Hershey's Strawberries 'N' Creme Bar

Finally, I've completed the weird Hershey's Ice "Creme" Bar trio. This one does evoke strawberry ice cream (possibly because I had also stored it in the freezer), but it did make my tongue a little tingly (to be fair to the candy bar, I am currently goin' through some brain stuff). The crunchy bits are just like, freeze dried strawberry pieces, and the bar is just the usual sweet milk oil creme. I think I'm not into what the Hershey's 'N Creme Line has to offer, generally. Ah well. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10 

Hershey's Cookies 'N' Mint (2026 Version)

Look how they massacred my boy :(

Disclaimer: this was in the freezer. 

Claimer: On first eat, this tastes like a tragic mix of Dunkin sugarfree artificial mint chocolate chip coffee and Hershey's cookies 'n cream bar. But on second and third chew, there are elements of OG Cookies 'N Mint. Cooling elements. Elements that make you feel like you huffed some paint thinner in the garage. Like your heart is full of antifreeze. Like maybe, just maybe, life is worth living. The rest of the chews are a mix of those two experiences. Some mediocre to bad, some beautiful and nostalgic. This candy bar really encapulates my life. But I want the old one back :( 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 4/10 or 8/10, avg 6/10?  

Hershey's Salted Caramel Ice Cream Flavored Candy Bar

What's new at Hershey's, I asked myself recently. More "white creme" bars (like cookies 'n creme) and less chocolate bars, it turns out. A turn for the worse, but at least it's not an IP tie in, so let's give 'em a shot. First up: caramel flavored ice cream bar (crucially, not ice cream, just bar). Some confounds: it's 8mil degrees and rat city, so I kept this in my fridge. It's not melted but that's probably not how it was meant to be stored. And this is made in Malaysia, which I haven't been to and know nothing about, so the allergy protocol is a little more Question Mark which is sure to put me off a little.

Anyway, this is cute in appearance. Little ice-cream-cone shape pieces. And it's 200 calos of essentially pure sugar with light milk, so that's what it is and it's not pretending to be otherwise. But despite containing no coconut, it tastes to me like definitely coconut. Like the inside of a mounds bar. That is not what caramel tastes like. I guess I can get the "melting ice cream" + "cone" notes if I mouth-squint, but it's not obvious if they don't tell you. Caramel sauce, sure, okay. But not a GOOD caramel sauce, more like a Hershey's caramel syrup (lol). Texture-wise there are little firm toffee pieces (more sugar I assume), which is fun-adjacent. I didn't really like this. Maybe on a colder day I will feel differently. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10 

Hershey Candy Cane Kisses

Have these always had shea oil in? Feels like that would have freaked me out, but anyway, we move. I gotta binge on cals before I'm off to NOLA, the #1 worst US city I've ever been in for (my) food allergies. My own tragic version of pre-Survivor carbo-loading. These are not as good as most other kisses. They have no chocolate. However, they are exactly like a big version of these tiny pastel mint chips (like these, but less sketch?) that I used to get at Boscov's after the holidays to great excitement. So there is some nostalgia baked in. I'd much rather a cookies 'n mint, though. Moderation is absolutely essential here.

Overall
Cost: 7/10 [on sale, 3$ish]
Taste: 7/10 (thru nostalgia glasses) 

Hershey's Nuggets - Pumpkin Spice Latte

These have an orange wrapper, which is dangerous for a chocolate (because it indexes PEANUT / REESE'S). But these guys actually only "may contain almonds" (which has never caused me a problem, knock on wood). I was gonna bring 'em to school but I discovered that they don't taste that good. I have a certain standard to uphold, after all. Anyway, pumpkin season is over, which is honestly A-OK with me. These have a cute little wrapper and taste very similar to the inner creme of a pumpkin spice milano, but the quality is a lil worse and it's artificial flavor and not natural flavor. The appearance and texture are basically akin to a normal, somewhat melted nugget. The chocolate is, as you know, not that great (typical non-creamy non-bitter Hershey's fare). But the "spice" flavor is pretty strong. Not much latte (coffee/milk) vibe, honestly. If you're a PS-head, you'll probably like these, but it seems I really am not. So it goes. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10 
Taste: 5/10 

YORK THiNS Dark Chocolate Peppermint Patties Miniatures

My dad worked at Hershey for his entire postgrad career (and therefore my entire childhood), which if you think about it, is pretty rare nowadays. Anyway, the smell of these reminds me of the smell of his office building. I thought they were just another junior mint/andes dupe, but they really are their own thing (even though it is a member of that genre no doubt). Dad's job is another reason why I feel so confident about Hershey's allergy labelling, even though there is no "may contain" or "nut free" label here and obviously Hershey makes a ton of nut candies. They are good labellers and good cleaners, and you'll notice that they haven't had any allergy recalls (unlike every other major company). Don't prove me wrong in the future, Hershey('s)! Also, they have many flaws as a company, of course, as do most companies. But this is an allergy blog, not an ethics blog. Could you imagine me pivoting into ethics? Ha. Good thing I have allergies, I guess.  

So these are individually wrapped, which I didn't expect, but which I am glad for because as usual, my house is 8 million degrees and these are quite melty and would surely have glommed together into a delicious monstrosity. They're also "thins" -- sorry, THiNS -- which means the ratio is like the inverse of a double stuf Oreo and you get mostly squishy dark choco and just a little peppermint goop. That's good because the peppermint goop, while a delight, can be too much (and therefore toothpastey) awful quick. Taste and texturewise I find these better than the thIcks (or Regulars). I don't know if my grandma liked mint, but I could imagine her eating one of these for dessert because it is tiny and not particularly decadent. But still great and refreshing. I'm glad I got these even though the typography is dumb as hell.

Overall
Cost: 4/10 [6$]
Taste: 8/10 

Jolly Rancher Freeze Dried

I waited an impressively long time to buy these, if I do say so myself, and that's because I've had enough freeze dried fruit to last me a lifetime. But surely candy is more delicious? (I do prefer fresh fruit to candy, but frozen fruit is a whole other sad story.) Well, no. I should have waited a little longer.

Anyway, these are much bigger orbs than I expected! Like a little solar system model ready to be constructed in there! Weirdly, the blue ones are huge and the pink and green less so. Too bad because just like the Jolly Rancher Ropes of horror, the blue ones are the worst. They taste exactly the same as the funky ropes (4/10). Like, 100%. But the form factor seems less disturbing here; it's basically a big captain crunch cereal piece. The watermelon taste just like the hard candy, and were weirdly polished, totally spherical, like a marble (6/10). The green ones were similar, also polished and akin to the sour hard candy, although a bit more artificial tasting than the pink (5/10). I can imagine a small child enjoying these, but I, a large child, did not. A failure of candy innovation! Plus, my teeth wept.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 5/10  

Jolly Rancher Ropes Blue Raspberry and Cherry Flavored Candy

Just because a candy is allergen-free does not mean it will be good, and these are a great example. However, I do trust Hershey's labelling. And one of the primary ingredients here (like actually, above ~10 other things) is "artificial flavors". Never a good sign. The texture is compellingly stretchy play-doh-ish, although that might just be because my house is 5000 degrees. But although the stickiness is unpleasant, they are pretty fun to stretch out, like a cheese stick or something. Does not add to their "foodstuff" profile, however. The two flavors are pretty different; blue raspberry is straight up bad (4/10), and tastes like strange artificial pool noodle. I actually got more "green apple" than blue raspberry from it, if anything. Much better texture than the similarly plastic filled twizzlers, at least. (Fool me once...). The cherry one is definitely better (6/10); it tastes pretty close to the cherry jolly rancher hard candy, with not too much artificiality (or medicinalness, for that matter). I will eat them all in time, but half will be a mild punishment and half will be a mild treat. Perfect for end-of-month work task motivation! 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 5/10

Hershey's Milk Chocolate With Caramel Bar

Do I dare to eat this weird little square chocolate bar? I do dare. It's 2 rectangles that say 'SMORES', so I guess this is meant for SMORES, but I wasn't equipped for all that. Basically, it is a flat carmello -- typical hershey kiss choco with a thin layer of liquidy caramel toward the top. It's pretty good, not just because it's nut-free but also because the caramel is so thin as to be a treat rather than a burden. There's no empty air pocket, which is good for preventing unwanted melting. Made me a little panicky after eating (itchy mouth, head is goo), but what doesn't? I imagine the next one will be a treat.

Overall
Cost: 4/10 (7.50 for 6, but they are babby bars; like half a normy bar)
Taste: 7/10

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Hershey's Kisses

These seem like they'd be gross, but they're actually pretty good. Not milk choco (or even white choco if we're being real), but the essence of cinnamon toast crunch milk in a kiss shape. Cinnamony, milky, and with little hard "cereal" pieces in the middle. Like a less cloying, more cerealy dulce de leche kiss. The texture is good and interesting. The taste is like cereal, which is not really "delicious", but is tasty. They also have a buttery inside for some reason (a "cookie finish"), which elevates things. No allergy concerns, no migraine concerns, just the usual "junk food probably bad for your health hehe" concerns.

Overall
Cost: 4/10 [6$, also limited edition so probably unbuyable now]
Taste: 8/10

Twizzlers trees

I've really trained the people in my life well, because two different people got me these as a thank-you gift. It's an excellent pick because they are:

- Allergen free!
- Brain-diet approved!
- Seasonal and new!
- Small and a cute shape hehe!
- A sweet snack, my favorite kind!

Luckily they won't read this blog though, because: they aren't that good taste-wise. But they aren't offensive, and the shape IS cute. It's just that they look like plastic and taste a little bit like plastic too. I guess this is generally just what red vines and twizzlers taste like. It's been a while since I've had them so I forgot! I have a very fond memory of eating cherry nibs in a blanket fort at age 7 or so, but no fond twizzlers memories since then, only the memory of the memory. (And now I guess the fond memory of being known! aw!)

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 5/10

Hershey's Kisses - Strawberry Ice Cream Cone

These aren't really chocolate, but they are what we call in the business a "sweet treat". These were also bought in honor of the "strawberry solstice moon" (circa one month ago), so you can see I'm a little behind on my sweet treats, but there's never a bad time for a new nut-free treat! Honestly these were better than I thought they would be -- very much like a cookies and creme bar in kiss form, but with waffle cone bits instead of "cookies" and strawberry flavor in the "creme". Bright pink in color, vaguely plastic aftertaste in flavor, no melty mess. Not really evocative of ice cream, but some cone is evoked, which made me smile. And as we all know, smiles are a symptom of happiness!!!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10 

Hershey's Candy Coated Eggs

Mm, candy! Should I be eating candy when my body is broken? Probs no, but my body is always broken, so I want candy, and frankly, deserve it. (IDK). Anyway, these are tasty! They were bigger than I expected (bigger than a cadbury egg, more like a whopper egg), with a cadbury-type candy coating, but a bit thicker. The inside is what I assume to be normal hershey's chocolate, but less creamy (or just less melty?), which actually works well. It's basically a big cadbury candy coated egg, but with no maltiness or whatever that unique flavor they have is. And I don't miss that note too much! Yum!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Hershey's Kisses - Rainbow Brownie

These are super frustrating to eat because they're totally melted! I don't know if it's because my house is 80+ degrees (which isn't THAT hot) or if it's because the inside is a goo ("creme") and the chocolate coating is so thin, but it's messy and not as good as it could be. So it's hard to gauge the taste, given that. They basically seem like a mass of chocolate frosting, with tiny crunchy sprinkles in it. It's tasty but hard to consume and hardly a hershey kiss at that point! I'm gonna try putting them in the fridge and seeing how that goes.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Hershey's milk chocolate eggs

More nut free discounted easter candy for me! Thanks Acme and Hershey's. Alas, though these are fine, they are inferior to a normal Hershey's Kiss for the following reasons: a serving of these is only 5 and not 7; the foil is harder to take off without eating some of it; the shape of the choco is less dainty to eat. Otherwise it's normal Hershey Chocolate, which is, yanno, what it is. Still a nice sweet snack though!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Hershey's Solid Milk Chocolate Bunny

This is gonna sound hella ungrateful, since a nut-free chocolate holiday snack is so rare and special, but I wish this were hollow!!! Ha. My parents got me this, though, which is very sweet. He has the look of an elegant bunny. And the taste of an inelegant Hershey's Bar. Not the greatest choco, and it's just so thick. Therefore my hollow wishes. But he's fun all the same.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Skinny Pop Harry Potter Butterbeer

Surprise surprise, this stuff tastes great, just like the butterbeer goldfish and the kisses. Like those, I did not buy this myself, and like those, I resent what JKR did for the world's ability to enjoy their childhood fandom and related snacks!!! My donations continue apace. Anyway, this isn't very sweet, but it is nut free and vaguely cinnamon-gingery. I could eat the whole bag in one sitting easily. It's like a butter-lite version of butter popcorn, but sugar. No artificiality. I love it :(

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [2.70$]
Taste: 8/10

HERSHEY'S KISSES Easter Vanilla Frosting Candy

A new nut-free choco? Yes please! Hershey's is so good to me lately. These have very cute plaid wrapping, and although I was skeptical of the flavor, I actually like it a lot. The inside is substantial, and tastes like frosting flavor (like a frosting flavored oreo or something), but a little custard note makes the chocolate shell taste more complex and creamy. It works well! The worst part about these is that they say in the description "Looking for a delicious way to treat yourself after a long day of adulting?" which is very unappealing. But at the same time, I guess I am technically doing that. But I wouldn't say so!!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

KIT KAT THiNS Milk Chocolate Candy Bars

These are nut free! Bless you Hersheys. I am so grateful for the Normal Chocolates of my youth. (Although my kingdom for a safe Twix, always and forever.) Now I've had two safe kit kat types: these and "kit kat minis". These are, well, thinner. They're in two squares per piece, which is weird. They're also individually wrapped which is good for portion control but honestly a little annoying. They taste mostly like Kit Kat. I had two of them that were only chocolate, which was fun and I think I extra liked those ones, which is kinda weird. Anyway, these are safe and tasty and I love them. I think I love the minis more though!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 8/10

Hershey's 'Harry Potter' Butterbeer Kisses

Bleh. I'm backdating this post in a misguided(?) attempt not to bring any commercial attention to Harry Potter related merchandise. Why do I then have said merchandise, you ask? Because from ages 11-24 (roughly) I was completely, soul-consumedly obsessed with Harry Potter, as were many in my cohort - and so now people sometimes give me Harry Potter stuff despite my repeated "Here is what is going on with JKR and why I don't want to financially support Harry Potter stuff anymore" entreaties. Since I think it comes out of love for me (and cognitive decline?), I will guiltily eat these (and donate some cash to charity). But I hope they're bad because I don't want to yearn for them and be stuck in a moral dilemma!

Well, they're OK. Very different from normal kisses: not chocolate! They smell just like Hershey's caramel topping for ice cream sundaes. Which is good...on ice cream sundaes. It's a lot just on its own. Is caramel the same thing as butterscotch, by the way? I didn't think so, but now I'm not sure. The inside is a creme texture, but with basically the same taste as the caramel shell. Is this what butterbeer tastes like? (I am also avoiding Harry Potter World so I'll never know). It's very sugary. Like drinking the sweet dregs of a melted Friendly's Caramel Fudge Blast. Which is, like, pretty good I guess. Just unexpected given the form factor. Alas, [would that it were] earwax!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10
Wishing I could go back to unfettered memories of gaybledore and carpetbook: 10/10
Wishing I could go back to a time before I read all the horrible comments on reviews of these elsewhere: 10/10