, with a springier, more marshmallow-like consistency than traditional nougat. But it’s a lot chewier than any marshmallow I’ve ever had. It’s closer to the level of chew you’ll find in a Tootsie Roll, which isn’t surprising considering that this is made by the same company.

The packaging says to try it frozen, which I did. I mean, what am I supposed to do, not take advice from a candy bar wrapper?? I’m generally not crazy about freezing candy bars, so I was highly skeptical about this.

It was way better than I thought it would be; the freezing process completely changes the texture of the bar. I had feared it was going to be inedibly chewy, but instead the frozen bar takes on an appealing crunchiness (that eventually gives way to chewiness) that kind of reminded me of a Crunchie bar. I can admit when I’m wrong: this is clearly the superior way to eat a Charleston Chew.

Manufactured by: Tootsie Roll Industries
Nutritional info (1 bar, 53 grams): 230 calories, 6 grams of fat (5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat), 10 mg of cholesterol, 20 mg of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 1 grams of fibre, 31 grams of sugar, 1 gram of protein.
Ingredients: corn syrup, sugar, palm kernel and palm oil, nonfat dry milk, cocoa, lactose, milk protein concentrate, egg albumen, artificial flavor, soy lecithin, soy protein, salt, sodium citrate.