Favorite Chocolate Bar

[Doctormhl1]

With literally hundreds of chocolate bars to choose from, it's difficult to come up with a favorite, right? I've tried most and if I'm asked to choose my favorite it would be "Toblerone".without any hesitation.

Pure Swiss milk chocolate , nougat, almond chips, and most uniquely, honey, that gives it an extra sweetness and chewiness that allows the chocolate taste to linger on and on and sticks to your teeth so that you can enjoy discovering tiny bits and pieces hiding in nooks and crevices for hours after.

I'm sure many will suggest others, but for my money it's Toblerone by a country mile

[sisterfunkhaus]

Cadbury Fruit and Nut. Toblerone is pretty darned tasty as well.

[greedygirl]

I'm not sure how widely available it is, but the best chocolate I've had recently was from the Grenada chocolate Company. The organic 71% is just extraordinary with a lovely fruity taste.

[Ruth Lafler]

I love their chocolate, but you're right, it's not widely available. I'll mention that it's tree-to-bar, produced by a growers' cooperative in Grenada in a solar-powered factory. About as politically correct as you can get!

There's info on where to buy it on their website: http://www.grenadachocolate.com/

Lately, I've been enjoying the Chuao Firecracker bar: 60% dark chocolate with chipotle, salt and popping candy. Sort of a Nestle crunch bar for grown-ups.

[cabie]

Sprouts Market makes a dark chocolate chili bar that is really pretty good. The chocolate itself is decent, but the heat makes it crazy good@@!!! Just enough sweetness to balance the heat while not softening the intensity. The package has thai chilis pictured, maybe that was intended as a warning???

I hope they continue to make it so vibrant, but there's always that one guy that complains and ruins it for the rest!!!

[Perilagu Khan]

Aero Bar. Nuff said.

[magiesmom]

Current fav:
chocolove almonds and sea salt in dark (55%) chocolate.

Perfect balence, great texture.

[mcf]

It's a little sweet for me, but it's still a good bar from my favorite brand.

[wineguy7]

My favorite is Côte d'Or Lait. I love the creamy richness, texture and lingering of it.

[jumpingmonk]

Yes, it is good. My personal fave of the line was the Noir. Not the Noir de Noir (the black wrappered one that is the standard dark) but the single Noir (which is a bit lighter and has a metallic gold wrapper) Unfortunatly unlike the other grades that one is elusive. In fact I think I've only seen it once; a single box of mignonettes (the little itty bitty bars that come in boxes) But if you ever do come across it, I urge you to try it.

[wineguy7]

Thanks. In San Francisco, Chocolate Covered on 24th Street carries some of the Côte d'Or line (Fog City News, too?). I'll have to look for the lighter Noir.

[zin1953]

TCHO . . . just about everything -- http://www.tcho.com/shop/chocolate/bars/

[hyacinthgirl]

Vosges Naga Bar (curry and coconut!)
Ritter Sport Cornflakes or Marzipan
Mounds

annnnnd now I need some candy.

[buttertart]

Ritter Sport - now we're talking - dark chocolate marzipan, dark/milk/white whole hazelnut...

[im_nomad]

My favorite Ritter Sport is the biscuit bar. So good.

[somervilleoldtimer]

Yes! I have an entire pack of the dark chocolate marzipan in my fridge right now. Buttertart; I think you and I are related.

[buttertart]

I have the same feeling.

[Bob W]

I'm a big Ritter Sport fan too (dark varieties only, of course).

Have always loved Mounds (loved the now-departed Waleeco bar even more). Would love to see a dark chocolate Almond Joy.

[buttertart]

Coconut and chocolate together - no like.

[Bob W]

LOL you clearly have an excellent palate when it comes to chocolate, so we'll have to agree to disagree on this particular combo.

Here's another one you should check out: LA Burdick. Their chocolate dipped fruit is amazing. I might have to try their "Healthy Bar Set" -- for the health benefits, of course. 8>D
http://www.burdickchocolate.com/defau...

[buttertart]

I used to buy the sailboats for my father-in-law, a lifelong sailor.

[somervilleoldtimer]

And try their hot chocolate!

[Bob W]

Seconded!

[buttertart]

Didn't know! Leading me even further down the candy alley to perdition...

[somervilleoldtimer]

Mwa-ha-ha!

[howaboutthat]

similar tastes -- Ritter Sport (though both the dark and milk varieties) and the Mounds/Almond Joy duo.

[watercress]

Oh man, I've been wishing for a dark chocolate Almond Joy forever. It seems like such a no-brainer! What's taking them so long? I even wrote them requesting that in the 80's. Got a form letter back saying something like thanks for your interest-- we're always developing new products and that may or may not be one of them. But now when dark chocolate is hotter than ever, why aren't they?

[buttertart]

If you are ever within pouncing distance of a Jacques Bellanger store or product, pounce. Their milk chocolate with marcona almonds - very complex milk chocolate crammed with almonds, barely held togther with the choc - is on my list of 10 best confections ever.

[Bob W]

Wow, what a great thread. How have I missed it for over two years?

So many great bars mentioned -- I'm a dark chocolate guy, and I like fruits and nuts in my bars too. And since I've learned that dark chocolate is so good for me, I'm eating even more of it -- just finished a Scharffen Berger 81% bar, and now working on a Ghirardelli 86% bar.

For a bit of a splurge, I highly recommend the fruit and nut tablets from Garrison Confections in RI. These are rectangular versions of French mendiants. The tablets are $7. Whenever I place an order with Garrison for a box of chocolates for Mrs. W, I through in a couple of tablets for myself. It's an affordable luxury. The tablets also come in milk and white, and without fruits and nuts, but this is how I roll.

www.garrisonconfections.com

[buttertart]

These look wonderful, I love the filled chocolate flavors - thanks for the tip, hadn't heard of them before.

[Bob W]

Oh yw, I am always happy to have an opportunity to recommend Garrison, esp. since they are located in Central Falls, RI, a downtrodden little city that many of you probably heard of for the first time last year when they fired all the teachers.

The chocolatier, Andrew Garrison Shotts, brings out SIXTY -- 6-0 -- different filled chocolates every year. Four seasonal collections that are released on each equinox or solstice, plus the "Legendary Lovers" collection for Valentines' Day, which are sold only for two weeks and then retired for good. Obviously there's going to be some overlap at some point, but the variety of flavors is really incredible, especially if you like fruit flavors. There are some with two and even three layers of fillings.

[buttertart]

That sounds like a Bernachon-level attention to detail. Gotta get some!!!

[Bob W]

Of course you sent me to Google to look up Bernachon. And what do you know -- right in line with this thread, they make 26 different dark chocolate bars!!

http://www.bernachon.com/fondant_en.html

Check out their Mendiant: "55% cocoa paste. Filled with honey-grilled flaked almonds. Decorated with Piemont nuts, Corinth grapes, Grenoble nuts, crystallized Bigarreau cherry, pistachios and honey."

Dear lord....

[buttertart]

I went there once 9 yrs ago and felt as if I had died and gone to heaven. I swear one of their pralinés had 7 discrete discernable textures in a 1" cube. Unbelievably good. (Bought plain dark chocolate bars and made flourless chocolate cake with it, oh my goodness.)

[somervilleoldtimer]

Looks great! I just placed an order.

[Bob W]

Hope you like!

[janetxb]

Scharffen Berger Mocha: 62% cacao with finely ground Sumatran coffee. Yum!

On a lower budget day I'm very happy with a Snickers.

[jumpingmonk]

My favorite (when I can get my hands on it) is probably Antica Bonnajuto (a chocolate bar made in Sicily). It's an unconched chocolate (for those who don't know the term that means the stuff is made without heating, so the sugar crystals dont melt and the resultant bar is crumbly. If youever ever had a Taza chocolate bar, or tried to actually eat a puck of Ibarra, those are both examples of unconched.) That comes in three versions, pink (vanilla) red (cinnamon) and truffles, which I've never had since they have chile pepper (if they didn't I might make a point of trying them, as I am curious how one can MAKE a truffle (an enrobed chocolate product, as opposed to a molded one) without heating the chocolate. As it stands now the only place I can get those is Zingerman's (and they're out at the moment) and they are quite expensive (about $12 per bar).
I also have a real fondness for Cote D' Or Noir as I find it has the best balance for me of the line (I find the Lait a little to weak for me, the Noir de Noir at little too strong). The problem is that the amount of single Noir made (or at least, exported) is tiny; due to the fact that Noir de Noir is the "standard" dark choclate for the line. In fact I think I only have found it once, a box of mignoettes (little chocolate bars, such as you might give out for haloween or a hotel might leave on your pillow) I don't ever thing that a single version is made for the larger Cote d' Or bar line (the pacakges I usually refer to as "bricks") or even the medium (where they carry Noir Intense and Noir Brut, bars that are even darker than the Noir de Noir)
In enrobed, filled bars, I think my favorties is Fry's Turkish Delight.

[jumpingmonk]

Not sure if anyone else will care, but the Bonnajuto bars are back in stock at Zingermans (though not the truffles)

[Ruth Lafler]

I'll add a new-to-me line: Xocolatl de david: http://xocolatldedavid.com/home.html

I tried the bacon caramel and the almond and pimenton and they were both really delicious.

[Ruth Lafler]

I went to the Vosges "boutique" in Las Vegas and tried a bunch of bars my local stores didn't carry (including some seasonal ones). The Black Salt Caramel Bar (black Hawaiian sea salt, burnt sugar caramel) is a real winner (according to the clerk, it's now their number one seller).

[maria lorraine]

Good lead. Thanks. I'll seek it out.

[maria lorraine]

Update: Just had this a few days ago. Excellent! Never would have bought it had it not been for your recommendation. Now I fear I will buy it too often!

[Melanie Wong]

I had a taste of Xocolatl de David's bacon caramel bar this week. In truth, I had to take a couple tastes to decide if I liked it or not. Extremely smokey and meaty to the point of almost but not quite being overpowering mainly because the quality of the chocolate is so intense. The 72% Ecuadoran chocolate melts as soon as you touch it . . . and this was a day that I was freezing, not hot at all, so my fingertips were relatively cool.

http://www.shopxocolatl.com/ProductDe...

[Ruth Lafler]

Melanie, I was counting on you to try the Foietella!

[janbo19]

I'll have to go with Snicker's for $200!

[Bruce356]

The original BarNone by Hershey. Pure chocolaty goodness of cocoa wafer, chocolaty cream filling and a layer of peanut nibs, then dipped in more chocolate. I recollect them they mucking it up at some point with a peanut butter version that I detested, but I can only find references to the addition of caramel shortly before Hershey discontinued its distribution in the US. (I may be wrong about the peanut butter version.) I hear a version might be available in Mexico. I understand the caramel version also made devotees' gears grind.

[Emme]

you're in good company.
http://www.petitiononline.com/barnone...

[limster]

An update: Rabot Estate Chuao and Rabot Estate "dash of milk" are up there for me.

[Jetgirly]

Happy Hippos!

Do they count? They should! They're made by Ferrero and I've never seen them in North America; they were my go-to treat when I lived in Italy. They are shaped like hippos, with three sections: head, torso and bum. The outside is wafer-thin, and the inside is a whipped hazelnut filling, the one in the Kinder Bueno bar. They come in regular and chocolate. I think there might be some sprinkles on the outside too. I love them because they're tiny little things that are perfect for a little treat when you don't want an entire chocolate bar.

In North America, I rarely buy chocolate bars, but I've been known to eat a Crunchie or EatMore bar once in a blue moon.

[rutabaga]

I, too, am patiently waiting for a dark almond joy. For "special" chocolate, I absolutely love Dolfin. It's not that easy to find, but the chocolate has such good flavor, and you can get bars with great things in it (or plain). They have a dark bar with orange zest, one with ground coffee, one with lavender (way better than Dagoba, I think), one with pink peppercorns (really great!), and they also come in little assortments of tiny, individually-wrapped squares. They have a spice assortment that has chocolate with cumin, or cardamom, or cinnamon, and more. Whole Foods sometimes has some of their chocolate, and I find it in a shop or cafe now and then. Mostly I order it online. I don't care about the wrapper or what's mixed in as much as the flavor of the chocolate itself, and Dolfin just tastes the way I like chocolate to taste.

[somervilleoldtimer]

Me three, on the waiting for a dark almond joy thing. It's not like it's complicated, for goodness sake.

[MinkeyMonkey]

I'm not sure I could pick a favourite!! But, it I had to, I'd choose Green and Black's caramel. Of course, it would tie with:
Ritter Sport with corn flakes
Chocolove with toffee
Green and Black's with almonds
Caffarel's Gianduia 1865
Toblerone, the one in the yellow package
Equal Exchange's milk with hazelnut
And, yes, Almond Roca!!

[goodhealthgourmet]

ok, so Trader Joe's just started carrying those ginormous 14-oz Toblerone bars for only $4.99, which is a terrific price. i spotted them today on the new products display. i'm actually thankful that those things are so huge, because there's no chance i'd buy it just for me!

[goodhealthgourmet]

any reference to Toblerone immediately transports me back to my childhood. my parents would go on vacation once every year or two, and dad would *always* buy a bar of Toblerone at the duty-free shop in the airport and bring it home. i looked forward to that even more than any mementos or trinkets they brought back from their destination! now that i think about it, that's the only milk chocolate bar i really ever loved. can still remember the way the nougat would get stuck in my teeth :)

[Emme]

When I was 11, my mom and I were coming back from a cruise in Europe, and we had a LONG layover in Rome, and I am pretty sure we devoured an entire 6 pack of Toblerone. I'm also pretty sure my mom ate way more than I did. I wasn't particularly interested in food or sweets, but I'm sure I ate some... but not as much as she or her waistline would have liked! I didn't find out about white chocolate Toblerone for many years more... prefer that stuff.

[goodhealthgourmet]

my dad used to eat a lot more of it than i did. i was a petite little thing, and he wasn't exactly svelte...but that one triangle he would let me snap off for myself was such a big deal - i always felt so grown up eating it because it seemed so much more sophisticated and special than a standard candy bar. silly, i know :)

after seeing this thread last night i went to the Toblerone website to see if they have a dark version. they do - i may check it out one day if i can find it. but i was also reminded of the white chocolate version you mentioned, and though i've never really liked white chocolate, again, Toblerone was the one variety i ate quite happily!

[somervilleoldtimer]

I don't really like milk chocolate except for teh Toblerone bar, which is great. I even like the standard Toblerone better than the dark Toblerone, although for everything else I like dark better.

[wineman3]

Numba ONE~~~~~~~~~
REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

Numa Two
Toblerone

Numba Three
Heath Bar

[lschow]

i didn't see any mention of the nestle lion bar. *swoon* caramel, wafer, rice krispies, chocolate... if only it had toffee, then it would be my ultimate candy bar. i also love see's nut & chew awesome bar.

[Emme]

i'd almost forgotten the Lion Bar... this thing is awesome.

if we're talking See's, make mine a Bordeaux please!

[annapurna7]

My current favorite is Ritter Sport rum raisin and hazelnut. It's good and not terribly expensive.

[Delucacheesemonger]

Hershey's makes a Golden Chocolate bar, five to a pound box that is American milk chocolate with almonds at it's best. In Europe there is Bernachon, from Lyon that starts with cocoa beans, roasts his own, then makes an extraordinary chocolate. Sells bars that are expensive but perfect. There is one of his bars that is marbled milk and very bittersweet, yum.

[Brandon Nelson]

Scharffenberger extra intense or Dagoba New Moon. The SB has a better bitter back pallete, but the new moon has a nicer texture and a little dried blueberry note to it.

[chicken kabob]

While not gourmet, lately I am really into the Reese's BIG CUP. It is 1 cup that is extra thick and bigger in size. It is awesome! The chocolate is thicker and there is just more goodness all the way around! Not too crazy in calories, either, IMO (190 cals.)

[somervilleoldtimer]

I really like the mini reeses because I prefer a higher proportion of chocolate to PB.

[CookieWeasel]

I LOVE Lindt bars, and the truffles too. Such exquisite creamy, filled luxurious bliss! (And while they're not bars, I've got to put a word in for Rochers and Ice Cubes).

[Gigi007]

OMG, ice cubes are the bomb! I also have a new favorite Lindt bar--dark chocolate with a hint of sea salt. So-o-o good.

[Daniellabelle]

My go-to bar is usually a 3 musketeers, even though everyone I know thinks they're nasty.

However, the BEST chocolate I've ever had comes from Rome--a store called Ai Monasteri in Piazza Navona. All their products are made by the Benedictine monks who live in the area, and oh em gee are they to die for. When I can afford it, I order a few bars from their...although usually it's hit and miss on whether or not they'll ship to the us. Mmmm..

[Steady Habits]

Ghirardelli bars, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, little chunks of Callebaut, milk or white, chopped off the larger chunks I keep in the freezer for my chocolate snacking emergencies.

[akq]

I am not usually much into chocolate bars, but my neighbor gave me a Dagoba Lavender (59% with lavender and blueberries). it's excellent.

[marciev]

Aero bars are my all time favorite. Also just found KinderChocolate at Meijer (Midwest grocery chain), which made me soooo happy, my grandmother used to bring bars of it back from her trips to Germany when we were little. Love the milk white filling.

[KevinB]

When my kids were just a few years younger, they really used to enjoy "KinderSurprise" - the milk chocolate eggs with the white coating inside, and a little toy. Never saw them in the US, though.

[mpjmph]

They aren't allowed in the US because of the toy inside the chocolate egg. Apparently American kids will eat the chocolate and the toy, and since the toy is lacking in nutrition is can't be sold as food, or something like that :) Plus there's the whole chocking hazard thing. You can sometimes find kinda-sort similar products with a toy in the package, just not within the egg itself. There are also chocolate eggs out there that are filled with hard candy pieces, similar, but not the same.

[jo_jo_ba]

Amedei Toscano 70% all the way. I can't have a lot of chocolate, so I spring for the good stuff!

[chicken kabob]

I just discovered Hershey's TAKE 5 candy bars. They are SO good! I am amazed that they are not one of the more common, popular cheap candy bars!!! They are totally unique, too, because they contain pretzel pieces- along with the more common peanut butter & caramel.

[phantomdoc]

The CHUNKY from my youth. Thick bar with nuts and raisins.
Bartons butter crunch. Toffee coated with chocolate and crushed nuts.
Trader Joe's mini peanut butter cups. Unreal improvement on Reeses.
Trader Joes belgian 500g chocolate bars (with almonds).

[greedygirl]

Nice to see so many British chocolate bars on the list. Isn't Cadbury a global brand now though?

Crisps are my vice, not chocolate, but I am partial to the occasional Snickers or Crunchie Bar. I also like Fry's Peppermint Cream, Mint Aeros and After Eights. I always have a box of the latter in the house because everyone likes an After Eight with their coffee, however sophisticated!

[Xacinta]

Swiss Milka, British Cadbury and when i am away from mexico for a long time...CarlosV

[emerilcantcook]

Everyday: Skor bar, Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts

Mid-range: Dagoba New Moon

High End: Bernard Castelain Extreme, Felchlin Cru Sauvage

[Deenso]

Okay, I guess I'm just your basic chocolate slut. Not big on chocolate combined with nuts or fruits, but I'm equally happy with a Nestle's Crunch, a Milky Way (original or "midnight"), a Kit-Kat bar, or my all-time favorite, Three Musketeers. Not that I don't appreciate the good-quality dark stuff, but it seems my childhood, when it comes to chocolate, simply hasn't ended.

[pancake]

REESE peanut butter cups/Peanut butter M and M's.
Also those lindt white chocolate balls with cocao bits. So divine.

[MattInNJ]

Snickers, there can be only one!

[gini]

Lake Champlain peanut 5 star bar, though the hazelnut is amazing also.

For a pure sugar rush, kinder beuno is also great.

The ritter dark chocolate with almonds or wafer.

[turqmut]

Vahlrona (about 70%) & Hershey's Special Dark (a flavor of childhood) I can only buy these one at a time.

Godiva's a noticeable absence, isn't it? I don't think it's all that great either, but I was still a little surprised.

[Bonnie Celt]

I'm with you, turqmut, on the subject of Godiva. If someone gives me Godiva chocolate as a gift, I will eat it and be grateful, but it's not something that I actively choose for myself. There's quite a few chocolates that I can purchase far cheaper at the grocery store, that beat the heck out of Godiva as far as taste.

[James Cristinian]

They changed Hershey's Special Dark a few years back. I like the old one better, but the newer one is still good.

[MinkeyMonkey]

I used to adore Godiva, mainly for the little open oysters with a pearl of truffle inside. They seem too sweet for me now, just the same as sees or checkout-line candy bars. I wonder if they changed or if my tastes changed?

[buttertart]

How long ago did you particularly enjoy them? They've been sold a couple of times - to ? Sara Lee ? Pillsbury? and now I believe to a Turkish conglomerate. A fer piece from Belgium. Not to cast any aspersions on Turkish confectioners whatsoever.

[MinkeyMonkey]

Well, now that I've thought about it, probably not since the early nineties! ...feeling old now...

My gram used to give me Whitman's and Godiva was so much better!

[buttertart]

Don't feel bad, I remember them before before that - when they really were from Belgium. Have you tried Leonidas? They're not the best of the Belgian chocolates by a long shot (I once had a box from an artisanal chocolate maker in Antwerp that included a dark chocolate canteloupe cream that I still dream about - and I'm a nuts and chews girl) but they are quite good and probably closer to old-school Godiva.

[MinkeyMonkey]

You know, I've never even heard of Leonida's! I will try them...Oh, that is right, no holding me back from trying everything chocolate.

I loved Belgian chocolate as a youth and have been so side-tracked with all the new brands and small batches that I haven't tried any old favourites in a while.

Thanks for the tip!

[buttertart]

Hie thee to Belgium if at all possible, dreamworld for chocolate fans (and even the very best are not terribly expensive there).

[MissMethuselah]

I'll also answer Toblerone without hesitation! But then all of the other favorites come creepin' in...
Vosges Barcelona or Naga Bar
Take 5 (It's the pretzel thing!)
Whatchamacallit
Twix
and any really good dark, but only plain. Will not eat it if there's "stuff"

[goop]

Reese cup
Butterfinger
Crunchie (i think its only in Canada; haven't seen it in the US)
Lindt

[AngelSanctuary]

The "thin" version of the cadbury mint chocolate bar. It's skinnier and besides the mint flavored chocolate there are also small bits of mint candy. It's so good =)!

I also like Wunderbar because it's like crunchy and chewy at the same times, really nice contrasting textures and I love the peanut butter with caramel.

And this isn't really a bar but these things called Toffife...it's this thin caramel half-shell with I think hazelnuts (some sort of nut), nougat, and a chocolate on top.

[maplesugar]

I love those Cadbury mint bars and the Wunderbar too! (re the thins I don't usually go for the 100-calorie marketing but for those thin mint bars I'll make an exception). I have to not bring the boxes of Halloween candy home that have Wunderbars in them or I'd be tempted to eat them all :)

[lgss]

For interesting ones...
http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/catego...

[at24]

hard to pin down just one, so here's the short list

-Snickers
-Reese cup
- sometimes a Heath bar
*** and R.I.P ***
-Mars bar- must be the old school ones- remember they used to have like 3 almonds on the top, covered with chocolate
-the Wonka Scrunch bar or Wonka Oompa Loompas

[Jacey]

From my youth:

Butterfingers (taste so good on vanilla ice cream or in a blizzard too)
Heath Bars
Nestle Crunch
Cadbury
Lindt Balls (especially PB)

And who doesn't love the fun size versions of candy you get during Halloween?

[Sooeygun]

I'm happy those mini 'halloween' bars are available all year round now. I find them good for satisfying the chocolate bar craving without wasting so many calories.

[Emmmily]

Hachez 88% dark, no question about it. Manages to be smooth and creamy even at 88%.

[rHairing]

For me it's See's Toffee-ettes. Thank God they only put a kiosk up at Christmas and I haven't resorted to buying online...

[burlgurl]

Only available in the UK (or rarely in some british import stores)..Cadbury Tiffen
it's like the fruit and nut version, but it's with crunchy shortbread bits and raisins...

for local quick fixes:
Mars and Snickers
Coffee Crisp (eaten by layer)
Maltesers
Hershey Milk and Cookies (white chocolate with cookie bits)
Skor

[KevinB]

I'm surprised not one person has mentioned a Mars bar. I can't eat them anymore - too much sugar - but back in the day, I used to scarf them down like crazy.

And an old girl friend in Ohio introduced me to frozen Milky Way miniatures. They have a nice crunch, and then melt in your mouth. Yum!

[coney with everything]

No Mars bars in USA anymore, and even when we had them I think they were different than the rest of the world. What was the Mars in the US is now the "similar but not identical Snickers Almond" (thanks, wikipedia)

[Blush]

I do love the Mars Bar. For my 19th birthday my best friend gave me a Costco box of 40 Mars Bars, which definitely contributed to my "frosh 15". But yes, as coney with everything states, here in Canada (and Europe for that matter) our Mars bar is different from what those in the US remember. No almonds whatsoever. And a black wrapper.

I do have some in my stash at home. Perhaps that's what I'll have for dessert tonight. The Mars Caramel is also tasty, but with no nougat it's definitely messier to eat.

[chefschickie]

mmmmmmmmmm Frozen Mars Bars...... Another 'european' favorite Bounty.... and Bounty Dark Chocolate, yum!!!
or Milka Lila Pause... & waffellini... Balisto....I so want a euro candybar now...

[Chomp]

Canada does have an almond version of the Mars bar - at least I think it's still around here....been awhile since I bought one. I still prefer the original (black wrapper).

[KevinB]

Yeah, but the Mars bar with almonds is a relatively new version, as is the new caramel and Mars Dark (I tried one, and really like it, but I have to avoid most chocolate). I do remember reading somewhere that chocolate bars are made differently for Canada and the US; Canadians like their chocolate somewhat sweeter, IIRC. I can remember the first time I had a Hershey bar as a kid, and thinking it was very bitter compared to a Dairy Milk or Jersey Milk. On the other hand, the sweetest things I can ever remember eating as a kid were Sugar Daddies, Mommies, and Babies (those things pulled a filling out!), but they were really more toffee than chocolate.

[Sooeygun]

I find US chocolate bars more waxy than Canadian. I think I read somewhere they tend to have less cocoa solids? I bought a Kit Kat when I was last in Vegas and threw it out after one bite.

[fmed]

My dad used to get the American Mars Bars (and Baby Ruths). I don't like the Canadian version at all. Whenever a relative from the US comes up to visit us, they bring big bags of Mars bars and Baby Ruths and I feel like a kid all over again.

[Blush]

Caramilk Dark by Cadbury.

[bubbles4me]

Reese's Cups and Whatchamacallit, (sp)...but I eat chocolate maybe once a year...born without a sweet tooth

[acme]

Cadbury's Turkish Delight and Trader Joes' Big Bar Chocolate are my special treats. One I have to order on line and the other I buy in Chicago.

[limster]

Pierre Marcolini 85% Fleur de Cacao.
Arriba Plantations - any of the plain chocs above 70%.

[limster]

Should add the Porcelana bar from Domori (an early 2000 vintage, only had it once). The current vintage Porcelana from Amadei that I had recently was good, very well structured and balanced, but the intensity and aroma were not on the same level.

[brandywiner]

My vote goes to Scharffen Berger's 41% milk bar. Just rich enough to be sinful.

[Judith]

Moser Roth. The really dark kind. It's amazing.

[chicken kabob]

There are SO many good ones to choose from-it is like choosing your favorite child! However, I tend to lean towards the mini peppermint patties (in a bag) because they are thicker than the larger, individually sold ones. (They are lo-fat, too, and you can eat 4 of them for just under 200 calories.) The non-pareils at Traders Joes are 73 percent chocolate, a good size, and delicious.

[ArikaDawn]

I love 3400 Phinney Bars. Coconut Curry, Bread and Dark Chocolate, Chai Milk Chocolate, Hazelnut Crunch Milk Chocolate. Yum. I also love Hershey Mint Cookie bars but haven't seen them in a couple years.

Arika
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com

[Mayflour]

Cadbury with almonds. I get it once a year in my stocking at Christmas. Sooooo creamy and delicious... Ummmmm,

[tapas gal]

Lindt Dark Chocolate with Chili Peppers. I have recently discovered the beauty chocolate and heat!

[madgreek]

I really enjoy these as well. I can often buy them for under $2.00, and they really satisfy my chili/chocolate cravings. It keeps me from buying the more expensive bars as often.

[buttertart]

Cadbury Crunchie from Canada or the UK. Love the "sponge taffy" (as my dad used to call it) interior. The chocolate is decent for milk choc. Used to love Coffee Crisp (also Canadian) but had one imported into NY and...bleah.

[madgreek]

I like this, but prefer the Australian Violet Crumble.

[purple goddess]

Violet Crumble.

Best.

Chocolate

Bar

In

World.

Closely followed by Peppermint Aero

[Catskillgirl]

I grew up near the Canadian border, and whenever we crossed over for the day I'd load up on Cadbury Coffee Crisps. The ones they import just aren't the same quality no matter what they say.

Ummmmmm. Coffee Crisps. I had my first one in 1968 and can still remember the delight it gave me.

[buttertart]

Yes and they had such nice packaging, sort of a tissuey paper overlay over a cigarette-package foil inner wrap. Now just boring old metallized plastic. Ho hum. Was a Rountree's not a Cadbury product though.

[Sooeygun]

Hey, I forgot about that old wrapping. I love Coffee Crisp. One of the best bars for taking about layer by layer. Mmmm.

And my alternate go to bar is Snickers.

[Catskillgirl]

Whoops - yes it was Rountree's. I'm getting too old to remember my favorite candy bars - how sad. I really loved the packaging, now that you mention it. It seemed to make the bar more "special"!

[tastycakes]

my old fave was snickers, followed by 3 musketeers. i had the mint version of the 3 musketeers recently and it was sort of like a york peppermint patty but fluffier. i really wanted it to be the original filling with mint flavor, but it was pure white inside.

my new - well not new i guess since it's been out a few years - favorite (not counting vosges) is the Take 5. caramel, peanuts, peanut butter, and salty pretzel wrapped in milk chocolate. it's awesome.

[chocchipcookie]

Just saw the Take 5's in minis at Target-as I recall from last year, they are hard to find year round so stock up.

I also saw the Ritter bars at Target 3/$5.

My name is Randi and I am a Chocoholic. Thankyou.

[scuzzo]

Hi Randi!

[maria lorraine]

Hey, I'm not trying to be a snob here, but I'm on a Michel Cluizel kick. Soon I'll have to start slumming and go back to Valrhona bought at TJs. I think I've exhausted my Vosges fascination. Never found anything better than the Sea Salt and Smoked Almond bar. And hey, I've bought those pound blocks of Belgian Chocolate at TJs, but I noticed I was rather frequently breaking off little pieces and eating them. So, the big bar had to go in the interest of portion control. Now, I only buy the big bar if I'm cooking, making brownies, flourless chocolate torte, dipping strawberries -- oh right, I'm buying it to cook with. Let me kid myself yet another time.

[Querencia]

Ah Maria Lorraine, I hear you talking. I buy the half-kilo Trader Joe's Belgian chocolate bars ($3.99 for over a pound of Belgian chocolate!) and can't stay away from them.

[maria lorraine]

I just had a fantastic chocolate bar the other day -- the Scharffenberger 62% with little chocolate nibs in it. Great flavor. Not as dark nor as bitter as some of the other SB bars I've had -- of course these had a higher percentage of cacao solids.

The Valrhona bars sold at TJs are a very good buy -- I buy the 61% the most.

[goodhealthgourmet]

Maria, i have a recommendation for you. if you ever stumble upon Chuao chocolates, try the Chinita Nibs bar. 60% cacao with roasted cacao nibs and a hint of nutmeg. it's fabulous!

[Ruth Lafler]

Is that different from their old "nibby bar"? The Oakland Grocery Outlet had a lot of the Sharffen Berger 41 percent milk chocolate with cocoa nibs, so I bought a couple and I really like them: I like the contrast of the really smooth creamy milk chocolate with the crunchy nibs, and the nibs give the milk chocolate a bitter edge that keeps if from being too sweet. It looks to me as if this is an old lot from before Hershey shut down the plant, because the label says it's manufactured by Sharffen Berger in Berkeley and the "best by" date is January, so the bars are probably from 2008 (no problem with the condition, though).

[maria lorraine]

The bar I recently had -- yellow label with 62% on it -- was dark chocolate. I'd love to try a milk chocolate version of this -- I agree the contrast between creamy milkiness and darker crunchy nibs would be terrific!

My mainstays have been Valrhona from TJs (can't beat the price), and my favorite Michel Cluizel (though expensive at $5.75), but would love to venture beyond them. The SB bar mentioned was the first bar I recently had that I would buy again.

I admit to being picky about chocolate -- I love an intense clean flavor. I don't go much for fruits or additives like chili or lavender in chocolate, though truly thought the Vosges Barcelona bar with the smoked almonds and sea salt was a winner!

I truly respect your palate, Ruth, so any bars you can recommend for me I'll be sure to give a shot.

[Ruth Lafler]

The Sharffen Berger is the first milk chocolate I've seen with cocoa nibs. I've long been a fan of Vintage Plantations 65% cocoa solids, both with nibs and without.

I think we have similar tastes, because I love the Vosges Barcelona as well, and I'm not a fan of fruits or herbs and flowers, either. There are some exceptions: Richard Donnelly does a great rose chocolate and I love his chipotle bar.

[goodhealthgourmet]

Ruth, as i mentioned to Maria, Chuao Chocolatier makes a wonderful bar with roasted nibs and a hint of nutmeg. it's called Chinita Nibs, and it's delicious!

and since you mentioned your appreciation for the chipotle bar, Chuao also makes a Spicy Maya with Pasilla chile, cayenne pepper and cinnamon. though i think the Firecracker bar with chipotle, salt and pop rocks(!) might be a bit much ;)

[Ruth Lafler]

I've had the Chuao Spicy Maya and I wasn't crazy about it. I've only tried a couple of things from Chuao that I've really liked. Actually, although I like cinnamon, I don't really care for it in chocolate, and I suspect I wouldn't like nutmeg, either. I think what really works for me in the chipotle bars is the smokiness.

[goodhealthgourmet]

gotcha. well if you like smoky, there's always the Vosges Mo's Bacon Bar! ;)

[maria lorraine]

GHG, I was very surprised that I did not like Vosges Mo's Bacon Bar -- I love bacon, love chocolate, love bacon combined with sweet things -- but this execution doesn't please me. It tastes off to me. Perhaps it's just as well --
one less temptation!

[maria lorraine]

The Scharffen Berger Bar with nibs is a BROWN label, not yellow.

I'll try the Vintage Plantations with nibs. Thanks for the rec.

[Ruth Lafler]

The dark bar with nibs is brown with darker (brown or black) stripes, and the milk bar with nibs is yellow with orange stripes.

[Ruth Lafler]

I recently tried the Chuao Firecracker bar (on sale at Grocery Outlet) and liked it a lot.

[Melanie Wong]

I loved the Chuao Firecracker bar. The 60% cacao has a great snap to it, and the amount of heat goes just over the edge to uncomfortable for me, but the sweetness smoothes over the rough edges.

[mcf]

Godiva makes a dark bark with nibs, so does Santander, which I really like a lot.

[wonderwoman]

ghirardelli 72% twilight delight. setting aside the cutsy rhyming name, this chocolate has so much depth. the 100gm bar break into eight squares, and one really does satisfy.

[ldkelley]

Dagoba Xocolatl 74% Dark with Chilies and Nibs.

[puppymomma]

What a coincidence! I'm eating one right now!

[boogiebaby]

Perugina with roasted almonds or Ritter Sport with biscuit.

[nofunlatte]

I love the Ritter Sport with Yogurt, but I can only find them at World Market. I love the tang of the yogurt filling in between the chocolate.

I also love Coffee Crisp, but almost never find it (good for my waistline, I guess!) One of the vending machines where I work used to have it, but I haven't seen it for a year.

[chocchipcookie]

You just reminded me of the yummy Aero bars in the UK section of World Market. Love those!! They melt in the mouth. Reminds me of my beloved Chocolite and Wispa bars that have hit the candy bar graveyard.

[smartie]

Mint Aeros are good. I am going back to the UK in October and will be sure to fill up with English choccies.

[rizzo0904]

I now need to try one of these Ritter bars. I've seen them but never bought one.

I LOVE dark chocolate. And I love to smear it with peanut butter.

[aynrandgirl]

Starbucks milk chocolate
Reese's Whipps (the crack of peanut butter bars)
Green & Black's milk chocolate
Chocolove milk chocolate

[benf]

Chocolate... so so good.

Tops for me right now:
Lake Champlain 5 star bars (I like the peanut butter one, the hazelnut one, and the fruit and nut one (despite me not liking fruit in candy bars usually))
the Neuhaus pure dark bar (not the tablet, the bar)

Those are my faves. I like an awful lot of chocolate though. I'm perfectly happy with Dove, or peanut butter M&M's... I'm an equal opportunity kind of guy.

[roadfix]

Snickers for me, any day.

[chefschickie]

No Flight without Toblerone!!! :o)
I like Chocolove Raspberry as well.... and Milka...... and Ritter Cornflakes.... Ritter Marzipan.... European Kit Kat.... Hey, any European Candy Bar....

[PegS]

Scharffen Berger milk chocolate. Not nearly as sweet as most milks, and with a smoky, almost coffee-like flavor.

[madgreek]

Vosges Oaxaca bar. I love the chocolate/chili combo.

[Kelli2006]

I like to nibble on pieces either the Ghirardelli 60% baking bar or the Guittard Quetzalcoatl 72% bar for a snack. The Ritter Sport marzipan or praline bars are a guilty pleasure, but they are nigh impossible to find in the USA.

[Olallieberry]

See's milk chocolate with toffee bar. I sold them for a fundraiser in high school and my classmates would literally pounce on me when I entered, so eager were they for one of these.

[jfood]

The 3 pound Cadbury at Heathrow, any flavor. Just the right size to eat on the flight back to the US.

[fullbelly]

I can't even keep these (Lake Champlain Peppermint/Dark Chocolate bar) in the house. They're gone before I can even get into them. Awwwwesome.

http://www.lakechamplainchocolates.co...

[ArikaDawn]

That sounds amazing. Mint and chocolate is my favorite combination. I am the girl making peppermint bark year round.

[smartie]

Cadbury's Flake. And Galaxy Bars. Thank goodness I can get Cadbury's on the Brit section in Publix in South Fl

[Firegoat]

I don't know that this is a 'bar".... but one of my once a year guilty pleasures is a cadbury's egg. Yes I know.... they are ridiculous piles of gooey sugar ....
But I just have to have one once a year in the spring.

I'm not a big sweets eater, more of a salty fan, but when I do get a candy bar craving I usually go to a 3 Musketeers (eat the chocolate shell off first -- looks disgusting) or a butterfinger. I recently had one chocolate bar that was in small squares with caramel inside.... can't remember the name, but it was very good and luxurious.

[theferlyone]

Was that a Caramello, by any chance?

[KevinB]

Probably a Caramilk bar. They have been running an ad campaign for years extolling the "secret" of getting the caramel in the bar.

[stephanieh]

For me, it's the World's Finest Chocolate bars that you can only get through all those kids' fund-raisers. It's the only thing I was ever happy to purchase from all those co-workers peddling on behalf of their offspring.

[James Cristinian]

I don't know how old you are, but we used to sell those in Little League back in the 60's. They also had chocolate covered peanuts that were quite good, but the bars are awseome. My go to "over the counter" would be a butterfinger as mentioned earlier, but I've given up such frivolity as I've lost 65 pounds in 18 months by giving up things like that. Looks like we might be having a hurricane heading here to Houston, and I told my wife this morning is the last trip to the grocery store before the craziness starts, her only request was peanut M&Ms.

[coney with everything]

I'm old, and I remember selling Worlds Finest during a stint in Catholic school in the 60's. 50 cents apiece, IIRC.

Favorite bar for me is a Ritter Sport milk chocolate with butter cookie. Mmm, right from the checkout counter at Trader Joes....

[jarona]

LOL..I always referred to those candy bars as "Catholic School Candy Bars". My poor mother--with five of us in Catholic School..and all getting those boxes to sell, would end up buying a ton of them b/c we would all start eating the chocolates. To this day, my two favorite chocolate bars are "Catholic School Candy Bars" and the plain old Nestle chocolate bars, which, by the way, I haven't seen in years. Back to "Worlds Finest" In the early 90's my sons went to Catholic School in NYC and sold those "Catholic School Candy Bars"..made out like bandits b/c they would set up a table in the lobby of our building and sell a ton of those bars! Nice memories. Thank you.

[stephanieh]

I'm old enough to remember selling them in the 70s. One of my biggest childhood traumas was when our mean old gym teacher decided to play a game which left two of us standing that had sold the least amount of candy bars (out of a double class, no less). Then he berated us and gave us one of those "get in gear and start selling" speeches. I was ten. And a shy kid. And utterly humiliated beyond belief.

I'm glad to say, though, that event didn't scar me badly enough to stop me eating the chocolate bars. I may have even eaten more, so I didn't have to sell to strangers.

[Catskillgirl]

I actually earned a Junior Varsity letter in high school selling many many of those chocolate bars. They were so good that it wasn't hard for me to sell them. I did eat quite a few myself. I haven't seen them in years, but I would definitely buy a couple just to see if they're still as good as I remember.

[chocchipcookie]

HAha heh heh, I just bought one of those today from the bank of all places! The tellers are selling them for a buck at Bank of America. I really do have a addiction!

[chocchipcookie]

I just tried the Voges with almond and sea salt. YUMMY. But at $7.00 a pop at about the same size as a Ritter's, I'll stick to my Ritter with Almonds. But then I'll never turn down a good old Hersheys with Almonds-especiallly the big fat one for $1.99. So there you have it, the quality of the bar is based on how much mula is in the purse and how desperate I am for chocolate. And I do love Chocolate. Never tried a Toblerone-the honey and nougat thing does not do it for me, but I may give it a try.

[pixellle]

The Vosges with almond and sea salt is my fave, too -- or at least, one of my faves. The combination of salt and deep milk chocolate is incredible. (I wish they made it in a dark chocolate.) They also make a truffle with parmesan cheese. Other, less pricey, favorites are Lindt's dark chocolate with orange rind and plain Ghirardelli dark chocolate. Oh, and ChocoLove with Ginger. And, of course, I'm not above a Reese's bar on Halloween...

[Gigi007]

I adore the Vosges with almond and sea salt too! A few other bars I like that' are less expensive and yummy are Cadbury milk chocolate w/ almonds and Aero.

[Chomp]

I love Ritter Sport's Rum Raisin Hazelnut bar. I don't buy them often, but when I do....oh baby!!

[somervilleoldtimer]

Oh, man! I have never seen these, but boy does that sound delicious! Is it dark chocolate or milk?

[ipsedixit]

Butterfinger.

[mateo21]

Are we making a distinction between a candy-bar and a chocolate bar? I believe that a butterfinger doesn't actually contain any chocolate.

[FrankD]

And you would be wrong. The quasi-peanut brittle centre is covered in chocolate.

[brandywiner]

Actually, it's covered in "compound chocolate"'. Sources disagree on whether this cocoa-butter-free stuff should be called chocolate at all (as opposed to "chocolatey coating" or somesuch). I'm guessing this is what Mateo was getting at.

A quick look at a few websites, including at least two from suppliers of "compound chocolate", seems to indicate that, in the industry, the antonym of "compound chocolate" is "real chocolate".

That kinda says it all.

[babette feasts]

Toblerone dark, in close competition with Mounds. If Almond Joy came in dark chocolate, it might edge ahead of Mounds.

[chocchipcookie]

Yes! Why don't they make Almond Joy in Dark? They seem to be doing it with every other kind of drug store bar out there!

[Catskillgirl]

Me too me too. I love Mounds but really adore Almond Joy. Just imagine the goodness of a dark chocolate Almond Joy!

[Bonnie Celt]

I love Ritter Sport's dark chocolate with whole hazelnut bars. If I had to choose a favorite, I think that would be the one.

Second place would go to Green and Black's Maya Gold - dark chocolate with orange and spice flavors.

[scuzzo]

Yes, Ritter Sport's dark chocolate with hazelnuts ROCKS! I also like Trade Joe's 72% dark in the big bar...for good quality and good value. If money were no object, I'd get the Valhrona dark with the bright red V. Probably about 70%. Has sort of a liquory flavor, and very smooth.

[nicholeati]

I love the Trader Joe's big dark chocolate bar too! But since I live in a state w/o one I have to buy it by the case whenever I get a chance.

My other favorite would have to be Baratti from Turin - 70% dark, they have little individual squares - 4/banana and I'm in heaven!

[Honeychan]

My weakness is Ritter Sport chocolate with marzipan. WEAKNESS, I tell you! I have to buy one on site, if I find it in a new place.

I ate a Mr. Goodbar the other day (thank you miniature size!) and was surprised how enjoyable it really was. I'm sure it's good to me, as chilhood memories of Hershey bars are good in my book. I'm not saying it's the- tastiest- chocolate by far..It's just the one most loaded with memories for me.

See's Candy still does a delicious chocolate, allways very satisfying. Ethel M's I do believe is owned by the Mars Corporation, but the last time I had some here in Vegas, I was happy to have some, and thought it was good.

I'm normally happy to be eating any chocolate, and there's not many I really HATE. I know I was seriously unimpressed with Voges products, even if the shop looks great, and I like the packaging given.

[Bonnie Celt]

Honeychan,

I've never seen the Ritter Sport with marzipan, but now I really want to try one. I'm going to be disappointed if I can't find them.

Are they dark or milk chocolate, or do they come with both?

[Honeychan]

I've seen it only with dark chocolate, the wrapper on the bar is bright red. Really stands out on the display! I agree, it's not found all the time with other Ritter Sport bars, much to my dismay. (but my waistline's relief!)

It's really really delicious, especially if you love marzipan like I do! Wonder if it can be bought online? I'll do some snooping, get back on this ASAP.

[Bonnie Celt]

Wonderful, thanks Honeychan! Dark chocolate is ideal for me, if I have the choice I will take it over milk chocolate eight days a week. Now to get my hands on it ...

[stephanieh]

Bonnie, if you have a World Market in your area, try there. I bought a Ritter Dark with Marzipan there awhile back. I never see them in my regular grocery store, even where they carry the other Ritters.

[theferlyone]

CVS, of all places, just started carrying them.

[Ruth Lafler]

Walgreens carries them as well. Sometimes they put them on sale and I stock up.

[chefschickie]

Target has them sometimes...

[maplesugar]

http://www.amazon.com/Ritter-Sport-Ma...

HTH :)

[somervilleoldtimer]

Me too, on the Ritter bar with Marzipan! Also, a fellow employee keeps bringing in Hershey's miniature assortments, and I kind of like the sweet chocolate with rice krisps.

[maplesugar]

Their crisp rice bar is called Krackel. It used to be available in a larger size but these days only as a miniature which is really a shame imho :)

[somervilleoldtimer]

This is a different one, in addition to the Krackel which does show up in the mixture. It's a Krackel but with sweet, somewhat dark chocolate, instead of the milk chocolate that the Krackel is made of. I like the sweet chocolate flavor, but after I've eaten all of those in the bag, I move on the Krackel, which is almost as good.

[maplesugar]

Curious. Perhaps you get a different assortment in your packages than we do up here? Ours have Goodbars, Krackel, the plain milk chocolate and the dark:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Her... Krackel is the only one in Hershey's line with crisp rice in it afaik

[poptart]

EXACTLY! Those two are my favorites. I'm not a huge chocolate addict but those two are the ones I want when a craving hits!
:-)

[LA Buckeye Fan]

I wish I could say my favorite bar was some kind of fancy, venetian chocolate with hazelnuts and cane sugar. But the truth is...Snickers. That's just how I roll. Now I have to make a quick run to the store. Thanks. :(

[TampaAurora]

I keep an emergency supply of Snicker's in my desk at work. I grew up on the supermarket chocolates - so when I crave it tends to be supermarket types like Snickers, Hershey's w/ Almonds, Mounds and Almond Joy, and Take 5 bars.

[givemecarbs]

Sounds really really yummy. Not sure I can afford the dental bills though. Maybe I'll try one the day before a scheduled teeth cleaning.