Peanut Butter
The very first Valentine’s Day candy I got this year were these delicious samples from See’s Candies. They are very festive, with a large, heart shaped Milk Bordeaux and a Sweetheart box. They use lots of red and pink, plus the heart shaped which make them perfect for Valentines Day. I was super excited to receive these samples, as See’s candies are favorites of mine, and I adore trying their seasonal fare.
If you’ve never had a See’s Bordeaux, well, let me just say it’s a little slice of heaven. It’s a mix of brown sugar and butter cream, so it’s rich and smooth, which being a little grainy and sweet. So, terribly addictive. This one for Valentines Day comes in a little box, but don’t let it fool you. It’s still a large Bordeaux even if it’s not a whole pound of them from their chocolates counter.
It’s very sweet looking, in the shape of a heart, with two frosted hearts in the center: one red and one white.
The way this candy melts in your mouth is an absolute pleasure. You get waves of sweetness that are buttery and have a richness that is hard to explain. The texture is smooth and thick, as if a square of fudge just melted on your tongue. It doesn’t dissipate too quickly and it leaves you moth feeling clean. No greasy aftertaste or grit. It’s pure bliss.
Everyone I’ve shared pieces of this Bordeaux with, cause for it was was that big, absolutely loved it. My fiance posture relaxed as he looked at me and said “Wow, that is really good”. The Bordeaux is one of my favorite See’s, and it will firmly remain there.
The Sweetheart Box is a lovely collection of some of See’s best truffles. This box, though, is the oly boxed assortment that has their Peanut Butter Pattie and P-Nut Crunch (tm) in it. Both are perfect for any lover of peanut butter, so this assortment is a good bet if your Valentine loves that flavor. There’s a nice assortment of other chocolate, nougats and nut-brittle in here, so your taste buds certainly won’t get bored. To add to its festive feeling, not only is the box beautifully decorated, there’s solid red foil wrapped heart candies in here that complete the feeling.
I am smitten with these chocolates and especially that Milk Bordeaux heart. I’d have a constant stash of those in my kitchen in an ideal world. If your sweetheart is into rich chocolates and sweet fillings, See’s is a great option for your Valentines Day gift giving.
Rating: Hoard
Links See’s Candies Website
I was contacted some time ago by Palmer’s Candies in regard to reviewing some of their products. I was a little worried at first, because the previous experience I’ve had with Palmer’s chocolate is the “mockolate” candies you see sold in large bags at the holidays. They come in adorable packaging and the flavor isn’t very chocolatey at all, it just tastes very sweet. I decided to give Palmer’s Candies a chance, since one look at their website and you see they do lots of other confections besides the stuff you see during the holidays. I was excited to give their other offerings a try, so here we go!
Kiddie Chow:Like the “Muddy Buddies” Chex cereal recipe. Crispy square cereal with chocolate and powdered sugar. The flavor is crispy and sweet. You don’t’ get any flavor from the cereal, but you do get a hint of chocolate and a nice, refreshing sweetness from the powdered sugar. The cereal is perfectly crispy and gives a great texture. The sweetness isn’t too overpowering as one might think. the chocolate flavor isn’t as intense as I’m used to, but that is a difference in the recipe I’m sure. There aren’t messy either, the powdered sugar sticks to the pieces really well.
Peanut Butter Crispy Yums: Little mounded treats with a coating of chocolate and peanut butter stripes. They’re very soft, and the chocolate sticks to my fingers when I handle them. they smell sweet and peanutbuttery. The peanut butter inside is smooth and creamy ,with bits of crispiness to it, as if it has a crumbled up Butterfinger n it. It’s a delightful texture contrast. The peanut butter is salty/sweet and has a nice roasted peanut flavor. I don’t taste any of the chocolate, which, makes me wonder if it’s really mockolate. But since there’s not ingredients label I can only surmise. Still, they’re tasty and can see peanut butter fans enjoys these a lot.
Caramel Swirl Pretzels: Pretty looking with white chocolate base covering the pretzel with caramel stripes. They smell tangy and sweet like yogurt raisins. They taste tart, of the yogurt coating on the pretzels. They’re sweet and tangy. I don’t get too much of a caramel flavor in there. Its a nice sweet/salty combination, and therefore it’s a satisfying snack. The pretzel is fresh and crunchy and really is a great texture element.
Peanut Butter Swirl Pretzels: The smells sweet, no scent of chocolate or peanut butter. They’re pretty to look at, dipped in chocolate and drizzled with a line peanut butter. The pretzel crunches nicely so it’s good and fresh. The flavor is a nice mix of sweet and salty. I taste the starch and salt of the pretzel, and the sweetness of the chocolate coating. It doesn’t really taste much like peanut butter to be honest. It jut comes across as a sweet coating on a pretzel, which, is tasty, but not as the description really lends one to believe.
Peppermint Skippers: They’re little domes of chocolate with a peppermint center. They look like little mountains, actually. Pretty cute. They smell sweet and of peppermint oil. The peppermint interior is a think, sticky fondant. It’s very dense and grainy and extremely tasty. The chocolate exterior compliments it perfectly with a nice sweetness that depends the peppermint flavor. These taste like a richer, more intense York Peppermint Pattie.
I admit I was a little hesitant about these free samples at first. I knew I’d be sent something I’d appreciate, but these exceeded my expectations. It’s good to know that my old opinions were challenged. My boyfriend was a big fan of the Peanut Butter Crispy Yums, as were the friends I shared these with. Personally my favorite were the Peppermint Skippers, as I really loved the creamy center of those. Which, may I remind you readers, peppermint is a very hard sell for me. Overall I was impressed with this sampling and I look forward to trying the Twin Bing that Palmer’s also sent me. That review coming soon!
Rating: Will Eat Again
Links Palmer Candy Website
The last of my free samples from Brach’s is this bag of their new product; Peanut Butter Poppins. I have to admit, I judged a book by it’s cover here. The package is fresh looking, with bright colors and lots of white, but it doesn’t really read as “chocolatey” to me. Which, when offering a chocolate candy, it kinda important in my mind. I want something indulgent, and the packaging should make me feel like I’m making that choice. There is a beautiful illustration of the candy that makes me rethink this, as it does draw you into the treat you’re going to purchase. But, as with most thing, appearances can be deceiving, so the candy has yet to prove itself with my taste buds.
These Peanut Butter Poppins are described as “Creamy Peanut Butter Center Coated in 100% Milk Chocolate”. It sounds very promising, as skimping on the chocolate is always the first thing I am skeptical of when I see a new chocolate candy. But these are legit, which makes me smile as well as let go a sigh of relief. They do, however, skimp on the peanut butter part, as peanuts aren’t the first on the list. What comes first are “Palm Kernel Oil” and “Partially Defatted Peanut Flour”. It’s not the worst situation, but I still felt the need to point that out.
Opening the package you get the wonderful aroma of peanut butter and chocolate. they’re a little larger than chickpeas. They smell sweet, salty and a little nutty.
These are amazing. Thy have a nice sheen to them. The flavor is a mix of the delicious peanut butter and the milk chocolate. These remind me of the flavor of Reese’s Pieces, but with more sweetness because of the addition of mill chocolate. Which makes them way more awesome in my book. The peanut butter is smooth and has a slight grain to it, but it’s wonderfully flavorful and salty.
My boyfriend and I easily polished off the bag. We need more. I can’t being to rave about how tasty and pop-able these are. If you can’t control yourself around peanut butter and chocolate, then I warn you to stay far away because once you taste these, you can’t stop. They’re that amazing.
Rating: Hoard
Links Brach’s Website
There’s a new Snickers on the block! I am unsure about the distribution of these, but I’m starting to see them around in most stores, so chances are they’ll be easy to find. I believe I picked this one up in Target, so that would be a good place to start checking. So what is this new Snickers? And why is it squared?
Well, to start, there’s it extremely bright, eye-catching yellow package. This Snickers also doesn’t have it’s normal caramel stripe, but instead a ribbon of peanut butter. The comes in the squared bit, unlike all the other Snickers (aside from the mini’s, of course) this one isn’t one long bar. It’s broken into two, square candy pieces. They’re easily an inch by inch square. What makes up this bar is a layer of peanut butter, a nougat layer with peanut chunks in it, all enrobed in milk chocolate.
The wrapper encourages you to twist the package closed and “save one for later”. I gave the other square to my boyfriend.
The texture of these are dryer than normal Snickers bars. The caramel added some moisture to the bar, but since here it’s been replaced with the peanut butter, it’s a much sticker candy to eat. It tastes good, it’s a rich peanut butter and chocolate flavor. The peanut butter is smooth, creamy and salty and blends nicely with the chocolate flavor. This bar still has the bits of peanut chunks like a regular Snickers does. It’s a great candy if you’re a peanut butter fan, it’s not as intense as a Reese’s but it’s pretty close.
I’m not sure how much of this bar feels like a regular Snickers since the peanut butter really intensifies this bar. It’s really tasty and I plan on returning to it soon since it’s a fantastic taste. A must try if you’re a peanut butter fan.
Rating: Will Buy Again
Links Snickers Website
Clark bar is a classic candy bar that hasn’t been as popular as say, Snickers. It’s been around for years, but hasn’t acquired the star status. Currently Clark bar is made by New England Candy Company (NECCO) and comes in milk and dark chocolate varieties. Since Clark bar is kinda hard to find, I felt extremely lucky to find this Clark Dark in a Rite Aid in the Philadelphia area.
So what is a Clark bar? I admit the first time I came across one I didn’t know what it was. Clark bar is similar to a Butterfinger bar: a peanut butter crisp surrounded by chocolate. Yet in my mind, Clark bar is more “natural”. The peanut butter insides of a Clark bar aren’t neon yellow/orange like Butterfinger’s, plus the chocolate is real, unlike the Butterfinger’s mockolate coating. So Clark bar appeals more to me because of this.
Now I know what you’re wondering, how does it taste?
The Clark bar’s bite has a wonderful crispiness to it that’s very pleasing to chew. The chocolate is nice and rich with a sweetness that’s hard for me to declare it as milk to dark chocolate because the peanut butter crisp interior is just so powerful of a flavor. The color of the chocolate is darker, so it fits the description. The peanut butter crisp interior has the really strong flavor of a creamy, salty peanut butter and it matches beautifully with the chocolate. The chocolate, according to the ingredients list, it also the real thing, so all I can say is, as far as I’m concerned, I’d much rather eat a Clark bar than Butterfinger.
Overall, I’m impressed. This was really tasty. If you haven’t ever tried a Clark bar, I’d pick one up if you ever come across one.
Rating: Will Eat Again
Links Clark Bar Webpage
