Snicker Cruncher

With 2010 coming to an end, one would assume that I would make a post acknowledging holiday candies. Well, one would be wrong because holiday candies are often the candies you can find year-round with nicer packaging. Of course, there are some candies, such as peppermint bark, which are exclusive to this season. However, I have plenty of the stuff to write about it at another time, so relax. The next item is going to be something you won't be able to find at most convenience stores:

Snickers again? Come on! Well, I'm going to write about this kind of Snickers because I'm not sure where else to get it besides a random rest stop shop in Millbrae. Also it had funny writing on it, so that's always interesting. And look at those peanuts and crispy rice pieces flying at you. Or are they flying into the bar? I'm not sure.

The inside of a Snickers Cruncher

This candy bar reminded me very much of a Kudos bar. I'm assuming that they replaced the nougat with the crispy rice pieces. I'm not sure if anyone remember Kudos bars, but they were sort of like chocolate bar with crispy rice in the middle, but much chewier and less crispier than one would think. This bar wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as the other variations of Snickers. I suppose I like the combination of the peanuts, caramel, and nougat.

Snickers Cruncher: 7/10

Snickers Peanut Butter

There are some candies that are mainstays. These candies include Twix, Sour Patch Kids, and Warheads. These are candies that are so well known and so loved that it would be hard to improve on them. In-fact, trying to do so would probably tarnish the product; I mean, do McDonald's fries need any improving? Another product that has stayed relatively unchanged over the years is Snickers. Snickers may have other varieties outside of the good old original Snickers bar:

Snickers bars are delicious as is peanut butter, but as I've learned in my previous experiences, combining two good things rarely produces something better than its parts. However, Snickers is a candy bar that I like very much and I enjoy peanut butter, so I decided to give it a chance.

As you can see, Snickers Peanut Butter comes in squares

A cross-section of Snickers Peanut Butter squares

Let's get to the point, little was improved with this candy bar. It's a bit smoother than an original Snickers bar, but otherwise I can't say it was any better than an original Snickers. There were still whole peanuts in the bar to go along with the peanut butter in the bar, so I suppose if you really like peanuts you would like this candy bar. I couldn't taste any caramel, and I rather like caramel in Snickers bars, so I guess that's a bit of a minus with this bar. Overall, it was good, but I wouldn't choose it over an original Snickers bar.

Snickers Peanut Butter: 8/10

Kinder Country

For the past several times that I've visited the European market I go to, the man working there has really been trying to sell Kinder products. I've been more interested in Kras' Full Cool with Popping Candies because the kids love it so much, but the last time I visited the shop, I finally decided to buy the Kinder products he was advertising. I've already mentioned Kinder Bueno, Schokobons, etc., so here's another product from Kinder:

I don't know why, but Kinder Country was sold behind the counter as opposed to the other Kinder products. Maybe it's just that good. Anyway, as the picture shows, there's some sort of grain in the chocolate and cream of some sort. Kinder products haven't disappointed in the past, so why should Kinder Country?

A square of Kinder Country

Well, Kinder, once again, does not disappoint. What surprised me about this product was the lack of nuts. In nearly ever Kinder product I've eaten, there has always been some sort of hazelnut filling. Kinder Country on the other hand does not. The candy was very nice and creamy, while the grain and cereal gave a nice contrast and aroma. This chocolate joins the ranks of other Kinder chocolates that are very good.

Kinder Country: 9/10

Chocolate bar w/ candy pieces: 8/10

I was looking through the candy box that my friends Chris and Brittany got for me and I saw a chocolate bar that was very intriguing. The problem is, there was no English on it at all. That is why I named this chocolate bar according to its appearance

So there's a cow on the right side and a chocolate bar that looks like it has little candy pieces on it. On the upper right side of the wrapper there's an exploding pin wheel of sorts. I honestly can't tell you what any of the text is saying.

A piece of chocolate. Notice the yellow bulge of candy under the imprint of the cow

This tasted just as it looked; it tasted like a Hershey's chocolate bar with M&M pieces in it. It was good and when it melted it had the aroma of hot cocoa. I liked this bar very much and I thought the idea of putting little candy pieces in it was a good one. The Hershey's company could probably team up with Mars and make a combination candy bar like this. I demand it from you two.

Chocolate bar w/ candy pieces: 8/10

Wonka Exceptionals: Peppermint Shortbread Chocolate Pieces

There are some chocolates that I tend to avoid. By now, I know which popular brands generally have better tasting chocolate than others. However, when brands that are known for making poor chocolate come out with a new product, I try giving them another chance. Because I believe that people and companies can change, I decided to give this product a try:

Despite the fact that they're a little more expensive per piece than other chocolates, and even though their packaging is somewhat fancier, Wonka chocolates don't taste good at all. They taste rather watery compared to chocolates. I would rank the more affordable Hershey chocolate bar much higher than Wonka chocolates. In-fact, I'd rank Hershey's chocolate higher than quite a few higher priced chocolates, but that's an entry for another day.

However, it's the Christmas season, and these seasonal chocolates intrigue me, so I asked myself, "Why not?"

Each piece of chocolate comes individually wrapped

A piece of chocolate cut in half, showing the bits of peppermint and shortbread

My initial thoughts on this candy was that it was pretty good. However, that was due to the candy bits and not due to the chocolate. The chocolate was, once again, watery and not as good as other types of chocolate. It lacked richness and a strong chocolate flavor. Sure, the candy bits enhanced the flavor of this candy, but it felt like they were put in to compensate for the chocolate. Wonka has a good thing going with Nerds, Nerds Rope, and other non-chocolate candies, so maybe it would best for them to do new things with those products and avoid working with chocolate. However, there is one Wonka chocolate product that I like very much, which is due more to its novelty than the flavor. However, that's also probably another subject for another day.

Wonka Exceptionals: Peppermint Shortbread Chocolate Pieces: 6/10

Andes Creme de Menthe Cookies and Ritter Sport Strawberry Creme

Some people don't like the foolishness of Tumblr, so I've decided to post what I put on Tumblr onto here as well.

Andes Chocolate Mints were one of those candies that I loved as a kid, but didn’t know what they were called until I was much older. I found out that a lot of my students actually liked them as well. I’m sure that you’re familiar with Andes Chocolate Mints in one form or another, but if you’re not, it is a thin piece of dark chocolate with a thin, creamy mint part in the middle. In a word, delicious. Therefore, I could not pass up buying this product:

Who knew that Andes made cookies? I’m not sure if this is recent or not; I didn’t take the time to look it up. However, the picture on the box reminds me of a Kiebler or Snackwells product. Speaking of which, do Snackwells cookies still exist? I haven’t seen them in a while. I guess they’re not as popular as they once were.

A tray of Andes Creme de Menthe Cookies

The inside of a Andes Creme De Menthe Cookie

The cookie reminded me greatly of an Andes Chocolate Mint, which means that it was delicious. The texture and form it came in may have been different from an Andes Chocolate Mint, but the flavor was the same. If you can imagine an Andes Chocolate Mint with the texture and mouth-feel of a cookie, this is what you get. Overall, a great product, but I wonder why I haven’t seen them anywhere else besides Walgreen’s.

Andes Creme de Menthe Cookies: 10/10

Chris' take on Andes Creme de Menthe Cookies: Just bought the Andes cookies yesterday in fact. My review before reading yours, 8/10, doesn't quite live up to it's older, smaller, and better brother.

It seems as if a company finally decided to listen to me and distribute a strawberry chocolate candy in America. It may have taken a while for them to hear my cries, but we’ve finally made it. I take all the credit for this. Anyway, here it is:

I was not too excited, however, when I found out it was a Ritter Sport chocolate square. I’ve purchased Ritter Sport products in the past, and time and time again I’ve been disappointed. I rate them only higher than Wonka chocolates. It may be my taste buds, but their chocolate isn’t that great to me. I prefer Hershey’s chocolate bars. Also for their price, I would much rather purchase a Lindt chocolate bar or a Milka chocolate bar. According to the wrapper, buying this is for a good cause though, so I can’t complain about that.

A square of Ritter Sport Strawberry Creme with exposed strawberry filling

Alright, the chocolate wasn’t great again, but I liked the filling. If the chocolate was better, then I would like it a lot more. Some may find the strawberry filling too sweet, but I liked it, even though in the past I may have complained about some things being too sweet. Ritter Sport should start adding something into their chocolate too make it richer, because that’s my main gripe with their chocolate. However, the filling saves this chocolate square, and hopefully they listen to more of my ideas.

Ritter Sport Strawberry Creme: 7/10

Shifts in-between Tumblr and such

So if you've noticed, I haven't made an entry in over a month. This is because I was told that I should move operations to my tumblr, since my tumblr is connected to my Facebook, and I link stuff that I post on here onto my tumblr...so long story short, I'm not sure if I'll be updating this particular blog, but Stephenlovescandy entries have been posted on:

http://stephenthoughts.tumblr.com

So feel free to swing by and read a few of my latest reviews!