Crunch, crunch, crunch. Your jaw works overtime as it chews. A sickly sweet flavor coats your tongue. You swallow, but bits of brightly colored artificial candy are stuck between your teeth. Unfortunately, you made the incorrect choice of not taking chocolate from the cutely pumpkin-decorated bucket on Halloween. Knowing you should pick up some chocolates at the next house, you might wonder which chocolates are the best choice. According to USA Today, the top 5 rated chocolates across the United States are as follows: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Peanut M&M’s, KitKat, Milky Way, and Hershey’s Milk Chocolate. Follow along with me as I give my opinion as to which of these classic chocolatey treats is the true winner.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have always been popular, and for good reason. These peanut-butter flavored chocolates are initially sweet and pleasantly soft to bite into with their milk chocolate coating. Eating these provides a comforting taste accompanied with an incredibly nutty flavor, making chocolate and peanut butter an excellent combo. If you like this combination, Reese’s is for you. The only thing that could elevate these cups would be adding more crunch. 8/10 candy buckets.
Peanut M&M’s
Not being much of a nut person myself, these Peanut M&M’s surprised me. With a thin outer candy layer and soft but crunchy peanut inside, these oval-shaped chocolates are fun to chew. The milk chocolate filling provides a delicate background sweetness, balanced out with the central nutty taste the peanut provides. These M&M’s, though crunchy, don’t leave pieces stuck to your teeth. While you may not enjoy nutty flavors, I say to give these chocolates a try. 7/10 candy buckets.
KitKat
KitKats are a classic and arguably one of the most popular chocolates among younger audiences. These chocolates are bar-shaped, breaking apart nicely which makes them perfect for sharing. My only complaint is how sweet KitKats are. The milk chocolate is incredibly sweet and artificial tasting. The best part of KitKats is the wafer the milk chocolate coats. Biting into a KitKat provides a nice crunch, slightly bitter to balance the sweetness of the chocolate out. While initially a pleasing flavor and texture, I can’t handle more than a few bites without growing sick from the sugar. 6/10 candy buckets.
Milky Way
Unlike the other chocolates, Milky Way bars don’t have as great a reputation, falling behind in their popularity. This is highly unfortunate as Milky Way is by far my favorite chocolate from this list. The chocolate bar is soft and chewy. Though there is no crunch, this works perfectly as the chocolate is smooth and pillowy, gently sliding down as you swallow. The chocolate coats nougat and caramel, the chocolate and caramel themselves being very sweet. However, this sweetness is balanced by the nutty flavor of the nougat, creating a complex flavor profile that leaves my mouth watering. Though sticky and leaving some remnants in your teeth, the rich flavor is well worth it. 9/10 candy buckets.
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars are personally where my mind first goes when I think of chocolate bars. However, accompanied with the stereotypical chocolate bar image comes being very basic. All this chocolate is chocolate. There is no filling, no wafer, just chocolate, creating a simply sweet flavor. The chocolate is soft and chewy but melts in your mouth. I think while the flavor is nothing special, it’s pleasing and comforting. It’s just one-dimensional. 7/10 candy buckets.
Alternative Recommendations
While these five chocolates are delicious and the most well known, there’s still many other options to explore.
Junior student Charles Naldo said, “I love Lindt 100% dark chocolate because it’s healthy. It tastes good, and the bitterness is super nice.”
I have to agree with Naldo here, as Lindt Dark Chocolate is also one of my favorites. If I had to offer my own favorite chocolates, I’d recommend the Hershey’s Cookies & Cream flavor. It offers a nice crunch not included in the original milk chocolate version, and comes with an added sweetness.
Senior student Joselyn Alvarado stated Lindt’s Lindor Milk chocolates were her favorite. While I prefer the dark chocolate version, these ball-shaped truffle chocolates are rich and savory making them incredibly delicious and always a classic, regardless of the flavor.
Senior student Cassandra Elliott also offered her favorite chocolate. “Mine’s very niche. The KitKat Witch’s Brew Flavor because it has the flavor of lucky charm marshmallows but has a crunchy texture instead of the gross mushy one they get in milk.”
While this chocolate isn’t one I’ve tried myself, I’m excited at the thought of it.
With none of these treats scoring less than a 6, there’s no way you can go wrong choosing any of them. Don’t underestimate these student favorites either. Tournament winner or not, no chocolate can treat you wrong! Put the candy down and give some of these chocolate suggestions a try. You won’t regret it.
