Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Peeps: Chocolate Covered

In my continuing quest to conquer the world of Peep flavors this year, while I was looking for something new for Easter, I found these Chocolate Covered Peeps! It's not like there was any question of I was going to buy them or not -- my only real question was: could I still attempt to set something chocolate covered on fire?



Yeah guys, I think I have taken to pyromania just a little too much. But don't worry about me. I still have eyebrows, and most of my furniture is intact. It's just that something about burning Peeps brings out my inner Beavis, giggling "FIRE!"

Pyromania aside, the chocolate covered Peeps come in either dark or milk chocolate. And of course, being the thoughtful person that I am, I picked up both. Rather than being sold in a bulk package, they are sold individually. For sake of the review, we are going to talk about the chocolates separately. And since I didn't notice any differences with the marshmallow center, we'll discuss that on its own.

Let's start with the milk chocolate version:



It's a light brown shell that has sort of a matte satin sheen, and the chocolate coating is thicker than I was expecting. The chocolate also breaks off into pieces a little easier then one would expect. It's almost like it was made with Magic Shell. The chocolate is -- to be diplomatic -- not the best milk chocolate ever. It's overly sweet and reeks of fake vanilla. This one I would skip in the future. As much as I might have liked the marshmallow, I thoroughly disliked the chocolate.



The Dark Chocolate:



I had higher hopes for this one, mostly because at the very least I thought it would be less sweet. And it is -- but that didn't make it much better. The chocolate itself has a vaguely coconut taste and seems oily. There is also kind of cocoa powder taste, and that's OK. But it's not really a dark chocolate (there's milk solids in it), and it's not really good. It's better than the milk chocolate version -- but only in the sorry sense that Showgirls is a slightly better movie than Freddie Got Fingered. How big of a compliment is that, really?




The marshmallow center: The marshmallow is incredibly soft; almost to the point of being spreadable. I have long stated my love of stale Peeps -- but I have learned to appreciate them when they are this smooshy as well (even if it is mostly because I get to use the word "smooshy"). If you are a fan of the crusty, sugared top layer that all of the traditional Peeps products had, this may be a sad day for you. That crust is nowhere to be found.

Another difference between these Peeps and the classic line is that the marshmallow is colored all the way though. The innards are sort of a hard-boiled egg yolk yellow. The taste is like every other marshmallow you've ever had. Which is to say, sort of a mellow vanilla and a little sweet.

All right. I know what you are all really waiting for is the fire! And, so as not to disappoint, here were go...

First, the milk chocolate:



Interestingly enough, the milk chocolate itself resisted burning and simply got very melty. The marshmallow bubbled and caramelized nicely. But there was nothing spectacular to see.

Next, the dark chocolate:



This version went almost immediately into flame -- chocolate and all. OK, not as awesomely as the Strawberry Creme Hearts Peeps did, but it wasn't a complete disappointment either.

In either case (as you might expect), the addition of toasting did nothing for the flavor of the chocolate. But the marshmallow center did taste extra good toasted (actually, "toasted" is not strong enough -- it was burnt -- but I happen to like burnt marshmallows).

Be sure to check out Cybele's reviews here. She liked these Peeps more than I did.

Ratings time! (I will rate each separately.)

Milk Chocolate Peep:




Dark Chocolate Peep:



PURCHASED FROM:
Walgreen's

PRICE:
$0.79 each, two for $1.

CALORIES:
Milk chocolate: 110 calories per 1 chick.
Dark chocolate: 120 calories per 1 chick.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
May contain: peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, eggs. Gluten free. Contains gelatin, so not kosher or vegan/vegetarian friendly.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
marshmallowpeeps.com

Figi's Marzipan Eggs

I know Easter has been over for a while, but my mother got me these beautiful marzipan eggs and I had to share them.

My mother ordered them online from Figi's (figis.com). Initially, I thought I had never heard of the company -- but then, looking at the site, I remembered that my grandmother used to buy things from them through mail order. (Figi's has been around since 1944.) With that in mind, I have probably even had Figi's marzipan in the past...but I can't say I remember it.



The eggs are very pretty. The colors are more vivid than they appear in the photos, and have a lovely airbrushed effect to them.



They could look stunning -- and they do -- but what really matters is the taste. (Did I mention they LOOK really good?)

Sadly, they don't taste nearly as good as they look. The texture was decent -- soft, and just a little bit crumbly. Unfortunately, the taste was very muted. Some of the sweet, almost cherry-like almond taste is there. But it's more like a shadow of a flavor than a rich, nutty marzipan. There is also a bitter aftertaste that I am attributing to the dyes used (I say that because the darker eggs had a stronger aftertaste).

Again, they are beautiful to look at. They just don't taste very good. I can't say I would ever order them to eat. But I would order them to decorate with, so my rating is marginally higher based on that.



PURCHASED FROM:
figis.com

Russell Stover Marshmallow Egg

It's an egg! It's marshmallow! What's not to love?
Russell Stover is one of those brands I seem to overlook. I am not sure why really, by and large I have liked all of the products I have tried and for a middle of the road level chocolate I actually prefer it to other lines in the same range (such as Whitman's or Hershey's Pot Of gold line)

My favorite of Stover's candies are anything that has a whipped filling- they just seem to have struck a good balance between sweet but not call the dentist sweet.

Have I also mentioned my love of all things marshmallow?

The Stover's egg has a very thin shell of creamy milk chocolate surrounding the almost spongy marshmallow cream. I like the texture of the Stover's marshmallow. While it will give a slight resistance when you pull on it it is not sticky or liquid, as say Marshmallow Fluff would be- But at the same time is not as firm a marshmallow as say a Peep would be by comparison. The flavor of this marshmallow is strongly vanilla and that is the egg's only downfall. The problem is not that it is a vanilla flavored marshmallow but that Russell Stover's uses Vanillin- an artificial vanilla flavor rather then real vanilla. The initial taste is passable but there is a chemical aftertaste to the flavoring.
The chocolate isn't the most complex but it does have a good, slightly grainy melt to it. I really like the proportions of this egg. If the shell were any thicker the chocolate- already being on the far sweet side of the milk chocolate range would over power the marshmellow. And I think had the marshmallow been any thicker it might be too tough, and if it had been any thinner it might have ended up runny.

Considering the egg's tend to retail for around $1.00 or two for a dollar as it gets closer to, or after Easter I can look past the use of the Vanillin- even with it this is still a good product and it's hard to knock that price. I would love to see Stover's do a "Premium" version of this egg with higher quality chocolate and real vanilla, but the Easter Bunny can bring me the existing egg's as they are.


PURCHASED FROM:
Walgreens

Milk Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Egg

A reader had actually suggested this version of the Reese's after reading my review of the smaller version...
I, being the dork I am hit 'reject' rather then 'publish' on her comment and sadly I am unsure who exactly to credit with the suggestion- so if your out there this one's for you! (and sorry I was a dork)

This version of the Egg differs from the smaller version (read that review HERE) in a couple of different ways. First it is comsiderably bigger, weighing in at a whopping six ounces rather then 1.2 ounces.
It also still features Milk Chocolate listed both above the Reese's name and as the first ingredient on the list. Estically it also has a cute little Easter egg patten molded into the surface of the egg verses the smaller egg's smooth top.


The chocolate on this egg was so thick that even if I hadn't wanted to slice it for a picture I would have had to cut it in some way just to get into it. I am not going to knock Reese's for this- especially after my tirade on the smaller egg's being downgraded to not-exactly-chocolate status, but if I were just eating the egg to snack on it would require more work then I prefer my candy to.

Because the chocolate is so thick the egg is separated into three distinct layers of chocolate/peanut butter/ chocolate rather then thin, inseparable layers that the smaller eggs or even the regular cups possess.

Even though this egg still have real chocolate (and I give props for that) I can't say that it was good. Maybe because there was just so much more of it then I am used to, the chocolate was super sweet- I am talking made my teeth hurt sweet. It also had a taste to it that I can't quite explain. It was vaguely plasticy. the mouth feel was grainy, sort of like cheap fudge. I almost missed the not-quite chocolate- have you any idea how much that pains me to say? Is it part of some evil plain my Hershey's to make the real chocolate so bad you prefer the fake? Should I be wearing my tin foil hat while eating these?

I did however LOVE the peanut butter. Larger portion means a thicker layer peanut butter. It seems like the more peanut butter the saltier the portion- but I love salty peanut butter. The texture is slightly sticky but still crumbly (again smooth peanut butter in candy is just gross to me) I found myself isolating the peanut butter and skipping the chocolate entirely.

In the end while I still loved the peanut butter but the chocolate- while real is just not good. I am not sure I am going to forgive Hershey's for mucking up my egg.

Check out Cybele's beautiful pictures and her review HERE



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Hotel Chocolat The Serious Dark Fix Extra Thick Easter Egg

It bears repeating that I have a theory that any candy can be made better by putting it in egg shape.
I'm not really sure why it seems to work out like that but it does. So what do you get when you take already great chocolate and put it into egg form?- you get one freaking fantastic egg that's what you get!

Hotel Chocolat has some beautiful Easter products and they were kind enough to send me one of their ginormous eggs.
Since I have tried and loved Hotel's milk chocolate (I tried the Caramellow Slab) I was quite eager to taste Hotel's dark chocolate- Especially since Jim over at Jim's Chocolate Mission reviews Hotel's products on a regular basis and always makes me drool! (read some of Jim's Hotel reviews HERE)

The egg's are split into two thick shells. One shell is made of 74% dark chocolate and the other shell is 74% dark chocolate studded with Cocoa nibs. Then there are two lovely foil packs of individual candies that make up the center of egg. There are seven different candies which are:
* Chunky Nut
* Gin Truffle
* Caramel & Rum Truffle
* Blackcurrant & Champagne
* Single Origin Trinidad 72% Dark Chocolate
* Single Origin Ugandan 80% Dark Chocolate
* Orange and Lemon Sandwich


I started with the "plain" shell. First the aroma of the egg as a whole was outstanding. It smells just like I imagine Homer Simpson's version of Heaven would. Rich and just a little sweet. Almost like really strong hot chocolate.
The chocolate it's self- which was just thin enough to break off a piece with my hands was still pleasingly thick. The first thing I notices was almost a coffee like bitterness, but it is not so bitter that it gives you CBF (Cat Butt Face). There's just there tiniest bit of a milkiness to it, I think that's what keeps the bar from being too bitter. There is a sweetness to it that reminded me of the aftertaste of slightly unripe strawberries. I also liked that for such a strong chocolate the melt was nice and smooth. Not grainy or chalky in the least.


Next up was the other half of the shell the 74% dark chocolate with cocoa nibs.
I think for some reason I had the idea that the nibs would be larger and visible on the outer shell. They are actually quite small- they show up as the orangy specks in the picture.
The only difference between the two shells are the nibs. I am torn on how I feel about them. The nibs up the overall bitterness of the dark chocolate and it was a little much for me. When I isolated the nibs I really liked them on there own. Again I am going to keep using coffee as a comparison because the nibs reminded me of chocolate covered espresso beans. I think I would love them in a milk chocolate- that would be a great contrast. I also wasn't too keen on the texture, because the nibs are so small and because of the strong flavor it reminded me of chocolate with coffee grounds.


Next up was the Single Origin Trinidad 72% Dark Chocolate
This little bunny was beautifully molded and I almost felt bad for eating off his ears... almost
The first thing that came to my mind when tasting this chocolate was that it tasted nutty. I couldn't tell you what kind of nut- it was just nutty and then the nuttiness gives way to the other notes. This chocolate had strong lemony citrus notes. After tasting this it made me notice that the 74% dark of the main shell has more of a vanilla flavor then I noticed on the first go around. I didn't sense as much sweetness with the bunny. It also had a wonderfully crisp snap.



The Gin Truffle was the one thing in this egg that I was both really wanting to try and really sure I would like. I am not a fan of gin. I'm a vodka drinker and much like Coke Vs. Pepsi fans most people tend to like one or the other but not really both.
The chocolate is dark but not as dark as the outer shells or the bunny (not sure what the percentage is) the center is smooth and cool on the tongue- it also explodes into a burst of REAL gin flavor. I wasn't sure how the gin would translate but it comes through loud and clear. If James Bond ate truffles he would love this one! I don't even like gin and I LOVED this truffle. The gin adds a dryness to he chocolate. I also tasted orange- but that may have been the bite of the alcohol mixed with the strength of the chocolate. Oh, and should you ever want to really annoy a gin drinker tell them that gin is just juniper infused vodka- they tend to get all uppity when you say that.


Chunky Nut
The nut on the top was nice and crispy- I am not great with nuts and I am not sure what kind it was, I am guessing hazelnut. I realize I should probably have eaten it with the chocolate rather then plunking it off, but I did and we will all just have to deal with it.
I am not sure what nuts made up the chunky nuts but the inner ganoush was super smooth. It reminded me of a cross between hazelnut gianduja (hazelnut & chocolate paste) and natural peanut butter. The creamy center is also studded with little bits of crunchy nuts. I have said many a time that while I like chocolate, and I like nuts I tend to not like them together but this an exception. It was just plain yummy.


Single Origin Ugandan 80% Dark
"Hey there, I think your a groovy chick in a far out sorta way..." Sorry I watched The Brady Bunch Movie the other day and I could not resist. Anywho...
I was surprised that this wasn't as bitter as I thought it was going to be. In fact although it has a higher percentage of cocoa then the bunny I thought it was less bitter. This chocolate seemed almost salty to me, it was woodsy and deep. I think this would be excellent used for baking. There is just enough of a vanilla flavor to it that being used in say a cookie would mellow it out only slightly. This has been my favorite of all the solid chocolate.


Orange and Lemon Sandwich
Do I really have to remind everyone how much I love pretty much all conceivable combinations of lemon, orange and chocolate?
This was no exception. The citrus flavor in this piece sort of remind me of a bowl of Trix cereal- you know how after the first few bites all the flavors just sort of blend into just a general fruity flavor? that's what this tasted like. Don't get me wrong, it was great but neither the lemon nor the orange stands out independently. The filling is remarkably smooth and has a fantastic melt.


Caramel & Rum Truffle
When I think of rum the first thing I think of is my best friend. He grew up on the island of St. Croix and one of the main export of St. Criox is Cruzan Rum. As a good St. Croiz native as far as he's concerned it's THE only rum. I have no idea what brand of rum (or even type of rum) Hotel has used for this confection but in honor of my friend I would like to think it's Cruzan (and if it's not I feel safe to say he will survive) I've never had rum and caramel paired before so I thought it was an interesting idea. No one will ever accuse Hotel of not using real liquor in their truffles because let me tell you there is a different kick. The chocolate shell is great. The percentage is again not listed but it is strong enough that it holds it's own against the strong flavor of the rum. It has a nice thick shell. I was expecting this truffle to be chewy because of the caramel, but honestly if I didn't know that the caramel was there I never would have guessed it. There is no buttery quality. There is no sweetness and the texture gives no hints that there is anything remotely caramel like. For the filling the only thing you taste is the rum and even that is not so much a rum flavor but a chemically alcohol burn. I really hate to say this because overall I find Hotel to be outstanding but I wouldn't be telling the truth if I didn't say it almost reminded me of gasoline. I am not sure what went wrong here.


Blackcurrant & Champagne Truffle
Last but not least...
I LOOOOVE me some champagne truffles. My all time favorite can be found at a little shop on Manhattan's Upper West Side called Mondel's Chocolates but let me tell you Hotel has given them a run for their money!
The red hued outer shell has the fantastic sweet/tart flavor of blackcurrant. It's actually came off tasting in a way I can only call juicy. The chocolate is mild but still dark. Once again the truffle center was milky smooth but this center was very soft, almost to the point of being fluid. The champagne is so vivid you almost wait for the bubbles! I could have eaten an embarrassingly large amount of these!

All in all (even with the exception of the caramel & rum truffle) this was wonderful. It was nice to have such a wide selection of dark chocolates in one collection. Hotel has made this egg an 11!


PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company
Be sure to visit Hotel's website to get your own!

Reese's Peanut Butter Egg

In some of my recent posts I have been extolling my love for the classic Reese's Peanut Butter Egg.

I hadn't had one this year yet because I was trying to force myself into trying some of the newer Easter candies- and I was secure in the knowledge I could head over to Wally World and stock up before they were gone. And then it happened...

I was checking out the always fab Cybele's Candy Blog when I got the shocking news: Hershey's has changed the Egg! (read Cybele's review HERE) The Egg in it's former state had Milk Chocolate both prominently on the label over the Reese's name, and it had been first on the ingredient listing. On the currant season's Egg's Milk Chocolate is no longer prominently on the front and is now second to peanuts on the ingredient list. Oh no they didn't (picture sassy head cocking and Ricki Lake audience style snapping here)


So how does this years version stack up to last years?
Appearance-wise my Egg was a duller brown then the average Reese's cup for a comparison. It also seems to be a thinner layer of chocolate then I remember- but I am willing to say that may be my memory being wonky. The chocolate seems to take an even bigger back seat then it used to- but I really am not complaining about that because I am a bigger fan of the peanut butter to the chocolate anyway.

The peanut butter is pretty much as I remember it. Soft but still grainy-- Something about peanut butter that's completely smooth in candy grosses me out--. The peanut butter also seems saltier. I know they have increased the sodium level from last years batch but I think it's the fact that there is less sweetness from the reduced chocolate level that brings it out more.

In the end even I, loving the classic Egg as I do-- barely noticed a difference between the '08 batch and the '09 variety. What really has me concerned is the possibility that Hershey's is using this change for the eventual removal of real chocolate entirely- as they have done with some of the companies other products such as Krackle, Take 5, Kissables and many more. Hershey has already paved the way in the Reese's line when they swapped the milk chocolate to mockolate in the Reese's Sticks. The Reese's Whipped bars also have mockolate coating.

Maybe I am asking or expecting too much. Maybe it is unreasonable of me to expect a CHOCOLATE company to be making actual CHOCOLATE.

Whoppers- Blueberry Limited Edition

I know I have often said there is not enough blue food... and maybe I should stop saying that
I was killing time at Walmart* and poking through the Easter candy and these limited edition Whoppers stood out- mostly because I figured they would be horrifying. I love blueberries but outside of they're natural form and some very traditional food items (pies, pancakes etc) I tend to not like blueberry as a flavoring. But hey...

They are pretty shade of Tiffany blue

The outer glossy shell is not chocolate (thought there is cocoa in there), it's a sugary confection that is blueberry flavored. They short of smell like blueberry air freshener. The blueberry portion tastes kind of like air freshener actually, it's vaguely floral. You smell it more then taste it. It's sweet without any of the blueberry tartness. And to be fair there is not even a pretense that there is any natural flavor in there.

I may not like like the outer layer but I have always liked Whoppers inner malt ball. It's slightly salty, there's a little toasty thing going on. The texture is honeycombed and starts to melt instantly as it hits your tongue.

The malt center coupled with the blueberry coating together well... I feel sorry for the malt ball. But on top of that it also creates almost a Tootsie Roll like aftertaste. The Easter bunny can keep these.

PURCHASED FROM:
WalMart*

Butterfinger Egg

As best I can tell there are actually three or four types of Butterfinger "Eggs" out there. This particular egg is the solid form made with Butterfiger pieces
I can understand why they did so many versions- everything tastes better in egg form.

I have always loved the flaky yet still crunchy, peanut buttery center of a butter finger bar. What I have never really cared for about Butterfinger bars is the chocolate coating. It's too sweet and too waxy for me. Nestle makes some decent if not right darn good chocolate (on they're European products mostly) so I just don't get why most of the standard U.S. Nestle products are covered in that I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Mockolate.

When I first picked up this egg I hadn't paid enough attention to the label and I thought this was like one big egg shaped Butterfinger bar- what it really is, is small clusters of butterfinger bits embeded in milk chocolate. You can sort of see the pieces in this picture:


I found myself wishing for less chocolate more Butterfinger Center. The milk chocolate is grainy- although that could be from traces of the Butterfinger bits. The chocolate is just too darn sweet. The pieces of the Butterfinger center are too small for me, the flavor of it is just a tiny hit of peanut butter and then it's gone. There is just not enough actual Butterfinger bits!

I can see kids loving these egg's but for real Butterfinger fans it's too much of a tease.

PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Reese's Mini Reester Bunnies

Yes, the Easter candy has been out since about 12 hours after Christmas was over but I have some how managed to avoid filling my house with pastel colored bunnies and chicks.
That is until I saw the Mini Reester Bunnies. My favorite Reeses product is the classic Reeses Egg, I just think that the Egg has achieved the perfect levels of peanut butter to chocolate. I know that the Reester Bunnies have actually been out for a few years now but I have been unable to pull myself away from the Eggs, so in the interest of a review I tore myself away from the beloved Egg.

The Mini's are somewhere between 2 and 3 inches long and while they are well molded they are very thin. The Center of the bunny is a smear of peanut butter. There's nothing new or special about the chocolate or the peanut butter, on this bar it's mostly about the ratio of the two. This candy is mostly chocolate with just enough peanut butter so that you know it's there. It adds a little bit of grit to the chocolate and cuts the sweetness a little.

I think the deciding factor to if you just like or love the Reester Bunnies is dependant on what part of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups you like more. If you are a fan of the chocolate then these are the Reeses for you. I on the other hand am a fan of the peanut butter so while I like them enough they will never achieve the same status of my beloved Egg.

PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Lindt Chocolate Carrots

I was thinking that if I could dangle a chocolate carrot it might help me stay good on my diet
And these Lindt carrots are certainly cute enough- and they have these little plastic umbrella style holders that makes dangling convenient. It wasn't until I was home that I even realized that the carrots are chocolate with Hazelnuts, reading the label it's a hazelnut paste. With that in mine it mind me think that these would be sort of like a solid Nutella.

The chocolate is exceptionally smooth and creamy. There's a strong milky taste. I didn't pick up the hazelnuts the way I expected. It's not as in your face as Nutella, rather it's blended into the chocolate. The aroma is deep and roasty but the flavor is sweet and light. I liked it because it was just nutty enough, it let the chocolate shine though. I also liked that just the one umbrella was a satisfying portion. I'm hoping the Easter Bunny brings more.

PURCHASED FROM:
Longs Drugs

Peeps

Ah the classic, innocenty look of a Peeps chick...
Something about those smushy little faces and bright colors always makes me want to bring out my inner Ozzie.

It has literally been years since I bite into one of these so I picked up a package (blue, because there is not enough blue food). They were soft and fresh. The outer coating of bright blue sugar giving a nice grainy crunch. The inner marshmellow being fluffy and spongey. It was everything I had remembered it to be. They may not be the most flavorful Easter candy out there but on the other hand is it really Easter without them?