Candy Bar Review
SNICKERS FUDGE


I first learned about this several months ago, when Candy Blog gave a brief mention of upcoming products. I think this was back in May, and since then, I have been waiting . . . and waiting . . . and . . . well, you get the idea.

I finally saw the Snickers Fudge bar on sale at Rite Aid today. With my wait finally over, I quickly grabbed a couple of bars for review purposes.

This variation on the Snickers bar replaces the peanut-embedded caramel with a layer of fudge, which is also embedded with peanuts. The peanut butter nougat remains, and the car is covered in milk chocolate.

The fudge layer is clearly the dominant flavor in this bar. It is smooth, creamy, chewy, and well, fudgy. The chocolate flavor of the fudge blends well with the milk chocolate, and the peanuts in the fudge provide the crunch you usually expect from a Snickers bar.

The only drawback is that the fudge completely overwhelms the flavor of the peanut butter nougat. If it weren't for looking at a cross-section after I bit into the bar, I would have had a hard time believing that it was there. If the composition had been fudge and caramel instead of fudge and nougat, I think the flavors of the different components would have remained more distinct.

This is a limited edition, so the standard disclaimer applies. I have no idea how long the Snickers Fudge bar will remain on the shelves. At this point, I have no idea when I will be seeing it on the shelves of other stores. But I will be enjoying this one while I can.


-jc-

Last year, Mars included "Indiana Jones Arti-FACTS" on the back of the wrappers of the Snickers Adventure Bar. These were various bits of trivia about both the Snickers bar and the Indiana Jones movies.

This year, Mars did something similar with the Snickers Nougabot Bar they produced as a tie-in with Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen. This time, they're calling the trivia "Transformers Bits & Bytes."

The Bits & Bytes follow the same general format that the Arti-FACTS did. There are two pieces of trivia on the back of each wrapper. The first is about the Transformers movies, followed by something about the Snickers bar. For some reason, though, Mars decided not to produce as many wrappers for the Nougabot bar. There are only four different Bits & Bytes, as opposed to the eight different Arti-FACTS wrappers they produced last year.

And like last year, I decided that I wanted to see all of them. With only four different wrappers, this year's search proved to require far less effort. But like last year, I want something to show for my effort. So, without any further ado, I present all of the Transformers Bits & Bytes for your enjoyment and amusement:

1. In the first Transformers movie, the Decepticons' quest for the All-Spark included a stop on Mars.
*SNICKERS Bars start at Mars, Inc., which serves more than 100 countries around the globe.

2. In the Transformers movies, Optimus Prime stands at over 28 feet tall, weighs over 17,000 pounds in vehicle mode, and is made up of over 10,000 moving parts.
*More than 99 tons of peanuts go into making 15 million SNICKERS Bars every day.

3. Energon is the primary energy source used by the Transformers.
*SNICKERS Brand quickly became one of the planet's favorite treats after its introduction in 1930 and it is still at the top, 78 years later.

4. Shooting for Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen began on June 2, 2008 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
*In 1984, SNICKERS Brand represented the US well as the official snack food sponsor of the Olympic Games.


-jc-

Candy Bar Review
SNICKERS NOUGABOT BAR


For the past few years, Mars has released limited editions of their product line in conjunction with various summer movie releases. Last year, it was Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. Two years ago, it was Shrek The Third. This year, the movie is Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, and one of the tie-in products is the Snickers Nougabot Bar.

The Nougabot Snickers is quite similar to the Shrek Snickers bar produced a couple of years ago. In the Shrek bar, the peanut butter nougat was tinted green -- ostensibly the same verdant hue as that title character's epidermis. With the Nougabot bar, the nougat is tinted a bright yellow. (As I understand it, it's supposed to be the same color as one of the "fallen" mentioned in the title. I'm not a Transformers fan, however, so I'm just a little fuzzy on the details.) Other than the coloring of the nougat, the bar is the same as the original Snickers bar.

My first bite of a Nougabot Snickers was very careful. I wanted to take a good look at a cross section of the bar, particularly the nougat. And yes, the nougat is indeed a bright yellow; a sunshiny xanthic hue that Sinestro himself would be proud to display. (Yeah, I know, different fictional universe. It's the analogy that works best for me. Deal with it.) And I did not notice any difference in taste between the Nougabot bar and the original Snickers bar.

Just for verification, though, I gave one of the Nougabot bars to one of my co-workers, and I asked her opinion. I think she was a little put off by the color added to the nougat -- I think she prefers that the nougat stay its normal color. But when I pressed her about the taste, her reply was, "Tastes like a Snickers to me."

At the moment, I have seen the Nougabot Snickers only as bags of Minis. But we should be seeing full-size Nougabot Snickers bars on the shelves soon. After all, the movie won't even be in theaters for another couple of weeks. And since this is a movie tie-in, we should probably see it on the shelves at least through the first month or so of the movie's release. After that, it's going to disappear.


-jc-

Candy Bar Review
SNICKERS ROCKING NUT ROAD


I saw this Saturday at Walgreens. As best as I can tell, they had just received a shipment of this candy bar, and I think I may have been the first to buy one. (Or more than one. You really can't do proper research for these reviews with just a single sample.)

With this review, I think I'll cut right to the chase. This is quite possibly the best Snickers variation that Mars has produced.

My one complaint is with the name. Why "Rocking Nut Road"? Why not just call it "Snickers Rocky Road"? That's obviously the idea that Mars is trying to convey, so why go with the longer and (in my opinion) more awkward name?

As for the bar itself, I'll let the text on the wrapper do the talking. (Somebody obviously spent a good deal of time getting those words just right; why not show some appreciation for their hard work?) The wrapper describes the Rocking Nut Road bar as "almonds, caramel, and marshmallow-flavored nougat wrapped in dark chocolate."

First, major points to Mars for enrobing the Rocking Nut Road bar in dark chocolate. When it comes to candy bars where you have chocolate as the outer covering for other confectionary delights, the overwhelming majority are covered in milk chocolate. Don't get me wrong; I like milk chocolate. But there are many, many times when I will be enjoying a candy bar, and I will think, "You know, this would have been even better if they had used dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate."

The marshmallow nougat appears to be a little softer than the nougats Mars uses in any of the other Snickers bars (or in the Milky Way bars, for that matter). It is clearly a marshmallow nougat, though; there is none of the sponginess you normally associate with marshmallow. Instead, it has more of a chewier feel to it.

The caramel is the same caramel Mars uses in all of its bars. Not too firm, but not too soft, either. (I suppose Goldilocks would say that it is "just right.") In the regular Snickers bar, the caramel and nougat have about the same degree of firmness. With the Rocking Nut Road Snickers, though, the caramel is quite a bit firmer than the nougat, so it takes the role of being the backbone of the bar. The almonds are imbedded in the caramel, and they provide reinforcement to the caramel, as well as adding a firm crunch to the bar.

The nougat and caramel combine to give the bar a chewy, almost fudgy feel to it. And when you add the chocolate and the almonds to the mix, the overall impression is that you are eating a piece of rocky road fudge. The flavors of the chocolate, caramel, and nougat blend together well. There isn’t one flavor that dominates your tastebuds; instead, all three flavors swirl over your tongue harmoniously, as first one flavor, then another, and yet another becomes the most noticeable on your tastebuds. As is usually the case with candy bars containing nuts, the flavor of the almonds isn’t as noticeable. Instead, they provide a firm and satisfying crunch that acts as a counterpoint to the chewiness of the caramel and the nougat.

Now, for the bad news. This is a limited edition bar. I sincerely hope that this is release is not a one-time thing. Even if Mars doesn't make it a regular part of its product line, the Rocking Nut Road Snickers deserves to be brought back on a regular basis.

Just give it a better name with the next release, please?

-jc-

The Snickers Adventure Bar came with a little extra. On the back of the wrapper were "Indiana Jones Arti-FACTS." These were little bits of trivia. Each wrapper had two pieces of trivia; one trivium was about the Indiana Jones movies, and the other was about the Snickers bar.

I am fairly certain that I knew at least half of these interesting pieces of information before I saw them presented in this form. But there were at least one or two that I had not seen before.

When I saw that there were eight different wrappers, I was curious enough to want to see all of them. So, I decided to emulate the good Dr. Jones just a little, and go on my own archeological dig. This involved looking through several cases of Snickers Adventure Bars until I found all of them. Much to my surprise, I was never questioned as to why I was looking at the back of each and every bar in the case.

After going to all that trouble, I thought I should at least have something to show for my effort. So, with a little John Williams fanfare (which you will have to imagine; I don't have the budget for music), I present for your enjoyment the Indiana Jones Arti-FACTS:

1. John Williams received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score for both Temple Of Doom and Last Crusade.
*SNICKERS Brand “scores” BIG with consumers -- it's the #1 selling candy bar!

2. Indy's adventures take him all over the world. Good thing he's familiar with over 25 different languages!
*SNICKERS Brand is a true world traveler, too -- it's sold on 6 continents.

3. The Indiana Jones movies have been satisfying audience's hunger for excitement since 1981.
*SNICKERS Brand has been satisfying consumers' hunger since 1930.

4. The character of Indiana Jones was named after George Lucas's dog, Indiana.
*The SNICKERS Bar was named after Frank and Ethel Mars's favorite family horse.

5. Temple Of Doom won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1984.
*For added visual appeal, the top of each SNICKERS Bar is decorated with a special drizzle of chocolate.

6. Last Crusade won an Academy Award in 1989 for Best Sound Effects Editing.
*Each year SNICKERS Brand "wins" for best sound effects, too, with 28 crunchy peanuts packed into each bar!

7. The 1930s were a great time for adventure! The first three Indiana Jones movies were all set during that decade.
*The 1930s were a great time for candy lovers, too! The SNICKERS Bar was introduced in 1930 . . . and has been satisfying consumers ever since.

8. Temple Of Doom opens with a wild action sequence set in a ritzy nightclub in Shanghai, China.
*Consumers all over the world go wild for SNICKERS Brand. In fact, it's the #1 selling candy bar in China today.


-jc-

Candy Bar Review
SNICKERS ADVENTURE BAR


Last year, M&M/Mars released a tie-in version of their Snickers bar in conjunction with Shrek The Third. Mars didn't do anything too elaborate for the Shrek Snickers -- they colored the nougat a bright green (Shrek green, if you will), but otherwise, it was still the same Snickers bar.

This year, Mars brought out another limited edition Snickers bar as a tie-in with Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. Mars played around with the basic Snickers bar for this edition, and the results are rather intriguing.

The copywriters at Mars already did a pretty good job of describing the Snickers Adventure Bar. So instead of banging my head against the wall trying to think of a better way to describe it, I will simply quote from the copy on the back of the wrapper:

"Satisfy your taste for adventure! Rich chocolate. Crunchy nuts. And a cliffhanger kick of exotic spice and a hint of sweet coconut flavor."

I'm not sure what that "exotic spice" is. I've sampled more than a few of the Snickers Adventure Bars, some in side-by-side comparisons with the original Snickers bar. Yes, I can detect something there, but the flavor isn't pronounced enough to be distinct from the other flavors. My first guess is that it's cinnamon, but I can't be completely certain.

As for the coconut flavor, I can detect that. There is more than just a hint of coconut flavor in the Snickers Adventure Bar. I would say that it is quite distinct, even coming close to the point of being the dominant flavor in the bar.

The coconut flavor and the spice (whatever it may be) have been added to the peanut butter nougat. I was curious enough to try separate, minute samples of both the nougat and the caramel. The caramel tastes the same as it always does, studded with peanuts. The nougat is what tastes different. And what the wrapper doesn't say is that the bar is that the whole is covered in milk chocolate.

While the coconut flavor is definitely the dominant taste in the Snickers Adventure Bar, it doesn't overwhelm the other flavors. It blends well with the milk chocolate and caramel, and even accentuates the flavor of the peanuts. And of course, the peanuts provide a satisfying crunch, as always.

There is one other bonus that comes with the Snickers Adventure Bar. On the back of the wrapper are one of eight "Indiana Jones Arti-FACTS." These are various bits of trivia relating both to the Indiana Jones movies, and to the Snickers bar.

The Snickers Adventure Bar comes in both full-size bars and bags of Minis. They have been on the shelves for a few weeks, released to build anticipation for Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. They will be around for at least a few more weeks, but when they go away, they will probably disappear like the Ark at the end of Raiders Of The Lost Ark -- unlikely to ever be seen again, I'm afraid.

Enjoy this limited edition while you can.


-jc-

Candy Bar Review
SNICKERS -- SHREK SPECIAL EDITION


The third Shrek movie (named, appropriately enough, Shrek The Third) opened this past weekend. But even before the movie was released, various tie-in products began appearing on the shelves.

M&M/Mars produced several special versions of their candies in conjunction with the movie. Some took a simplistic approach. For instance, the Shrek M&Ms were merely oversized versions of the regular candy -- or "Ogre-Sized," to use the copy from the wrappers.

The special edition of the Snickers bar, though, took a more imaginative approach. The peanut butter nougat was tinted green -- presumably matching the same shade of green as Shrek's skin, but it probably varied with different batches. The wrapper called it "Green Shrek Filling."

Other than the verdant hue (which looked fairly close to a lime green to me), everything else about the bar stayed the same. The milk chocolate, the peanut-studded caramel -- it all looked and tasted the same. Even the peanut butter nougat tasted the same as a regular Snickers bar. Just green.

The green nougat was a cute idea, but after Shrek The Third's initial release, it's unlikely that we'll see it again. Even if M&M/Mars has a licensing agreement for the next movie, they will probably try to think of doing something new and different for that.

Of course, I can think of one holiday that would be perfect for a green nougat. That would be St. Patrick's Day, of course. It might even work better if Mars tinted the vanilla nougat of the Milky Way Midnight bar a bright green for sale around March 17.


-jc-

When I reviewed the Snickers Dark a few months ago, I lamented over the fact that it was a limited edition. I even called M&M/Mars, and told them that I thought it should become a part of their permanent product line.

I can only assume that a lot of other people called Mars and told them more or less the same thing that I did, because it looks like the Snickers Dark is now a permanent part of the candy shelves. My first indication came not too long ago. I was in Walgreens, and while glancing over the candy shelves, I noticed a carton of Snickers Dark bars. Right below the carton was a sign that proclaimed, "New Product!" And I took a look at one of the bars. The wrapper was the same as before, with one very important difference. The words "Limited Edition" were nowhere to be seen on the wrapper.

A further indication came over the weekend. As I was looking through USA Weekend, one ad jumped out at me. Not quite a full-page ad, it had a black background, and featured a Snickers Dark bar that had been cut to display a cross-section. The text was simple. In brown letters that looked as if they were just fading into view, it said, "It's like peanuts, nougat, and caramel were kidnapped and thrown into a dark chocolate limo." At the bottom of the ad was a very small Snickers logo which was part of the phrase "New Snickers Dark." Below that, in even smaller letters, it said "Snickers on the inside, dark chocolate on the outside."

I was happy when I saw the store display. When I saw the ad, I let out a squeal of joy. (Fortunately, I was at home, and by myself, so I didn't attract any unusual stares.) It's one thing to see a Snickers Dark bar without the "limited edition" tag. It's quite another to see a print ad for the product. If Mars is going to be spending money on advertising for the bar, that means that they are thinking of it as a long-term product.

As I said in my review, I think the Snickers is one of the best new candy bars I've tried in a long time. I am elated that it will be sticking around for a long time.

You made a good call, Mars!

-jc-

Candy Review
SNICKERS DARK MINIS MIX

I first saw this limited edition bag of Minis several days before I saw the full size Snickers Dark bar. When I first saw it, my initial thought was, "Dark Snickers, oooooooh!" and I am quite certain that my eyes lit up with delight. That was quickly followed by, "Why couldn't Mars have released this as a full-size bar?" Of course, a few days later, I did see my first display of the full-size Snickers Dark bars, and I knew it had to be reviewed first.

Like last year's Twix and 3 Musketeers Minis Mix limited editions, the Snickers Dark Minis Mix has three different variations on the Snickers bar. The name is a slight misnomer, though, because it would suggest that all of them are dark chocolate, and that is not the case. The first selection in the bag is a Mini of the original Snickers bar, covered in milk chocolate. The second is a Mini of the Snickers Dark bar, which I have previously reviewed.

The third selection -- that's the one that, so far, I have encountered only in the Mini size. That third selection is the Snickers Almond Dark. As the name would suggest, this is a dark chocolate version of the Snickers Almond bar. Inside, it does have the vanilla nougat of the regular Snickers Almond bar, and the almond-studded caramel. Outside, the bar is enrobed with dark chocolate.

I described biting into the Snickers Dark bar as being pure bliss. I don't know if I would apply the same words to biting into the Snickers Almond Dark, but it comes pretty close. There is one definite similarity between the two. The flavor of the dark chocolate gently dominates the other flavors, but gradually gives way to the flavors of the caramel and nougat. The flavor of the almonds is present to some degree, but the almonds make their presence known more by their texture than by their flavor.

There is one big problem with the Mini size, of course. They are just too small. They are intended to be only a single bite, but I manage to get two very small bites out of one Mini. Even then, I had to go through most of the Snickers Almond Dark Minis in a bag just to get a decent impression of the bar. (Which I was really glad when I saw the full size Snickers Dark bars; full-size bars are much easier to review.) I'm really hoping that somewhere down the line, Mars decides to release a full size version of the Snickers Almond Dark bar, just so I can get a better impression of it. Barring that, I would love to see this Minis Mix show up on the shelves from time to time, and not have their appearance be just a one-time thing.


-jc-

Candy Bar Review
SNICKERS DARK


I have been waiting for Mars to do this candy bar for a long time. Probably as far back as 1989, when they introduced the Milky Way Dark bar (now called Milky Way Midnight). I've definitely been waiting since 2005, when they released the limited edition Twix Dark chocolate bar. However long I was waiting, the wait is over, because Mars (finally!) introduced a dark chocolate of the Snickers bar.

Inside, the Snickers Dark is the same as the original Snickers. It's the same peanut butter nougat; the same peanut-studded caramel. Outside, though -- that's where it's different. Instead of milk chocolate, this Snickers bar is enrobed in a rich dark chocolate.

Biting into a Snickers Dark is pure bliss. The dark chocolate blends well with the peanuts and peanut butter nougat, as I had imagined it would. The flavor of the dark chocolate gently dominates the other flavors in the bar, but doesn’t overwhelm them. The peanut and caramel flavors harmonize with the chocolate, providing both sweet and salty undertones to the symphony of flavor. The peanuts also provide a firm crunch that blends well with the chewiness of the caramel.

When I was learning how to cook, the first thing I ever made was a recipe called "Candy Bar Cookies." This had a topping of peanut butter and chocolate chips that was spread over the oatmeal cookie base when it was taken out of the oven. As you spread the topping over the cookie, the chocolate chips melted and blended together with the peanut butter. Biting into a Snickers Dark brought back memories of those cookies. It was the memory of those cookies and how they tasted that made me know a long time ago that a dark chocolate version of the Snickers bar would be wonderful. (It also made me realize that it has been way too long since I made those cookies. I know I still have the recipe; I'm just going to have to dig it out of its hiding place.)

The only downside to the Snickers Dark is that it's a limited edition. I sincerely hope that Mars realizes that they have a hit on their hands with the Snickers Dark. This is just way too good to be available for only a limited time.

-jc-

Candy Review
SNICKERS PEANUT CHEWS


When I first tried the Snickers Xtreme bar a couple of weeks ago, I had this feeling of deja vu. In this case, I definitely encountered the same combination of ingredients, albeit in a slightly smaller form. During the summer, the Snickers Peanut Chews was a limited edition release from Mars.

When I saw the Peanut Chews a few months ago, I saw a parallel with another Mars bagged product, the Milky Way Caramels. Those are bite size caramels covered in milk chocolate -- think of a Milky Way bar without the nougat. Similarly, the Snickers Peanut Chews are bite size caramels with peanuts added, covered in milk chocolate.

At the time, I thought that Mars was testing the waters; seeing if consumers would react favorably to a Snickers version of the Milky Way Caramels. Then I saw the Snickers Xtreme bar, and learned that Mars had something bigger in mind.

As is the case with the Snickers Xtreme, the caramel in the Peanut Chews is firm, and quite chewy. It looked like there was equal amounts of peanuts and caramel, but again, I think the caramel was there mainly to hold the peanuts in place. The peanuts provided a firm crunch, as well as giving a strong flavor presence. The flavors of the three elements seem to get along quite well. They blended together harmoniously, with no one flavor dominating the others.

The Snickers Peanut Chews disappeared from the shelves several weeks before the Snickers Xtreme made its first appearance. I have no idea whether or not they will make a return engagement, but I was a little surprised to see that they didn't stay around through Halloween. I think they would have been great for giving to trick or treaters.


-jc-

Candy Bar Review
SNICKERS XTREME


These days, it seems that if you're trying to market something so that it is perceived as being Really Cool, all you have to do is add the word "Extreme" to the name of your product. And if you want it to be seen as being Really, REALLY Cool, you have to use "Xtreme." I rather thought that something like candy bars would be immune from this sort of treatment, but Mars has leaped into this buzzword miasma with the Snickers Xtreme bar.

According to the store display where I discovered the bar, this limited edition differs from the regular Snickers bar in that it contains 40% more peanuts. The wrapper also proclaims that it contains 5 grams of protein. (Don't be too impressed by this. I did a little checking, and according to the wrapper on a regular Snickers bar, it contains 4 grams of protein.)

When I opened the wrapper, it does appear a little taller than the regular Snickers bar. It wasn't until I bit into the bar that I noticed the real difference. The core of the Snickers Xtreme bar is a strip of caramel embedded with peanuts, which is enrobed in milk chocolate. There is something missing -- the peanut butter nougat that the regular Snickers bar has.

The caramel is firm, and quite chewy. It seems to be there mainly to hold the peanuts in place, because when I look at a cross-section, I see more peanuts than caramel. The peanuts add a firm crunch, as well as making a strong flavor presence; something that I don't always encounter in a candy bar with nuts. In fact, the flavors of the three elements seem to get along quite well. They blend together harmoniously; no one flavor dominates the others.

I like the Snickers Xtreme, even though the name itself is just a little irritating. I don't know how long Mars plans to keep this limited edition on the market, but if by some chance they decide to make it a regular part of the product line, I hope they come up with a better name for the bar.


-jc-

Candy Bar Review
SNICKERS ALMOND


The Bar Formally Known As The Mars Bar has been going through some changes in the past couple of years. After two or three decades as being known as both the Mars Almond Bar and the Mars Bar, it was suddenly and abruptly renamed Snickers Almond. And more recently (probably within the past couple of months), I noticed that the wrapper now states that Snickers Almond now contains peanuts as well as almonds.

I can see why Mars would have wanted to change the candy bar's name. I have heard on many occasions that Snickers is the world's most popular candy bar. Putting the Snickers name on the former Mars Bar was most likely a way of boosting sales. If I might mangle Shakespeare for a bit, a Mars Bar by any other name would taste as sweet.

At the moment, I am at a loss for the reasoning behind the decision to include peanuts in the bar, however. Whether it was called the Mars Bar or Snickers Almond, the bar was quite satisfactory the way it was. And quite frankly, I tend to believe in the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I was a little curious, though. How does the addition of peanuts change the overall taste of the Snickers Almond bar?

To be honest, I can't really tell if the peanuts are there or not.

The basic structure of the Snickers Almond remains the same. It's still milk chocolate covering caramel and vanilla nougat. The almonds are in the caramel layer, and presumably, so are the peanuts.

I've never really been able to taste the presence of the almonds. That was something I was more able to detect with my teeth. I can still feel the crunch of the almonds between my teeth as I bite into a Snickers Almond bar. What I can't feel is the crunch of the peanuts. And yes, there is a difference; peanuts have a much softer crunch than almonds.

Adding peanuts to the Snickers Almond bar didn't make a good bar bad (or not as good as it had been), so that is a good thing. But it also wasn't an improvement, so I have to ask, what was the point?


-jc-