Blob, Cluster, Turtle - Chocolate Evolution

I have a confession to make. I didn't really know there was a difference between a "cluster" and a "turtle." I thought they were all blobs of goo (marshmallow, caramel, peanut butter, whatever) and nuts covered with chocolate.



So little I know, so much I have to learn.

According to About.com in their candy section - "Turtle Candies get their name from their whimsical turtle shape. The combination of toasted pecans, soft caramel and smooth chocolate is impossible to resist. Some people make their turtles with 3 pecans: 1 for the head, and 2 for the front legs. I prefer to use 4 (for all 4 legs-I guess my turtles don't have heads) but you can modify to suit your tastes."

Hmmmm........I really didn't know. Heads, legs, - complicated. I've had turtles before. They're good. But then I had Mama Laura's turtles:

Mama Laura's turtles are so good, there is no reason to ever eat any other turtles ever again. Her turtles made me want to know just what turtles were. Her turtles are indeed Saint worthy. Her place in chocolate heaven is completely locked in now!

These are make your eyes roll back in your head good. The turtle shell is a mountain of delicious, gooey caramel that blows all that other lame turtle caramel away. The chocolate is fabulous, the pecans fresh. These turtles are life changing. Mama Laura is amazing!! Thus, our first Church of Chocolate Saint. I have to say that eating these are definitely a religious experience.

Now these are clusters, which apparently are blobs of goo (caramel, marshmallow, peanut butter, etc.) and nuts covered with chocolate. I have three GooGoo Clusters and one (yes, I keep giving them a chance) Russell Stover Almond Delight (cluster).

GooGoo Clusters (http://www.googoo.com/) come in three flavors. We'll cover each one. First let's look at all of these naked:

We don't have anything against nudity in the Church of Chocolate, by the way.

We'll start with the upper left - the GooGoo Supreme. This one has milk chocolate, pecans, caramel and marshmallow. Next to it on the right is the GooGoo Cluster. It's the same but with peanuts instead of pecans. Bottom left is Almond Delight with milk chocolate, caramel and almonds. And finally, GooGoo Peanut Butter, with milk chocolate, peanuts and peanut butter.

Let's just say that Russell Stover continues to be lame. As you can see from the nude shots, there is way more chocolate than nuts. It's applied in a too thick layer and overpowers the caramel and the nuts. You can barely even taste the almonds. The caramel and the chocolate are sub par. This should be called Almond Plight - I feel sorry that almonds gave their lives for this.

I also am proud to announce that GooGoo Clusters ROCK! Made since 1912 in Nashville, TN by the Standard Candy Company. You know how I love these independent candy companies!!! If you haven't tried a GooGoo Cluster - you should! They have them in those nostalgia candy places (Cracker Barrel) and I see them in convenience stores from time to time. The next time you see one - try it!

Back to the clusters - Supreme has the pecans, but I prefer the peanuts in the standard cluster. The pecans seem a little too sweet, I prefer the saltier peanut. But I was impressed by how many nuts were packed in these - the way it should be if you ask me!! And the marshmallow is balanced perfectly with the caramel and the chocolate - you will love these. I kid you not.

But my favorite, a true work of candy art - was the GooGoo Peanut Butter. No caramel and marshmallow here - just packed with peanut butter and peanuts and coated with chocolate - fantastic!!

I even liked the GooGoo Peanut Butter better than Koeze's Cream Nut Peanut Butter Clusters. Remember them? (I reviewed them and Reese's Clusters around Christmas). GooGoo is the best.

And you know what? When GooGoo Clusters first came out - all candy bars were rectangular. No one knew what to call these weird globs. They were hard to wrap. They didn't fit in. I like that - GooGoo Cluster have been rebels since 1912. They were making candy bars that weren't bars. At the Church of Chocolate, we let everybody in - especially nuts and rebels. Actually, we might not have any members if it weren't for nuts and rebels.

Have a nutty and rebellious week!

Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Christmas - It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!

Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas Eve! And in my own humble opinion, I think we've saved the best for last. It's time to talk peanut butter. First up, Reese's Bells:

I like the three colors of foil, like the bell shape, nice execution. A little bigger than a Hershey's Kiss in size, these guys deliver. I gave them out randomly with a lot of other chocolate at a seminar and everyone was asking what they were. I'm telling you, it's the peanut butter. But, do I like them better than the miniature Reese's cups? No. There seems to be a better PB to chocolate ratio with the cups. But these are more festive. You pick for yourself. These make fab decorations before you eat them.

Let's get onto the REAL peanut butter:

Okay - here we have a Reese's Tree regular size, a King Size one, another Russell Stover Santa (this one filled with peanut butter of course), and a BIG Reese's Snowman. The snowman is festive - look at the Reese's sweater! There's also a search-a-word game on the back. This is clearly a stocking stuffer. Let's see them naked (is this becoming a chocolate porn site? I guess it is!):

Well, look at Russell Stover - Santa my ass!! Reese's regular size tree is not much better, but you can tell it's a tree. Russell Stover's could be anything - a snowman, a penguin, a teddy bear, even the baby Jesus. They have no game whatsoever in the shaping of chocolate. The larger Reese's tree is better and look at that snowman! We've got the sweater, the carrot nose, even detail in the hat and a holly leaf!

Let's cut them open, heh, heh, heh. Nothing like a little Christmas carnage!

Look at how big that King Size Tree is - I'm telling you, it is so decadent! "Santa" is the smallest of the bunch. But look at what happened to the snowman! When I cut him in half, the back stayed put. It's a solid block of chocolate.

Here are the taste results - Russell Stover is creamier than Reese's but it tastes less peanut buttery. The Reese's were saltier. You'll have to choose for yourself, but I'm choosing Reese's.

Now let's talk about the snowman. Too much chocolate for me. I get Reese's because I like the peanut butter. But I thought, "Score! I'm just going to eat all the peanut butter out of there!" But - it was too salty - it needs the thin coating of chocolate the trees have. The trees are so good!

But it's not over yet! I don't know if you've seen these, but if you like Reese's, you owe it to yourself to get some:

These are peanut butter, caramel and nuts, but I'll be honest with you, it's mostly about the peanut butter. But that is okay with me! I view these as a fancy version of the miniature cup. Try them! They are a great size for when you need a Reese's fix.

Why am I talking about these at Christmas? Because of these:

I first saw these in Oprah's magazine (and hey, Oprah knows her sweets). These are available year round, this is the festive Christmas packaging. And they are really good. They are made by the Koeze family, and have been for almost 100 years. I love these small American confectioners!! The clusters are peanut butter and pecans covered in chocolate - no caramel. The peanut butter is all natural and is VERY smooth and creamy and you can really taste the pecans. I was amazed at how fresh it all seemed. They are much larger than the Reese's clusters (and a lot more expensive). They are, however, excellent. As a lover of nuts, I was impressed by the company's website http://koeze.com/ and may have to place an order.

One final word:

This bar is by Bloomsberry & Co. They have the best packaging EVER. Very funny, clever. And they change it for all the holidays. I find the chocolate, however, only average. Don't get me wrong - it's not bad, it's just that the packaging is better than the chocolate - check out the website and see for yourself: http://www.bloomsberry.com/

This is the season of lights and glitter and fancy packaging, but what really matters to most of us is what it all represents. If you are religious, it is your faith. If not, it may be the love of the person who gave you a gift or the love of your family. Fancy packaging is great, but what really matters is the emotion behind the gift. Or how the chocolate inside tastes!!!! It's always what's on the inside that counts. Merry Christmas!