Tag: Snickers

REVIEW: Nestle Coffee mate Snickers Creamer

Marvo 9 Comments

Nestle Coffee mate Snickers Creamer

Nestle has teamed up with, um, Mars to offer a Snickers-flavored coffee creamer. I’ll let the words on its 32 fluid ounce bottle tell you more, “Satisfied? You’re about to be. Because when it comes to satisfaction nobody does it like Snickers. And when it comes to creamer, nobody does it like Coffee mate. It’s a match made in peanut caramel chocolate coffee heaven.”

For those of you who don’t know what a Snickers bar is for some reason that I guarantee will be a sad story to me, it’s a layer of nougat topped with a layer of caramel with peanuts wading in it and everything is enrobed in chocolate. If that description makes your deprived mouth water, people who don’t know what a Snickers bar is, then let me disappoint it by saying this doesn’t remind me of the iconic candy bar in hot coffee, iced coffee, or in my new way of using creamer, overnight oats.

In the battle between Milky Way vs. Snickers, I’m #TeamSnickers. So I’ve had more than enough of the candy to know what it tastes like, and this doesn’t immediately or distantly remind me of it. I also tried it neat and could taste the chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel, but it formed an odd artificial sweet flavor that I wouldn’t enjoy on its own. Oddly, it smells wonderful, like cookies and cream.

Nestle Coffee mate Snickers Creamer Closeup

When added to coffee it still doesn’t taste like Snickers, but it also doesn’t taste like it does when sipped straight from the bottle. It’s mostly chocolatey, and the weird sweet flavor gets covered up by the java’s bitterness. But there also isn’t anything that reminds me of peanuts or caramel. (Also, what about the nougat?) With its strong chocolate base, it makes my coffee taste like a different shade of mocha. It’s a decent creamer, but I was expecting a bit more.

So, the “um” at the beginning of this review was my brain trying to wrap itself around the idea that Nestle has teamed up with Mars in some DC/Marvel-like crossover. Hey, Nestle rhymes with DC and Mars kind of rhymes with Marvel!

It’s a little odd to see Nestle, the brand behind such favorite candy bars as Butterfinger, Crunch, Baby Ruth, and 100 Grand, team up with Mars, the company behind more popular candy bars, to offer coffee creamers. But I guess now that the candy division of Nestle is now owned by Ferrero (yes, as in Ferrero Rocher), the Nestle that doesn’t deal with candy in the U.S. can do whatever the heck it wants.

With Coffee mate’s Snickers Creamer, it’s as if Nestle and Mars got lazy and slapped the Snickers name on this without actually making it taste like the popular candy bar. I mean, it’s as lazy as copying whatever text is on a bottle and using it in the first paragraph of a review. It’s fine as a coffee addition and I’ll drink the rest without hesitation, but if you’re a hardcore #TeamSnickers, it might not satisfy you.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 32 fl. oz. bottle
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 tbsp) 35 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 20 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Creamy Snickers Bars

Leonard 13 Comments

Creamy Snickers Bars

After its three “intense flavors” last summer Snickers is back with three more enticing new candy bars to satisfy your sweet tooth. This time it’s jumping on the nut butter bandwagon and replacing its signature full-size crunchy nuts with smooth and creamy butters.

Creamy Snickers Bars 6

They are available in multiple sizes, but for this review, I went with the sharing pouches that contain 11 individually wrapped squares. The flavors are creamy peanut butter, creamy almond butter, and creamy maple almond butter.

Creamy Snickers Peanut Butter

Creamy Snickers Peanut Butter Bars

The peanut butter was the first one I tried, and I immediately thought I got a dud of a bar. Where are the nuts? This isn’t a Snickers! Then I realized that the point of these bars was that the usual very noticeable nuts are now in the form of creamy butters. This one contains a layer of freshly ground peanut butter on top of caramel and ground peanuts all enrobed in milk chocolate.

This one reminded me of something, obviously relating to the king of the peanut butter/chocolate throne – Reese’s. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it as I was indulging so I went to enlist Mr. Google’s help, and it soon dawned on me.

Folks, ladies, and gentlemen, please move along — nothing to see (or taste) here. This is a Nutrageous bar in square form and 24 years after the fact. It’s good as you can’t go wrong with the combo of peanut butter and chocolate, but it’s nothing new and certainly not reminiscent of a Snickers.

Purchased Price: $2.98
Size: 7.70 oz bag
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 110 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 11 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

Creamy Snickers Almond Butter

Creamy Snickers Almond Butter Bars

After the disappointment of the peanut butter one, I had my expectations in check as I dove into bag number 2, but this is where things finally got interesting.

This one contains a layer of freshly ground almond butter on top of caramel and ground almonds all enrobed in milk chocolate. I was amazed as you can smell the nuttiness of the almonds before even biting in. With peanut butter, it always has to knock other flavors out of the way. The almond flavor here is more muted, but it allows all components to work together.

Snickers Almond Butter seems like it should be an oxymoron, but it works pretty well. The butter is a little grittier, but this adds to the joy as it really stands out to me that I’m eating a Snickers with freakin’ almond butter in it!

Purchased Price: $2.98
Size: 7.70 oz bag
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 110 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 80 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

Creamy Snickers Maple Almond Butter

Creamy Snickers Maple Almond Butter Bars

Finally, the maple one that I saved for last. But as the old adage tells us (and it rings true this time), this was definitely the best of the bunch.

This one is identical to the almond butter one but contains maple-flavored caramel and boy is it intense! I love all things maple so it may be too much for those who aren’t a fan. However, out of all three, this one was the first one where I thought I was eating something delicious and different. The maple is a lot, but it is punctuated by the nutty almond butter, the chewy caramel, and of course the chocolate.

Purchased Price: $2.98
Size: 7.70 oz bag
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 110 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

Other Things:

  • For all three the milk chocolate is just your standard candy bar variety, nothing special. The ground nuts in the caramel in each one also add a little bit of crunchy texture but not much.

    • Creamy Snickers Bars 5

  • To go along with the trendy/elevated ingredients, the packaging seems to have gotten an upgrade too. I’m digging the silhouette peanut & almond graphics as they are minimalist but also eye-catching both at the same time. The material also has more of a matte finish and seems to be a bit thicker. It does elevate the experience. However, the Snickers people want to make sure that they don’t come across as too snooty. Look at the backs of each bag – these aren’t artisanal, they are artisanal-ish. Take that homemade chocolate!
  • With peanut butter and almond butter conquered, anybody excited for Snickers Cashew Butter, Snickers Sunflower Butter, or how about Snickers School Safe Peanut Free Soy Butter?

QUICK REVIEW: Limited Edition Snickers White (Japan)

Rachel 5 Comments

Limited Edition Snickers White 1

What is Snickers White?

I’m in Japan – the mecca of novelty junk food! Of course, I sought out some new and quirky offerings. The traditional Snickers candy bar gets a paler makeover with white chocolate coating and lighter nougat filling. When I spied these on the shelf, they seemed so familiar, but I hadn’t seen or tried them before.

How is it?

When I unwrapped the candy bar, I didn’t know whether to bite into it or spread it on my toast. It looked like a stick of butter.

Limited Edition Snickers White 2

Once righted, I noticed the white chocolate coating was thin enough that I could make out individual nuts through it. ?
Limited Edition Snickers White 3

The caramel and peanuts here are the familiar and delicious Snickers taste combo, but the nougat is different. It’s slightly lighter in color and taste. I couldn’t tell if it was vanilla flavored or just generic “sugar.” It faded away behind the caramel, peanuts and white chocolate. I’m usually a big nougat fan, so this was a bummer.

Limited Edition Snickers White 4

The white chocolate in this candy bar was the dominant flavor, and very sweet. Cloyingly sweet to me. I found it a little off-putting. It also melted much quicker than the regular chocolate coating, so I ended up with white fingerprints all over my airline seat.

Limited Edition Snickers White 5

Is there anything else you need to know?

Staging an impromptu Snickers bar photo session on a plane will most certainly garner odd looks from the stranger sitting next to you. Be warned.

Limited Edition Snickers White 6

Conclusion:

Snickers White comes off as a too-sweet, washed out photocopy of an actual Snickers. Not as exciting as Snickers’ other recent innovations.

Purchased Price: 140 yen (approx. $1.24 US)
Size: 49 g bar
Purchased at: Family Mart, Shibuya, Tokyo
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per bar) 249 calories, 12.9 grams of fat, 4.9 grams of saturated fat, 280 milligrams of sodium, and 24.7 grams of sugar.

REVIEW: Snickers Salty & Sweet, Espresso, and Fiery Intense Flavors

Rachel 17 Comments

Snickers Salty Sweet Espresso and Fiery Intense Flavors

When Snickers announced back in October that they would release three new varieties – “Intense Flavors,” I was intrigued. Salty & Sweet, Espresso, and Fiery sounded interesting. But that was crisp, cool autumn. Now it’s sweaty June, the Intense Flavors are here, and it seems like a curious move. Who wants melty chocolate all over their hot fingers? I’m guessing this release might have been timed to defeat the summer chocolate slump and tear us away from our ice cream cones. Could be a smart move – it got me on board at a time when I’d be more likely to reach for the freezer.

The Snickers Intense flavors packaging is a subtle shift from the usual Snickers wrapper – so subtle that in a bin of bars, I had to dig around to locate each flavor. They looked like a pile of the same product. But this similarity did effectively communicate one thing – these are essentially Snickers bars with flavors added.

Snickers Salty Sweet Espresso and Fiery Intense Flavors 2

Also, they’ve stuck with the “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” themed logos. The Sweet & Salty bar says “Indecisive?” instead of “Snickers.” The Espresso says “Irritable?” and Fiery asks if you’re “Wimpy?” I hate this particular gimmick – the visual of all the different words offends my sense of graphic cohesion – so that definitely made me “Irritable.”

Snickers Salty Sweet Espresso and Fiery Intense Flavors 3

Snickers Intense flavors are slightly smaller than the basic Snickers. Now .04oz lighter doesn’t sound like much, but when I lined them up next to the Snick OG, it’s noticeable. The silver lining is that they’re 10 calories less than the original!

Snickers Salty Sweet Espresso and Fiery Intense Flavors 4

Aroma-wise, only the Snickers Espresso had a unique smell layered on top of the usual choco-nuttiness. The unmistakable scent of coffee.

Snickers Salty & Sweet tasted like a basic Snickers with a pinch of salt. That was the only difference I detected, but it was a welcome addition. It makes so much sense that I questioned for a hot second whether original Snickers had a salty kick all along. I had to go back and sample one to make sure. It may not be revolutionary, but it was delicious. Like a Snickers+.

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: What can’t be improved with a pinch of salt? Just make this the default Snickers flavor already.
Cons: It’s so right, it should have existed already…so not surprising at all.
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 240 calories, 11 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 26 grams of total sugars, 25 grams of added sugars, and 4 grams of protein.

Snickers Salty Sweet Espresso and Fiery Intense Flavors 5

Snickers Espresso was the biggest departure. Coffee isn’t a new or risky flavor these days, but it’s done well here. The espresso was richer than the usual coffee flavor products. It was present from the first bite but didn’t smother the original Snickers combo that I love. This was my favorite of the three and I would definitely buy it again.

Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Great espresso flavor that works well with the basic Snickers formula.
Cons: Makes me ashamed of how much I hate coffee (the drink).
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 240 calories, 11 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 27 grams of total sugars, 25 grams of added sugars, and 4 grams of protein.

Snickers Fiery was disappointing. It felt like ages until the chili pepper heat hit me. I’d finished chewing and started swallowing when the back of my throat lit up and stayed that way for longer than I’d have liked. The heat level was about 3, which is fine for me, but it felt out of place. It didn’t have the fun flavor whiplash of the Skittles and Starburst Sweet Heat candies. Fiery is great for people who love low-level peppers that stick around like unwelcome houseguests.

Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: I ate it, so I must not be wimpy, as the logo implies.
Cons: Implying I’m wimpy. Heat that shows up to the party late, then refuses to leave – even after you’ve turned the music off and yawned loudly.
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 240 calories, 12 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 26 grams of total sugars, 24 grams of added sugars, and 4 grams of protein

Purchased Price: $1.25
Size: 1.82 oz. bars
Purchased at: CVS

REVIEW: Snickers & Hazelnut Bar

Vin 8 Comments

Snickers & Hazelnut Bar

When you think of chocolate and hazelnut, I’m sure Nutella immediately comes to mind. If not that, then surely everyone’s favorite re-gifted Christmas candy, Ferrero Rocher. But if I asked you to name something beyond that, what would you even say?

I mean sure there are fancy chocolates everywhere that feature hazelnut, but you can’t just grab one off a convenience store candy rack. That’s why I think Mars is smart to offer their Snickers & Hazelnut bar, as it fills a hole in the market you probably didn’t even realize was open. Rocher aren’t exactly sold next to the Kit Kat and Starburst at your local 7-Eleven.

That reminds me, I think I still have a rack of re-gifted Ferrero Rocher from last year that I’ll probably three-gift™ this Christmas. Nothing says “we’re not really all that close” like a plastic crate of Ferrero Rocher.

I had a fun sized regular Snickers (or nine) lying around, so I decided to stack them against the Snickers & Hazelnut Bar.

Snickers & Hazelnut Bar 3

The new bar has a different flavor profile. It’s not super different, you still know it’s a Snickers, but there are definitely some dissimilarities. In regular Snickers, the peanut is probably the flavor you taste least. It provides the crunch, but can you really pinpoint peanut flavor? The hazelnut shines most here. Even mixed with the usual peanuts, it overpowers each bite. I’d go as far to say that if they went with just hazelnuts and no peanuts, the flavor might have been over the top.

Hazelnuts are pretty distinct and I tasted them more than the chocolate and caramel, which I imagine could be undesirable to some, but I quite enjoyed it. It also marries perfectly with the nougat, which I felt was more pronounced. It could have just been the bars I had, but I also thought the texture was softer than a regular Snickers.

I refuse to say it’s better than the original version, but it’s certainly not far off. Snickers are perfection. They are right up there with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups as candies that will forever rule the world. You simply can’t improve Snickers, but Mars certainly found a way to toss an almost equally delicious alternative at you.

Snickers & Hazelnut Bar 2

If you are a candy purist who loves the chocolate and caramel in Snickers, you may not like the hazelnut version as much, but I still think you’ll enjoy it immensely.

Seriously, Snickers are so good, they are the only candy bar that can get away with releases where they simply add bits of another type of nut. Snickers with almond were good. Snickers with mixed nuts were better. I’m anxiously awaiting the Snickers & Macadamia Bar. Snickers & Cashew would probably be great. What about Snickers & Pecan? Snickers & Filbert? I’m not sure I even know what a filbert is, but bring it on.

And in case you’re wondering, Snickers & Hazelnut tastes better than a crispy Ferrero Rocher. Give me a few of these for Christmas instead and I won’t have to feign my appreciation. You won’t have to shell out as much cash for the “decadence” of fancy gold foil.

So if you’re hungry, why wait? You probably shouldn’t wait.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 bar – 240 calories, 100 calories from fat, 11 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 26 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein..)

Purchased Price: 78 cents
Size: 1.76 oz
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Hazelnut is the star of the show. Nougat tastes more pronounced. Slightly softer texture than regular Snickers. Snickers branching out with more nut varieties. Three-gifting™.
Cons: Chocolate and caramel flavors not quite as strong. The lack of “easy” chocolate and hazelnut candy bars. Lazy Ferrero Rocher gifters. Why aren’t Nutella candy bars in every store?