Junior Caramels

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

Funny thing happened to me when I was in Walgreen's last month. I had just posted a review of Junior Mints saying how I didn’t like the combination of mint and chocolate as the mint is overpowering. I much prefer chocolate and caramel. After lunch, I walked into Walgreen's to find other candies to review. Lo and behold, I found Junior Caramels in the candy aisle. I had to buy a box.

Even though I like chocolate and caramel, putting the two together isn’t necessarily a sure thing. I’ll probably be posting a review of Rolo within a few reviews of this one. Rolo wasn’t a candy that I thought too highly of, but was still willing to eat. Overall, Rolo is good enough if you’re in the mood for candy.

Same thing here. The caramel is pretty soft, so you have a small candy that you can eat without much resistance. There’s enough chocolate that you don’t get too much of one or the other. Even better was that I didn’t get any stuck at the bottom of the box. The caramel wasn’t so tough that I was tired at the end of the box.

Junior Caramels are about the same size and consistency as Junior Mints. Whoever makes the candy basically took out what I didn’t like (mint) and put in what I did like (caramel) to produce something that was at least better than the original. Both are small enough that you can eat a few at once, but you may end up taking your time depending on how much you like them.

I have to wonder why I didn’t see these earlier. Maybe I did and just forgot about them. Maybe they started making them after I stopped eating a lot of candy. I think that mostly, there are other caramel-and-chocolate combinations that I like more. I don’t think I’ll be rushing out for these, but they are at least worth a second look.

Snickers Chocolate Bars

Note:  This Review was originally posted to my Epinions account.


I came across a few candy bar reviews and remembered all of the good times I had had with all of those candy bars. I usually got 3 Musketeers, but I also liked Milky Way and Butterfinger. I think I ate enough of these in high school and college to fill several vending machines. One of my favorites was Snickers.

It’s been a while since I had a Snickers bar. There had come a point where candy bars weren’t quite as satisfying as they once were. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t like sugar as I had just moved on to other sugar-laden things, like jelly beans. When I was recently in the checkout aisle at the grocery store, there I was looking at one longingly. I remembered the chocolate, the caramel, the peanuts… Why not? It’s not like I have enough cavities.

I guess once you get past the ingredients, there’s not much to say. Notice how many candy reviews are short and consist of nutritional information. There are two reasons for this. One is that candy bars are mostly a matter of taste. The other is that they’re not health food. It should be mentioned that they contain sugar and other things your dentist and/or doctor wouldn’t want you to eat.

Snickers is one of the more satisfying candy bars out there. Maybe it’s the peanuts. Maybe it’s the caramel. I could also be imagining things. Sugar does that to you sometimes, especially when combined with hunger. However, among my friends that like candy bars, I don’t think I know anyone that doesn’t like one. Sure, we all have our preferences, but most people like Snickers on some level.

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that it just has a nice consistency to it. When you bite into it, you’re getting a fair amount of resistance and I think that I respond well to it. I’m thinking that I’ve got a substantial piece of candy in my mouth and I’m not going to be hungry for a while.

As I said, it’s not to be a replacement for ‘real’ food. Among candy bars, Snickers definitely ranks up there in the top five. It’s also commonly available. Pretty much any vending machine or convenience store should have one. I’d look to pay maybe 50?-75? for a regular bar. Anything more than $1 is overpriced.

Skor Bars By Hershey's

Note:  This review was originally posted to m Epinions account.

I generally don’t like crunchy stuff.  This is why I’ve never been a big fan of toffee.  Every few years, I get a Skor bar because I forget just how hard toffee is.  I’m not even sure who carries it.  The last time I saw one was in an Office Max, which is a bit overpriced on candy to begin with.  (I’d imagine you can get it whoever you get candy, although Chuckles has shown me that this isn’t always true.)

For those that don’t know what toffee is, imagine frozen caramel.  (Every time I see Skor, I mistakenly think it’s filled with caramel.)  It has a similar flavor, but is extremely hard.  For those that have never seen a Skor, imagine a small bar of toffee covered in chocolate.  They’re thin and on the small side.  Despite the size, it’s pretty rare that I can get through one of these without my teeth hurting a little.

If you have any sort of dental problem where you can’t handle hard food, stay away from Skor.  It really is very hard toffee.  Generally, I’d prefer a Twix.  The cookie isn’t as hard and it does actually have caramel.  Then again, candy and candy bars tend to be subject to personal preferences.  Some people like hard candy while others don’t.

I don’t recall exactly when I first had a Skor, but I remember Skor candy bars being around for a while.  I think it’s been available in the Miami area at least as long as I’ve been around.  I’m sure there are enough people around that like it that it’s not going anywhere.

The price is usually consistent with other candy bars.  (The price-to-size ratio is another reason I go for other candy bars.)  Chocolate and toffee is pretty simple, but I’d check the ingredient list anyway.  I’m going to skip the nutritional information, only because it’s so easy to find online and on the package.  Overall, I have to give it 2 stars.