Reese’s Dipped Peanuts (Tesco) By @Cinabar

These are a new product from Reese’s, made specifically for the UK market. A lot of Reese’s goodies are usually imports, but these have the price printed with a British pound sign right on the bag. That in itself is nice, it feels good to find a proper new UK Reese’s product. Admittedly, they are just dipped peanuts, which doesn’t sound all that exciting. Half of the bag has peanuts coated in milk chocolate, the other half has peanuts coated in, wait for it, peanut butter. Everyone knows peanuts are already pretty peanutty, but I was happy to roll with the extra flavour and give them a try.

On opening the bag, I found a real mix of sizes, some were just bits of peanut, some were whole, and a few were even doubles. First up, I tried a milk chocolate one. It was exactly as expected: sweet milk chocolate with that lovely nutty crunch, balancing sweet and savoury. A classic combo, but done well. Next, I tried a peanut butter one, and I really liked it, the salty edge boosted the flavour and made the peanuts feel even more indulgent.

These snacks aren’t revolutionary, but they are tasty. More importantly, it’s just nice to see a genuinely new British Reese’s product on the shelves.

FOREVA Dubai Style Pistachio Chocolate [@NLi10]

 Dubai style chocolate is all the rage.  Which is unusual, as it's essentially chocolate coated Baklava 

And it's not usually made in DubVegas but imported - this one from Turkey.

Having the German on the pack inspires confidence - they are selling chocolate to the experts so clearly it's the good stuff

So far - so luxurious.  Clearly designed to survive travel and heat.

And like Dubai itself it's not actually as green as you'd expect.  This is surely just a normal chocolate bar!

All the green is on the inside!  

This is crispy 'bombay mix' style noodles - infused with pistachio and covered in remarkable Lindt-like chocolate.

And it works really well.  It's far too sweet, which I think is the intention, and we shared this one cube on a 30 degree day and were satisfied.

I've put the rest in the fridge to see if that makes the flavours pop a little more, but as it stands it's a very nice luxurious treat.

I'd probably still rather walk to my fresh Baklava shop, but if you don't have access to those on your high-street then this works too. 

nutella croissant - frozen to bake at home - Iceland [@NLi10]

 We used to get bake-at-home breakfast breads all the time, but our oven isn't great so we cut back - but I couldn't resist these.

As with all modern things I guess this an air-fryer sized pack, although how you'd fit all 4 in an average one is anyone's guess.

I do like the serving suggestion making it look like a picnic

We had these as a Sunday evening snacky-dinner so just had a decaf tea

They do need a little longer in the oven I think with ours to get to crispy perfection

But - the layers are still there and the flavours were great.  I'll want these again, but it's much easier to find a time to eat the plain ones

Reese’s Peanut Butter Bar White (Ocado) By @Cinabar

It’s always a bit of a thrill to spot a new Reese’s bar in UK shops, and even more exciting when it’s a sharing-sized white chocolate version.

As someone with a sweet tooth (okay, all the teeth), I’ve got time for most chocolate, anything from milky white to 70% dark. So I was more than happy to give this one a go.

This bar comes in chunky squares, each stamped with Reese’s signature ®. It feels surprisingly light in the hand, but the chocolate is a decent thickness and there’s a generous layer of peanut butter filling inside.

The squares snap off easily enough, though the soft white chocolate does crumble a bit against the also-soft filling. No big deal, it’s not a bar you’ll want to eat neatly anyway.

Taste-wise, it’s exactly what you’d hope for: very sweet, with that rich, nutty, unmistakably Reese’s flavour. I’d planned to eat just three squares... but went back for another three. It’s seriously moreish, sweet, creamy, and comforting with every bite.

If you’re a Reese’s fan or into white chocolate, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

TGI Fridays Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream Sticks (Iceland) By @Cinabar

It is Friday, so I felt like having a TGI Fridays treat. The shop Iceland stocks TGI Fridays branded goodies, and the latest addition is these TGI Fridays Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream Sticks. I love peanuts, so I was excited to try what feels like a classic American food combination, but in ice cream form. I don’t think I’ve ever had a peanut butter and jelly (jam) sandwich, despite growing up with a lot of American television.

 

I opened the box and found three individually wrapped ice lollies. I unwrapped one and found a peanut-flavoured chocolate coating. My lolly had been damaged a bit on one side, but otherwise looked fine. I bit in and gave it a try. The main flavour is a lovely, sweet, creamy, almost salty peanut taste. The shell was wonderfully nutty and I really loved the flavour. The ice cream inside is peanut too, but creamier, and it contrasted nicely with the sweet fruit jam. What a lovely combination. I really liked the taste, and the texture from the nuts added something extra. These were a delight and a perfect treat after finishing work on a Friday.

Reese’s Popped Snack Mix (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

I spotted this bag of Reese’s Popped Snack Mix in the supermarket and couldn’t resist picking it up. I love peanut butter and chocolate, so anything made by Reese’s is an instant must-buy for me!

This mix is packed with popcorn, which is wonderfully crunchy on the outside before softening as you eat. The toffee shell cracks beautifully, adding a rich sweetness, and it’s drizzled with chocolate for an extra indulgent touch. However, I was surprised that the popcorn didn’t have any peanut butter flavour, it tasted more like toffee or caramel instead.

The mini Reese’s Cups are effortlessly easy to eat, with their classic combination of sweet milk chocolate and smooth peanut butter. Even better, they weren’t wrapped in foil, which made them perfect for a movie night, no unwrapping, no mess, just easy snacking and sharing!

I’m also a big fan of salted pretzels, and they brought a fantastic savoury contrast to the mix. They were deliciously crunchy, with a satisfying hit of salt that balanced the sweetness perfectly.

Overall, this Reese’s Popped Snack Mix is an intriguing and addictive mix, I found myself eating far more than I intended! A fantastic treat that I’d definitely buy again.

Reese's Peanut Butter Creme Egg (Petrol Station) By @Cinabar

Filling up the car with petrol often comes with a little treat, it's our way of making the expense feel slightly less painful. Today, while browsing the inevitable trays of Easter goodies near the till, I spotted something new: a Reese's Peanut Butter Creme Egg. Most of the other items were the usual suspects, like Creme Eggs, but this one stood out.

The packaging seemed to be designed to resemble a chick, though the crinkled foil on mine made it look like it might be winking. It was slightly smaller than a Cadbury Creme Egg, but still a decent size.

Once unwrapped, the foil design looked much clearer and more polished, though the egg itself didn't continue the chick theme, which I thought was a missed opportunity. Still, it had a subtle patterned design, which was a nice touch.

Biting into it, I was immediately struck by how thick the chocolate was, properly substantial and satisfying. It took a bit of effort to break into, but it was entirely worth it. The chocolate was sweet, creamy, and plentiful, which was a big win for me.

The filling was just as generous, with a strong and delicious peanut butter flavour that complemented the chocolate perfectly. As a fan of the chocolate-to-peanut butter ratio in Reese's products, I really appreciated the thicker chocolate shell here compared to the usual Reese's Cups.

Overall, this Reese's Peanut Butter Creme Egg was a delightful treat, a heavenly combination of thick, creamy chocolate and bold, flavourful peanut butter. If you're a fan of the pairing, I’d highly recommend giving it a try.

Reese’s White DJ Santa’s Disco Lights (Tesco) By @Cinabar

The next big event that will be upon us is Halloween. My local Tesco Express has skipped this and is stocking Christmas goodies. Oh my. I love Christmas, but if I’m honest, I’m not really feeling ready for it; I prefer to wait until mid-November. That being said, I also can’t resist a new product, so here we are with Christmas chocolates in October. This bag of chocolates is called Reese’s White DJ Santa’s Disco Lights, which is quite a lot to unpack in the name. Is being a DJ what Santa does the rest of the year? Are they called Christmas lights because of the shape? Because,  let me be honest, aren’t all Reese’s peanut butter cups the same shape?

I opened up the bag and found foil-coated chocolates. I unwrapped the foil, and then under that I also had to unwrap the brown paper wrapper. That is some serious packaging. The chocolates themselves are yummy. There is loads of thick white chocolate and a good dollop of peanut butter. The flavour combination is sweet and nutty and an absolutely delight. The links with Christmas are a bit bizarre, but the Reese’s White DJ Santa’s Disco Lights chocolates are a brilliant flavour combination. 

Reese's Peanut Butter Creme egg but a chick [@Nli10]

 It's almost Easter - so the great selection of Easter products are in the shop - as is the trashy cash ins!

This is the team at Reeses's seasonal version of 'the blob' the chocolate covered peanut slop that they release for every occasion possible

It aslo has the odd theming of a chick that is shaped like an egg, which presumably contains a chick too?!

As usual the ingredients are technically present.

And the peanut goo is here in force!  I'm not quite sure what they put in this that makes everyone go wild.  I mean I'm happy enough to pay 30p or whatever to get a quick review done, but the salt and sugar is a nice bonus.

Not one to rush out for, and nothing out of the ordinary, but if you like 'American Candy' and don't want to pay import prices then I guess it's perfect for you!

Reese's White Blobs That Pretend To Be Pumpkins [@NLi10]

 Every year Reese's puts out seasonal variations that fail to deliver.  Most years I buy them - this time it was a lovely gift!

This is King Size.  Quite what Charles wants with American Candy i'm not sure - his estate could probably whip something better up.

As usual - no effort has been made to make this match the packaging. Neither the colours nor shape are correct - heck - the peanuttyness of it all is questionable too.  Not sure why American's think that peanut butter shouldn't be just peanuts!

Behold - the spooky Halloween Kidney. 

Two in the pack is nice, and these taste decent enough, and as long as you don't require the texture or flavour of either peanuts or chocolate then you are set!

Definitely a Trick not a Treat.

Krispy Kreme Reese's Peanut Butter Doughnut (Tesco) By @Cinabar

Peanut butter and chocolate are a fantastic combo and one that is overlooked here in the UK. It feels very American, and despite being British, I just love the mix. In recent years, Reese’s has become more available here in the UK; you can even buy peanut butter Kit Kats, which are a joy. Krispy Kreme's new doughnut is up my street, introducing the Krispy Kreme Reese's Peanut Butter Doughnut.

 

So we have a soft doughnut, topped with dark chocolate and Reese's flavoured drops, and filled with peanut butter. I eagerly gave it a try. The first bite didn’t catch the filling but still tasted like chocolate and peanuts due to the peanut butter flavour drops on top. It was a delight. When I did hit the filling, my tastebuds were in heaven. The peanut butter inside was wonderfully nutty and salty, and mixed with the chocolate, it was just such a delight. Wow, these are super good. In fact, I am currently living the dream. The only problem is that these are a limited edition and available for August only, so yes, I need to get more before the month is out. Does anyone know if they freeze?

Marmite Crunchy Peanut Butter - all in the same jar (@NLi10)

My friends at the Junk Food Project often encourage me to try new things - especially if they are trying to get rid of them!  One that was practically thrust into my bag is this jar of Marmite - and jar of crunchy peanut butter - which happen to be the same jar.

I'm not incredibly sure why this exists. Peanut butter is one of those things that people often tell me that they really dislike - and Marmite is also one of those things that a lot of people hate - so the real question is do those groups overlap so you've got a lovely large target market, or are they almost mutually exclusive and the target market is very very small?  And doesn't everyone like a different strength of Marmite anyway?  And I thought smooth peanut butter was more popular?!

Yum - 87% peanuts and 10% yeast extract. And 15 servings seems optimistic, surely you want a lot of this in each go.

And the jar looks decent - very oily though - so much separation and that's possibly due to the extra, unnecessary oil.  A quick stir and then we can spread it out!

Crunchy really doesn't spread that well at all - but then with the extra stickiness of the marmite even the smooth bits kinda don't work much.

So I guess this is all about the flavour - I'm not averse to mixed up flavours - peanut butter with chocolate is fantastic.  Most people go 'eurgh' at that one until you remind them that's called a Snickers.

I'm not sure that even I have added Marmite to peanut butter voluntarily though - it's a little bit of a salt overload.  It does work though - usually the store brand peanut butters add salt as a third ingredient (the other two ingredients being peanuts & violence) but here they've not needed to.  And they've clearly tried to tune the Marmite down to keep the saltiness in check - but still failed.

I love swirly Marmite, with strong bits and mild bits, that's how I eat the stuff. Here - its just the same 'power' the whole way through - and if that's the exact strength of Marmite you have AND you love peanut butter AND you want it crunchy then this is perfect for you.  For me - I'd prefer if this was Marmite Ripple and the strength wasn't homogenous, and I'd probably like the crunchy bits to be a little smaller.

All this said - it's not going to be a challenge to finish this jar - it's salty goodness is brilliant on toast.  But - I think the reason that this jar was handed to me is that I'm in the right spot on the food taste diagram to get the most out of this, and I'd much rather just get an extra spoon dirty and have my favourite peanut butter with my own level of Marmite.

Pip & Nut - Dark Choc & Peanut (@NLi10)

It's been a bit hot recently in England - and we've been out on our holidays.  We popped into Holland & Barret  for snacks and I chose these little peanut butter cups without thinking too much.

And then we got back to the car...

Oh dear - it's almost a drink! Every touch leaves a chocolate smudge.

So gooey - basically a liquid centre - but really nice.  Pip & Nut have made a lovely (and ethical) variation on the peanut butter cup with REAL ingredients too.  I can't wait to eat these in a less melty form later in the year!

Butterm!lk plan powered peanut nougat copy-bar - but is it a Snickers or a Mars? by @NLi10

We love the Buttermilk brand - it's probably the best thing to happen to Vegan snacks in years! It's genuinely better than the real thing in most cases.  Here we have an odd one - a copy-bar -  an imitation of a popular snack bar containing peanuts - it's a ...

...natural alternative to one of the more popular chocolate snacks on the market that is caramel and nougat so it must be a...

...smooth chocolate outer instead of the ridged surfaces - which suggests it must be imitating a...

... well - pass! It's got the half peanuts of a snickers, the nougat is somewhere between the consistency of the Mars & Milky Way - and it also has the caramel layer that if anything is sticky like a Twix. Argh.

Safe to say it's a little bit too soft for me - I prefer the hard Snickers & the crunch of the Twix - but it's a really nice mix up of all the popular snacks but completely vegan.  If you've always wanted a Mars with peanuts and a little more caramel then go for it!

Reese’s Overload (Co-Op) By @Cinabar

I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, it doesn’t seem that popular here in the UK but our American friends are masters of the flavours. The brand Reese’s do have a few more bars out in the UK than they used to and this is one I haven’t seen before, Reese’s Overload. I spotted it in our local Co-Op while I was doing a top up shop. This takes the winning combination of peanut butter and chocolate and adds a new element of texture, salted pretzel.

Inside the wrapper are two mini bars both coated in milk chocolate. I gave one the taste test and absolutely loved the texture, the pretzel adds crunch making it a very satisfying bar to eat. The salt from the pretzel goes well with the peanut flavour and the addition of some caramel meant the flavour was very much full on. I won’t lie I put portion control aside and ate both pieces in one go. There was chocolate, peanut, caramel, salt and pretzel, there was all the good stuff here, the bar was absolutely divine. I was nice to munch on and so very much full of flavour it totally lived up to its name, Reese’s Overload. Definitely one to pick up again.

Snickers Creamy Peanut Butter (@Nli10)

Americans love peanut butter.  At least they think they do!  Real peanut butter has two ingredients (peanuts and violence) and it's just the proportions of the two that change the crunch and consistency.  Feel free to add a little salt to taste too!

Here we see that Snickers have decided that they should be more like the artificial peanut paste products that dominate America (but with actual chocolate for a change) so what's it like?

You get three portions - which is just a modern way of saying that this bar is three times the recommended snack size of 100 kcal.  You better bet I ate it all in one sitting.

The choc was a surprise - it's proper stuff! The insides...

Well it's just mush and goo.  You'd need a pretty good knife to avoid squishing all the layers - another reason for the portion size is that you really just want to put all this in at once.

And it works to a point - but the tough, chewy base and the paste on top really don't integrate well so you are just eating two odd things together.  I'd rather have a real Snickers, or just the paste coated in chocolate like all the Hersey festive blobs.  This paste is at least less 'American' in flavour and may actually contain lots of peanuts so it's a step in the right direction.

One to watch, but unlikely to stick around.