During another excursion to Sam’s Club last week I came across a box of M&M’s new Limited Edition Coconut candies. I’ve heard about these but haven’t seen them anywhere else, so I somewhat grudgingly put the box in my cart (grudgingly because there’s always the chance they’ll be nasty, and then I’m stuck with a whole box of them!).

Thankfully, they’re pretty tasty! The pack is only 1.5 oz, and contained about 23 candies. The candies themselves are about the size of a peanut butter M&M (slightly bigger than a plain but smaller than a peanut), and come in dark brown, green and white.

Maybe they put Miss Green on the package to make up for the fact that there are very few greens inside? (I’m kidding - fewer greens makes sense and is actually pretty visually appealing against the white and brown.) Some of the candies are printed with cute little umbrellas, suns, palm trees and flowers with the M.

Now, I liked these to the point that if I had a pack I’d snack on it, but I don’t know that I’d seek them out again like I do the peanut butter or peanut varieties.

The coconut, I think, is right on and is balanced perfectly with the chocolate, which is the standard M&M’s milk chocolate. There is a lingering aftertaste that, while not unpleasant, sticks around for a bit. Thankfully, these have the standard hard candy shell and not the weird soft shells that the Premium M&M’s have.

The kids really liked them, though, so even if they’re not a candy I’m gaga over, the kids will finish the box for me!

These supposedly won’t be available in stores until August, but like I said, I picked this box up at Sam’s Club last week for about $8.

One of my favorite chocolate artisans, Art Pollard, has developed some new offerings in his yummy chocolate line at Amano Chocolate.

Art has perfected two new single-origin milk chocolate bars: Ocumare (the dark chocolate version of which I really liked) is made with beans from the Ocumare Valley in Venezuela, and the Jembrana is made from beans from the southwestern coast of Bali.

Though they’re both milk chocolate they each have distinctly different flavors. And though none of Art’s chocolates have anything but milk and a little vanilla added to each bar, the regions the beans are harvested from definitely lend each variety its own unique, not-entirely chocolate flavor:

Jembrana: Beautiful rich chocolate flavor that is yet gentle and beautiful. Hints of licorice, spice, and honey — naturally found flavor components of the special cocoa beans from Bali that naturally exhibit themselves when combined with the milk when we create this chocolate.

Ocumare: Rich and smooth chocolate flavor with natural flavor notes of red fruit (such as plumb or cherry) — a natural flavor component of these special Ocumare cocoa beans.

My favorite of the two is the Jembrana, which doesn’t seem to have as much of a flavor punch as the Ocumare (which I did enjoy, just not as much as the Jembrana!). I prefer my milk chocolate to be a little understated, though, so take that how you will! If you like your milk chocolate with a little something extra, without the addition of actual fruits or nuts, you’ll love these bars, and I’d definitely get them again.

[images: amano chocolate]

While running some errands yesterday I spotted a new display at Target: Limited Edition Oreo Strawberry Milkshake Creme. Being an Oreo lover (who isn’t?) I felt it was my duty to grab a package to try.

Oreo Strawberry Milkshake Creme

The 12 oz package was $2.75, not too bad considering the usual 18 oz package usually runs about $3.50 here.

Don't mind the missing row...

Upon opening you see it’s not the same packaging setup that the usual Oreos have, with the three long rows. This one has three shorter rows with 8 cookies in each row, for a total of 24 in the package. There was really no strong smell, which to me is a good sign.

The cream filling, of course, is pink. It seems to be a little bit thicker than the usual cookies, and it’s definitely a lot smoother and creamier.

I found the taste to be very pleasant — not too sweet but just enough strawberry to know that’s what you’re eating. The chocolate cookie is the same old Oreo (which has always been the best part, to me!) and neither flavor overpowers the other. The regular white filling usually leaves me feeling like I’ve eaten Crisco, but the strawberry filling in these leave no unpleasant mouth-feel, and even the aftertaste is nice.

In all, I’d say it’s worth the money, especially if you’re an Oreo fan, and I hope maybe it’s one they’d consider taking off “limited edition” status! I’d definitely buy these if they stayed in stores.

Have you tried the Strawberry Milkshake Oreos? What did you think?

Dove chocolates are one of the few store-bought brands that I have to have in my chocolate stash at all times. The flavor and texture are satisfying and great for whether I want a quick chocolate snack or to treat myself.

But now they’ve gone and done it with Peanut Butter Dove. I was sent a bag this week and I’m not ashamed to say that it doesn’t seem to be lasting very long. The Dove chocolate is as rich and smooth as it always is, and the creamy peanut butter center is absolutely perfect.

One of the complaints I have with other peanut butter-filled chocolates (even See’s) is that there isn’t enough salt in the peanut butter. Reese’s seems to be the only one who’s gotten it right over the years, but I’ve noticed that even they seem to be cutting back, and that distinctive little bite from the salt in the peanut butter isn’t as noticeable anymore.

It’s a weird thing to complain about — not enough salt in my chocolate — but without it the peanut butter usually tends to fade into the background, which is just sad.

However, this is not the case with the Dove Peanut Butter chocolates. The amount of salt in the peanut butter is perfect — in fact, when I tried the first one I looked at my husband and said “They got it right!” and he agreed.

Each 8.5oz bag contains individually wrapped little squares wrapped in foil with the trademark Promises inspirations printed on the inside. Though they’re technically not set to be released until May, I’ve already seen them on the shelves at my local WalMart and a grocery store for about $3 a bag.

Check back over the next few days — I’ve got a few bags to give away!

When I think of chocolate, I admit one of the first thoughts that doesn’t pop into my head is spring! Regardless of whether it’s milk or dark, mixed with nuts or fruits or just plain, chocolate usually isn’t delicate enough to evoke thoughts of new flowers or warm breezes.

Choclatique Spring Assortment

However, I’ve now tried a chocolate that has changed that. Choclatique has created a spring assortment of molded chocolates that are as decadent as its name, and, if you’ll forgive the prose, as light and fresh as a spring morning.

The collection holds 15 pieces in a beautiful rainbow of colors from pink to yellow and lavender, and dusted with 24-karat gold. The collections contains Chocolate Caramel in Dark Chocolate; Amaretto Latte Ganache; Banana Crème; Cherry Crème; Chocolate Créme; Créme Anglaise; Grand Marnier Créme; Key Lime Créme; Mandarin Orange Caramel; Mint Chip; Passion Fruit Caramel; Peach Créme; Saigon Cinnamon Caramel; Wild Berry Créme; and Strawberry Créme.

I was sent a few pieces to try out, and my little collection included:

Créme Anglaise: Vanilla custard ganache in milk chocolate — absolutely delicious, very light vanilla flavor

Amaretto Latte Ganache: Amaretto and espresso ganache in dark chocolate — the most decadent of the bunch, very pleasant coffee aftertaste

Chocolate Créme: Old fashioned chocolate pudding in milk chocolate — very delicate milk chocolate flavor, perfect pudding texture

Mint Chip: Chocolate, mint and white chocolate ganache in dark chocolate — my favorite, lighter and more satisfying than other mint chocolate counterparts I’ve tried

Each piece was amazing with a thick, creamy ganache center and satisfying outer shell. I wanted more of each one after I tried it.

What I found interesting is the way the colors are added to the pieces. I was a little wary at first because I assumed they were mostly white chocolate, which I’m not crazy about. However, these aren’t hollow bon bons of colored white chocolate with filling, these are creamy ganache in a milk or dark chocolate shell with a very light colored white chocolate coating over top on some. This was a very happy discovery!

The set is $35.00 US and is available until May 30. I highly recommend checking the collection out for yourself — you won’t be disappointed.

…

Choclatique is a “super-premium” quality chocolate company founded in California in 2003 by Ed Engoron and Joan Vieweger. Their take on chocolate is pretty simple: To create the most beautiful, distinctive, luscious and authentically American chocolates in the world!

And Choclatique is “proudly American:” the premium cacao beans are roasted, processed and refined in Burlingame, California; they use Hawaiian-grown cacao beans in selected items; the proprietary all-natural flavors are made in Oxnard, California; the packaging is made and printed in Dallas, Texas; and the specialty molds and equipment is made in Buffalo, New York.

[image used with permission from choclatique]

This is probably one of the easiest reviews I’ll ever do, because the tweaked version of the product tastes exactly like the original! If you’ve ever had a Butterfinger then you know what Nestle’s new Butterfinger Buzz tastes like too.

I was sent some king-sized packs to try out, and each pack has two separate bars in it, each bar about 3 inches long. It’s been a long time since I bought a king-sized Butterfinger, but I do know the last time I did it was one gigantic bar, which I could never finish in one sitting. Having two separate bars was pretty nice since each serving (1 piece) was the perfect size.

I didn’t hesitate when I opened the first pack — I love Butterfingers and really wanted to see if there was a difference between these caffeinated bars and the originals! And I actually couldn’t tell any difference in taste. Sometimes the hyped-up versions will have almost a vitamin-y aftertaste and be somewhat bitter, I didn’t notice it with these. There was a lingering aftertaste but to me it wasn’t unpleasant.

Really the only difference I saw — and unfortunately I don’t have a regular bar on hand to tell for sure — is that the crispy peanut butter inside of the Buzz seems to be a bit of a darker orange than the original. Butterfingers always seem to be a bit battered right out of the package, so that didn’t bother me, though these looked like they’d been through a cement mixer.

The chocolate tastes the same, melting on my fingers before I finished and not impressive overall (though let’s face it, Butterfinger is probably one of the few candy bars I don’t buy for the chocolate), and the “crispety, crunchety” peanut butter inside was perfect, getting stuck in my teeth just like always.

Now what sets the Buzz apart is that it’s supposedly loaded with as much caffeine as “the leading energy drink,” which I take to mean a Red Bull or Monster or whatever. Each individual bar contains 40 mg of caffeine and, as the package says, is “not recommended for pregnant women, children or persons sensitive to caffeine.” I’ve never had an energy drink so I can’t compare and I really didn’t notice an energy boost. If I ate both bars I probably would have, but I can’t down two candy bars in one sitting so I have yet to see!

Overall, a good candy bar but I’m going to have to take Nestle’s word about the energy boost.

I recently had the opportunity to try some chocolate from FireLilly Chocolates. It’s not very often that a new chocolate will make me say “now that’s original,” but this was one of those times!

The chocolates are actually mini waffle cones that contain a truffle filling dipped in Belgian chocolate with a sprinkling of nuts on top. How cute is that? My first thought was that they’ve combined the best of two different treats - truffles, which are fantastic on their own, and the bottom end of a crunchy waffle cone ice cream that has that little chunk of chocolate at the bottom.

The chocolate itself is delicious — very smooth as you’d expect a truffle to be, no bitterness even with the dark varieties, and the cone, Belgian chocolate and nuts over the top give it a little more texture with a satisfying crunch. The truffle fills the entire cone, which measures two and-a-half inches long.

There are several different flavors: Milk Chocolate, Decadent Dark, Minty Mousse, Chocolate Milk, Dark Raspberry, Peanut Butter (my favorite!), and Almond. Each little cone is individually wrapped which would make them perfect for stocking stuffers.

They can be purchased in a 20-pack, in sets of 3 baguettes with four individually wrapped cones in each, in cute little canisters (pictured above), or in beautiful apothecary jars loaded up with 75 cones. All Chocolate Bytes readers get an additional 10% off their order just by clicking the pink Blogger banner at the top of the order page!

[images used with permission from FireLilly Chocolates]

I picked up a bag of Hershey’s Mint Truffle Kisses at Target the other day while hunting for stocking stuffers to give them a try.

These are supposedly another “limited edition” Kiss but they were available last year too, so maybe they’re just rolling them out as a seasonal treat. My 17.8 oz bag cost me $4.29.

The standard-sized Kisses are wrapped in silver or green foil with little flags that say “MINT TRUFFLE.”

The wrappers, of course, are what caught my eye because I was on the lookout for Christmas goodies, and I think they’d look pretty in a candy dish or jar. Read more

We had to venture out to Whole Foods last week to see if we could find some elusive Thanksgiving dinner ingredients and passed by a little sample table set up with some Organic Chocolate Truffles.

Of course we had to stop and try them and as you can imagine they were amazing! My husband actually went back for one more which surprised me because he’s not a huge fan of plain chocolate.

We bought an 8.8 oz box for $4.99 and have been enjoying them all weekend. Being covered in cocoa, they’re a bit messy so we’ve actually been poking at them with a toothpick to get them out. I know it sounds goofy but it works!

I can’t find anything on the box that tells me what the cocoa percentage is but they’re not bitter. They’re very smooth and practically melt in your mouth (as a truffle should!) at room temperature.

The foil bag that they’re packaged in is not resealable so we put it inside a recloseable plastic bag to help keep them fresh.

If you crave a rich chocolate treat make sure you pick up a box next time you get a chance!

After last week’s Ferrero giveaway and the discovery that they’re now making a dark chocolate treat, I’ve kept my eyes open for them! Read more