Dove Peppermint Bark Promises

I like Dove. I like the "Promises" line. Truth be told, the milk chocolate Promises are a candy dish staple in my house. So naturally, I snapped up the Peppermint Bark Promises.

This Promise is layered, with a base of dark chocolate, topped by white chocolate that is studded with bits of peppermint hard candy. It was disappointing when I opened the bag and there was pretty much no hint, scent-wise, that there was peppermint goodness hidden within. Even once unwrapped, the Promises themselves smell more like dark chocolate than anything else.



When you bite into the bite-sized square, the chocolate is smooth, but there is some crunch provided by the peppermint nibs. Biting into each layer separately, starting with the white chocolate top, the white chocolate is smooth and creamy. It has a very milky quality that I liked. And of course since this is where the peppermint pieces live, it has the added crunchy texture. The mint also makes this portion a little cooler on the tongue.



The dark chocolate layer is standard Dove Dark. It's more like a really good semi-sweet chocolate chip than a true dark. It's smooth and has an outstanding melt. It's not as intense as some of the top of the line darks out there, but it has a woodsy, coffee-like taste that keeps it interesting.



The two layers combined have a flavor I can best describe as slightly mint-flavored milk chocolate. Overall I liked these Promises. I just found myself wishing the mint were stronger. But if you like your mint subtle rather than assertive, this may be the candy for you.

Oh, and speaking of the actual "promise" that lurks on the underside of each wrapper...

Should I be excited or slightly horrified that inside each Promise wrapper, instead of some inspiring little quips like "Life is Sweet" or "Listen to the music of your heart and dance" or some other quote that sounds like it may have been written by a thirty-something woman while listening to Michael Bublé with her cat on her lap....oh wait, that would be me...never mind! Fine job those writers are doing...

Anyway, instead of that, these promises feature holiday tips from Martha Stewart. And what are some of Martha's nuggets of wisdom?

"String lights on border edges to line your walkways"

"Dress packages in candy stripes for a sweet presentation"

"Use fishing line to hang wreaths"

"Glittered lemons make cheerful center pieces"

So that was it? Martha, c'mon! Shouldn't we be whittling antlers for the family pet or mining our own coal for the naughty on our lists? Don't get me wrong; I actually like Martha. Unlike a certain hideously overexposed quasi-contemporary of hers, she gives her audience credit for having the desire and/or the skill set to do more than chop up hot dogs and bake them into mac & cheese. And even if Martha did ask her audience to do that, it would be with the understanding that they would of course make the dish using hot dogs from animals they not only raised, but butchered themselves. The cheese would also be homemade, using the milk from the animals on the farm; and certainly the mac would have come from the homegrown semolina. (Extra points for using kitchen implements hand-forged in your home smithy, conveniently located on the spare shelf above the spice rack.)

What? Are you telling me you haven't turned your 75 square foot apartment balcony into a fully operational, self-sustaining .001721763 of an acre organic farm? You guys are seriously just not trying!

Anyway, the Dove Peppermint Bark Promises weren't bad. They weren't special enough to buy again, but yeah, I'll probably finish the bag.

Be sure to check out Cybele's review here. I think she liked them more than I did.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Safeway Select Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream

Sometimes I think I am an ice cream snob.

There are very few times you will see a review of an ice cream (or "frozen dairy product") here that is not a major name brand. It's not that I have anything against store brands on principle -- in fact, I was quite fond of the Publix supermarket's brand of peppermint ice cream. It's just that as someone who is not on the best of terms with lactose (believe it or not, with all the dairy I eat), I want a lot of bang for my buck. And let's face it: most of the time, that means going with the super premium brands.



But doesn't Chocolate Truffle ice cream just sound good? It's a chocolate ice cream base with swirls of milk chocolate sauce and truffle pieces. Yes, it certainly did sound good.

As for the taste...well...



The base ice cream has a pretty decent flavor. It's a mildly cocoa type of Dutch chocolate and it's quite generic. Not strong, not complex, but not bad.

The milk chocolate syrup, in terms of both taste and texture, is exactly as if someone had squirted some Hershey's syrup onto the chocolate ice cream. It adds a stronger hit of chocolate flavor. Again, nothing outstanding, but hey -- even bad chocolate syrup can be pretty good. But if you got a really big blob of it in a spoonful as I did, it did make my throat burn.

The truffle bits? UGH! EPIC FAIL! I don't know what planet these slightly bloomed, oily and cheap tasting hunks of "chocolate flavor coated" monstrosities are considered truffles on -- but I do know I never want to go there. They were so bad I found myself eating around them.

In terms of overall texture this ice cream was almost grainy with ice crystals. It only became smooth once it had melted a bit. It also is not the richest ice cream I have ever had.

Minus the truly Godawful "truffles," it's not that this is the worst ice cream ever; it's just not very good either. It's like an edible version of the definition of mediocre.

You know what? I am an ice cream snob. Deal with it.



PURCHASED FROM:
Vons Supermarket

Dove Peanut Butter Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate

Given the sheer number of chocolate/peanut butter products that I have reviewed, it's pretty safe to say that I am a fan.



I also am a fan of Dove products. For mass-market they do a fantastic job with the products they make, and it is among my favorite milk chocolates. When I read Cybele's review back in June I couldn't wait to try this candy for myself.



The bar is broken up into five "promise size" pieces. The outer chocolate is Dove's classic milk chocolate. It's smooth, sweet and has a strong dairy quality to it.

The peanut butter flavor permeates the entire bar--but in a good way. The peanut butter itself is super smooth. There's not much going in terms of texture. One of the things I love about Hershey's peanut butter cups is the crumbly texture of the peanut butter. That's not present here. The peanut butter is mildly salty, but mostly it is just bland. It's not sweet enough that it reminds you of, say, a peanut sauce. It's not roasted enough to be like an actual peanut. It's like peanut butter for people who like their food as plain as possible. It's not bad; it's just kinda forgettable.



In the end this bar is okay. It's smooth, the melt is thick and rich, the chocolate is good. For the chocolate alone, I would prefer it over a Reese's. But on the other hand, I wouldn't for the peanut butter. It's just not as good as a Trader Joe's peanut butter cup (still the best as far as I am concerned).



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Dove Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Caramels

Dove has launched a line of flavored caramels


I happen to like the Dove Promises so I was excited to see these.

I decided to start with the Hazelnut caramel first.
The candy it's self is the exact size and shape as your average Promise.
When you open the bag sadly you do not get a heavy scent of hazelnuts- but if you give the unwrapped candies a sniff you will detect the slightest hint of the nutty goodness within... what's that?- YOU don't sniff your candy? You my friend are missing out. Remember that a large percentage of what you taste is based on what you smell.

So how does it taste you ask?
Pretty good!- yeah well that was helpful.
The chocolate is classic, creamy Dove milk chocolate and it has the rich melt you expect from Dove.
The caramel: It is gooey but not sticky. Actually besides being caramel in color it did not really remind me much of caramel. It was more like a truffle filling then caramel and it has none of the wonderful burnt sugar taste of a good caramel. I however will overlook all that because it tastes so darn good. The caramel-type filling has such a gentle, subtle hazelnut taste that it keeps you returning to the bag for more. It's like a sweet kiss from your first love- did I get enough cheesy metaphors in there?

In a (hazel)nut shell this is perfect for people who like Hazelnut but don't want something as strong as Nutella (like me). Hazelnut addicts may not find it strong enough in flavor but will probably still like it. Or for those of you that like the flavor of nuts in candy but don't want to eat the actual nuts themselves- like me!... Yes, I know I am a freak but that is for another blog.

Dove Dark Chocolate Mint Creames

I have to be honest. I did not notice these were sugar free until I got them home.

All in all not bad. The chocolate it's self is not as rich as the normal Dove dark but it does have a deep rich flavor. The mint is subtle at first but after two of the candies it does start to remind you of Mylanta.
The mouth feel is creamy and smooth. My only complaint with it is that it melts VERY quickly.

I like it enough that I would buy it again- IF it did not have two major drawbacks.

1. About 3 minutes after eating the after taste from hell sets in. It's like Mylanta and stale coffee.

2. The not so small print on the label:
"EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION MAY HAVE A LAXATIVE EFFECT."

I know I always want my snack food to keep me regular.