Category Archives: Crispy

Hershey S’mores

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“Kum-Ba-Yah my Lord . . . Kum-Ba-Yah.” If you find yourself with the strange urge to sing campfire songs when you eat this candy, you won’t be alone. Hershey’s S’mores candy bar was born in 2003. The “snack size” 1.65-ounce treat is the one you’re most likely to find on display in grocery store aisles. The new candy bar was met with such success that a king-size bar rolled off production lines the next year.

Whatever size you choose, you’ll fine a new creation in Hershey’s S’mores. Unlike the traditional s’more eaten over a campfire, the graham cracker here is on the inside. Hershey’s chocolate gets wrapped around a layer of graham cracker bits topped with marshmallow. So bundle up in a sweater, cozy up by the fire, and rip open this candy bar! The ghost stories can wait until you’re done. And you don’t even need to nuke it in the microwave. Just to clarify, please don’t microwave this s’more, or you’ll find yourself with a big mess to clean up!

I think the Hershey’s S’mores bar offers enough variation from a plain chocolate bar to sell on the market. But marshmallow isn’t at the top of most consumers’ top tastes—probably right up there with coconut, which is a kind of love it or hate it flavor for most people. Graham cracker is a brilliant yet overlooked candy bar component—many more candy companies choose some type of wafer, nougat, or crisped rice for their chocolate complement. But it’s the combination of chocolate with these two unlikely ingredients—graham cracker and marshmallow—that makes this bar stand apart in the market. I’m prone to eating other s’mores flavored products, like Quaker Chewy Granola bars, but Hershey’s knows how to put out an even more tasty indulgence. Overcome the temptation to pick up your staple candy bar and give Hershey’s S’mores a shot.

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Sixlets

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Brought to us by SweetWorks, Sixlets are the type of candy you loved as a kid and still get the urge to try every now and then. They were a product of Hershey’s until 2003, when the chocolate giant sold the product to SweetWorks, headquartered in St. Augustine, Florida. These tiny candy-coated chocolate balls are smaller than M&Ms with a bit less chocolate taste. The cocoa-carob recipe lends to a malted milk ball flavor. You’ll find these plastic-wrapped candy tubes in grocery store aisles, convenience stores, and dollar stores, but they are fairly difficult to find in some states. They come in autumn colors: red, yellow, green, orange, and brown. Different flavors are slightly distinguishable from the candy shells, but the orange one has the strongest flavor. The others taste mostly like sugar, with thicker candy shells than M&Ms. And though some candies claim to melt in your mouth (not in your hand), Sixlets definitely will melt in your hand.

SweetWorks produces various chocolates, hard candies, jawbreakers, and gums, including Chocolate Oranges, Niagara Chocolates, and kids’ candy like Nitwitz Banana Heads. Though the Sixlets package claims the candy is manufactured by Oak Leaf Confections (one of Sweetworks’ brands), it is not featured on Oak Leaf’s website. Perhaps the candy brand is in transition still as Sweetworks figures out which products it will market where.

Even if it is somewhat of a mystery where Sixlets come from, the package is endearing and features a friendly caterpillar with a body made of Sixlets candies and a smile that says “dig in.?? And with that kind of an invitation, how could I resist? These tiny chocolate beads do give off more of a malted taste than I prefer, but I love how tiny they are. You can really pop in several at a time and make the nearly 2-ounce package last and last. Whether you are trying Sixlets for the first time or are picking up a pack for nostalgia’s sake, these little candies are unique, offering something different from M&Ms. But one question remains: If they are “Sixlets,?? why only five colors?

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Wonka Bar

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Have a hankering for a golden ticket? You may not find one under the wrapper, but you will discover a gold outer wrapper sealing in the chocolate and graham cracker goodness that is the Wonka Bar. Produced by Nestle, the Wonka Bar and other Wonka candies are pure fun for fans of the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or the 2005 Johnny Depp movie of the same name. (The 1971 Gene Wilder film was named differently: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.) In all of the above stories, young Charlie Bucket finds hope and a golden ticket inside the wrapper of a Wonka Bar, which leads him on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure in Wonka’s candy factory. For any child or adult who knows the story, there’s a certain magic that comes with opening up a Wonka candy bar, or sucking on an Everlasting Gobstopper. They may imagine themselves on a boat ride through a chocolate river, or even utter those nonsensical words: “Oompah, loompah, doopity doo.??

The Wonka Bar comes in two sizes, 1.3 or 2.6 ounces. The bar is pure milk chocolate with crunchy graham cracker pieces inside. Sectioned off like a Hershey bar, you can break it off and eat just a square at a time, which is great. I love this chocolate bar, and not just for the nostalgia factor. It’s smooth and chocolately without being boring. The crunchy graham cracker adds significant flavor without taking away from the chocolate.

You may not have realized, but many Nestle products have the Wonka name attached to them. Pixy Stix, Lik-M-Aid, Laffy Taffy, Nerds, Runts, Bottle Caps, Shockers, Tart ‘N Tinys, and Gobstoppers are all Wonka brand products, which only increases the fun factor of these already fun candies. And the Wonka Company, which opened in 1983, still runs golden ticket sweepstakes from time to time, giving away prizes like a trip to see the American Idol finale and results show. But whether or not you can afford just one Wonka Bar or a thousand, the chances of finding a golden ticket are slim. Lucky for you, the chocolate bar is incentive enough.

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After Eight Dark Chocolate Thin Mints

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From the moment I saw the package that these mints arrived in, I was intrigued. The elegant black and green box is only a hint of the upscale candy that was waiting on the inside. The entire package – the box, the name, and the candy itself – is a perfect combination that makes you feel like the upper crust of society just by popping one of these after-dinner mints in your mouth. Once I opened the box, I was surprised to find that each mint was individually wrapped in a brown, waxy-like paper, too. I knew that the taste I was about to experience was going to be one that I would undoubtedly enjoy.

These mints reminded me of the ones that I would buy when I was with my parents at the restaurant. They were in a jar by the cash register and they cost like five cents. Although the After Eight Dark Chocolate Thin Mints have a much better taste, they still bring back a sense of nostalgia to those good ol’ days when I had not worries and I had to ask if I could buy a mint for a nickel.

The convenient box contains 25 individually wrapped after-dinner thin mints with a strong minty inside. Made by Nestle’s European Chocolate Company branch, these mints not only taste chocolate and minty, but they also help to freshen your breath and give your mouth that cool feeling. They also have a gooey quality to them that makes them fun to set on your tongue and wait until the chocolate melts, leaving only the mint taste. At one time, they were deemed England’s finest mints, but now they are available in over 60 countries, including the United States and Canada.

Since each mint only has one gram of fat, you can savor a few of these at the end of each dinner. With the elegant box, these are also a great gift idea for Christmas or any other occasion. You just can’t go wrong when you give me candy as a gift.

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Easter M&Ms

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Just in time for Easter, the Mars Candy Company released their fun novelty version of their M&Ms. Contained in a fun pastel green plastic Easter egg, these M&Ms have the same great taste that the classic candy has had for decades, but the colors on the inside are festive pastels that make you get excited about the approaching spring season. On one side of each individual candy, there is the trademark “M?? that we’ve all come to know and love. On the other side of each candy, however, is a little tiny drawing that is in some way related to spring, such as a small little flower or grass. The pastel colors of purple, green, yellow, blue, and pink are a nice change from the normal colors that the company makes available throughout rest of the year. They should just have the pastel colors be the normal colors because they have an added since of fun.

The serving size for this item is two ounces. In each egg, there is approximately 50 M&Ms, which equals about two handfuls. If you have a spouse, you’re going to want to share these, but otherwise just pop as many in your mouth as you can and let them “melt in your mouth – not in your hand.?? These fun little pieces of milk chocolate with a candy coating is one of my favorites. What I like to do is get a handful and then hold them until the candy coating is softened before popping the entire handful in my mouth. Sometimes the candy coating is a little hard which ruins my enjoyment of the candy, which is why I like to soften them up a bit.

The Mars Candy Company also offers Easter varieties of other products, including Easter peanut M&Ms. These are basically the same concept, but with the classic peanut on the inside of each candy. These are fun at Easter time because they are egg-shaped candies, too. The Mars Candy Company has produced a great product in their M&Ms and they continue to satisfy many sweet tooths across the world.

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Whoppers Mini Robin Eggs

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How fun are these? I’m a huge fan of the original Whoppers candy that consists of crunchy chocolate milk balls, but these fun Mini Robin Eggs add a whole other element for Easter. As a bonus, since it is made by the Hershey Foods Corporation, you know you can’t go wrong eating these little things. Just in time for Easter with spring in the air, these candies are pastel colored in a wide variety of colors. They also look like Easter eggs with the added speckled touch on each piece. The mini eggs come in pastel purple, pink, blue, white and yellow so they would make a great display for Easter or the upcoming spring season if you have a clear candy dish in your home.

I love the interior of these candies, but I’m not a big fan of the hard candy coating. It doesn’t taste bad, but it’s a little too crunchy for my taste. But because of the inside, I couldn’t put the small milk-carton shaped box down until they were gone. The carton resembles the traditional Whopper carton, but it has a robin and some eggs on it to remind you of the approaching season. Each piece tasted the same so there was no variation in taste in relation to the color. In each carton, you get approximately 24 “eggs?? and there is only 5 grams of fat for every 24 pieces.

The Whoppers candy has had a long history in the United States satisfying many sweet tooths across the nation. When it was made popular several decades ago, the Whopper candies were sold as individual unwrapped pieces and you could but a couple for merely a penny. After a few years, the company decided to wrap each candy individually and sell them for a couple cents. Today, you can still go to your local candy store and buy Whoppers candies in bulk as individual pieces. Unfortunately, they’re not really a penny each like the used to be. Most candy places now sell by the pound, but whatever the price is, you won’t be disappointed.

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Hershey Easter Miniatures

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I love Hershey Miniature candy bars. I love all of the Hershey products and the Hershey Miniatures line brings many of their best products into one bag. I can enjoy the various tastes of the Hershey candy bars without the guilt of eating an entire candy bar. By the time I’m doing enjoying the Hershey’s miniatures, however, I’ve probably ingested the equivalent of two full-size candy bars. The small size is great for others, though. You can enjoy a small piece of candy after dinner to satisfy your sweet tooth, but without the guilt of eating too many calories.

Hershey Miniatures come in a bag of individually wrapped small candy bars. The most popular line of miniatures includes the following:

Krackel – crisped rice in milk chocolate. If you’ve had a Nestle bar, you know what this is. But Hershey Krackel is comparable if not better. This is my personal favorite because I like the crunch in addition to the milk chocolate creaminess. For Easter, this one comes individually wrapped in pink pastel foil.

Mr. Goodbar – I’m not a huge fan of peanuts, but I enjoy Mr. Goodbar. Pretty much anything mixed with chocolate tastes good – that’s my theory. This simple mixture is delicious, but it’s just not my preference. For the Easter line of Hershey Miniatures, the Mr. Goodbar variety comes individually wrapped in pastel yellow.

Milk Chocolate – There really are few things that compare to the simple and exquisite taste of plain Hershey’s milk chocolate. Without any other frills or combinations, Hershey Milk Chocolate stands alone as one of the best tastes in the world…or at least that’s my opinion. For Easter, this miniature candy bar is wrapped in shiny turquoise blue foil which is a stunning contrast to the other colors in the package.

Mildly Sweet Special Dark Chocolate – I’m not a huge dark chocolate fan, so this is my least favorite Hershey Miniature. Don’t get me wrong, though. I still enjoy it. But if I have to choose between the four, this one would be my least favorite. For Easter, this one is wrapped in a shiny green foil.

You just really can’t go wrong with anything made by Hershey’s. Their miniatures line has been satisfying sweet tooths for almost 70 years and they continue to please candy lovers. Recently, the company has began offering a nut-lovers line of miniatures. Although I’m not a big fan of nuts in my candy bars, I’m excited to try these next.

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Hershey’s Cajeta Elegancita

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How did Hershey’s, a brand founded in southern Pennsylvania, move south? It was simple, really. By forming a partnership with Latin singer/actress Thalia Sodi in 2004, the Hershey’s brand is strategically positioned to appeal to a Hispanic marketplace. The Cajeta Elegancita candy bar is just one product in the Hershey’s product line that Thalia herself promotes: La Dulceria Thalia (also known as Thalia’s Candy Store). In addition to sponsoring her U.S. tour, Hershey’s will participate in other promotions to pimp these candy bars to a Spanish-speaking audience. Some problems arose, however, when the candy bar with the flavor of “cajeta??? (a caramelized milk used in many desserts) was advertised in print magazines. In some Latin countries, like Argentina, the word cajeta is slang for female anatomy. Oops! A big mistake, but forgivable for many, who aren’t familiar with the term’s offensiveness in their native dialect.

Scandal aside, Hershey’s Cajeta Elegancita bar will be judged by its taste and taste alone. And I’m the self-appointed judge. I opened the wrapper to discover a sweet, coconut smell. I’m expecting a wafer candy bar with light chocolate coating, and I actually get two twin bars, like in a Twix package. The Cajeta Elegancita is kind of dry—the top of the wafer is not covered at all, merely drizzled with chocolate. It is supposed to have dulce leche (sweetened milk)—that’s the “Cajeta??? part. I suppose it does have a milky flavor, but it comes in more of a powdery taste than a liquid silk. The bar itself is okay, but nothing to write home about. It does remind me of some of the cookies I bought on trips to South America, so the authenticity is there. Anyway, it’s Hershey’s, so I don’t think they’ll have a problem making a few bucks. I’d personally be willing to try anything with the Hershey’s name attached to it, even more from La Dulceria Thalia.

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Kit Kat White Chocolate

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So the good folks over at Hershey’s have decided to throw a curve ball at us. Gone are the days when chocolate was simple and purely of the “milk??? variety. In today’s modern world, one can find everyday candy bars of all shapes and sizes and what’s more, all varieties of chocolate. Because of their many varieties, Kit Kat is the number two most popular candy bar in the world and number one in the UK. It is sold as both a candy bar and a cookie. Today I am sampling their newest confectionary creation – White Chocolate Kit Kats.

It still has the same well known (and most importantly) well loved, Kit Kat flavor, crunch and munch appeal, but this time, they’ve drenched the familiar wafers in luscious white chocolate. Four sweet and crispy wafers have been layered with a sugary white chocolate substance and the whole thing is encased in creamy, dreamy white chocolate. These Kit Kats have a certain appeal to them. They are just as delicious as their predecessors, but the white chocolate adds a smooth, sophisticated taste to the whole affair. They are the perfect candy for any time of the day – but especially when you want to treat yourself. The textures in this candy are superb. Crispy, crunchy, creamy, and slightly coarse sugary. The bar smells delicious – white chocolate is truly a pleasing fragrance – very reminiscent of vanilla beans. This is a very pleasing candy – it is filling without being overpowering but it definitely leaves you wanting more. It’s a good thing that Kit Kats come four bars to a pack!

Kit Kat Caramel

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Give me a break, give me a break, break me off a piece of that-GET YOUR OWN! THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE! Kit Kat has lost their minds! They have done something I never could have seen coming! Not only have they gigantasized their already infallible Kit Kat bar, but they have surgically implanted a creamy, gooey, tasty layer of caramel that flows through the bar like blood coursing through your veins. Pumping and pumping as if your heart is about to explode like a gladiator match inside the Colosseum fighting for your life, with wild Bengal tigers nipping at your heals. Spears of iron being thrown at your head. In the blazing hot summer sun at the height of the Roman Empire. It’s as though this bar has come to life, with one mission. To seek you out and destroy you!

This is nothing like I have tasted before. Expecting the usual dried up, pay less money for more bars assembly line taste that most other candy bars sell out for. The Kit Kat says nay, I have come for a much more prized possession, your soul! Besting all other so-called “caramel??? candy chocolate bars, the Kit Kat stands far above the competition with it’s true to name “caramel??? filling. But here’s the rub. That’s the only thing that they have done. Simply injected a layer of caramel. That’s it. There’s really nothing else to the Kit Kat Caramel bar. But that’s why it’s so brilliant. Because they have done what no other could. They have mastered the art of caramel. So forget everything else you know about caramel chocolate bars, and go pick up the new Kit Kat Caramel.