Bissinger's Peppermint Chocolate Bar

Peppermint bark is a classic holiday treat. It's pretty easy to make, too. Usually, it's a layer of milk or dark chocolate, followed by white chocolate, topped with crushed peppermint candy. With all that white chocolate, it can often be cloyingly sweet.

This bar pretty much solves that problem. I picked it up at Whole Foods for about $3, drawn in once again by the swirly design. There's no white chocolate here, just dark(ish) chocolate and peppermint candy bits.

The bar had a mild and pleasant minty scent. The first thing I noted was that the dark chocolate had a nice snap and was sweet and velvety on the tongue. The peppermint pieces added a good level of crunch, and the mint/dark combination reminded me of a peppermint patty.

I liked it much better than the other Bissinger's bar I tried (key lime), but chocolate and mint is a much safer combination. I bought another bar to give away as part of a gift, since it seemed like a decent value for the quality of the chocolate. Did I mention how pretty it looks?

A-

Bissinger's Key Lime Chocolate Bar

This is a lovely chocolate bar. I purchased it at Whole Foods a couple weeks ago, entirely for looks. Later, I noticed that it was all natural, and the white chocolate swirl in the middle of the bar was colored with turmeric and green plant extract. I'm not a stickler for all-natural stuff, but that's pretty cool.

The combination of chocolate and key lime conjures up images of central Florida souvenir shops. Aside from having everything under the sun, all under a ridiculously gaudy exterior, there's usually a section of touristy treats like key lime mini-pies and chocolates.


Again, the bar itself is gorgeous. The first whiff was fruity, and reminded me of lime-flavored Tootsie Rolls, but in a good way. The chocolate had a good snap with a mild and subtle lime flavor, made from lemon zest oil, key lime flavor, and citric acid. The effect was a nice gradient of sweet-to-sour, but the citrus flavor gave the bar a very slightly odd aftertaste.

I liked the smooth, cool texture and feel of the chocolate. All in all, it was a very fresh, tasty bar. According to the back of the box, this is dark chocolate, but it was definitely on the lighter side. No cocoa percentage was given, but it did suit the lime. While I'm not in love with the flavor combination, it was well executed and made for a tasty treat. I'd love to try more from Bissinger's, and from the looks of their website, they have tons of pretty, swirly bars to try.

B

Bissinger's website