The Good: Tastes very good, Nothing bad in them
The Bad: The dark chocolate is not that dark, Expensive.
The Basics: The Coconut Chocolate Jelly Bean Dips are a wonderful substitute for chocolate-covered coconut shavings!
Those regular readers of mine who have come to rely upon my Jelly Belly jelly bean reviews know that I have been out of action for a few weeks! Yes, in the pre-holiday season, my Jelly Belly reviews ground to a halt for one very simple reason: I was out of Jelly Belly jelly beans! There are remarkably few flavors from Jelly Belly that I had not found and reviewed, so for a time, I was done. Finished. There were no more amazing Jelly Belly flavors for me to try.
It was tragic, truly. Fortunately, my amazing wife told me not to bug the fine folks at the Jelly Belly corporation for those last few flavors of Jelly Bellys I needed. The last time we traveled through Pennsylvania, we stopped at the Erie Jelly Belly store and she did some holiday shopping well in advance of the holidays! The first of the new-to-me (and still finding their way to many markets) flavor is the Coconut Jelly Belly Jelly Bean Dips!
For those who might never have had Jelly Belly jelly beans, these are easily the best jelly beans on the planet, packing a lot of flavor into a very small size. Unlike most jelly beans which are only vaguely flavored and are more based on colors, Jelly Belly jelly beans have a wide variety of actual flavors, like their superlative Limited Edition Candy Cane, the BeanBoozled Assortment, Strawberry Banana Smoothie, or their signature flavor Buttered Popcorn.
Basics
Coconut is a flavor of Jelly Belly Jelly Bean Dips jelly beans. The Jelly Bean Dips jelly beans are approximately one-half inch long by one-quarter inch wide and they are roughly bean-shaped. These are marginally bigger than the usual Jelly Belly jelly beans by only a few millimeters due to the chocolate shell. These Jelly Bean Dips are Coconut (reviewed here!) Jelly Bellys with a chocolate coating.
Coconut flavored Jelly Belly Dips Jelly Bellys are currently available in either 2.8 oz. plastic packages which are terrible for the environment or the ten pound bulk boxes most of us appreciate. The bulk box provides a less severe environmental impact as well as a more economical way to get the Dips!
Coconut flavored Jelly Bean Dips Jelly Bellys are impossible to recognize from other Dips flavors as the six currently-available Dips flavors are all coated in chocolate and thus look more or less alike. The Coconut flavor are dipped in dark chocolate, so they are a darker shade of brown than milk chocolate products like the average chocolate-coated raisin.
Ease Of Preparation
These are jelly beans, not cracking open a coconut and discovering chocolate inside! Preparing them is as easy as opening the packet or box, and popping the beans into your mouth. In the case of the stiff plastic bag, which is not resealable, the jelly beans may be consumed all at once or over several days with no adverse effects to the freshness. The bulk box can be opened and as long as the bag in the box is sealed, they remain fresh and delicious.
Taste
The scent of the Coconut Jelly Bean Dips is one of the few Jelly Bean Dips where the fruit flavor truly comes through. Opening the package of Coconut Dips, I was bowled over by the fresh, distinct aroma of coconuts! The scent was strong and appropriately light, but instantly evocative of coconut. I was a little surprised because the aroma of dark chocolate was pretty well sublimated to the coconut. Fortunately, this scent truly was a good hint of deliciousness to come!
The Coconut Chocolate Dips are just what the scent promises. First, there is a dark chocolate flavor that is distinct. This is a sweeter dark chocolate than most, so those who love dark chocolate exclusively might be a little disappointed by the slightly sweeter flavor of the chocolate, especially as it is combined with a very soft chocolate, instead of the distinctive dry texture most dark chocolate lovers expect of their dark chocolate. But then, that weak dark chocolate melts away and before it is fully gone, there is the creamy, slightly nutty flavor of the coconut jelly bean inside!
The real magic of the Coconut Jelly Bean Dips is that the coconut flavor never makes it to a dominant position in the flavor palate. Instead, this jelly bean accents and sweetens the chocolate enough to remind one of a chocolate covered coconut slice that is quite incredible!
Nutrition
Again, these are jelly beans, so anyone expecting them to provide the health benefits of even actual coconuts will be unpleasantly surprised. Jelly Bean Dips are not a legitimate source of nutrition. As a chocolate-covered sugary snack they are loaded with calories (150 in the 40 bean serving) and no real nutrients.
Unlike most Jelly Belly jelly beans, Jelly Bean Dips do have a little fat (4 grams per serving) and no protein. For those who have to worry about Vegan compliance, these are not Vegan compliant despite not containing gelatin! They have beeswax and, more importantly, milk fat, which eliminates them from consideration for Vegans, though milk-consuming vegetarians ought to be fine with them. The main ingredients are corn syrup, dark chocolate and sugar, so it's not like this is an all-natural food, but they could be far, far worse.
Storage/Clean-up
Jelly Bean Dips jelly beans have a shelf life of over one year and because they come in an individual sealed package, they retain their freshness. Kept in a cool, dry place, the beans retain their flavor perfectly. The package I received on Christmas would have expired in March 2012 had I been able to resist eating them all.
As for cleanup, unless one allows the Jelly Belly to get hot to the point that the chocolate coating on the bean melts, the beans do not bleed or denature, so there is usually no cleanup necessary, not even washing one's hands after eating them (though basic hygiene rules suggest it's a good idea to wash your hands anyway before eating them!). I've never had Coconut Jelly Belly Jelly Bean Dips stain anything.
Overall
Coconut Jelly Bean Dips Jelly Bellys are a decent chocolate-covered snack, though I recommend them more as part of a Dips assortment than on their own. They are light and accurately coconut flavored, but they just are not quite as exciting as some of the other Dips flavors.
For other Jelly Belly flavors reviewed by me, please check out:
Apple Pie A La Mode
Cherry Passionfruit
Mint Mint Chocolate Chip
7.5/10
For other food reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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