Verkade Chocolate Butterscotch Bar

Butterscotch. When I think about it the only thing that really comes to mind is pudding...
Butterscotch was (and probably still is) my Father's favorite type of pudding. And my mother only made it for him once in a very great while- and it was understood that on those occasions the pudding was solely his. I would love to tell you that it was because of all the effort and love she put into it, but it was J-ello brand- from the box. This was the early 80's, I dunno maybe making boxed pudding was more involved then it is today. Anyway, I think it was his mostly because he had three sugar crazed kids to deal with if he shared.
One time he did share. I remember it somewhat vividly. "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan" was making it's network TV sigh yes kids, I said network tv for these were the days before everyone had cable and while VCR's were certainly out there it was not unusual for movies to either be difficult to rent or astonishingly expensive to buy (we are talking about $99.00 a movie being the norm) anyway... we watched Star Trek that night and somewhere around Shatner screaming "KHAAAAAAAAAN!" my Father shared one of his puddings with me. To this day I am not a fan of butterscotch pudding (but I still love Star Trek- and my Father)

With that in mind I tend not to go out of my way looking for anything butterscotch flavored. What made me get this bar is the guy at the Dutch store said it was one of his favorites and shouldn't be missed.

The Verkade bar is a milk chocolate bar. The pieces are scored into thick little blocks. The chocolate it's self is sweet smelling but waxy. It does melt quickly but not it's not creamy. The bar is full of crunchy bits of sugar. While the texture is both sticky and crunchy (in the good ways) the sugar bits themselves don't seem to have any flavor whatsoever. Honestly, I couldn't taste any butterscotch or even any caramel like notes.

It's not a bad bar but minus the sugar crunchies there is not anything noteworthy here either.

PURCHASED FROM:
The Dutch Bakery Ontario Cal
Visit they're website!: Dutch Variety Foods

Daelmans Jumbo Stroopwafels

Stroopwafels are one of those things I don't keep in the house often because they are so good that the bag will be gone before I know it.

Stroopwafels for those not in the know is a thin waffle that has been sliced into two pieces down the middle. Then a filling of some sort (my favorite is caramel) is spread between the two halves and they are then placed back together. Eating one is so good it makes puppies smile.

A common way to eat them is with coffee or tea. You place the waffle over the top of the cop and allow the steam to warm the waffle and melt the filling.

I like them stright from the package. They are buttery smelling.
For me, the part I like the best is the texture. It's chewy, but crispy. The caramel even un-warmed is soft and ribbony. If you have never had one you should- trust me.


PURCHASED FROM:
The Dutch Bakery Ontario Cal
Visit they're website!: Dutch Variety Foods

Harlekijntjes Sweet Licorice

Admittedly after the Ikea Nordic Sweets Salt Licorice I was worried I might be up for a repeat performance.
Luckily that was not the case.

The Harlekijntjes are about the the size of a quarter and have little faces molded into them. They are soft to the touch but not overly smooshy.

Flavor wise they are indeed mild and sweet. There is just a touch of salt- which in this case it's perfect. The main flavor is more like anise or licorice root then the molasses-like quality of Panda. There is just enough heat to the licorice to make it interesting but it doesn't overwhelm.

I wish I had started here with my first Dutch licorices, if I had I probably wouldn't have waited so long to try another. The aftertaste is great. It's long lasting and just leaves you with a fresh feeling.

PURCHASED FROM:
The Dutch Bakery Ontario Cal
Visit they're website!: Dutch Variety Foods