sweet and salty Archives

August 10, 2021August 10, 2021 Michael

Pretzel M&M’s – A Delicious Combo of Chocolate and Pretzels

Candy Bars

I’ve mentioned on this blog a few times that Peanut M&M’s are the king of M&M’s; this remains true, and I suspect will always remain true. There’s just something about them that can’t be beat. But Pretzel M&M’s are pretty damn close.

Chocolate-covered pretzels are delicious. M&M’s are delicious. Combine the two, and yeah, the result is delicious. What did you think was going to happen?

The generously-sized pretzel ball in the middle of each M&M does a great job of balancing out the sweetness from the candy shell and the milk chocolate, and of course, the sweet-and-salty mix that you’re expecting from a chocolate-covered pretzel is here, and it’s delightful. It helps that the balance between chocolate and pretzel is pretty much perfect; neither overwhelms the other, and they both work so well together.

The texture is great, too; the combo of the crispy shell, the crunchy pretzel, and the creamy chocolate is thoroughly satisfying. Peanut M&M’s may be the superior M&M, but they’re neck and neck.

Manufactured by: Mars
Nutritional info (1/4 cup, 35 grams): 160 calories, 5 grams of fat (3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat), 0 mg of cholesterol, 100 mg of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fibre, 18 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein.
Ingredients: Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa mass, milk ingredients, cocoa butter, lactose, soy lecithin, salt, artificial flavour, flavour), sugar, pretzel (enriched wheat flour, modified sago starch, salt, soybean oil, corn syrup, barley malt extract, baking soda, ammonium bicarbonate, yeast), cornstarch, corn syrup, tapioca, dextrin, colour (with tartrazine), salt, carnauba wax, modified coconut oil and / or modified palm oil (medium chain triglycerides), gum acacia.

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).

March 28, 2021March 28, 2021 Michael

Caramilk vs. Creamy Salted Caramel Dairy Milk

Candy Bars

Looking at the wrapper for Creamy Salted Caramel Dairy Milk, I had assumed that it was going to be basically identical to Caramilk. They’re both made by Cadbury, and they both feature caramel surrounded by milk chocolate. It seemed like a good candidate for a side-by-side review, a new thing I’m trying out for the blog.

As it turns out, the two are very, very different. A side-by-side comparison is probably somewhat unnecessary. But hey, I’ve already taken the pictures. I’ve eaten both bars. May as well do this.

(That’s Caramilk on the left and Dairy Milk on the right; all unwrapped pictures were shot at the same time, so they’re to scale.)

Caramilk is a classic. I reviewed Caramilk Thick several years ago, and my thoughts on the bar haven’t changed since then. The gooey caramel is ridiculously sweet (but satisfying), and the creamy Cadbury milk chocolate is as tasty as ever. The sweet chocolate and the even sweeter caramel means that it’s a bit of a throat-scorcher, but it’s a solid combo. It’s a classic for a reason.

I figured that Creamy Salted Caramel Dairy Milk was going to be Caramilk, but with a bit of salt. I was thoroughly wrong about that; the taste and texture of the caramel could not be more different. It’s thicker and richer, with a texture that’s more more fudgy than creamy. It seems like it shouldn’t be as satisfying as the soft caramel in a Caramilk, but it totally works.

And the flavour is so good. It solves every problem I have with Caramilk, and then some. It has a super satisfying butterscotch-like flavour; unlike Caramilk’s one-note sweetness, there’s a lot going on here, and it’s delightful. Its sweetness is surprisingly restrained, and the subtle hit of salt adds a great counterpoint to the caramel and the chocolate. And of course, the milk chocolate is standard Cadbury. It compliments the tasty caramel very well. It all adds up to something I enjoyed way more than I thought I would.

Caramilk

Manufactured by: Cadbury
Nutritional info (1 bar, 50 grams): 250 calories, 13 grams of fat (8grams of saturated fat, 0.2 grams of trans fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 55 mg sodium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 26 grams of sugar, 1 gram of fibre, 3 grams of protein.
Ingredients: Sugar, glucose syrup, milk ingredients, modified palm oil, unsweetened chocolate, modified vegetable oil, cocoa butter, salt, calcium chloride, citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavours.

Dairy Milk: Creamy Salted Caramel

Manufactured by: Cadbury
Nutritional info (5 pieces, 40 grams): 220 calories, 13 grams of fat (8 grams of saturated fat, 0.1 grams of trans fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 75 mg sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 21 grams of sugar, 1 gram of fibre, 3 grams of protein.
Ingredients: Milk chocolate (milk, sugar, cocoa butter, skim milk, whole milk powder, unsweetened chocolate, butter oil, soy lecithin, artificial flavour), salted caramel creme (sugar, modified palm oil, whole milk powder, skim milk powder, cocoa butter, sea salt, soy lecithin, tartrazine, allura red, natural and artificial flavours, brilliant blue FCF).

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.