Ritter Minis Assortment

I love assortments like this because I get to try a bunch of different flavors without having to buy full-sized bars. This assortment of Mini Ritter Sport bars contains nine bars in seven flavors – there were two Yogurt and Knusperflakes. Each mini bar is 2×2 for a total of four squares, or one-fourth the size of a regular Ritter.

Vollmilch / Milk Chocolate: This is the base for most of the other bars in the assortment. It’s a sweet, rich milk chocolate with strong dairy notes. I’m pretty fond of it. Rating: 7/10

Hazelnuss / Hazelnuts: Here we have chopped hazelnuts in milk chocolate. Sweet and nutty; simple but effective. Rating: 8/10

Knusperflakes / Corn Flakes: This is milk chocolate with corn flakes. In the US, crisped rice candy is very common, but corn flake bars are rare. That’s odd, considering we are the biggest corn producers. It’s also too bad, as corn flakes add more flavor and crunch than crisped rice does. I’m really like this, but I’m already a big fan of corn flakes with sweets – I love corn flakes in ice cream. Rating: 8/10

Knusperkeks / Butter Biscuit: This is a butter cookie/cracker covered in milk chocolate. There is also a layer of chocolate creme, but it didn’t stand out from the chocolate coating. The soft flaky cracker goes well with the chocolate. Rating: 7/10

Marzipan / Marzipan: This is the only bar in the assortment without a milk chocolate base. Instead we have semi-sweet chocolate filled with marzipan. I’d never had marzipan before, but I love almonds, amaretto, and anything made with almond extract. Marzipan seems right up my alley, but alas, I didn’t enjoy this. It has strong alcohol flavor and an unpleasant sandy texture. I only detected a hint of almond after the alcohol taste faded away. I’m not sure if I don’t like marzipan, or if I didn’t like this marzipan. Rating: 4/10

Nugat / Praline: This is not what I was expecting – it’s not what I would call nougat or praline, but on second thought, praline is often used to describe European filled chocolates. Anyway, this is milk chocolate filled with a thick hazelnut creme. It’s quite nutty, a little sticky, and perfect for hazelnut nuts like me. Rating: 9/10

Joghurt / Yogurt: This is interesting: milk chocolate filled with a dense yogurt creme. I was prepared to dislike it. I love plain yogurt and eat it almost daily, but chocolate seemed like a bad combination. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really liked this. It’s tangy and a little sour, like plain yogurt. Not for everyone, but I quite enjoyed it. Rating: 7/10

Ingredient Watch: Clear. Ritter uses quality ingredients – “Quality in a square.”

Nutrition Breakdown: This is approximate, depending on which bars you eat. Serving size is 2 bars. Each serving contains 180 calories, 11g of fat, 19g of sugar, and 2g of protein.

Name: Ritter Sport Minis
Brand: Ritter Sport
Store: World Market
Price: $3.49

New York Cheesecake Kisses

New York Cheesecake Kisses. New York Cheesecake Flavored Creme wrapped in Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate. I find them so very fascinating. In fact, my fascination with these has made it difficult for me to review and rate them. I had quite a few thoughts about them before I even ate one. Trust me, that really affects one’s tasting.

I first heard of these Kisses from Cybele at Candy Blog, who posted a list of some of the recent limited edition flavors. I initially found the idea repulsive. Cheesecake Kisses? Blargh! On the other hand, I’ve enjoyed yogurt and other dairy flavored bars. Was cheesecake really that out of the ordinary? Maybe I was being too quick to judge, but I was very skeptical about Hershey’s ability to pull it off.

I came upon these on accident. I was cutting through the Valentine’s aisle at Walmart with no intention of even looking at candy. But when I found myself facing a huge display of these, I decided I had no choice (or no will power) and scooped up a bag.

Lets get to the part that you guys actually care about. What do they taste like? They are very rich and buttery, a little salty, and have a strong tangy diary component. I don’t think they taste like cheesecake. However, because I know they are Cheesecake Kisses, I translate the tangy dairy notes into cream cheese. But really, those notes could just as easily be yogurt or any other diary product. But cheesecake is the bestseller!

The predominant flavor, I think, is butter – and that’s a little gross. Still, I almost like them – almost. They are so rich that I can only eat about two at a time, but I keep finding myself reaching for them again, trying to decide how I feel about them. I’m quite down the middle; I don’t actually like them, but I don’t actually dislike them either. I think I’ll be one of the few in that camp; most people will probably either love them or hate them. So if you are interested, I suggest giving them a try for yourself.

If you are trying to find them, check out the Valentine’s candy; they are in Valentine’s packaging. They are also featured on Hershey’s Valentine’s site. Interestingly, that site features an image of them in a single serving package. I haven’t seen this in stores, so let us know if you do! I found these at Walmart, so I’m sure they also them at Sam’s. I don’t know if it’s exclusive to them.

Ingredient Watch: PGPR.

Nutrition Breakdown: Serving size is 9 pieces. Each serving contains 210 calories, 13g of fat, 23g of sugar, and 3g of protein.

Rating: 5/10

Name: New York Cheesecake Kisses
Brand: Hershey’s
Store: Walmart
Price: $2.69 (14oz)