HERSHEY'S GOLD

So, it has come to this.  Hershey's, a company synonymous with chocolate, has released its first non-chocolate Hershey-namesake candy bar...and it is fabulous!

In a time when it seems that Oreo releases a special edition every third Tuesday, Hershey's has only released three bars with the Hershey name in the title over the past 117 years.  After the original milk chocolate bar debuted in 1900, consumers had to wait until 1939 for the "Special Dark" variety.  They waited even longer--until 1995--before the third bar, Cookies & Creme, came around.  As it no longer contains cocoa butter, the company no longer claims that the Cookies & Creme bar is made of white chocolate.  With the new Gold bar, however, there is no chocolate to be found at all.

So, then, what the heck is this bar made of?  The wrapper says "caramelized creme," which is just a fancy way of saying that they've browned the non-dairy ("creme" not "cream") sugar concoction.  To that, they've added bits of pretzels and peanuts to give it crunch and saltiness.  And, by goodness, it works!  The bar tastes every bit as creamy as a white chocolate bar does, and there is a perfect mixture of peanuts and pretzels that don't overwhelm the caramelized creme.  I'm a fan of the salty Pay Day nut and caramel bar, but it can be a mess with large peanuts falling out...not to mention difficult to chew due to the thick caramel.  Mr. Goodbar is fine, but you often end up going through a lot of chocolate before coming across a lone peanut.  And while I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, every now and then I would like something creamier to balance out the peanut butter or something crunchy that isn't more peanut pieces.  Hershey's Gold fits the bill on every level.  It's the candy bar I never knew I needed!

The last time I enjoyed a non-standard, big-name, gold-colored product was in 1988, when 7-Up released "7-Up Gold"--a caramel-colored caffeinated cinnamon-spice soda.  It was nothing like the regular clear, lemon-lime, non-caffeinated 7-Up drink, and I loved it.  I must have been the only one, as it vanished from store shelves shortly after introduction.  I wish I had stocked up before it went away, so this time I've learned my lesson and will be stockpiling Hershey's Gold until I am certain that the company plans to keep it on the market.

The only complaint I have is that Hershey's has tweaked the design of the bar so that the rectangles are not all the same size and not all facing the same direction (there are two slightly smaller, vertical pieces above or below each slightly larger horizontal piece).  I guess they were trying to be "edgy" or something, but they've only succeeded in making it harder for people to break off a uniform piece.  This is a minor quibble, however, and one that can be easily fixed...provided that the bar stays on the market long enough.  So what are you waiting for?  Go buy one!

RATING:  5 / 5