Tag: Candy

REVIEW: M&M’s Classic Mix and Peanut Mix

Marvo 8 Comments

M M s Classic Mix and Peanut Mix Pouches

It has never dawned on me to mix M&M’s varieties. Is it a thing that people have been doing all this time, and I just didn’t know about it? The only out of the ordinary thing I’ve been doing with the candy is blindfolding myself, trying to determine the shell’s color using only my non-sight senses, and getting it right 100 percent of the time.

Besides, it’s rare for me to have different M&M’s varieties in my house at the same time. And if there were, they were probably like ships passing in the night.

But now Mars Chocolates has done the mixing for us with its Classic Mix (Milk Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Peanut M&M’s) and Peanut Mix (Milk Chocolate Peanut, Dark Chocolate Peanut, and White Chocolate Peanut M&M’s). There’s also an M&M’s Mystery Eggs Mix for Easter that has Milk Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Double Chocolate M&M’s. But I wasn’t sent that for review.

You’d think combining these different varieties, whose delight factors vary from good to great, would create something unique. But it’s not a best of all worlds ordeal.

M M s Peanut Mix Closeup

When I pop any combination of the candies into my mouth, my tongue can’t determine which M&M’s is which, especially with the Peanut Mix, which overall tastes like regular Milk Chocolate Peanut M&M’s. Although, if I happen to stuff my maw with all White Chocolate Peanut M&M’s, my taste buds notice it.

M M s Classic Mix Closeup

With the Classic Mix, I can, of course, tell which is the Peanut one, but as a whole, most combinations taste like Peanut M&M’s. And that’s a shame because this has my favorite permanent variety — Peanut Butter. I love the burst of nuttiness and saltiness they have, but it’s hard to detect when mixed with the other two.

But if you prefer to pick out your M&M’s individually, it’s easy to determine which is which with the Classic Mix. The largest ones are Peanut, the smallest ones are Milk Chocolate, and the in-between ones are Peanut Butter. With the Peanut Mix, good luck determining what Peanut M&M’s flavor you’re pulling because they all look the same.

I like all these M&M’s individually, but I don’t taste anything special when paired with each other. To be honest, I wish it was more like Pringles’ effort to create new flavors by stacking multiple varieties. For example, a cheesecake mix that combines White Chocolate Cheesecake M&M’s with current and past M&M’s would’ve been neato.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples. Thanks, Mars! Doing so did not influence my review. Also, my apologies for the messed up candy shell colors. You see, I got these a few months ago, and only recently I opened them. My office, where I had them, is not the optimal place for chocolate candy. Sorry, Mars!

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 8.3 oz sharing size pouches
Purchased at: Received from Mars
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz) Classic Mix – 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber 15 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Peanut Mix – 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0mgc 10 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Hershey’s Whozeewhatzit Bar

Rachel 11 Comments

Whozee1 pkg

What is Hershey’s Whozeewhatzit Bar?

Whozeewhatzit – that sounds like that old defunct Hershey bar Whatchamacallit. What’s that you say? Whatchamacallit was never discontinued? Are you sure? Still to this day? Really? Oh, yeah, there it is right by the register. Huh. Look at that.

It turns out Whatchamacallit never left us. It’s just been hiding in plain sight while Hershey bars, Kisses, and Kit Kats got fancy new flavor releases. Well, now it’s Whatcha’s time to shine with a new spinoff! Whozeewhatzit features a thick slab of cocoa crisps topped with a thin layer of peanut butter creme instead of Whatcha’s peanut butter crisps with caramel on top. They’re both covered in a layer of chocolate.

Whozee2 inside

But wait, didn’t Whatcha have a short-lived little sister in the late ‘00s? Thingamajig? With cocoa crisps and peanut butter creme and a red wrapper… hmmm… that sounds familiar…

How is it?

It had been a long time since I’d had a Whatcha, so I grabbed one to refresh my memory. I recall it being a tasty treat, but it didn’t dazzle me the way other Hershey products have.

They both had thick and rocky centers, a bit like trail bars in texture, and a basic Hershey milk chocolate coating. The crisps were densely-packed but airy, the creme layers just skimmed over the top. The difference came in the flavors. The Whatcha was intensely peanut-buttery with the caramel taking a back seat. The Whozee was half cocoa, half PB. They were both delicious, but the Whozee flavor combo gave the bar a lightness that I preferred. I would buy it again over the Whatcha. Hardcore PB fanatics might prefer Whatcha.

Whozee3 closeup

I’ve never had the Thingamajig, so I couldn’t directly compare, but it looks exactly the same in photos. If you’ve tried both, comment below and tell us if they’re dupes.

Also, just look at these Roy-Lichenstein-inspired power pop wrappers. So pretty.

Whozee4 wrappers

Anything else you need to know?

The Whozee got its name from a contest that I hadn’t even heard about, so congrats to Lisa M. But until I see photos of you waving dollar bills and biting into a prototype bar, I will assume you’re the pen name of a marketing executive.

Conclusion:

I find the Whozeewhatzit an improvement on the original Whatchamacallit, which was already a decent, if overlooked, candy bar. Diehard peanutbutterers could be just a tad disappointed, but if you like-but-don’t-live-and-breathe PB, definitely give it a go.

Purchased Price: 2 for $2.00 (on sale)
Size: 1.6oz bar
Purchased at: Walgreens
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 250 calories, 14 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 110 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 1 grams of fiber, 21 grams of sugar, including 19 grams of added, and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Reese’s Snack Cake

Julie 18 Comments

Reese s Snack Cake Package

What are Reese’s Snack Cakes?

Each snack consists of a chocolate cake layer topped with Reese’s peanut butter creme and covered in milk chocolate.

How are they?

Reese s Snack Cake Exterior

When I unwrapped my package of Reese’s Snack Cakes, I was expecting a take on a Hostess CupCake or Zinger: a supple, airy sponge slicked with icing. What I found looked more like a candy bar: two chocolate-coated rectangles nestled in a cardboard sleeve, compact and entirely coated with milk chocolate.

Intrigued by the snack’s appearance (and anything involving peanut butter), I felt this warranted deeper investigation. Because I’m weird, I like to analyze snacks layer by layer, pretending that I’m a junk food scientist studying a sugary ecosystem. Here are my findings:

The milk chocolate coating is smooth and creamy. It tastes like what you’d find in the candy aisle, but a little sturdier and less prone to melting.

Next, the peanut butter creme has the delicious flavor of Reese’s filling, but with textural differences that remind me of marzipan or even hard fudge. It is soft, but dense and malleable enough that the layer can retain its shape when separated from the cake.

Reese s Snack Cake Innards

Finally, the cake layer is difficult to classify. Its deep cocoa flavor pairs well with the other cake components, but its texture is unsuccessful. Dense, dry, and crumbly, it is barely a cake. It tastes like a cake deprived of moisture or air, with all of its crumbs squeezed together. It brings to mind protein-enhanced snack bars (think Protein One), and with six grams of protein, it could probably pass as one more easily than it could pass as a cake.

Overall, the peanut butter and chocolate outshine an unsuccessful cake, which should have been the star of this snack. A different product name would have helped to leverage expectations, but the result is not Reese’s strongest offering.

Anything else you need to know?

Reese s Snack Cake Size

In press releases, Reese’s has billed its Snack Cakes as breakfast or mid-morning snacks. Given both the product’s candy bar sweetness and lack of resemblance to cake, I don’t understand the breakfast connection. Coffee cakes, muffins, and scones will not need to fight these snack cakes for space at the brunch table.

Conclusion:

Decidedly un-cakelike, Reese’s Snack Cakes deliver on the classic chocolate and peanut butter pair, but are worth less than the sum of their parts.

Purchased Price: $1.99
Size: 2.75 oz pack (2 cakes)
Purchased at: Sheetz
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 380 calories, 21 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 45 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 33 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolate Meltaway Roses

Mark 6 Comments

Hershey s Kisses Milk Chocolate Meltaway Roses Bag

What are Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolate Meltaway Roses?

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Hershey’s has given us Kisses with a meltaway chocolate center, wrapped in rose-print foil with green plumes. (“Plumes” is the official name of the little strips of paper, but if I have to explain it, it’s easier just to call them strips of paper.)

How are they?

These are certainly more interesting than standard Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kisses. If you simply chomp them, they are much softer.

The shell is the same as other filled Kisses; it’s a little shinier than plain milk chocolate.

Hershey s Kisses Milk Chocolate Meltaway Roses Hearts

As for the filling, “meltaway” is an apt description. It does melt and dissolve faster than regular chocolate (milk or dark). It seems darker, both color-wise and flavor-wise, than regular Hershey’s chocolate, even though it’s still milk chocolate. I wonder if Hershey’s got its inspiration from candy truffles found in those heart-shaped candy boxes.

Really, though, my palate isn’t sophisticated enough to describe or recognize what makes the filling so different. Overall, the effect of these Kisses is “chocolate with other chocolate.”

At first, I was a little disappointed. But after eating more, I really enjoy them. Chocolate with chocolate is not a bad thing, and the textural contrast is more enjoyable than plain chocolate by itself.

Anything else you need to know?

Hershey s Kisses Milk Chocolate Meltaway Roses Bowl

I appreciate the rose-themed wrappers, but I don’t think they’re significant enough for “Roses” to be the product’s name.

Conclusion:

Hershey’s Kisses are a classic Valentine’s Day treat, but these Meltaway Kisses take the holiday standby up a notch.

Purchased Price: $2.98
Size: 9 oz. bag
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (7 pieces) 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 18 grams of sugar, 14 grams of added sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Key Lime Pie M&M’s

Julie 8 Comments

Key Lime Pie M M s Bag

Scheduled for a spring release, Key Lime Pie M&M’s made an early appearance at my local gas station in Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney Phil assures me that this is a sign we are in for an early spring, so what better way to celebrate than by digging into these lime-flavored white chocolate M&M’s? As a fan of both real white chocolate and last year’s Orange Vanilla Cream M&M’s, I was excited to try out this new citrus-inspired treat.

Larger than your standard plain variety, Key Lime Pie M&M’s have an appetizing scent, a mixture of sweet cream and citrus that somehow manages not to smell like hand lotion or furniture polish.

Key Lime Pie M M s Colors

The shell colors include shades of Kelly and pastel green to represent Key limes and pie filling, as well as off-white/eggshell to evoke whipped cream or a lightly-baked pie crust. The color combination is appealing, not only because it looks like components of Key lime pie, but because the colors match the outfit Ms. Green is wearing on the wrapper, which I think she would appreciate.

The white chocolate’s taste captures the essence of a lime pie filling, where sweet creamy or whipped filling is combined with a lime element. While Key lime pie purists might describe the creaminess as uncharacteristic of a Key lime’s sharp acid, the resulting balance in the M&M is really delightful.

Key Lime Pie M M s Innards

The white chocolate tastes mellow and un-cloying in its sweetness while the lime is refreshing and not too tart. (I don’t know that I’ve ever described white chocolate as refreshing before, so definitely take that as a sign of an interesting bite!) As I ate more, the lime flavor seemed to grow stronger, as did a pleasantly zesty aftertaste.

Of course, your mouth will not pucker from eating these M&M’s as it would a sour candy. On a 10-point scale of sourness with 1 being, say, a plain, humble noodle and 10 being a straight-up lemon wedge, these hover around 3 or 4. Anyone who loves that pucker a sharp lime curd or limeade brings may be disappointed, but I think the balance is really successful in terms of highlighting both the lime and white chocolate flavors.

Absent from the M&M’s is a pie crust flavor, which I am honestly okay with. A graham center, or even a standard crispy one, would have been fun way to add some texture, but the quality of the M&M does not suffer without one.

Although I have never won a blue ribbon in my county fair’s pie contest (I will one day — watch out, Mrs. Johnson!), I know that over-zesting citrus can lead to a bitter pith. Luckily the flavor of Key Lime Pie M&M’s didn’t leave me much to be bitter about. I’m sure I’ll be buying them again well into spring.

Purchased Price: $2.19
Size: 2.47 oz. Share Size bag
Purchased at: Sheetz
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 35g or 1/2 pack) 170 calories, 9 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 23 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.