I will start off saying that this egg from See’s Candies is big. Really big. 9.5 oz of chocolate, marshmallows, walnuts and sugar big. 1200 calories big. Larger than than my hand in a fist big. I think you get the idea. I know over sized chocolate eggs are big during Easter. I see them every year. Yet, I have never really had one. I think it’s the sheer size of them. I can’t imagine myself eating something that big. I’m happy with the smaller, more “normal” portions of candies. Still, I was definitively excited when I got this egg as a sample from See’s. This is my first time to try one of these over sized eggs, and I’m pumped to do so.

Liked I expressed before, this this is big. Because of that, I didn’t really know where to start with this thing. Should I just pick it up and chomp on it? Take a knife and cute it like a block of cheese? Such questions ran through my mind. The egg is very beautiful though, with a nice chocolate shell and pretty decorations on it. A ring of swirled white frosting circles the top of the egg, and yellow roses spread across the top.

It smells very lightly sweet. I try to break off a rose to nibble and I find the frosting is very hard. Rock hard in fact. It crumbles in my mouth like sugar rocks. It’s a pleasing texture.

I decide that a knife is the best way to get into this chocolate rocky road egg. I try to slice off the bottom edge, but find that the frosting and the walnuts make it somewhat hard to cut. Still, with more force I manage to slice off a chunk. The inside is big, sticky, fluffy marshmallow and generously sized walnuts. Eagerly, I take a bite.

The chocolate is sweet, and comes off nice as creamy as eat it. The texture is very exciting, as you get the smoothness of the chocolate, the spongy marshmallow and the crunchy walnuts. The walnuts are fresh and deliver that wonderful, nutty flavor. The marshmallow is just sweet, and because of the walnuts and chocolate it’s hard to tell if it has any flavor of it’s own. Overall the flavor is really good, and I have enjoyed this so fay way more than any Rocky Road ice cream I’ve ever had.

For any fans of Rocky Road, I think this egg is a must. I think it incorporated everything Rocky Road should be. I was impressed with this egg, as I am with most See’s products. I can imagine this would delight anyone on Easter, as giant Easter eggs are, well, fun. And I think this egg is very fun! 

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links See’s Candies Website

I have been seeing these bags of Ferrero eggs on the shelves in a lot of places this year. They come in a small bag like the Lindt Lindors but in a fun, pastel colored package. They are described on the front as “crispy eggs with a creamy hazelnut filling”. I like the “European” feel of these, they remind me of a Kinder Bueno, but in egg shaped form. I’m really drawn to that sort of thing, so I nabbed a bag for the blog.

The bag holds a lot of eggs. So I felt like I got a good deal for the price that I paid for them. The eggs are small, and I’m trying to think of a size comparison. They’re smaller than a golf ball, but bigger than the mini Cadbury creme eggs you see this time of year. I’d say they’re around the size of a kumquat? I think I’ll go with that.

Each egg is individually wrapped in foil, with a gold top and bottom with a colored band with the Ferrero logo on it. Unwrapping the egg, it has a beautiful medium brown color. It smells very sweet and milky. I get intense notes of cream and caramel in there. The aroma is just heavenly.

My first bite reveals that there’s a wafer shell just inside the chocolate covering, so you get this nice crisp when you break into it. The texture contrast is really nice. The hazelnut interior is creamy and delicious. It’s like Nutella on steroids. It’s intensely flavorful and nutty, with a great chocolate flavor. Overall with the chocolate shell and the wafer, this little egg packs a whollop in the flavor department.

They’re so flavorful and luxurious, I find that I can only eat one of these at a time. They’re heavenly with a cup of coffee in the morning. I can see these as being a nice little addition to Easter Brunch. I managed to try the other variant of these, the chocolate filled egg, thanks to a co-works candy generosity. It was good, but it wasn’t chocolately. I certainly think that the hazelnut is the better flavor of the two.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links Ferrero Website

These package of ZeroSH gummies that I found in Mitsuwa Market interested me in many ways. First was the name, because when I see “Zero” on things it makes me think of diet food. “Zero calories” and “Zero carbs” and the like comes to mind. Which, I realize sounds strange coming from someone whose favorite candy bar is the Zero bar. Second, was the very intense bright pink images on the package. It screamed pink grapefruit to me all the way down the aisle. These things together made me wonder things like “Are these zero calorie gummies?” and “Are these gummies made with artificial sweeteners?”. The only way to answer these questions, besides becoming fluent in Japanese, is to taste them.

The package makes them look similar to the Haribo gummi rings. Instead the shape is much different, more like a hollowed out oval. They have a dense coating of granular sanding sugar on the outside and they’re a nice shade of pink.

The flavor is very nice. It’s very authentic to pink grapefruit; bright, zesty and sweet. The granulated sugar coating gives it an extyra tartness which enchaes the flavor of the grapefruit. The coating also gives it a nice crunch and the gummi texture is on the tougher, chewier side. Overall I really liked it. Dense, chewy and authentically flavorful.

So as far as the “Zero” goes I really am no further along in figuring out. The candy didn’t taste like it was zero calorie or if it was made with artificial sugars. I guess the best way to conclude it is English words are cool to use, whether or not the meaning has any connection to the item it is selling.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Simon Coll Chocolate is a brand I am unfamiliar with. I had never even heard of it before seeing it in a gourmet store that I stopped in on a whim while passing through Hollywood. It was a place friends had recommended to me for their hamburgers (I love hamburgers), but what I didn’t realize was this place was half deli counter and half gourmet store. I eagerly perused their stock while I waited for my order, and that’s where I found these Simon Cool chocolates.

Since I was hoping for a sampling, I grabbed only three of the available five flavors. They also had larger chocolate bars from their collection, but I figured in this case I didn’t want to go overboard with a chocolate I was unfamiliar with. The three flavors I chose were “Milk Chocolate”, “50% Chocolate” and “White Chocolate”. I was hoping to get a good idea of their range with these flavors.

“Milk Chocolate”, 32% cocoa solids, 20% milk: Surprisingly light in color for a milk chocolate. It’s creamy brown, almost beige in color. The smell is slightly creamy and sweet with a delicate flavor. It’s sweet at first, then you get some chocolate flavor. Then you get a big rush of creamy flavor of the milk. The end of the flavor is very chocolatey and sweet which gives a nice throat burn.

50% Chocolate: It’s not considered a dark or milk chocolate by any means (has no milk added to it, by the way). It’s a nice middle brown color, like I’d expect from a 50% chocolate. It has a subtle shine to it, and it’s very pretty. The aroma is wonderful, it’s chocolatey with notes of caramel and marshmallow. The flavor is very chocolatey as you get the richness of the chocolate flavors and can really taste the nuances. I get notes of cream, coffee, and a little almond in there. Absolutely lovely, The texture is nice and smooth too, really wonderful.

White Chocolate: It’s a creamy, off white color and it’s very smooth looking. It smells sweet and buttery. The flavor is very smooth and it’s slightly chocolatey since it is made with cocoa butter. Its has intense creamy notes which are very tasty. This bar is all about fat and sugar, and it’s absolutely delicious.

My overall impression of the Simon Coll Chocolates is a very favorable one. The chocolate was very good, had nice flavors and a great texture. I hope I can find more of it in the future so I can try it.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links Simon Coll Webpage

I admit upon seeing this bar, I was confused as to what “Stracciatella” was. The wrapper shows an ice cream cone on it, so my first assumption is that it’s an ice cream flavor. Interested by all of this, I bought the bar and took it home to review.I cannot resist new things.

Also some poking around the internet, I found out that Stracciatella is the Italian version of our Chocolate Chip ice cream. Which is essentially vanilla ice cream with chocolate flecks in it. Simple, yet tasty. I break open the wrapper to examine it, and as always, Ritter Bars are beautifully pristine. I snap off a row of chocolates and I see the white cream interior, complete with chocolate flecks.

The chocolate has a nice layer of white cream flecked with chocolate bits in it. The flavor is milky at first, then there’s an accent with nice notes of the chocolate. The chocolate is rich, but not too sweet. The center is very creamy and tastes like vanilla and milk. I’m immediately reminded of ice cream. I can’t really taste the chocolate flecks, but the chocolate exterior more than makes up for that. The two parts together makes it a nice chocolate/vanilla flavor mix. Like a chocolate vanilla twist soft serve ice cream cone.

I found this bar extremely tasty, and it’s nice to have a bar with a more vanilla cream filling than a chocolate one. It feels more unique to me for some reason. Everyone I shared this bar with really enjoyed it too, so I know I am not alone in my opinion. If your flavor preference run more on the classical side, I’d give this one a try. It feels new, but with the flavors we all know and love.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links  Ritter Sport Website