Monday, April 6, 2009
Russell Stover Eggs (2009 edition)Russell Stover makes so many chocolate eggs, it’s taken me more than three years to get through them. (Well, I tasted all of them, I haven’t necessarily photographed & reviewed them all yet.) The Russell Stover Truffle Egg is a rather small one compared to the other whipped center eggs. Still it clocks in at a full ounce, so it’s just very dense. It’s a molded egg with a shiny, rippled milk chocolate shell and a milk chocolate truffle interior. It smells like a decent rich milk chocolate. Sweet and with some hints of vanilla and milky cocoa. The bite of the shell is good and crisp. The center is soft and fudgy, but not the slightest bit grainy ... though it’s not quite a silky melt. The immediate flavor I got was not of chocolate but of rum. It’s a bit sweet but also has a little salt to it. Looking over the ingredients, I was expecting tropical oils and hydrogenated fats, but instead it was pretty clean: Milk Chocolate (sugar, whole milk, cocoa butter, chocolate, soy lecithin & vanillin), whole milk, natural flavor, salt and invertase. It’s very rich and rather satisfying, so much so that a single egg was more than enough for me (though it only clocks in at 140 calories, so it’s not even as fatty as some other real chocolate candy bars). Rating: 7 out of 10 The Russell Stover Caramel Egg is also on the small side. This one is a squat little buddy with perhaps too much packaging around it. It smells milky and malty. The bit is smooth, the milk chocolate shell flakes only a little bit. The caramel is soft and has a slight chew to it, but for the most part is more on the saucy side (though it’s thick enough that when I left the half of it sitting for a while, the center didn’t ooze out). The caramel is satiny smooth, no hint of grain at all. The toasted and boiled sugar flavors aren’t pronounced, nor is the butter, but the overall dark sugar notes are there and go well with the sweet milk chocolate. As I’ve mentioned before, I prefer a stiffer caramel chew, but this was enjoyable and actually more appetizing to me than a Cadbury Caramello or Cadbury Caramel Egg. Rating: 6 out of 10 Another set of eggs that I haven’t included on the blog specifically in this ovoid shape are the Marshmallow Egg and the Chocolate Marshmallow Egg. The have other shapes for different holidays. Just a couple of weeks ago I reviewed the Russell Stover Marshmallow Rabbits. They’re available for Halloween as a Pumpkin (also in orange flavor), a Valentine’s Heart and these eggs come back as Footballs in the Autumn/Winter. The nice thing about this version is that it’s an actual portion. The Rabbits are a bit big for one sitting, unless you’re voraciously hungry or sharing. And they’re bound to be around at deep discount after the holiday. But eat them quick ... I’ve found that the marshmallow items don’t keep as well as the Coconut Eggs. Previous Reviews: 2008 - Creme Eggs (like Cadbury Creme Eggs): 2006 - Russell Stover Cream Eggs I think the only ones I’m missing in review are the Vanilla Cream Egg and the Chocolate Brownie Egg. I haven’t seen them this year at the stores I frequent. But that means there’s something to look forward to next year. Related Candies
POSTED BY Cybele AT 11:45 am |
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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.
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I’m always wary of RS products, but I’m not sure why. Perhaps because the packaging looks kinda cheap?
But I am impressed with the ingredient lists. I really need to give them another try. This year, however, Sees is my Easter choco of choice!
I think you’re also missing the marshmallow caramel egg - not creme egg- it’s my favorite… and the sugar free eggs…. Which makes me question… if they can do a sugar free egg… and they make a sugar free caramel in their other wrapped candies… then why aren’t they making a sugar free marshmallow caramel egg?
Maybe it’s nostalgia for youth, when Russell Stover was a high-end brand to me, but I have always found the products to be of reasonable quality. My only complaint is that they’re shrinking, perhaps to keep a reasonable price point.
To me, portion size is one of the things that distinguishes Easter candy. Halloween and Christmas items are usually small; because the typical presentation of Easter candy is in a basket, you want a larger product to give some visual punch and contrast to little bitty things like jelly beans. The rabbit is the flagship for this, but big eggs and novelty items fit the bill as well. This translates into an indulgent eating experience—you either keep going until you feel a little sick, or you wrap up the rest and save it for later.
Our local favorite in the mid-Atlantic area is Mary Sue buttercream eggs, which cost $6 for a ONE POUND egg. Either you slice that sucker like a turkey, or you’re eating 1600 calories of buttercream on top of two plates of ham. Ouch.
I love the truffle egg, and I haven’t been able to find it ANYWHERE this year.
Russell Stovers used to make an large egg that came in a box with a clear celophane quarter window…..flavors were truffle/maple/coconut etc…a little pink frosting flower topped the egg…..got one every year growing up in the 70’s…do they still make them?
your company used to make a fruit&nut;chocolate nuget egg,I have’nt been able to find them for a long time.Does your company still make them, if so where can I find them?I would only see them at Easter time.If you do not still make them,why did you stop making them?
Thank You
Jim
NO ONE MENTIONED THE RUSSEL STOVER RASPBERRY CREAM EGG, IT TASTES FANTASTIC WITH ITS DARK CHOCOLATE, AND RICH RASPBERRY FILLING.I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, WHEN THEY COME OUT IN THE STORES I BUY ENTIRE CARTONS OF THEM. I WISH THEY HAD THEM ALL YEAR AROUND!
I have tried unsuccessfully to find the bags of solid chocolate balls that usually came out at Xmas and Easter. Can you tell me how I can get them?
thanks
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