'The Crunchy One' Chocolate Bar (M&S)

I really think M&S have upped their chocolate game; at the end of last year they released a whole host of new chocolate bars including plain bars such as 'The White One' that I reviewed last month, and the exciting sounding 'Crazy One' that Lucy reviewed in October. This week I picked up the 'Crunchy One':

'Milk chocolate bar with a soft chocolate centre containing honeycomb, cornflakes, caramelised hazelnut pieces and wafer.'

The bar had a rippled appearance complete with a dark chocolate coloured drizzle on top. It was easy to slice, baring it's soft chocolate & crunchy filling. The chocolate covering had a very mild cocoa flavour, with the emphasis clearly leaning towards the milkier end of the spectrum. 

The filling was very creamy with a whipped, almost mousse like, texture that reminded me of chocolate flavoured buttercream. The honeycomb pieces were evident throughout, providing a hit of both sweetness and crunch, without the overwhelming sugariness that I often experience when eating a Cadbury's Crunchie bar. I could also detect the cornflakes which offered a nostalgic memory of eating Easter nests as a child (perfectly timed to the season of course!). The bar seemed to be lacking the hazelnuts and wafer elements (unsurprising really given that they only make up 3% of the bar each) but there was more than enough going on already, so I'll happily admit that I didn't feel hard done by.

Once again M&S, I have to applaud you for creating a delicious and innovative product, 'The Crunchy One' makes a lovely change!

8/10

NEW! Double Peanut Butter Magnum (Tesco)

My peanut butter obsession is getting out of hand. Is there such a thing as pb-addicts anonymous? If not, there damn well should be. I often get stupidly excited by new food products, but I actually squealed with delight during a very dull economics lecture when I sneakily checked my twitter feed (@seeknewtreats if you're on there!) and read some news regarding Unilever's 2016 ice cream range. The new line-up includes a blackcurrant Twister, Feast snack bar (in standard and peanut butter), Magnum Double (caramel and peanut butter flavours) and a Cornetto Choc ‘n’ Caramel Disc.

Of course the two that got me extremely excited were the peanut butter magnum & feast bars; so when I spotted the new nutty magnum in Tesco earlier today -I swear I almost fainted with elation!- I rushed to the till with my new treats (ignoring the hefty £3 price tag) in a light-headed daze of excitement. 

'Peanut butter flavour ice cream with a chocolate flavour coating, peanut butter sauce and milk chocolate.'

I imagine that the ice creams are called double thanks to their inclusion of not one but two peanut butter elements: the ice cream and the peanut butter sauce. Peanut Butter ice cream is no means a new thing (Ben & Jerry's have nailed it in three of their products, and last year Cornetto launched their 'Peanut Butter Love' cones) but Magnum's are renowned for their creamy, indulgent taste that I hope would be evident this new product.

As you may already know, Unilever have recently signed up to the 250cal snack portion limit * which means that they have reduced the size of a number of their ice creams -including Magnums. This means that the new Double Peanut Butter is only 88ml compared to the previous standard 110ml size, and of course it shows -the ice cream was no bigger than my diddy palms (excuse the photo of my horrible hands!). 

The coating was perfectly rich in true Magnum fashion, and I guess it would sit somewhere between a milk and dark chocolate. The peanut sauce was nestled between two layers of chocolate and I'm afraid to say that it was mild, with a flavour that leaned more towards salted caramel than peanut. There wasn't a great deal of it, so it often became lost against its more intense chocolatey neighbours. The peanut ice cream thankfully saved the day; it was soft, creamy, and well flavoured, with a taste that truly resembled roasted peanuts -utterly scrumptious!

All in all, the new Peanut Butter double Magnum is a lovely little new edition to the range. It has a good combination of flavours, which tasted marvellous. My problem however lies with the price -if you're going to reduce the size of your ice creams Unilever, then please reduce the cost of them too.

9/10

*the reason why Mars and Snickers bars shrunk and some of Cadbury's products are set to do the same

Reese's Sticks (Tesco)

As you may recall, last week I received a package of peanut buttery goodies from the lovely 1Treat. The parcel included a pack of Reese's Sticks, which I thought might be the Stateside equivalent of peanut butter KitKat Chunkys as both the bars comprise of milk chocolate, wafer and peanut butter.

I was pleased to discover that (unlike their Nestle cousin) the Reese's Sticks came in duo finger form -only because I prefer to savour my chocolate, and eek out every moment of pleasure! The wafers were only lightly covered with the milk chocolate flavoured coating, which barely concealed the wafer within. 

The wafers were very crisp and light, reminding me of an ice cream cone. The peanut butter was sandwiched twice in between the three wafer layers, providing a satisfying sweet-salty flavour that was quite rightly the star of the show. The chocolatey coating was typically sweet in true Hershey's form, although it provided a rich contrast against both the wafer and peanut butter filling. The bars felt very light to eat, and despite my efforts to lengthen the enjoyment process, they were gone before I knew it!

There are in fact clear differences between the Reese's Sticks and KitKat Chunky:-

 Reese's Sticks vs KitKat

The Sticks had a far better peanut butter ratio thanks to its second nutty layer and more salty flavour, whilst their wafer was far thinner and therefore lighter than the almost biscuity Nestle version. The KitKat Chunky had a much thicker chocolate case however, which actually tasted of real chocolate!

So, I recommend that if you're craving chocolate with a peanut butter hit then you may be better off with the KitKat, however if you're a peanut butter fanatic -like me- then try the Reese's Sticks!

Thanks Mrs 1T!

8/10

Rhythym 108 Lemon Cake Dessert Bar (Amazon)

Today marks the second instalment in Rhythm 108 Dessert Bar reviews. As I mentioned last year when reviewing Portlebay's popcorn, I tend to eat my foods in the order of least to most favourite, so I was really looking forward to trying this bar (last week the Apple Pie bar scored a whopping 9/10). 

;-

Lemon Drizzle cake has to be up there with the best of British cakes -a true classic that balances sweet and tartness to perfection. So fond are we of the afternoon treat that it has held the  position of highest rated recipe on BBC Good Food's website for as long as I can remember. The best part of a good lemon drizzle cake for is the delightful crunch of it's sugary topping, and so I wondered how it would translate into a healthy bar (that contains no added sugar). 

As with the Apple Pie version, this bar is rich in calcium, high in fibre & protein, and is suitable for coeliacs thanks to its absence of gluten. I heated it up in the microwave for twenty seconds which helped the bar to release its citussy scent. The texture was perfectly moist, with a good crunch coming from the chunky cashews and almonds. Unfortunately however, the taste was all wrong. Instead of achieving the sweet/tart balance that the drizzle cake is renowned for, all I could taste was the sour pith of the lemon which rendered it rather unpleasant. Now, I know I've got a sweet tooth so perhaps this is one for those who like super sour sweets, but it really wasn't for me. Sorry Rhythm 108!

2/10

Hotel Chocolat Milk Chocolate Slab

I don't get the chance to visit any of the Hotel Chocolat stores very often as my nearest branch is over an hour away, but last weekend I was in Cardiff and saw a very special O2 Priority deal* for a free 50g bar of Hotel Chocolat milk chocolate. Even though I was in the city bridesmaid shopping for one of my best friends, I selfishly took the opportunity to swing buy and grab my freebie. 

I don't know about you, but it wouldn't even cross my mind to buy pure milk chocolate from Hotel Chocolat. Their products are quite expensive (especially if you're a student!) and so if I was feeling flush, I'd be far more inclined to opt for the more exciting treats such as their delicious sounding Trillionaire Shortbread Truffles, Tiramisu chocolates or Banoffee Pie slabs -yum. 

The 50g bar was darker than standard British milk chocolate due to its relatively high 40% cocoa content (10% more than the Wawel bars, and double the minimum in a Dairy milk). The taste was heavenly, with a far more indulgent smoothness than one can expect from mass-produced chocolate. If Cadbury's bars are supposedly made with "a glass and a half" of milk, then by comparison these must be made with a glass and a half of double cream. The cocoa was rich, balancing the milkiness to perfection, with a sweetness that didn't become overbearing.

You know how good it feels when you receive a much needed hug from a best friend? Well, I was left with a not too dissimilar feeling after finishing my bar with a huge mug of coffee on my comfy sofa, which means that I have come to the conclusion that I either need to win the lottery or do well at Uni so I can afford Hotel Chocolat on a regular basis! 

10/10

*If you're not on O2 then more fool you, it's worth being on the network simply for the £1 Boots Meal Deal offer every Monday, plus in my experience their service far outshines both EE and 3!

NEW! Forest Fruits Barny (ASDA)

There's a new Barny on the block. I really wish companies would opt for more exciting flavours (anyone else up for a peanut butter or Biscoff Barny?) but instead, this is yet another example of a 'new' product that's not particularly innovative. Are you excited by a cake filled with apple & berry jam? No? Me neither, but as you may have gathered, if its got 'new'plastered on the label somewhere, chances are I'll buy it. 

The sponge bears portrayed their usual 'surprised' open-mouthed expression. They were about palm sized, and once cruelly sliced in half, the jam-packed (haha) centre of purple filling was revealed.

The sponge was unsurprisingly dry, as is often the case with long-life cakes, and they had a consistency that I imagine would be enhanced by a good coffee dunk -although I'm less sure that would work well with the forest fruits flavour. The generous pocket of jam was tasty, and as I tend to buy the apple flavour if and when I buy Barnys, I noted that the flavour was improved by the addition of the berries -adding an almost-tartness that offset the apple well.

Let's be honest; Barnys are never going to be as good as home made cakes (or even Mr Kipling's) but they are inexpensive, cute, and make a good on-the-go snacks or lunchbox fillers. If you don't regularly buy Barnys I wouldn't rush out to pick up a pack of the new forest fruits edition, but if they are a mainstay in your household, then they are certainly worth a try.

5/10

Wawel Peanut Butter Chocolate Bar *Mocno Orzechowy* (Tesco)

It's always nice to receive a parcel isn't it?  It's even better when it's a surprise and contains two of my biggest loves = chocolate + peanut butter. One Treat, the very kind (but naughty!) blogger sent me a lovely package this week, with not just one, but THREE peanut-buttery chocolate bars that I haven't tried before. I don't have very much patience when it comes to waiting for my treats (I know, I sound like a dog!) and so I'm ashamed to admit it was less than a couple of hours before the first bar was open....

Last week I experience my first dalliance with Polish chocolate -the Wawel Advocaat filled bar- with surprisingly good results, and so imagine my excitement when I saw this peanut butter version in my parcel!

This bar had even more segments than its Advocaat filled cousin, with 7 rectangles in total. I snapped off my first chunk, revealing the creamy coloured peanut butter filling concealed within. The chocolate was the same good quality, silky smooth affair that I experienced with Wawel previously, which is partly explained by its ingredients containing a minimum of 30% cocoa solids (by comparison Dairy Milk contains just 23%). 

On to the star of the show: the peanut butter. With my first bite, I wasn't sure what I thought. The taste was very different to Reese's. It was less salty, with bigger chunks of real peanuts. Then I realised, that it was just different. I wasn't used to the peanut butter being complimented by real chocolate, rather than the chocolate flavoured coating that surrounds Reese's PB cups. The filling in fact benefitted from the added texture coming from the chopped nuts, and although less salty, it was high-grade proper peanut butter -none of this silly peanut butter flavouring malarkey. 

I have to say, I fell more than a bit in love with this chocolate bar. As soon as I finished it, I hounded One Treat to tell me where I could buy it from (Tesco's world food section, apparently!) so that I can keep my affair going. If you can imagine Reese's with a crunchy filling and good quality chocolate, I can let you into a little secret -you're really thinking of the Wawel Mocno Orzechowy. 

10/10