toffee Archives - Page 2 of 3

November 15, 2020January 10, 2021 Michael

Crispy Crunch – Better than (most of) the Competition

Candy Bars

After reviewing 5th Avenue, Butterfinger, and now Crispy Crunch, I think I can say with a reasonable amount of confidence that they’re all about the same. Crispy Crunch is probably the best of the bunch, however, if only for the presence of actual chocolate in the ingredients, and thanks to its more pronounced toffee flavour.

Actually, I take that back — the best of the bunch is none of the above. The real champion of this type of bar is Zagnut, which goes against the grain by forgoing chocolate altogether; instead, it’s coated with a layer of toasted coconut, a combo that works so much better than you’d think. It’s a fairly obscure candy bar that deserves a much higher profile. It’s delicious.

As for Crispy Crunch, it’s the same crunchy, peanut-buttery, toffee-infused candy you’ll find in all the aforementioned bars. Like the rest of them, I wish it had a more pronounced peanut butter flavour, but it’s tasty enough for what it is, and the layer of toffee beneath the chocolate sets it apart somewhat. The thin chocolate coating may as well not even be there, however, and the whole thing is probably a bit sweeter than it needs to be.

Go try a Zagnut is what I’m saying. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Manufactured by: Cadbury
Nutritional info (1 bar, 48 grams): 220 calories, 10 grams of fat (4 grams of saturated fat, 0.1 grams of trans fat), 0 mg of cholesterol, 140 mg of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fibre, 27 grams of sugar, 3 grams of protein.
Ingredients: Sugar, glucose syrup, peanuts, modified palm oil, modified milk ingredients, modified vegetable oil, blackstrap and fancy molasses, cocoa, unsweetened chocolate, salt, wheat flour, vegetable oil, mono- and di-glycerides, soy lecithin, natural flavour.

October 21, 2020January 10, 2021 Michael

Skor – Delicious Butter Toffee with Chocolate

Candy Bars

The continued existence of both Skor and Heath is a bit of a head-scratcher; they’re both made by Hershey, and they’re both pretty much the same thing. I thought that they might just be the same bar with different branding (like Milky Way and Mars Bar), but apparently they’re slightly different.

The wrapper describes Skor as “butter toffee crunch enrobed in milk chocolate.” Like Heath, it also features little pieces of almond interspersed throughout.

It’s really, really good. I think it’s actually slightly better than Heath; the toffee has a very rich, delightfully buttery flavour, and the ratio of chocolate to toffee is perfect. It’s quite sweet, but the sweetness feels just right. It’s delicious.

Manufactured by: Hershey
Nutritional info (1 bar, 39 grams): 200 calories, 12 grams of fat (7 grams of saturated fat, 0.3 grams of trans fat), 20 mg of cholesterol, 105 mg of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fibre, 23 grams of sugar, 1 gram of protein.
Ingredients: Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, unsweetened chocolate, milk ingredients, lactose, salt, lecithin (soy), natural flavour), sugar, butter (milk), almonds, sweetened condensed milk (milk, sugar), salt, unsweetened chocolate, sunflower oil.

January 19, 2009January 10, 2021 Michael

Hershey’s Symphony – Like a Heath Bar with More Chocolate

Candy Bars, Chocolate

Though Hershey has seen fit to cheapen many of its bars by replacing milk chocolate with mockolate in an effort to cut costs, it’s nice to see that you can still find real milk chocolate in at least a few Hershey products.

Hershey’s Symphony is actually quite similar to a Heath bar, only with the proportions of chocolate and toffee reversed; where Heath is mostly toffee with a chocolate coating, Symphony is mostly chocolate with little bits of almonds and toffee. The bar proudly proclaims that it features “50% more toffee,” and they’re definitely not kidding around. Though Symphony is mainly milk chocolate, there’s enough toffee in there to give each mouthful a good crunch, and to give the whole bar a surprisingly pronounced toffee taste. That’s why it’s so easy to compare this to a Heath bar, because it really is basically like a Heath with a milder toffee taste.

I generally like Hershey’s milk chocolate, though it’s not my favourite. The chocolate here is fairly creamy, and is complemented nicely by the toffee. It’s not bad at all.

An addendum – I would like to point out something that I thought was amusing, if a bit sad: There are instructions on how to open the wrapper for this candy bar. On the outside corner of the wrapper’s flap, it says “lift & pull here.” On the other side of the flap, Hershey has helpfully advised you to “hold here.”

I’m not sure what’s more sad: the fact that Hershey thought that people would need instructions to open a candy bar wrapper, or the fact that someone actually does need instructions to open a candy bar wrapper.

Manufactured by: Hershey
Calories (42 g bar): 220

December 15, 2008January 10, 2021 Michael

Heath – Classic Toffee Deliciousness

Candy Bars

Heath may not be the most exciting bar in the store, but with its memorable combination of crunchy toffee and creamy milk chocolate, it’s definitely a classic.

Heath pretty much defines simplicity: it’s just a flat piece of crunchy toffee coated in chocolate. That’s it. Simple, but good. The toffee is crunchy and somewhat crumbly, with a rich, almost burnt-sugary taste. It has a buttery flavour, with a mild saltiness that helps to offset the overall sweetness of the chocolate and the toffee. The chocolate is decent, and unlike some other Hershey products, it’s still real milk chocolate.

I’m really not sure what else to say about Heath, a bar that’s been around for just about eighty years. Uh… it’s good in ice cream?

Okay, I think I’ll cut this one short.

Manufactured by: Hershey
Calories (39 g bar): 210

November 27, 2008January 10, 2021 Michael

Dark Chocolate Moose Munch Chocolate Bar – So, So Good

Candy Bars

Moose Munch is definitely unique – popcorn isn’t generally an ingredient you’ll find in all that many candy bars (in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever had a candy bar with popcorn in it). But this bar certainly makes a persuasive argument for the inclusion of popcorn in chocolate.

The Dark Chocolate Moose Munch Chocolate Bar features a creamy, truffle-like centre with chunks of almonds, crunchy toffee and popcorn, all enrobed in dark chocolate. The centre alone – a smooth, richly intense dark chocolate fudge – is enough for me to give this bar a hearty recommendation. It’s really good. The crunchy bits elevate this from “delicious” to “why can’t I buy this in Canada??” (I purchased this bar at a Target in the States, and have lamentably never seen it anywhere in Canada).

The combination of Almonds and dark chocolate is an old standby, and works quite well here. The bits of crunchy toffee have a fairly distinct flavour and definitely add more than just crunchiness to the mix. As for the popcorn, it’s not present in every mouthful, but when it is there it gives this bar a nicely unique flavour. It all adds up to something that is surprisingly awesome. It’s probably a good thing that this isn’t readily available where I live – if it were, I’d be eating it all the time, and would inevitably wind up like the gluttony guy from Seven.

Manufactured by: Harry and David
Calories (56 g bar): 290