NEW! Mars Choc Brownie Review

Theres a new Mars bar in town! Well. I say new, but is it really? Mars Choc Brownie certainly sounds new, but it also sounds eerily similar to the Mars Triple Choc and the Xtra Choc. Are they just rehashing the same bar under different guises? Quite possibly. It didn't sound much different...

The press releases for all three bars went as follows:

2011 Triple Choc: 'tasty chocolate nougat and delicious chocolate caramel, covered in thick milk chocolate'.

2015 Xtra Choc: 'extra chocolatey taste from delicious chocolate caramel and tasty chocolate nougat encased in a thick chocolate coat' 

2017 new Choc Brownie: 'thick chocolate nougat with indulgent dark caramel”, covered in Mars chocolate, to create a “new twist on a chocolate classic”.

Ahem. In any case, I miss the discontinued Xtra Choc, so set out on a mission to find the Choc Brownie at the same time as the new McVities banoffee caramel and coffee* caramel digestives! The new Mars bar was  reportedly launched on the 22nd of May (once again, thanks to @productsinstore for the heads up) but I couldn't find it for love nor money. In the end I harassed my poor corner shop so much that they eventally got them in. Hurrah! It's therefore worth checking your corner shops, although I've seen reports that four packs are in Bargain Buys and PoundWorld (just not in Hereford PoundWorld).

Slicing it in half revealed the distinct Mars layers of milk chocolate (35%), nougat (37%) and caramel (28%) in completely different hues to the standard bar. 

The nougat and chocolate was as expected, indifferent to the Xtra Choc bar, but sweet and scrummy nonetheless. Described as dark caramel I'm unsure whether the gooey layer was meant to taste of chocolate seeing as there was already so much chocolate in the bar. To me it had tones reminiscent of black treacle and was unlike that used in the Xtra Choc bar - but perhaps that was my wishful imagination. 

I enjoyed the Mars Choc Brownie and will be sure to buy more once I've made my way through my extensive chocolate collection! Just be warned - it's a bar for those in dire need of a sugar hit. 

My only gripe is that surely the team at Mars could be more creative than rehashing the old limited editions. Given the variety in flavours of nougat style protein bars, surely Mars could bring out something more creative! It wouldn't even have to be as different as the wonderful Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Smart Bar or Banana Carb Killa -although chocolate bar versions of both of those bars would be great! A peanut butter, white chocolate or mocha Mars Bar would suffice!

7/10

* which I still haven't found yet, so please get in touch if you find them!

NEW! Walls Feast Sandwich (Tesco Express)

About this time last year I squealed in a lecture when I found out that Walls were bringing out peanut butter Feasts. Get over. My favourite childhood ice cream was being combined with my favourite flavour? I couldn't imagine anything more exciting. I still haven't got over the disappointment of the reality though, those meagre Choc ices were disgraceful. Walls haven't given up hope though, they've just released another new version of their iconic Feast - this time in sandwich format. Now if you've been reading this blog for a while you'll know just how much I love a good ice cream sandwich. Could Walls do a better job with their 2017 addition? I decided to not buy a whole box but purchased a single ice cream from my local Tesco Express for £1.

"Vanilla ice cream between chocolate biscuits (18%) coated in chocolate flavour coating (13%) with nougat pieces (2%)."

More or less a Maxibon then? It seems that it's not only Kellogg's who've been keeping tabs on Nestle!

"Cream flavoured ice cream with chocolate chips (4%) sandwiched in between biscuits (15%) and half covered in a milk chocolate flavour coating (11.5%) with hazelnuts."

They certainly look very similar, although the Walls version is lacking the chocolate chips that stud Maxibons.

As you can see, the chocolate coating was paper thin, and despite my careful transportation it had smashed in the corners. It tasted ok though, nothing special but not like cooking chocolate either. A redeeming factor was the nougat pieces, which had thankfully remained crisp.

It can't just be me who thinks that the ice cream in a Feast should be chocolate flavoured? The vanilla ice cream in the middle was the same stuff Walls use in their Gingerbread sandwiches. It tastes like soft serve, which strangely makes a nice change from the creamier ice creams I usually favour. Still it's not really a Feast is it?

The biscuits were soft, which I expected, and tasted indifferent to the ones used in Maxibons. Their flavour is akin to a very mild bourbon and they're pleasant enough.

To be honest, there's very few differences between Walls' new Feast sandwiches and Nestle's iconic Maxibons. The ice cream is better in the 'Feast', but it's lacking the chocolate chips that add texture to the Maxibons. My biggest bug bear is that once again Walls have relied on Feast's success to brand an unrelated product. It's NOT a Feast. I do however want to try the new Maxibon Cookie (when I can find it) it looks very good!

6/10

White Snickers

There are not many chocolate bars that can't be improved by swapping milk for white chocolate. White Reese's cups & Twixs are God's gift to man, and don't even talk to me about the devastating loss of white Maltesers, let alone not finding out that white chocolate Côte D'Or's Bouchées exist until this late into my adulthood (which thankfully I now have a healthy supply of thanks to the kindness of One Treat). I've reviewed many of the Snickers* (excluding the PB squared which is my favourite to date) but none have left me craving my next bar. In fact I could happily not have some of them ever again. The continental White chocolate Snickers piqued my interest though, was this the one variation that could finally turn me into an knickers *sorry snickers* addict? If Nat's review on Lot-O-Choc was anything to go by (and I trust her opinion implicitly) they could certainly be up to the job.

Could I find the imported white Snickers though? Of course not. Luckily for me the lovely Sîan offered to send me a bar. Only she didn't just send me one, she sent me three. How fortunate am I? Thanks Sîan.

They looked much more striking with their snowy white covering. Just look at that cross section! Isn't it attractive?

Crikey. How can a change in chocolate type make all the difference? By all accounts the sweetness should be sickly, but in actual fact the salinity of the peanuts works extraordinarily well against the creamy white chocolate. The Caramel and nougat were as soft and gooey as normal, providing the ultimate juxtaposition of textures against the crunchy nuts.

There's not much more I can add really, apart from that if you're a peanut lover with a sweet tooth then you simply MUST track these limited edition bars down pronto. It's one of the best chocolate bars I've had in a good while!

10/10

*Other Snickers bars I've reviewed:
Almond
Rockin Nut Road
Crisper

Snickers: Rockin' Nut Road & Almond 2 To Go (American Fizz)

Today's double review is a bit baffling. Why am I reviewing not one but TWO American Snickers bars when I'm not particularly keen on either of the British flavours? I guess I'm still a bit confused as to why I'm not a huge Snickers fan when peanuts, caramel, milk chocolate and nougat are all absolutely delicious in my books! It might be because I prefer smooth nut flavours (I very rarely buy crunchy peanut butter) but then I love M&S' The Nutty One, so god knows! Anyway, I keep on buying and trying Snickers (including the Crisper) hence the purchase of these two bars from American Fizz.

Rockin' Nut Road

“Almonds, caramel and marshmallow-flavored nougat wrapped in dark chocolate."

A dark chocolate covered snickers is a new one for me. As you'll know, American chocolate is a different entity to our British stuff. This bar was the colour one might expect from plain chocolate, which was fine by me given my dislike of the darker, more bitter flavours.

Slicing it in two revealed the caramel encased almonds atop the nougat, which was hidden inside the chocolate. The layers were satisfyingly distinct.

Unfortunately the flavours just didn't quite work together for me. The marshmallow flavoured nougat tasted a bit odd, more like an overly sweet version and was ultimately quite jarring. The almonds were crispy, and the caramel of standard Snickers quality, but altogether the combination was far too sickly -yes, even for my sugar addicted tastebuds. The dark chocolate wasn't great either, reminding me of the super cheap value range cooking chocolate -not good.

4/10

Almond 2 To Go

Snickers have simply swapped their standard peanuts for almonds here, and given that the nuts were my favourite component of the Rockin' Nut Road, I was hoping for better things from the Almond Snickers. The 2 to go actually comprises of two (almost full size) bars.

The tiers were slightly less pretty and more smoothed in the almond bars, but I didn't mind that as long as the taste was better.

Fortunately it was much tastier. Although the milk chocolate was sweeter (of course) the nougat was less so and this resulted in a better harmony between the flavours. It's a shame that the UK doesn't make more chocolate bars using almonds really, as the combination can work very well.

Almond Snickers isn't a bar that I'd rush out to buy again in a hurry, but I wouldn't turn my nose up if I spotted a good deal either. Meanwhile, my search for the White snickers continues...

7/10

Reese's Fast Break (American Fizz)

It was about time that I got myself up to date with all of the Reese's products I could get hold of, before the new Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter cups make their way over here (American Fizz, I hope you're on the case). I hadn't spotted the Fast Break in any of the import stores though -surprising really considering that it sounded so damn good! 

"REESE'S peanut butter and soft nougat covered in deliciously rich milk chocolate for a candy bar that is perfect to get your REESE'S on-the-go."

I loved the satisfyingly distinct layers; with the nougat at its bottom, Reese's peanut butter at its core, all covered by a decent coating of milk chocolate. 

There's not much I could say about the chocolate and peanut butter that I haven't said a gazillion times before. It's utterly delightful, I just can't get enough of Reese's perfect balance of salty nuttiness and waxy milk chocolate (you lie Reese's when you say it's deliciously rich though). The nougat was squidgy and sweet, and pretty good in its own right. The problem was that it knocked Reese's perfect salty-sweet equilibrium out of kilter however and into the realms of sickliness. Perhaps the lack of crunch or otherwise interesting texture didn't help matters, but either way I wasn't fussed on the Fast Break. In fact, to me it tasted like a poor man's version of M&S's moreish 'The Nutty One'.

6/10

Hershey's Zero Bar (American Fizz)

Today's review is of another American classic candy bar made by Hershey's: their Zero Bar. I know Hershey's often gets a bit of a bad rap, but I love the company -and their products even more so. After all, without Hershey's there would be no Reese's -and lord knows I'd be a grumpier cow without Reese's! If you've been reading my blog for a while, you might remember that I have also reviewed (and lauded the praises of) Hershey's almighty 'Take 5' bar, so it felt only natural to buy their Zero bar when placing my American Fizz order.

'Caramel, peanut and almond nougat covered with delicious white fudge.'

As you can see, the bar was a stark white number with rippled coating. Slicing into it uncovered the layer of caramel, beneath which was the peanut studded nougat. 

The fudge coating was just as expected, adding little to the bar other than playing the role of binding material to hold the bar together. It has to be admitted that I enjoyed it's sweetness, and the fact it's a different flavour than we have with any of the UK bars

.

The caramel layer was soft and chewy, although it was probably more solid than normal as it had been stored in my fridge. The caramel worked well with the nougat underneath, which was fudge-like and reminded me of the centre of a Mars bar. There was added crunchiness thanks to the peanuts dotted about, which made the Zero all the more texturally interesting to eat. 

It's another winning combination from Hershey's. The Zero bar is super sweet (it contains 30g of sugar after all) so perhaps it's one to avoid giving the kids; instead keep it for yourself to help with that mid-afternoon energy slump!

8/10