The Custom Cupcake Company Peanut Butter Brownie

Product name: The Custom Cupcake Company Peanut Butter Brownie
Purchase details: £2.50 for a 165g brownie (The Custom Cupcake Company)
Country of origin: England

On Saturday, I was introduced to The Custom Cupcake Company for the first time, and treated to an incredible Snickers Cupcake. Over an hour after leaving (when I was nearly home), I realised I’d left behind my shopping bag that contained my Mum’s Mothers’ Day present, so I gave the shop a call. To my delight, the lady on the phone confirmed that they had the bag and that they’d keep it safe for me until I was able to collect it. I agreed to return the next day and decided it would be rude not to buy more treats while I was there!

On my original visit, the man behind the till had been extremely helpful in explaining the contents of each cupcake (they have a whopping 130+ varieties on rotation), so I knew what I was going to buy as treats for my family before I’d arrived for my second visit.

For myself, though, I knew I just had to have their Peanut Butter Brownie. I mean, just look at it!

Is that not just one of the most beautiful things you have ever seen? Not only was it huge, but the dense wodge of chocolatey goodness had been lovingly topped with peanuts, chocolate pieces, peanut butter, a chocolate frosting, caramel and edible glitter. Now, I love my homemade peanut butter brownies – they make me reluctant to try others – but this seemed to take the concept to a whole new level. I must also express my gratitude to the guy who served me on Sunday since, completely unprompted (and having no knowledge of my review), he served me what I thought was the biggest and best-looking brownie from the middle of the selection, rather than just grabbing the nearest one to him. ‘Someone’s got to have it’, he said...and that someone was me – yay! (For the record, they did all look good, this one just had the edge.)

The brownie had a cakey peanut butter scent and, cutting through it, it felt very moist and gooey. I couldn’t resist trying each part of the topping individually – the peanuts were salty, the chocolate was fantastically chunky, the caramel drizzle was nice and sweet, whilst the chocolate frosting seemed to be like a tasty buttercream.

Since one side of my brownie was an outer edge, I started here first, expecting it to be slightly dry. Whilst this wasn’t the case in itself, it was more like a standard chocolate sponge here, albeit a slightly moister and heavier one. As I got nearer to the centre, though...oh...my...days. This was like a brownie proper – it didn’t have the slightly crispy outer shell that I love but, other than that, the texture was spot on. It was so dense and stiff and, with the pockets of peanut butter throughout, it stuck to the roof the mouth in a way I really enjoyed. There were also a few actual peanuts scattered through this mixture which added a bit of crunch here and there.

In terms of taste, this brownie was extremely chocolatey. I felt that the peanut butter’s flavour in the brownie itself was quite subtle, but there was certainly a bit of saltiness. However, it was the topping that made the brownie so special – it was where the main peanut flavours came from and its rugged texture really mixed things up a bit too.

In case you were in any doubt, I thoroughly enjoyed this Peanut Butter Brownie, and it went superbly with a glass of milk. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be returning to The Custom Cupcake Company – there are a lot of treats for me to work my way through!

Appearance: 9.5/10
Aroma: 7.5/10
Taste: 8.5/10
Texture: 8.5/10
Overall score: 8.5/10

Terry's Chocolate Orange: White

Product name: Terry’s Chocolate Orange: White
Calories: 180 per four segment serving (455 per half Orange)

This Terry’s Chocolate Orange: White was yet another gift I received from Santa last year and, as one of my favourite products, it was one of the best ones too! I was particularly delighted that this was the standard version rather than the Smasher variety that’s been on sale in the past – for me, the tutti frutti pieces it contained detracted from the enjoyment. I was so excited about this unadulterated version, though, that I actually had a dream about it the night before I knew I was going to open it! (In my defence, it had been a few years since I’d last had one...)

The white chocolate version of the Chocolate Orange was very much as the same concept and design as the Milk one. It simply came in a cream-coloured box that was covered in snowflakes, and the chocolate itself was obviously cream in colour too. I thought it looked more attractive in white – what a babe.

Again, the product was made for the UK and Ireland by Mondelez, but this ‘white chocolate flavoured with real orange’ was slightly lighter (170g) and contained fewer calories too. However, it still contained ‘real orange oil’ and its description made my mouth water: ‘white in chocolate, orangey in essence’.

The Orange didn’t smell any different to the milk chocolate version but, since this meant it had a delicious aroma, this was in no way a bad thing. Both versions also had the same fabulous texture.

The initial taste from the Chocolate Orange: White was much creamier which meant that the orange flavour that it was blended with tasted more sugary sweet in comparison. I also felt that there was less of a tang, although this was still present. The white chocolate itself didn’t have the strongest of flavours since the orange hid this but there was certainly a hint of it – I would have liked it to have been creamier still but I realise this would be difficult to achieve with the orange. The latter was already not as intense in flavour as it was in the Milk Orange, but it was still prominent, so it would be a shame to fiddle with this winning formula.

As expected, I thoroughly enjoyed this white chocolate Terry’s Chocolate Orange. However, I was surprised that I no longer thought it tasted better than the milk chocolate variety. They taste different, and they’re both great in their own ways, but I didn’t find the white chocolate’s flavour stood out as much as I remembered.

Appearance: 8.5/10
Aroma: 9/10
Taste: 8.5/10
Texture: 8.5/10
Overall score: 8.63/10

Nestlé Kit Kat: Chunky (white choc)

Product name: Nestlé Kit Kat: Chunky (white choc)
Purchase details: £0.29 for a 48g bar or four for £1.00 (Home Bargains)
Calories: 250 per bar

I like to take credit for the current availability of the peanut butter and white chocolate versions of the Nestlé Kit Kat: Chunky bars. You see, a few years ago, I did something I’d not done before or since – I e-mailed Nestlé to see if these two fabulous varieties could be brought back because I missed them so much. I still have the e-mail response I received on 26^th November 2011, informing me that, to their knowledge, there were no plans to bring back these bars, but my comments would be passed on. Fast forward two months, to January 2012, and there was suddenly the first Chunky Champion campaign that featured both of my beloved flavours – no need to thank me!

Anyway, here is my review for the limited edition white choc bar, which was made for the UK and Ireland. This ‘crispy wafer finger covered with white chocolate’ came in a simple but effective white chocolate-coloured wrapper that looked lovely.

The bar itself was the usual Chunky shape and size and, although this particular bar wasn’t perfectly formed (there was an air bubble on the base and weird black speck on the side), it looked lovely and fresh and the chocolate’s colour contrasted nicely with the inner wafer.

The bar had a mild but creamy scent and the thick outer layer had a delicious white chocolate flavour, with hints of sweet vanilla, and a lovely creamy melt. The wafer was the standard kind with quite a sugary filling and I loved how these two elements of the bar went together.

In a lot of ways, this white choc Chunky was much like the mint one, but I found the white chocolate didn’t just provide a preferable flavour, but an improved texture too.

Now, Nestlé, if you’re still listening to me, please could we have a white chocolate coated peanut butter Chunky next? Thanking you!

Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 8.5/10
Texture: 8.5/10
Overall score: 8/10

Nestlé Butterfinger: Peanut butter cups

Product name: Nestlé Butterfinger: Peanut butter cups
Purchase details: £1.50 for a 42.5g pack of two cups (A Quarter of Sweets)
Calories: 230 per pack
Country of origin: USA

A few months ago, Nestlé launched a Butterfinger version of Peanut butter cups. As a huge fan of the Reese's version, I was a bit sceptical about this – surely they just wouldn’t compare? After all, Butterfinger bars are an unusual concept in that their peanut butter comes in the form of a brittle rather than a smooth, soft filling, so I wasn’t sure how well this version would satisfy my desire for a more standard centre whilst maintaining the brand’s unique selling point.

These cups came in a very glossy yellow and blue wrapper that fitted with the usual colour scheme and I was both pleased and intrigued too see that they were described as being both smooth and crunchy. The image on the packaging suggested that the cups would be more square-shaped than circular and this turned out to be the case. They were served on a cardboard tray but, unlike Reese's, they did not come in paper cases. However, I was pleased that they did still have ridged edges.

When I first opened the pack, I immediately noticed a butterscotch-like smell, but this was only from a distance. They smelt more like nuts up close but, unfortunately, the aroma wasn’t of the greatest quality and I didn’t enjoy this aspect of it.

On opening up a cup, I must confess I winced at the inner hue – it was so orange it was almost red! It just didn’t look right at all for peanut butter. However, the interesting-sounding ‘peanut toffee pieces’ inside did look quite nice interspersed in this.

Milk chocolate (not just a flavoured coating – yay!) was the main ingredient and, whilst it didn’t bend away from the peanut butter filling in the same way I enjoy with Reese's, it was chunkier and pretty enjoyable. I found that the cocoa did a good job of mellowing the very salty and nutty flavour on offer from the peanut butter and I was pleased I could detect hints of toffee in the sweet crispy bits too. As I always find with chocolate and peanut butter combinations, the sweet and salty contrast worked really well and, as these cups were particularly salty, they had the pleasant effect of leaving a cooling sensation in the back of the mouth. This saltiness was the main feature, for me, so I was surprised that the whole pack only contained 120mg of salt which meant it scraped into the ‘low’ range.

The peanut butter’s texture was certainly different as it didn’t have the much-loved quality of sticking to the roof of the mouth. However, I did quite like the crispiness as a welcome change, and these toffee pieces also left a slightly bitter aftertaste which was something new in this kind of product.

The difficulty I had with these Butterfinger: Peanut butter cups was that, by their very nature, I was constantly comparing them to the more-established Reese's variety. I think most people would do the same thing which is why I chose to highlight the differences in this review (even Nestlé acknowledge the competition by putting the phrase ‘The cup just got crunchy!’ on the packaging). However, that’s the point – the initial concepts may be very similar but the end results that these two products bring to the table are actually very different. Yes, if I had to choose, I’d usually still go for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but I’d make that choice in the same way that I’d choose between a tin of baked beans and a tin of spaghetti – I enjoy them both and I like one a little more than the other but they’re not identical products and it’s nice to switch it up a bit sometimes!

Appearance: 7/10
Aroma: 6/10
Taste: 7.5/10
Texture: 8/10
Overall score: 7.13/10