Candy Review: 100 Calorie Bars Part 1 – Reese’s Peanut Butter Wafer Bar

Monday, November 24, 2008 - by Cindy

One of the hardest things about dieting is denying yourself all the tasty treats that caused you to need to diet in the first place. The candy displays at the checkout line can be the downfall of a dieter who has only the best intentions. The Kit Kats and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups seem to call your name. “Buy me, eat me,” they say. It’s more than even the most dedicated dieter can resist.

The Hershey Company to the rescue! In 2006 and 2007, Hershey rolled out a new line of chocolate bars that have only 100 calories per pack. The slogan is “More Pleasure, Less Guilt.” Each variety in this 100 Calorie line puts a new spin on an old favorite. They come in a box with seven packs per box. Each pack contains two bars, for a total of 14 bars per box at a suggested retail price of $2.99. Each box should last about a week… or, uh, you know… two days….

I recently treated myself by buying four out of the five available varieties and now have on my desk a most scrumptious display of candy: one package each of Hershey’s 100 calorie Pretzel Bars, Crisp Wafer Bars, and York Peppermint Wafer Bars and two empty packages of Reese’s 100 Calorie Peanut Butter Wafer Bars. Yes, dear readers, I love being a Candy Addict!.

While eating several packs in one sitting completely defeats the purpose of buying 100 calorie candy, that is what I am about to do in the interest of sharing important flavor information with the rest of the Candy Addict world.

Reese’s 100 Calorie Peanut Butter Wafer Bar

I am unashamedly a peanut butter devotee as I’ve mentioned in several of my other posts. The peanut butter in this wafer bar is unmistakably Reese’s in aroma, but the texture is quite different from the standard Reese’s peanut butter in a Peanut Butter Cup. It has more in common with the peanut butter in the irresistible Reese’s Sticks. In fact, the entire bar is similar to the Sticks only smaller.

The wafers themselves, however, are different. The wafers in the 100 Calorie Wafer Bar are somewhat thicker than those in Sticks. I’m not sure that makes much difference one way or the other, though.

If I were forced to name one drawback to the Reese’s 100 Calorie Peanut Butter Wafer Bar, I would have to say that there is just a bit too much chocolate. Of course, since I’m a charter member of the peanut butter candy fan club, I may not be the best person to give an opinion on a candy’s chocolate level. Unfortunately, though, it’s not the best tasting chocolate. It tastes basically like the chocolate of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, which tastes basically like a low quality chocolate. I’m so sorry, Reese’s! I hate to say that out loud! I love you! But it’s just the truth….

Don’t get me wrong though, these little wafer bars have a very satisfying crunch with plenty of peanut butter flavor. I did enjoy them and will more than likely buy them again. Even though they’re smaller than an ordinary candy bar, they do the job of satisfying my candy cravings. One of the ingenious things Hershey came up with when making this new line is that each pack contains two bars. After I finish munching the first bar, I like to rest a few minutes (or seconds) until the craving for another taste hits. Then I bring out the second bar to complete my enjoyment. Delicious.

Stay tuned for reviews of the other three 100 Calorie varieties that I’ve tested:

• Hershey’s 100 Calorie Crisp Wafer Bar
• Hershey’s 100 Calorie Pretzel Bar
• York 100 Calorie Peppermint Wafer Bar

• Reese’s Website
• The Hershey Company’s 100 Calorie Bars Website

Buy Reese’s 100 Calorie Peanut Butter Wafer Bar Online:

• Amazon.com