Two candies that you never hear about

The following candies that I'm going to write about are by no means, rare candies (Pokemon, etc.). In fact, you may have glanced over them while looking for your Hershey's Cookies n Cream bar or when you were grabbing a bag of Skittles. Like the Whatchamacallit, these candies are available at many convenience stores or near the check-out line at places such as Fry's Electronics, but they're never given much regard. It's not like they're bargain candy or they don't taste good either, they cost the same as the other candies and are actually quite good. I suppose it's because they're a bit unique; they don't resemble what we typically find in our candy. This is why I decided to discuss two candies that are unique, and that you might want to look for the next time you're out.The first candy I will write about is the Rocky Road bar:


The Rocky Road bar consists of a chocolate coated marshmallow with cashews. Those who are familiar Rocky Road ice cream know that it is chocolate ice cream with marshmallows and chopped nuts. This candy is pretty unique already in that it uses two things that aren't normally seen in other candy bars, marshmallows and cashews. Marshmallows are widely available, but most of the time are used to make S'mores, put in hot chocolate, or are roasted and eaten as is. It isn't until Easter time that marshmallows get a bit more attention due to Peeps. Candy makers often use peanuts, almonds, and to a lesser extent, macadamias, but rarely is the cashew ever used. I always wondered why cashews were overlooked, maybe they cost more to use than peanuts.

Oh God, what is this?

I couldn't break the bar in half without it looking like an abomination. It's because the marshmallow is one big marshmallow and it was very fluffy. There's nothing special about this marshmallow outside the fact that it's in the shape of a bar. How would I describe this candy bar? If you asked in me in real life, I'd probably respond with, "Ehhh..." It's really nothing more than an overdressed marshmallow in my opinion. The chocolate melts disappears quicker than the marshmallow and I couldn't really tell the cashews from any other nut. If I were allergic to peanuts I probably could, but otherwise they were just another nut. In the end, the thing that sticks around the longest is the marshmallow. If you're a fan of marshmallows, then go for it, otherwise I suppose there's a reason why this candy bar doesn't get much recognition.

The next candy I'll be looking at is the Zero bar:

Yep, I was once again too lazy to make the picture horizontal

Okay, when you think of Rocky Road, you can sort of get an idea of what the candy bar is going to have in it. What are you supposed to think of when you try imagining a Zero bar? I honestly didn't know what it would have, I assumed it'd be like a Three Musketeers bar or something. However, as the wrapper says, a Zero bar is, "CARAMEL, PEANUT AND ALMOND Nougat covered with WHITE FUDGE". That's two different kinds of nuts you're getting in your bar with something that you don't see in candy. This is not white chocolate, mind you, it's white fudge. The only other time I've seen fudge as an item listed on a candy bar was on a Snickers Fudge. I don't quite know what the difference between chocolate and fudge is, but I do know that I've never seen white fudge advertised.


I'm not going to lie, the fudge coating looks like a thick coat of paint. Regardless, this is not about aesthetics of candy, but it is about the taste of the candy. Well when I first bit into it, it tasted sort of like a Milky Way or a Snickers (with less peanuts) without the milk chocolate coating. However, as I kept chewing, the flavor and smell became quite interesting. I don't want to say that it started smelling like Pistachio Ice Cream, but it was something along those lines. It was a very pleasant smell and taste that it took on after the initial chews. I enjoyed this bar quite a bit, and I recommend that you try it.

In conclusion, it's worth it to take some time and look up and down the candy stand every now and then. You may try something that you've never had before that turns out to be a hidden gem. Think of overlooked or unpopular candies as un-drafted professional athletes. Who knows, the next candy bar you pick up may be of Kurt Warner caliber.