Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Surprisingly Good Chocolate, Overpriced For What They Are, Dark Chocolate Covered Peeps End Up Average!


The Good: Surprisingly delicious chocolate flavor on the coating!
The Bad: Seasonal availability makes people think they're something great, Lack of nutritional value, Comparatively disproportionately expensive.
The Basics: Peeps Dark Chocolate Covered marshmallow candies blend nicely with the marshmallow flavor beneath, but not for the prices Just Born charges!


I have discovered, in my many candy reviews, that Peeps marshmallow candies (check out that review here!) are almost as polarizing as Miracle Whip spread. In other words, people seem to really love them or truly hate them, though the subculture that has sprouted up surrounding the marshmallow candies that were once only seasonally available (now they are produced for every major holiday and thus are available in some iteration virtually year-round!) is undeniably incredible from a marketing and fandom point of view. As one who has never been thrilled by Peeps, I have reviewed some of the offshoots of the main Peeps with some trepidation. Tonight, it is the Peeps Dark Chocolate Covered marshmallow candies that get my attention.

And they are not bad . . . especially on clearance when they (almost) become worth their price.

Basics

Dark Chocolate Covered Peeps are a marshmallow candy that were introduced a few years ago. I have only found them at Easter or Christmas as individually-wrapped treats. For the price of a four-pack of regular Peeps, one may buy a single Peep chick (or Christmas tree) coated entirely in dark chocolate.

Each Dark Chocolate Covered Peep is almost two inches long by 3/4" wide by 3/4" tall and they are entirely dark chocolate-coated marshmallow candies with a 1/16” chocolate shell that completely envelops the familiar marshmallow treat. Just Born wraps them individually and puts them in a tiny plastic tray, which prevents the chocolate from cracking.

Ease Of Preparation

Dark Chocolate Covered Peeps are pretty simple to prepare. Simply unwrap the plastic on the plastic container and pull that out. Then, simply raise the chocolate-covered Peep to your mouth and take a bite! This is a simple-to-enjoy food with no real preparation necessary!

Taste

Peeps Dark Chocolate candies smell like Dark Chocolate. In fact, the dark chocolate scent on these Peeps is instantly inviting to anyone who loves dark chocolate. The aroma is rich and heavy and insinuates to the nose a strong, bitter chocolate.

Fans of dark chocolate will not be disappointed! From the moment the chocolate hits the tongue, it is appropriately bitter. Just Born seemed to realize that the confection could stand well with the sweetness coming only from the marshmallows. As a result, one gets a delightful burst of utter sugary sweetness from the center of this candy while the outside cracks and provides a dry, chocolate treat. It shocked me how good the combination actually ended up being in the mouth!

Nutrition

Dark Chocolate Covered Peeps make no claims to be healthy. This is a good thing because they would fail if they did! The Dark Chocolate Covered Peep is a single serving. A serving has 160 calories, thirty of which are from fat. There is 15 mg of sodium and only 1 gram of protein. There are no vitamins or other nutritional benefits to Peeps, outside 2% of one's RDA of Calcium and Iron.

This lack of extensive nutrition comes from the fact that Dark Chocolate Covered Peeps are a candy. The main ingredients in Dark Chocolate Covered Peeps are sugar, Dark Chocolate and corn syrup. Dark Chocolate Covered Peeps are gluten free and are not Vegan compliant considering there is gelatin, milk and carnuba wax. There is nothing overly unfamiliar in the ingredient list, so these are not the worst candies ever.

Storage/Clean-Up

Dark Chocolate Covered Peeps are easy enough to store. The Dark Chocolate Covered Peeps my wife picked up for us after the winter holidays had an expiration date in 2014, so keeping them at room temperature or below seems to keep them fresh for a long period of time.

Clean-up is as easy, unless the chocolate melts onto something. Because these are entirely enveloped, there is no sugar residue or mess, like with traditional Peeps. Consumers do, however, have to worry about the chocolate melting and staining clothes. Consult a fabric guide if that happens to you.

Overall

Dark Chocolate Covered Peeps are unusually expensive, but justify it by tasting better than almost any other Peeps candy I have tried. Thus, they earn a soft “recommend” from me!

For other Peeps reviews, please check out:
Candy Cane Dipped In Chocolate Peeps
Chocolate Mousse Peeps
Milk Chocolate Dipped Peeps

5/10

For other food reviews, please visit my Food Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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