Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Cadbury Crunchie

I wrote about Sponge Candy a couple of weeks ago and Dom from Chocablog rightfully pointed out in the comments that I’ve never mentioned Cadbury Crunchie. This is true, though I’ve eaten a few of them before. Time to rectify!

Crunchie

I first bought a Crunchie a few years ago, thinking it was a Cadbury version of the Nestle Violet Crumble. They’re slightly different.

The Crunchie is a plank of dense honeycomb “sponge candy” covered in milk chocolate. While sponge would make you think that it’s somehow soft and yielding like marshmallow, this is hard and will shatter into shards when smacked. The honeycomb has an inconsistent texture, as shown in the photo. There’s a center stripe of sparkly, very crunchy honeycomb. The margins have a smaller bubble size. Still, it’s heavier than the other Sponge Candy from Parkside Candy and the Violet Crumble.

The flavor of the center is sweet with a light hit of salt and a strong note of burnt sugar, especially in the middle stripe.

I think the bar is nice, but in no way comes close to the experience of the Sponge Candy I recently had. The consistency of the center is just to, well, consistent and far too dense to have a quick melt-in-your-mouth quality. The chocolate is okay, it’s sweet but a little on the waxy side and doesn’t really lift up the experience as much as it could. I prefer the stronger taste and more textured honeycomb of this to the Violet Crumble, probably because the chocolate is a bit better, too.

I honestly don’t know why there isn’t some version of this made in the States by one of the major candy companies. I don’t have too much trouble finding Violet Crumble in Los Angeles (they carry it at many 7-11s near me) and I got another of these Crunchie bars at a Brit import shop as well. You’d think that Nestle or Cadbury would just sell them here themselves.

Related Candies

  1. Parkside Candy Sponge Candy
  2. Walkers Nonsuch Toffee
  3. Jelly Belly Chocolate Malt Balls
  4. Violet Crumble
Name: Crunchie
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Cadbury
Place Purchased: Mel & Rose's Wine & Spirits (West Los Angeles)
Price: $1.25
Size: 1.4 ounces
Calories per ounce: unknown
Categories: Chocolate, United Kingdom, Cadbury

POSTED BY Cybele AT 8:06 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. Yay, thank you. smile

    I think I’d prefer Crunchie if the honeycomb was a bit more irregular and the chocolate a bit thicker. As it is, it’s just a bit too sweet for me.

    Although if you wanted to make your own, it’s incredibly simple to do - it’s just sugar, golden syrup and baking soda.

    Comment by Dom on 12/11/07 at 9:29 am #
  2. My mother said when she was growing up in England (in the 30’s and 40’s), she would suck on these until her tongue bled. And that’s how I eat them, too!  I used to eat them all the time as a kid, but now one at Christmas (we always get them in our stockings!) is good.

    When I worked at Disneyland the candy store on Main St. sold homemade “honeycomb,” which was absolutely wonderful.  Same idea as a Crunchie bar, but it would just melt in your mouth.  Yum!!

    Comment by Lesley on 12/11/07 at 10:12 am #
  3. Living in Australia, I eat these all the time.  The inconsistency you described is just that - inconsistent.  I’ve rarely experienced that centre strip you described, which makes me believe the bar you bought was somehow spoiled or manufactured incorrectly.

    The sponge should be consistent all the way through without any deviation whatsoever.  In Australia (at least) this is a very popular chocolate bar that can be found everywhere.  It’s even available as an ice-cream bar (chocolate exterior with a honeycomb flavoured ice-cream centre) as well as an ice-cream tub.

    Comment by The Chocolate King on 12/11/07 at 11:22 am #
  4. Cybele's avatar

    The Chocolate King - I actually wondered about the inconsistency, which is why I bought a second bar. As you can see, they chocolate is glossy and intact. The expiration on the first bar I got this summer was 1/2008 and the second (pictured) is 6/2008. However, they are not Aussie, they’re made in the UK, which might account for the difference.

    Dom - nah, I didn’t want more chocolate, but maybe a dark version.

    Lesley - I’ll have to keep an eye out for the Disney honeycomb next time I’m back there.

    Comment by Cybele on 12/11/07 at 11:29 am #
  5. As another Aussie currently on student exchange in America, I too shall put in my two cents! I must admit, I was hoping you’d review these, as I noticed you’d reviewed the Violet Crumble which I believe is far less tasty (in fact, I’ve yet to meet anybody who prefers it to the Crunchie).

    I agree with the Chocolate King that the picture and incosistency you show and describe is someting I’ve never encountered in quite a few year of Crunchie eating. I hope that didn’;t adversely affect your review - it looks like some untoward moisture found its way in there!

    Comment by Hannah on 12/11/07 at 1:09 pm #
  6. We get these up here in canada and they are great. Ive never had any other spongecandy to compare with but i really like these

    Comment by psydeath on 12/11/07 at 1:20 pm #
  7. I have to agree with the other Aussies on here and say that the centre of the Crunchie in your pic just doesn’t look right.

    Comment by Paula from Only Cookware on 12/11/07 at 2:17 pm #
  8. Mmm.  I’m a big fan of honeycomb sponge candy.  I admit this isn’t perfect—it’s a bit too chewy for me—but I frankly despise Violet Crumble.  In my mind, it’s just a poor imitation of finer honeycomb candy.  I agree that the chocolate is better, though.

    Comment by Sophia on 12/11/07 at 2:37 pm #
  9. My mom, who is british gives us chocolate for christmas and we get crunchies. I don’t like it that much so we give it to my mom.

    Comment by Shannon on 12/11/07 at 3:06 pm #
  10. I love these and could eat them all the time. Luckly for me there is a little british store near where I live that sells all kinds of UK candies (and other stuff to).

    Comment by Divalicious on 12/11/07 at 6:33 pm #
  11. I must be in the minority here, but I prefer the Violet Crumble over the Crunchie.

    I dont know what it is, but after having both, I may never eat a Crunchie again.

    Comment by Clevo on 12/12/07 at 2:53 am #
  12. Living in the UK, I’ve been familiar with these for years and they always have that strip with bigger bubbles down the middle.

    Comment by Sarah Dobbs on 12/12/07 at 6:36 am #
  13. Yeah I’m in the UK and we always have the darker middle strip.  It’s probably a UK thing, whereas the Aussie thing is to NOT have it (woah did I make ANY sense? wink)

    They are lovely though grin
    I nibble the chocolate off the edges and suck the centre.

    Comment by Fay on 12/13/07 at 12:04 am #
  14. Where can I buy some of these Crunchie candy bars? My fianc? had them while he was deployed in Iraq, and I can’t seem to find them anywhere (I’m in the United States). Any suggestions? Thanks a bunch!

    Comment by Liz on 12/13/07 at 9:11 am #
  15. Hi, just read about your Cadbury Crunchie review and would like to say that the description of a Crunchie bar here in Malaysia goes ‘Golden Hokey Pokey coated with Cadbury Milk Chocolate’.

    So i suppose it’s actually hokey pokey and not honeycomb/sponge candy. And that’s why the consistency of the bar is not the softness of sponge candy.

    =)

    Comment by Angeline on 12/14/07 at 1:52 am #
  16. I’m Canadian and grew up on Crunchie’s—although I don’t have them all that often because I tend to get the roof of my mouth all ripped up by the end of one.  I’ll have to go buy one and see about that darker strip (I’m sure they’re consistently yellow)

    Comment by Storme on 12/18/07 at 2:22 pm #
  17. Why is there always one side of the honeycomb that’s chewy?

    Comment by Rob on 1/11/08 at 12:48 am #
  18. You can buy these just about anywhere in Canada!

    Comment by Janelle on 2/06/08 at 10:29 am #
  19. Yum,  Crunchie Bars are my favourite and are regularly tucked into care packages from home (NZ).  A good one doesn’t have the strip down the middle - they aren’t chewy at all.  Sweet and delicious.

    Comment by Fleur on 4/04/08 at 3:51 am #
  20. I buy these in Canada all the time, one of my favorite bars. Yummies.

    Comment by Veronica on 6/30/08 at 6:15 am #
  21. i have a bag full of crunchies in my fridge we all hate them they’re the only ones in the cadbury bag we dont eat lol anyone want them email me xx

    Comment by angee on 9/10/08 at 4:14 am #
  22. Another Aussie i agree with the aussies above and the only time that strip appears is with moisture, like when you put your tongue on it. These are my favourite of all time and i think of Nestle’s violent crumble as a blatant rip off of Crunchie, though they don’t do crunchie any justice as the chocolate is horrible.

    Cadbury’s chocolate and honecomb just go so well together. I’m not sure what you mean by “sponge candy” we don’t use that saying in australia, and i can’t see how honeycomb is a sponge?

    I think whenever nestle comes up against cadbury, it’s always cadbury who wins, in my opinion anyway. Nestle do not use very good chocolate.

    Comment by Kelly on 11/29/08 at 2:48 am #
  23. I am in the US and I love crunchie bars.  Growing up my family in England would send them over in the holiday packages.  The are the best candy bar EVER!!!!  Love them!

    Comment by Cheryl on 3/11/09 at 1:50 pm #
  24. The centre part used to be sold here in the UK alone, without chocolate covering, in big chunks and was known as Cinder Toffee, made by someone other than Cadbury.

    I will second what was said above that it is not meant to be sponge!

    Comment by Mel on 3/24/09 at 11:53 am #
  25. They now sell the Cadbury Crunchie at Cost Plus World Market. At least at the one in Sacramento, Ca. Delicious! I hope this helps some of you Americans.

    Comment by Brinn on 4/22/09 at 5:18 pm #
  26. I really love them a lot.

    Comment by tar on 5/30/09 at 9:44 pm #
  27. Crunchie!!

    I, too, find them at the Cost Plus World Market here in Sacramento—- those and Lindt Raspberyy filled Chocolate bars—- can’t find the Lindt anywhere else, although I have recently seen Crunchie at Bel-Air grocery store, on a litte endcap displaying high-end chocolates.

    I sure would like to try the cherry filled Lindt chocolate bar that I’ve seen advertised on the Lindt site (I went looking to see where else the Lindt raspberyy might be sold).

    I just bought Crunchie right now, which led me to Googling it—mine always looks like the picture above, with that dark strip in the very center—- my confusion is this: is that in any way real honeycomb in the center? If not, why are they allowed to call it such?

    Comment by Starby on 7/11/09 at 6:07 pm #
  28. the UK crunchie is exactly like in the photo, with a darker bubbly bit through the middle. The Violet Crumble is horrible!

    Comment by alan on 7/12/09 at 4:28 am #
  29. Greetings from the U.S. I live on the east coast and have never even heard of the crunchie until recently. So I google’d it and here I am! I’m a die hard choco-holic and just HAD to try the crunchie! The mere fact that it’s so hard to find in the U.S. just added to its appeal! Alas, my 5 pack arrived today courtesy of my boyfriend’s Ebay account! and please excuse all of these quotation marks! I’m not really yelling, only trying to sound enthusiastic! The crunchie looks just as it does in the above photo, complete with the darker, somewhat burnt sugar center. At first bite, the ‘burnt’ taste is what initially hits you… but once you get past that strange burnt, ever so slightly metallic taste, it is complete honey/toffee/chocolatey goodness! the crunch even gets creamy in your mouth! it’s SURE to give you a tooth ache! haha. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best, I’d give it a 7 or 8. But I may be the wrong person to ask, because if it’s chocolate, I’ll eat it! (story of my life)

    Comment by Cece on 1/13/10 at 1:13 pm #
  30. I just want to know why they stopped making the white chocolate coated crunchie? That was my all time favourite as it was a lot of other people’s favourite as well. Why stop it? Will they be making it again?

    Comment by Pieter on 3/11/10 at 1:52 am #
  31. A white chocolate crunchie? I have never seen or heard of one of those before - certainly not in the UK anyway lol. where did you buy it?

    Comment by Alan on 3/11/10 at 2:35 am #
  32. you can buy the crunchie at cost plus world market.
    also, if you live in california - henry’s and sprouts have a “honey comb” candy in the bulk bins that is comparable - though it is in nugget form not candy bar form

    Comment by m on 6/25/10 at 10:34 am #
  33. I live in New Zealand, and i eat a crunchy bar at least once a week. the chocolate is thick and the technique to eating a crunchy bar must be mastered. Nibble off all the chocolate then dive into the hokey pokey. (btw that’s the yellow crunch, quite a favourite here)

    Comment by Maya on 8/24/10 at 3:32 am #
  34. Crunchie has been a favorite of mine for a very long time! I haven’t had one in a while, but I’m pretty sure it’s how you described it with the center having a slightly darker hue (in Canada). All the same, I LOVE this chocolate bar, and shamefully don’t even remember how I first came across it!

    Comment by You don't say? on 3/03/12 at 2:10 pm #
  35. I’m originally from the UK. The Cruncie bar was one of my favourite sweets (along with Munchies, Rolo, Wine Gums, Bassets Jelly babies and Bassets Liquorice Allsorts). As you can see I love sweets. I’m now in the USA and get the Crunchie bar at the Fresh and Easy supermarket (owned by Tesco). You should review Munchies, if they still exist, as I’ve never seen anything like them other than in the UK.

    Comment by David on 10/08/12 at 2:04 pm #
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