Dove Cookies And Creme Bar

"Silky smooth"

I bought a Dove Cookies & Creme bar at the same gas station as the Betty Crocker Sweet Rewards . I had to try it became I'm crazy for white chocolate-ish candies, such as Hershey's Cookies 'N' Creme bars and drops.

I knew this candy wouldn't taste good when I smelled it. The scent is like an off-brand of candy mold melts. The white creme reminds me of the so-so Palmer White Easter Bunnies . It should be noted there isn't actual white chocolate in Hershey's Cookies 'N' Creme (anymore) or in Dove Cookies & Creme. Dove has a larger amount of chocolate crunchies inside, while Hershey's has better tasting crunchies. For me, Hershey's wins this particular flavor war.

Betty Crocker Sweet Rewards, Part 2

As a follow up to a previous post: I found three of the Betty Crocker Sweet Rewards flavors at a gas station today.





Sweet Rewards: Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar
This bar had a thick layer of chocolate chip cookie dipped in "chocolatey coating" (or, as the ingredient list says, "chocolate flavored confectionery coating"). The amount of cookie, chocolate chips and coating were perfect. Unfortunately, the taste was on par with your average convenience store cookie: meh vanilla taste, not moist but not exactly dry, slightly crumbly, a forgettable brand of chocolate chips. The fake chocolate coating dragged down the flavor, too. Definitely not worth the $1.49 price tag, unless the recipe is improved down the road.





Sweet Rewards: Devil's Food Bites
I haven't bought cake balls yet, but I assume that's what Betty Crocker had in mind for this product. The Devil's Food Bites smell like a yummy batch of Betty Crocker chocolate frosting. The outer shell is chocolatey coating, while the inside is cake mixed with frosting. There is more cake and frosting than chocolatey coating, so the proportions are just right. The chocolatey coating works much better in this product than in the chocolate chip bar. Each pack comes with three pieces. The Devil's Food Bites don't satisfy my chocolate cake craving, but they do satisfy my desire for a rich creamy chocolate truffle.





Sweet Rewards: Buttercream Bites
The Buttercream Bites were my hands down favorite. When I opened the foil wrapper, it had the same enticing scent as a piece of yellow cake. The proportion of cake, frosting and chocolatey coating is the same as the Devil's Food Bites. The chocolatey coating is a good match for the yellow cake, although I would die of happiness if Betty Crocker upgraded this line with real chocolate coating. That would be total heaven! The Buttercream Bites actually satisfies my craving for a piece of moist yellow cake with chocolate frosting. This flavor is a must have for holiday stocking stuffers. I am okay with paying $1.49 for the Buttercream Bites and Devil's Food Bites because they are both high quality, flavorful and well crafted sweets.

I'm not likely to buy the Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar again. I will, however, stock up on more packages of the Buttercream Bites and Devil's Food Bites. Because past experience tells me the tastiest, most uniquely flavored products are the first ones to fall prey to "We don't carry that item anymore. Nobody bought them / or the company randomly discontinued them."

On a side note, I would suggest the following flavor ideas for the Buttercream Bites. Readers, feel free to share what flavors you'd like to see, too!
- Chocolate cake with mint buttercream
- Chocolate cake with coconut buttercream
- Coconut cake with vanilla buttercream
- Cherry cake with chocolate buttercream
- Vanilla cake with almond-vanilla buttercream
- Lemon cake with lemon buttercream or coconut buttercream
- Orange cake with white chocolate buttercream
- White chocolate buttercream with mocha-chocolate cake
- Butterscotch buttercream with white cake
- Caramel buttercream with yellow cake

Betty Crocker Sweet Rewards

I received an email today mentioning the General Mills site Find My Snack. I was excited to see a new product listed called Betty Crocker Sweet Rewards Bites And Cookie Bars. Only one store in my area is listed as carrying these, but I'll definitely look for them and try to do a review. The treats are available in convenience stores, according to the email. This is what FindMySnack says:



Betty Crocker Sweet Rewards - Triple Chip Cookie Bar
"Soft butterscotch cookie with chocolate, caramel, and rainbow chips, dipped in a chocolatey coating. 1.42oz."



Betty Crocker Sweet Rewards - Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar
"Soft cookie with chocolate chips dipped in a chocolatey coating. 1.42oz."



Betty Crocker Sweet Rewards - Devil's Food Bites
"Cake and frosting mixture dipped in a chocolatey coating. 1.5oz."



Betty Crocker Sweet Rewards - Buttercream Bites
"Cake and frosting mixture dipped in a chocolatey coating. 1.5oz."

*10/25/12: Oh duh, the Sweet Rewards Bars came out in 2011. How did I miss that ? *face palm* On a happier note, there are more flavors listed on General Mills Convenience, Convenience Store News and The Moxie Life:
-Sweet Rewards Fudge Crunch Bar
"Chocolate Cookie Base With A Chocolatey Fudge Layer"
- Sweet Rewards Turtle Bar
"Cookie base with caramel, chocolate and nuts"
- Sweet Rewards 7 Layer Bar
"Graham base with chocolate, caramel, nuts and coconut"

Newman's Own Candy

Newman's Own Organics: Milk Chocolate Caramel Cups & Newman's Own Organics: Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cups

When I stopped in Publix today, I noticed boxes of Newman's Own candy in the discount bin. There were two flavors: milk chocolate caramel cups and dark chocolate peppermint cups. They were marked down to 79 cents; I don't know what the normal price is, although the San Francisco Chronicle says $1.49 a package out west. The Newman's Own site lists five flavors: Caramel Cup in Dark Chocolate or Milk Chocolate, Peanut Butter in Dark Chocolate or Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cup.

Each pack weighs 1.2 oz and comes with three fun size candy cups. The front of the peppermint wrapper says "made with organic chocolate." The caramel wrapper says "organic milk chocolate" on the ingredient list only.







The milk chocolate caramel cups: The thickness of the chocolate was on point. The taste was not waxy or overly milky like many brands of milk chocolate. Also, it was nice to have the chocolate divided into three pieces, so I wouldn't it eat all at once. I did not care for the caramel filling, however. It was too liquid in texture, gooey and gritty. The filling was not rich, buttery and slightly thick as I prefer. The caramel had an aftertaste I had a hard time pinning down. It was something sweet, paired with odd cheese and butter notes (not a caramel-ish butter taste); cheese is of course not one of the listed ingredients.







The dark chocolate peppermint cups: Like the caramel cups, the amount of chocolate was good. The chocolate and the peppermint filling reminded me of an upgraded version of Russell Stover sugar free dark chocolate peppermint patties. The filling is thinner in texture than a York Peppermint Patty but slightly thicker than in Russell Stover peppermint patties. You won't mistake these for a York Peppermint Patty, but they are delicious and rich none the less.

The verdict: I probably wouldn't buy Newman's Own Milk Chocolate Caramel Cups again, unless it was a gift for someone who already likes them. But I will definitely buy more Newman's Own Organics Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cups. I hope to try Newman's Own Peanut Butter Cups soon, too.