February 4th: Cadbury Highlights

Kcal 160 Fat 10.4 Fat(sats) 6.4g Carbs 19.2g

My search for this bar took me far and wide ... but I luckily stumbled across 'Sweet N Lite', who just so happen to be the only online (or offline!) shop on earth with this Cadbury Highlights bar in stock. A quick e-mail to owner Bev revealed that Cadbury have temporarily stopped manufacturing this bar. Luckily they still had a few left in stock, though their supplies are dwindling so if you fancy getting hold of some be sharp! The Cadbury Highlights is a 'Milk Chocolate with no added sugars' ... could it size up to a standard Dairy Milk bar?

Although aesthetically appearing the same size as a Dairy Milk this was a little deceiving, and it actually weighed 35.0g. The majority of the weight must have been lost in the thickness, as it appeared a lot skinnier than its Dairy Milk comparator. Regardless, the product was typically well presented - and was protected nicely in an appropriately coloured foil wrapper. Apart from looking thinner, the bar appeared no different to any other Cadbury product and included the corporate logo on top of each block. The product didn't radiate the usual dairy oomph in its aroma, but did indicate some minor cocoa influences.

To be honest I really wasn't that surprised by the taste. Hand-on-heart it was nowhere near the excellence of Dairy Milk, though that is not to say it was inedible...far from it in fact. The absence of the sugar was evident from the outset of the taste, it really just didn't have the same sort of impact with its flavours. The texture of the chocolate was still wonderfully smooth, and the thickness did mean that the flavours were substantiated progressively, which was certainly a positive. Unfortunately the taste just wasn't all to my liking. The cocoa didn't seem to come through in the taste as much as with Dairy Milk, and I detected more acidic, natural yogurt type flavours. One thing I did note after eating the bar was that cocoa content was higher in comparison to a Dairy Milk (27%). As I have said though this unfortunately seemed to be offset by the sweetener (Maltitol), which affected the taste just a little too much for my liking.

Overall considering the actual contents of the bar, nutritional information and of course taste my thoughts are more positive than the taste score probably suggests. Frankly the bar doesn't taste as good as pretty much most standard chocolates on the market ... though when you put that in context most other bars can't claim to only have 160 calories and be sugar free. If it's taste your after then this simply isn't a bar you should be considering, but if your watching your weight or your sugar intake then this is as good as any product in that specialist market.

7.7 out of 10

Sweet N Lite Specialise in Diet / Sugar Free / Diet Specialist Foods - Take a Look at their Website by Clicking HERE or the BANNER

February 3rd: Ritter Sport a la Mousse au Chocolat

Kcal 535 Fat 35.9g Fat(sats) 21.9g Carbs 46.4g

I am not going to lie, this was never one of my most desired Ritter Sport bars; frankly, because I never even knew it existed!! Suffice to say when this turned up in my latest sample package from Dean-German-Grocery I certainly liked the sound of it - 'plain chocolate with a chocolate cream filling'. As with most Ritter variants the filling was very generously portioned, accounting for 40% of the total constituents.

The outer packaging had a nice relevant brown colour scheme, the picture of the chocolate mousse was also a nice touch. In relation to some of the other variants from the Ritter Sport range, the bar had a bit of a boring look. Don't get me wrong it still looked great with a nice two tone chocolate effect, however compared to either the hazelnut or yoghurt variants it wasn't the most exciting. Although not lighting any fireworks in the looks department, the product smelt fantastic. It had an extremely forthcoming cocoa scent, much like the one offered in the Ritter Sport Dark Whole Hazelnut variant, both enticing and indicative of the taste.

The chocolate was of the typical Ritter Sport plain formulation and included 50% cocoa solids. Much like I found in the Dark Whole Hazelnuts variant, the flavours of the outer chocolate were balanced sublimely. The taste had a strong cocoa influence that grew in its intensity as the melt progressed. This intensity was well and truly kept in check by the milky undertone that ensured the taste had no element of bitterness whatsoever. Unfortunately the middle filling was not quite of the same standard as the outer chocolate. Texturewise I would say it was in a bit of a no-mans-land, somewhere between being truffle like and actual solid chocolate. It was firm in its texture, and unfortunately lacking a bit of flavour in comparison to the outer chocolate. It did add the slightest extra milkiness, though it largely remained firmly in the background of the overall taste. Due to the richness of the outer chocolate this was still relatively filling, to be honest I was expecting something a bit less so from a 'mousse' containing bar.

Overall this was a hard bar for me to score, as though I still in the grand scheme of things enjoyed it, on reflection I thought the actual proposed filling was a bit poor. I am sure you have got the picture by now - the outer plain chocolate was superb ... a really rich and tasty chocolate. The filling in comparison was a letdown, lacking both a definitive flavour and a relevant mousse like texture. This was a bar that was still really tasty, though taking into account its real potential and the other alternatives available, for the minute I would generally recommend other variants from the Ritter Sport range over this one.

7.6 out of 10

Fancy trying the Ritter Sport a la Mousse au Chocolat for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

February 2nd: Hotel Chocolat Season of Love Selection

Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

My first look at Hotel Chocolat's Valentines Day offerings proved a tad underwhelming with my review of the Caramel Sweethearts. I am glad to say though, today things got an awful lot better. Today's review is a bit of a picture bonanza - indeed I got a little swept up in the magnificence of this Season of Love selection, and got a bit camera happy.

To save this review from being never ending, let me just say briefly that as you will no doubt be able to see the presentation was fantastic. Each of the fifteen pieces were uniquely crafted, and came wonderfully dressed in a fantastically designed 400.0g box. The selection came described as 'a balanced selection of irresistible, hand-finished truffles'.

Here are my views on the different pieces, with the usual ratings from 'Poor' to 'Superb'.

Hazelnut Heart:

Incorporated a fantastically creamy outer milk chocolate shell with a simply sinful hazelnut praline centre. Nothing more to say other than it was one of the finest praline chocolates I have ever come across. Superb.

Champagne Love / Kirsch Love Heart / Blackberry & Prosecco:

These pieces combined wonderful outer chocolates with some divine sharp liqueur/alcohol truffle fillings. The Champagne Love was a real stand out with the white chocolate complimenting the tangy, acidic champagne centre perfectly. Very Good.

Gianduja Square:

Another praline filled, milk chocolate piece that had a bit more emphasis on its cocoa flavours in comparison to the hazelnut heart. The aftertaste was longer sustained though it didn't have the same creamy breadth. Very Good.

Eton Mess:

A very intricately made truffle that was formed of a strawberry buttercream filling with meringue pieces, encased in a white and milk chocolate shell topped with strawberry. This not only looked wonderful but had the taste to back it up. The filling had a classic combination of creamy, sharp fruit flavours that went superbly with the inspired meringue inclusion ... the great quality of the chocolate topped off what was a really an outstanding piece. Superb.

Macadamia Star:

Another milk chocolate praline but this time made with macadamia nuts. I wasn't a fan of the grainy texture that came with the macadamia influence, though the buttery taste was still highly pleasurable. Not my favourite but still a very credible chocolate. Good.

Raspberry / Dark / Milk Chocolate Hearts:

These are what the Caramel Sweethearts should have delivered - simply no frills chocolate pieces. The quality of the 40% milk, 74% dark can never be questioned ... fantastic every time. A special mention must go to the white chocolate raspberry heart piece, it was both creamy and fresh tasting. Very Good.

Vanilla / Orange Truffle:

Both of these truffles combined thick, tasty outer chocolates with creamy ganache centres. The vanilla truffle was a particular favourite of mine, and really delivered a wonderful vanilla flavour hit. They may not be the most inspired out of the selection but they still delivered wonderfully. Superb.

Chilli Praline:

This piece had a mousse type hazelnut praline, contained within its milk chocolate casing. The lighter texture was certainly unique to the selection and made for a nice change. The milk chocolate was of course fantastic and a real warmth was brought to the aftertaste by the chilli. Another favourite of mine. Superb.

Caramel Baby Truffles:

These came as mini, half sized pieces that contained gooey caramel in milk chocolate. Probably the least exciting out of the entire selection, yet still delivered in terms of taste. The milk chocolate nicely went with the sweet, gooey caramel. Good.

Cocoa Bliss:

Yet another milk chocolate praline, though this time topped with cocoa nibs. Very similar to the Gianduja Square piece, though the cocoa nibs added a little more interest to the texture of the piece with an added crunchiness. Very Good.

Wowzer! I don't think a review has ever contained so many superlatives - but this selection is simply worth every one of them. If you or your loved one enjoy liqueur and praline chocolates this selection will be a guaranteed winner. The presentation is fantastic, the selection is very vast and every single piece tastes like a little bit of heaven. I can't recommend this selection enough. Utterly superb.

9.3 out of 10

February 1st: Kshocolat Orange & Cardamom

Kcal 508 Fat 38.7g Fat(sats) 24.2g Carbs 31.6g (per 100.0g) 

Its been a while since I last reviewed a Kshocolat product - but this last 'Orange & Cardamom' variant rounds up my reviews of the range (for the rest see HERE!). If like me you are wondering what cardamom is, the ever reliable WIKI has informed me that it is a herb from the ginger family. On pack the bar described itself as 'dark chocolate with tangy orange and crushed cardamom'.

The bar came in the standard Kshocolat 80.0g bar size - this did me nicely for two servings. I had similar thoughts to my previous reviews with the packaging - I thought the material made it look rather dull. This was not a problem with the bar itself though, as with the rest of the range the bar had a gleaming surface and was decorated with some striking cocoa pod patterns. The smell of the chocolate was also quite appetising. The orange was very forthcoming, and I could also detect hints of the spices and cocoa. 

I remember describing way back in July how I thought the taste of the Kshocolat 72% was a bit one dimensional, and how it needed another element to its taste. Well I was hoping the added orange and cardamom ingredients would solve this .... unfortunately they didn't. Unlike the smell suggested the orange was actually quite subtle in its flavour. It was detectable but still quite mild and failed to really create a big influence on the overall taste. The dark chocolate had a nice smooth taste, though again it wasn't nearly as rich as or flavoursome as other chocolates I have tried of this formulation. The luxuriously smooth melt of the chocolate was pretty much totally ruined by the presence of the ground spices that made for a rough, grainy texture. The cardamom had quite a peppery taste and didn't deliver the ginger type flavours I was hoping for.

Overall If I am honest, I was pretty disappointed by this bar. All the signs before consumption pointed towards this variant being potentially superior to the rest of the range - in reality it was just as average. The added orange and cardamom were all hype and no delivery - both delivering ineffectual flavours to the overall taste, as well as ruining the smooth texture. To be honest I wouldn't really recommend this bar. It may look pretty but when it comes to the taste, its a real letdown.

6.9 out of 10

January 31st: Romy Classic Cocos

Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

Your going to have to excuse me on this one, but I have absolutely no idea about the back story behind this bar. Romy is a brand I hadn't ever seen or heard of before Dean-German-Grocery sent me this bar in my latest sampling package. Here it was I do know - this bar was produced in Germany by Hosta Schokolade (same people as Nippon!!)  and was formed of 'milk chocolate filled with coconut cream (50%)'. If anyone has anymore information on this brand, please share.

On the face of things this Romy bar looked very much a 'knock-off' of the Ritter Sport brand. Its 200.0g size and branding aside, it looked very much like a Ritter Sport product. It came in a square bar with an outer wrapper not all that dissimilar looking from the aforementioned German rival. The bar itself was also split into sixteen pieces, this proved highly unpractical for the larger size as the pieces were way too big to eat in one go, it should have been split up double the amount it was. One thing I particularly enjoyed about this bar was the smell. Upon opening the wrapper I was met with a delightful barrage of coconut scents - it reminded me very much of the sweet nutty smell of Bounty bars. 

Much like the smell suggested the coconut really dominated the overall taste. The outer milk chocolate complimented the cream filling well. It had a really pleasant creamy taste that grew ever so slightly in its cocoa strength as the melt progressed. Even when eaten in isolation from the truffle filling the outer chocolate still had a strong element of coconut in its flavours - its safe to say if your not a fan of the stuff you don't want to be going near this one. The inner coconut filling was absolutely divine. It was softer than the outer milk chocolate, though had crunchy rougher bits of desiccated coconut throughout. I absolutely loved the taste of the inner cream filling - it was nutty, buttery, creamy and left a longing taste in the mouth. 50.0g of this bar (a rather small sounding four blocks!!!) provided a really satisfying and fulfilling snack.

Overall I think it would be harsh to just view this Romy Classic Cocos bar as a substandard Ritter Sport copycat. This bar tasted fantastic in its own right, and if I have heard correctly that the Ritter Sport Cocos is now going out of production, it should now have a nice little place in the market to call its own. As I stated earlier, if you don't like coconut there isn't anything for you here. If your partial to a coconut and chocolate combination though, then this is a product you should really consider trying - a highly enjoyable bar of chocolate.

8.1 out of 10  

Fancy trying the Romy Classic Cocos  for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

January 30th: Mars Muffin

Kcal 367 Fat 18.6g Carbs 45.9g

Having reviewed the Galaxy chocolate muffin a few days ago, it would have been rude not to give this Mars Muffin the similar treatment. This product provided much the same premise, and constituted of 'a chocolate muffin with a caramel filling, covered in milk chocolate'. People on your January diets look away now .... much like its Galaxy equivalent this muffin contained a pretty huge 367 calories, as well as 18.6g of fat.

The muffin came in a 82.0g size that provided a highly fulfilling mid-afternoon snack. The outer packaging used the standard Mars design, though like the Galaxy muffin included McVities branding. Yet again I thought more could have been done with the presentation of the actual muffin. When cross-sectioned the golden caramel added a bit of interest - but on the whole it was still a little lacking aesthetically. Where the looks fell short, the smell more than made up for. The muffin smelt wonderfully fresh, with sweet cakey scents apparent as soon as the packaging was opened. 

The main cake part of the muffin tasted no different to the Galaxy muffin. It had a sweet doughy flavour that had a strong undertone of vanilla. Once again the muffin was crying out for the caramel filling and melted chocolate to be more generously portioned. The sweet, buttery taste of the caramel filling was superb, and its moistening effect on the cake really made for a lovely gooey texture. The chocolate that was melted on top of the muffin again added a nice crispness to the upper portion of the muffin. The melted chocolate although still a bit lacking, was marginally more portioned than with the Galaxy muffin, which made the crisp texture of the top portion of the muffin seem that little bit more impressive. After devouring the whole 82.0g I was well and truly satisfied.

Overall this was another impressive brand extension from Mars, and I must admit I ever so slightly preferred this variant to the Galaxy. The greater portioning of the chocolate melted on top gave a little more variation in the texture - based on taste alone I wouldn't be able to split them. Again it was the case here that the caramel filling and extra chocolate needed to be a bit more generously portioned, though on the whole this was still a very enjoyable product, and well worthy of giving a try if your a Mars fan.

8.0 out of 10 

January 29th: Snickers 'The Lot'

Kcal 265 Fat 15.2g Fat(sats) 7.8g Carbs 26.9g

Snickers has to be the brand with the most spin offs ever - we have had the Charged, Dark,Rockin' Nut Road ... you name I have reviewed it! Today I tried the latest bar on offer from Mars  - Snicker's 'The Lot', a bar all the way from Australia. This bar was "packed with a pile of stuff", and came described as 'crispy pieces in a thick cream, caramel, sprinkled with heaps of nuts, covered in chocolate'. I had been looking to review this bar for a good while before I got the chance to do so today, so my expectations were pretty high.

The bar came in a 50.0g serving and provided a pretty hefty snack option. The product was well presented in a aesthetically pleasing foil wrapper, though it did exhibit the usual idiotic Snickers branding "Get Some Nuts!!" ... hmmm! I thought the bar itself looked pretty good, it looked a lot like the Reese's Nutrageous bar, though the inner cream filling looked lighter in its viscosity, and the caramel greater in presence. I was somewhat disappointed with the smell of the product, it didn't have the usual nutty smell of Snickers, but emanated a more subtle sweet, diary led smell.  

As you can imagine the chocolate wasn't of the highest quality ever, but then again Snickers bars have never been about exquisite chocolate. It wasn't the best, yet it still provided a pleasant enough coating to the bar with its predominantly milky flavours. Studded within the chocolate were small chopped pieces of peanuts. They lacked the usual crunchiness and really full on nutty flavours of the standard Snickers bars, though they were still highly prominent in the aftertaste. Beneath the chocolate lay the caramel and cream layers, which combined offered a fantastic combination of flavours. The caramel was very generously portioned and added the usual sweet, buttery flavours. The cream layer included rice crispy pieces, though these only added a crispness to the texture, and were largely lost in the wonderful creamy vanilla flavours. The convergence of so many different elements made for a very satisfying bar that was very varied in all its flavours.   

Overall this was far from being the best variant from the Snickers range, though it was still a very enjoyable one. The chopped nature of the nuts meant they didn't quite have the same sort of impact on the taste, but they were still very giving to the overall flavour. Similarly the replacement of the usual nougat for the lighter cream filling was subsequently detrimental, however again the cream filling was reasonably enjoyable in its own right. This isn't a 'must try' bar, but it is one I am sure a lot of Snickers fans will understandably want to get acquainted with.

8.1 out of 10

January 28th: Marks & Spencer Belgian Chocolate Chunk Brownie

Kcal 450 Fat 19.7g Fat(sats) 11.2g Carbs 58.2g (per 100.0g)

Continuing my way through the whole heap of Marks & Spencer goodies I bought last week, I today tried one of their Belgian Chocolate Chunk Brownies. On pack the ingredients list described the chocolate as 'dark', though it failed to mention what percentage was actual cocoa. I know this isn't the sort of product that normally falls within the ChocolateMission remit, but when it comes to all things M&S I just can't help myself. 

The brownie felt a lot heavier than the 55.0g that was stated on the pack. As far as snacks go this was a pretty damn fulfilling one due to its dense nature. Like the 'Millionaire Shortbread' I reviewed a few days ago, this product only came in a very basic looking transparent cellophane wrapper. Although the brownie managed to survive the trip home in my bag relatively undamaged, I personally think an inner plastic tray would have been a nice inclusion to just add a bit of protection. Out its wrapper the brownie smelt tremendous; my senses were treated to a wonderful mixture of chocolaty, doughy, cakey scents ... it smelt amazingly fresh.

I think brownies should always be served warm, so I popped it in the microwave for a quick spin. If you have never done this, I highly recommend you do - it tasted absolutely fantastic. The heat made the brownie a little lighter in its texture, and melted the chocolate chunks so they were a little gooey. The brownie had a wonderful sweet, doughy taste, that was complimented superbly by the small pockets of melted chocolate chunks where present. I say 'where present' as for my liking the chocolate chunks could have been a bit more generously portioned. Despite this minor annoyance the sweetness was wonderfully balanced with just the slightest touch of salt, which made it incredibly moreish. Even though the warming of the brownie made the texture slightly less viscous, the product was still amazingly fulfilling, saying that I still savoured every last wonderful bite.  

Overall this was an absolutely delicious snack that I enjoyed immensely. It was highly fulfilling and wonderful in its taste - it was almost as if was fresh out the bakery. The bites which included the melted chocolate chunks were absolutely to die for, the plain brownie wasn't half bad either. If M&S just added a few more chocolate chunks in the middle of the bar, this would really be an utterly outstanding product. If you like your brownies, then I would highly recommend you pick one of these up next time your in your local M&S. Sinful? ... for sure! Totally worth it? ... hell yes!

8.7 out of 10

January 27th: Hotel Chocolat Caramel Sweethearts

Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

Those of you lucky enough to have someone to send chocolates to this Valentines Day will be happy to know that I will be running through the finest selections on offer from Hotel Chocolat in the coming weeks. Today I started off by taking a look at the Caramel Sweethearts - a product that I have seen Terry and Chocablog already get their mitts on (Click names for their reviews!). These were formed of 'caramel flavoured milk chocolate hearts with bresilliene, cocoa crispies and cherry powder'. For those that are unaware 'Bresilliene' constitutes of grounded hazelnut and sugar.

As with every Hotel Chocolat product these came wonderfully presented in a pink tinted 170.0g box that contained 28 chocolate hearts. The pieces looked incredible, with very intricate engravings present on each of the chocolate hearts - it all looked incredibly impressive. I was a little less struck by the aroma of the product. A quite minor diary smell was present, though the most forthcoming influence came from the subtle savoury smelling rice crispies.

Although the pieces looked fantastic it must be said they were quite awkward to eat. They were a little to large to eat in one bite, but also broke into several bits when snapped. This was something fundamentally caused by the crisped rice and proved to be not the only downside of the rice inclusion. The milk chocolate had a a pleasant enough melt in the mouth, however the pieces also had a degree of roughness due to the bresilliene and rice ingredients ... after eating four pieces the roof of my mouth was actually quite sore. It wasn't just the textures that let this product down though. The combination of the sweetened caramel milk chocolate, and bresilliene made for a very sweet overall taste, one that seemed to rely on sugar a lot more than most Hotel Chocolat products I have reviewed before. The influences of the hazelnut and cherry powder elements seemed lost within the sugary nature of the chocolate, which was just a real shame. I ate these about six at a time, though with each serving they failed to really satisfy or give me that much pleasure.

Overall I am not very often underwhelmed by Hotel Chocolat products, but I really didn't hit it off with these. Hotel Chocolat have set their own standards, a quick look through the archive will show that no doubt they are a company who deliver quality on a regular basis. Unfortunately though, I wouldn't place these in that category. These Caramel Sweethearts were overly sweet, and the roughness of their texture caused quite considerable irritation when eaten on mass. Not the best start to my look at their Valentines day range ... but trust me there are some corkers to come.

6.9 out of 10

January 27th: Ritter Sport Organic Almond

***UPDATED WRAPPER APRIL 2011


Kcal 374 Fat 26.9g Fat(sats) 12.6g Carbs 25.5g (per 100.0g)

Today thanks to Dean-German-Grocery, I tried the last of the Ritter Sport Organic bars, the 'Mandelsplitter'. This bar was formed of milk chocolate that was studded with small almond nut pieces. As with the rest of the milk chocolate bars from the Organic range, it was formed of a 35% cocoa recipe, whilst the almonds formed a plentiful 23% of the total bar.

The product came in the standard Organic 65.0g size, that was split into the typical 16 blocks. I thought the outer packaging looked pretty good. The two tone green nicely differentiated the product from the standard Ritter Sport range, whilst the almonds featured on the wrapper looked pretty tempting. As I have mentioned above the almond pieces were generously portioned, and looked impressive dispersed within the chocolate. The bar emanated the usual dairy led aromas of Ritter Sport milk chocolate, the smallest hint of nut could also be detected.

The milk chocolate did its usual standard job, and carried the flavour of the bar well with its creamy tasting, smooth melting attributes. Considering the small sizes of the nuts pieces I was actually quite surprised at how well they established their flavours. The nut pieces added a woody, buttery influence to the taste that was on the whole quite pleasant. Although the almonds didn't have the depth of flavour of other nut types (hazelnut, cashews etc), they still provided an extra level of interest to the overall taste. I wasn't totally at ease with their finely, chopped implementation, as small bits of nut did tend to get stuck in my teeth; they also didn't quite provide the desired nut crunch. I ate this bar over two separate sittings, both of which were surprisingly satisfying for just over 32.0g each.

Overall much like the rest of the Ritter Sport Organic range this was a solid bar, though it was far from really being a stand out product. I tend to prefer nuts implemented in a wholenut form, though the flavours delivered by the almonds in this bar were actually quite flavoursome for nuts that had been chopped so finely. The Ritter Sport Organic bars overall have hardly been groundbreaking, but I guess for people who prefer their chcolate without all the chemicals, this range would be a good place to look.

7.8 out of 10

Fancy trying the Ritter Sport Organic Almond for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

January 26th: Galaxy Chocolate Muffin

Kcal 390 Fat 21.8g Carbs 44.0g

Given both my love for muffins and love for Galaxy milk chocolate, I couldn't help but give one of these Galaxy chocolate muffins a review. Described as a 'chocolate muffin filled with chocolate cream and covered in Galaxy milk chocolate', this product contained a whopping 390 calories and 21.8g of fat. This wasn't quite what I had in mind when I started off the month looking at the 'lighter choices' on the chocolate market - woops! 

The muffin weighed in at a stonking 86.0g, and provided a pretty sufficient option for breakfast - I certainly didn't get the 11am munchies. The outer packaging was relatively good looking - as you can see above it incoporated the usual Galaxy theme, though included McVities branding as the actual muffin was baked by them. I must admit I was a little underwhelmed by the look of the muffin. It was nicely protected in a transparent tray, but it didn't really look all that impressive either straight out the pack or when cross-sectioned; it could have done with a decorative logo or sprinkles on top to just make it that bit more aesthetically imposing. One thing that was certainly was striking was the delightful smell. Sweet, fresh cakey scents emerged as soon as the muffin was released from its plastic wrapper - yum! 

There was no doubting that this muffin tasted superb - but it could have just been a little more generous in some of its elements. The cake part of the muffin tasted pleasant, yet unspectacular. Unsurprisingly it dominated the taste of most mouthfuls due to it being present in a far greater proportion than the rest of the constituents. It had a nice doughy taste that was awash with strong notes of vanilla and sugar. It was perhaps a little dry in its texture, though where present the chocolate cream quickly make amends for this. The chocolate cream tasted fantastic - it was sweet, chocolaty and ever so creamy - it just unfortunately wasn't quite portioned generously enough, and was only present in the odd bite. The Galaxy chocolate melted on top was also a very welcome edition. It gave the top half of the muffin a very pleasant crispness when bitten into, whilst also providing a very enjoyable creamy chocolaty burst.

Overall this was a very enjoyable spin-off from Mars, and certainly provided a product that was worthy of the Galaxy branding. As mentioned above I would have liked to have seen the chocolate cream, and melted chocolate on top more generously portioned, as the bites where they were present were by far the most enjoyable. This was a fantastic product, and one that I would very much recommend if you have a love for muffins and Galaxy chocolate. I wouldn't suggest you have one of these a day, but as the occasional treat these are a nice proposition. 

7.9 out of 10

 

January 25th: Kraft Chips Ahoy Snak Pak

Kcal 170 Fat 8.0g Fat(sats) 2.5g Carbs 24.0g

Excuse me for taking another slight diversion in my mission to find the best chocolate bar in the world, but when offered the chance to review a pack of these Chips Ahoy Mini Cookies by Geraldine at Yankee Soda & Candy I simply couldn't resist. Whenever I used to visit the US when I was younger I could never get enough of these, and I always used to bring back several packs with me. Before today though I hadn't had a Chips Ahoy cookie for a good few years, so I was looking forward to once again tasting these chocolate chip little treats.

Yankee Soda & Candy sent me a 35.0g pack of mini Chips Ahoy, which made nicely for a pretty standard snack that I ate during one afternoon. I must admit I groaned out loud in despair when I saw the branding .... 'Snak Paks' ... no wonder kids seem so dumb nowadays, why on earth would you miss the 'C's out? Maybe this is just me showing my age :D !? Anyway that aside the presentation was pretty good. The mini cookies came in a foil packet that ensured a nice freshness to the product. When I opened the small bag I was met with a lovely wave of sweet, biscuity smells that even had a nice indicative hint of cocoa. I was delighted to find that all the cookies were in a good condition, and looked relatively twee in their 'mini' form.

So did they taste as good as I remembered? In short ... yes! Chips Ahoy don't quite deliver the taste of freshly baked cookies, though this is unsurprising given their mass production and worldwide distribution. The cookie base was just how I remembered - very sweet and wheaty with hints of both brown sugar and salt. Of course as you would expect with cookies they had a delightfully fresh crunchiness, though the slight moistness generated by the melt of the chocolate chips made for a highly enjoyable addition to the dry base texture. The unsweetened nature of the chocolate chips also still seemed highly suited given that they delivered a forthcoming set of cocoa flavours, though did not add to the already quite sweet taste. One criticism I still have is with the taste longevity, which I again found quite lacking ... I guess that is just what makes them so moreish.

Overall these are definitely one of my favourite cookies/biscuits, and they tasted just as good now as they did when I was younger. The mixture of the sweet cookie base and plain chocolate chips make for a good combination, but it must be said that if the overall taste were to sustain itself that little bit longer in the mouth it would really make quite a difference. If you like your cookies or are an avid biscuit eater I would suggest getting yourself familiar with Chips Ahoy.

7.8 out of 10

Fancy trying the Kraft Chips Ahoy Snak Pak for yourself? Head over to Yankee Soda & Candy