By all that is Holy!....that is one really sinful cupcake.
A couple of days ago, there was a baking contest held by the women's club that Rekha's mom was a prominent member of. It is held every year, and this year Rekha's mom was barred from entering the contest. She was pretty miffed that she wasn't allowed to take part in a competition, that too a baking competition, by her friends none the less. But I thought that it was a fair move by the competition organizers, if only for the reason that the angry woman in question had won the contest for the last three out of the four times this competition had been in existence. And they wanted to give the other competitors a fair chance. Imagine that, being barred from a competition because you are too good. Huh!
In a very unprecedented move, Rekha decided to take part in the baking competition in lieu of her mother. I was very surprised, cos' I know that Rekha is somewhat of a kitchen-phobic. Now, the girl likes to eat, very well in fact. But given a choice, Rekha would always opt to let others do the cooking, baking and whatever it is that people do in the kitchen. Anyhoo, she came to me to help her decide on what to bake for the competition, and I in a magnanimous mood when it comes to food, agreed to help her prepare. Not that I had a choice, but its always good to at least pretend that I had one to start with.
Since almost everybody in the bloody competition would be baking cakes, I suggested that she bake cupcakes. My argument was that cupcakes are not that popular in this part of the world, and her entry would stand out from most of the competition, and also for the fact that they are really easy to make. I don't know whether that cinched the deal, but when I mentioned that she could make some decadent, rich, dark chocolate cupcakes, she got started immediately. I tell ya, that girl is hopelessly addicted to chocolate. Not that I blame her for that.
We ended up reading several different Chocolate Cake/Cupcake recipes, but they were all very similar. We finally settled on a recipe by Ladan that we found on All Recipes. We made the cupcakes following the recipe as it is.
They were good. But I was a bit disappointed because as good as they were, they were pretty ordinary. Don’t get me wrong, anyone would really like them, but I just felt that the flavor could be better. So we made another batch. And this time, I did what I always do. I fiddled with the ingredients and amounts and we ended up making our own, radically altered version of Chocolate Cupcakes. The special ingredient: a rich amount of Dark Stout Guinness beer.
I liked the second 'beered' batch much better. They had a great flavor, they were perfectly moist and very well received at the competition, though it was funny to see people eat the cupcakes very tentatively, looking furtively from side to side. It was the beer you see, it is very unusual in these parts to use alcohol in food preparation. These cupcakes are so good, you shouldn’t wait for a special occasion for a reason to make them.
The Guinness adds a nice complexity to the chocolate but surprisingly, it doesn’t taste like beer at all. There isn't even a hint of bitterness in these decadent little things. I can’t really explain it, but take my word for it, there’s something really special about them. And although the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes are absolutely fantastic by themselves, I highly recommend topping them with a generous dollop of delicious Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting. Yes, I know! I have been using Cream Cheese Frosting on everything for the past couple of weeks.
I can’t believe I didn't try this before! Rekha even declared that this Chocolate Cupcake recipe was the best thing about our relationship till now. Holy shit...Now that is one sinfully delicious Cupcake!
By the way, did I mention that Rekha's entry, Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting became a hit at the competition and won second place ? You should have seen her, the girl was absolutely thrilled.
Well, now that I’ve convinced you that Guinness Chocolate CupCake is the best thing ever, I guess I’d better share my version of the recipe with you before somebody froths in angry impatience! I really hope you enjoy it. And for whatever reason, you want to read other versions of Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes, I've shared some links with you at the end of the story.
It isn't essential that you use Guinness for these cupcakes. Be my guest, use your favorite stout or porter, whatever gives you the jollies. I preferred Guinness because Rekha's father is a Guinness drinker and he gets his beer by the caseload from a rather shady source from Pondicherry. The man is my God, He lets me have a regular supply of great, chilled Guinness. Also because, of all beers, Guinness is the perfect one for desserts because of its distinct chocolate and coffee notes. Pairing it with actual chocolate is the obvious choice. But next time, I’m going to try something else, to see if its just as good!
Continue reading the full recipe for 'Guinness Chocolate CupCake with Vanilla Cream Cheese frosting' after the turn.Recipe: Chocolate Stout Guinness Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese frosting
Altered radically, but originally adapted from this version by Dave Lieberman
Total time: 50 mins
Bake time : 25 mins
Servings : 12 cupcakes
You need:
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup plain, thick yogurt, at room temperature
6 oz. dark stout (I used Guinness), at room temperature
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted
You ought to do it like this:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with cupcake papers; spray the whole thing, cupcake papers and all, with nonstick spray. Set aside.
3. Melt butter in microwave or on stovetop, then set aside.
4. In a large bowl, preferably with a pouring spout, whisk together eggs and yogurt. Add beer and vanilla whisk until well combined.
5. Sift all the dry ingredients together (cocoa powder, sugar, flour, baking soda, and cinnamon) into a separate bowl.
6. Add about a third of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and using a hand mixer, blend well. Add the rest of the flour mixture, a third at a time, mixing well after each addition. When all ingredients are blended, add the melted butter then continue mixing until very well combined.
7. Pour batter into the twelve cups, filling each only about 3/4 full.
8. Bake on center rack of the preheated 350 degree oven and for approximately 25 minutes.
9. When cupcakes are done (toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake will come out clean), remove the pan to a wire rack. Let cool for ten minutes then remove cupcakes from pan and let them cool completely on wire rack.
DeliciouslyD notes: Sour cream can be substituted for yogurt, if that’s what you have on hand. I used dutch processed cocoa because that’s what I had in the house. I think that regular unsweetened cocoa would work fine, I just haven’t tried it yet. Using a mixing bowl with a pouring spout is very helpful when filling the cupcake cups! I tried the first batch using a ladle and ended up dripping batter all over the place!Recipe for the Most Decadent Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting Ever
Original Recipe at: Frosting a Decadent Cream Cheese Trail
Prep Time : 10 min
You Need:
Cold Cream Cheese (not rock solid) - 8 oz.
Butter (softened) - 5 Tbsp
Vanilla Extract - 2 Tsp
Sugar (powdered and sifted) - 2 cups
How do you do it ?
1. Beat the 8 oz. cold cream cheese you have (I prefer it not rock solid, since it means you can use it straight out of the refrigerator), with 5 Tbsp. Softened Butter and 2 Tsp. Vanilla extract until combined well and good.
2. Slowly add the 2 cups of powdered sugar that has been sifted after measuring. Continue adding more sifted powdered sugar until you reach a consistency and sweetness that fits your taste.
Thats it. Four simple ingredients, mix all of 'em and you get the most delicious Cream Cheese Frosting that you will ever taste.
DeliciouslyD note: This will frost about 18 cupcakes, but you can optionally stretch it to 24 depending on how much you use. If you want to frost the cupcakes the way I did, use a frosting bag fitted with a size 1M decorating tip. You can use readymade frosting bags or you can make your own frosting bags in just a couple of minutes. It was my first time trying to frost designer looking cupcakes and I have to tell ya, its very,very easy!
You might also want to read these:
How to make a paper frosting bag ridiculously easily?
6 nozzles for the frosting beginner
Related Recipes around the web:
Beer Cupcakes, at Big City, Little Kitchen
Guinness Stout Cake, from the Kitchen Sink
Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Guinness Cake, at NYtimes.com
Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting, from Dulcedo
Guinness Stout Chocolate Layer Cake, from Relish Magazine
There are a lot of bananas at Rekha's house. Quite a lot.
I thought the people of the house were paranoid about potassium deficiency, or worse, maybe they got some pet monkeys. If there were monkeys, then my presence at her house would have gotten a lot scarce, cos' I hate monkeys. Well, not exactly hate, just that I prefer them in their natural habitats. Then maybe somebody's getting married, god knows, in south india, there is always a literal flood of bananas in the house whenever a marriage in the offing. No no, I corrected myself, marriage isn't likely so soon at the household of The Rekha. That girl is completely against marriage, she literally growls at her parents whenever they begin to speak of weddings and marriages.
They eventually someone told me why they had so many bananas lying about in the house...there was really a huge stockpile. They were a gift. One of her father's friends had recently gone into the fruit farming business and this was a gift from their first yield. A very healthy yield, I must say.
Rekha's mom was worried that the bananas would go to waste, she hates wasting good food. They had given away more than a third of what they got, but there still were a lot of them. Even the army of Ram would find it hard pressed to finish this lot of yellow fruit. As Rekha's mom loves to bake, she suggested that she'll bake some Banana Cakes.
I was intrigued, since I hadn't yet eaten a cake made with bananas, and I enthusiastically agreed to help her. I offered to prepare the Frosting for the cakes. I had only recently consumed a lot of it, but I still wanted to experience the decadent taste of a lot more of that delicious Cream Cheese frosting.
The wonderful woman that Rekha's mom is, she agreed to my choice of frosting immediately. She told me that Cream Cheese frosting would go very well with a delicious, moist Banana cake.
Continue reading the full recipe for "Banana Cake topped with Cream Cheese Frosting" after the turn >>Recipe : Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep Time - 20 min
Bake Time - 20 to 30 min
Servings - 8 rather large pieces
You Need:
Shortening - 2/3 cup
Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp
Sugar - 1 1/3 cup
Eggs - 2
All purpose flour - 2 2/3 cups
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Ground Cinnamon - 1 tsp
Nutmeg - 1 tsp
Mashed Bananas - 1 1/2 cup (about 3 bananas)
You make the cake like this:
1. First, cream the shortening and vanilla with an electric mixer; beat the sugar in until the mixture is light and fluffy.
2. Then add the eggs and beat well.
3. Mix the dry ingredients separately and add to the creamed mixture, all the while beating on low speed until the whole mixture is just blended.
4. Finally, stir in the mashed bananas and blend well.
5. Fill two greased cake pans half full. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes, or until the cakes become golden brown. Stick in a toothpick, it must come out clean. Be careful not to overbake the cakes.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
(Source: Frosting a Decadent Cream Cheese Trail)
Prep Time : 10 min
You Need:
Cold Cream Cheese (not rock solid) - 16 oz. (Two 8 oz. packages)
Butter (softened) - 5 Tbsp
Vanilla Extract - 2 Tsp
Sugar (powdered and sifted) - 2 cups
You make the Frosting like this:
1. Beat the 8 oz. cold cream cheese you have (I prefer it not rock solid, since it means you can use it straight out of the refrigerator), with 5 Tbsp. Softened Butter and 2 Tsp. Vanilla extract until combined well and good.
2. Slowly add the 2 cups of powdered sugar that has been sifted after measuring. Continue adding more sifted powdered sugar until you reach a consistency and sweetness that fits your taste.
3. That is it. Four simple ingredients, mix all of 'em and you get the most delicious Cream Cheese Frosting that you will ever taste.
Her actual recipe included cloves, but since Rekha doesn't like cloves, we agreed to leave it out. She told me that the cloves aren't necessary, but they add a strong distinctive flavor to the cake. Oh well, maybe next time!
I loved the cake, the outer crust is crumbly and the cakes' inside is moist and juicy. It literally slides down your tongue and throat, making you feel the most incredible sensations. And the frosting, what can I say? Cream Cheese frosting goes incredibly well with Banana Cake. I added a generous amount of Chocolate sprinkles on top of the frosting for Rekha (that girl will eat anything with chocolate). This Banana Cake, topped with delicious Cream Cheese frosting was really one of the best cakes I have ever enjoyed.
yours truly, RA
Now look here, we all know the real reason why cupcakes are so maddeningly popular, don't we ?
By themselves, as delicious as they are, them Cupcakes would never have reached such iconic levels as they do now. For all their yummy-ness, Cupcakes are basically delectable utensils for eating frosting, particularly when it comes to certain cupcake "flavors" like a red velvet. By the way, if you want to know what the hell a "red velvet" is, it's nothing but a really fancy excuse to shamelessly lick a quarter to half-cup full of Cream Cheese Frosting.
For my money, Cream Cheese Frosting, you see, is the best frosting out there till date. And judging by the number of blogs that praise this decadent bit of topping, I'm certainly not in a minority. I have had a lot of Frostings with my decadent eating habits, many different kinds and varieties, but I have fallen head-over-heels in love with the end-all, be-all recipe for the most Decadent Cream Cheese Frosting ever.
Strangely enough, it's been under my nose this whole time. All these years, I've had a copy of all my mother's delicious recipes, but I don't know, for some reason I've never gone through them. I just never noticed it. At first, I didn't believe it could taste as good as the other bloggers exclaimed, because it was way too easy compared to the "fancier" recipes that have a whole list of ingredients and steps that make you think you need to be a Nigella Lawson to even think of make it.
But God bless my dear mother, this recipe is so easy and so hassle free, that even Rekha, the eternal kitchen-klutz could make it without breaking a sweat. Ouch. Was that too harsh? Sorry darling, but you in the kitchen is an accident waiting to happen. See, that's how easy this recipe is.
Continue reading the full recipe for the "Most Decadent Cream Cheese frosting ever" after the turn.Recipe : Most Decadent Cream Cheese Frosting Ever
Prep Time : 10 min
You Need:
Cold Cream Cheese (not rock solid) - 8 oz.
Butter (softened) - 5 Tbsp
Vanilla Extract - 2 Tsp
Sugar (powdered and sifted) - 2 cups
How do you do it ?
1. Beat the 8 oz. cold cream cheese you have (I prefer it not rock solid, since it means you can use it straight out of the refrigerator), with 5 Tbsp. Softened Butter and 2 Tsp. Vanilla extract until combined well and good.
2. Slowly add the 2 cups of powdered sugar that has been sifted after measuring. Continue adding more sifted powdered sugar until you reach a consistency and sweetness that fits your taste.
3. Thats it. Four simple ingredients, mix all of 'em and you get the most delicious Cream Cheese Frosting that you will ever taste.
There is one hard part though, the part where you'll find very difficult to not eat all that frosting straight out of the bowl. Other than that, lick your way to decadence!
yours truly, RA
The quality and type of icing nozzles that you use has the most direct impact on your baked treats. Poor nozzles give poor results. Yeah! big shocker there! Metal nozzles and screws are recommended, they are the most popularly used ones, but many also use the ones made of plastic with no complaints. However, if you are not the hobbyist type and more of a serious baker, then you'll find that high quality, durable metal icing nozzles are an invaluable investment.
Not to worry, it isn't remotely necessary to purchase the entire set at first. You'll do good to rather get the basic set(which are the ones most people eventually use regularly), master their use and become competent with them before investing in any of the more fancy icing nozzles. Examine each nozzle carefully to see that the shapes and edges of the openings are cleanly and deeply cut, and that there isn't any surplus solder on the inside to impede the smooth flow of the icing. Make sure that the join running the length of the tube is fast and secure.
The minimum number of tubes required by the beginner is six. These are the ones you'll find in most beginners icing sets. There are:
1 - Fine Writing nozzle
2 - Star nozzles
1 - Leaf nozzle
1 - Petal nozzle
1 - Basket Weave nozzle
Two screws and two waterproof bags are sufficient for this number of tubes.
Icing Nozzles - Taking care of 'em.
1. Wash the tubes immediately after use, using a feather or brush to clear all crevices.
2. Rinse them in cold water before drying and putting away.
3. Never ever use a sharp metal point such as a skewer or pin to free dried icing from a blocked tube. You'll screw up the nozzle opening. Soaking in warm water for a short time will remove any blockage.
Icing Nozzles are available in all stores that stock baking goods. If you want to know where you can order them online, you might want to check these websites out;
- Noor786110.com
- Ebay.co.uk
- Almond Art Mail order SugarCraft supplies
- ShopBakersNook.com
- CakeCraftShop.co.uk
-end of story-
Read the rest of the story >>
For anyone undertaking cake decoration, before anything, you must learn to make an icing bag. Also called as pastry bags, they are what you fill with your choice of icing for your cake or pastry decoration and topping. They are especially ideal when decorating a cake with many colors. As with most things nowadays, you can buy ready-made icing/pastry bags, but again as with most things nowadays, you'll eventually find out that the home-made ones are the best to work with.
Learning to make an icing bag is one of the most basic skills of the baking arts. It is ridiculously easy to make, I cannot understand why anyone would want to waste money buying ready-made ones. All you need is a roll of Greaseproof Paper and a little practice. They can be fiddly at first, but are well worth perfecting.
Although several types of icing pumps and plastic icing bags complete with connectors are available, it is easier to use a nozzle with a home-made greaseproof (waxed) paper icing bag. In India, it is commercially known as 'butter paper'. This also makes it cost next to nothing.
How to make your own Paper Icing Bags? View the slide show...
If you need the steps in an orderly fashion...
1. Firstly cut a square of paper. It does not matter what size, but do bear in mind that the completed bag will be approximately a quarter of the size of the original piece of paper.
2. Fold the paper in half diagonally and press along the fold.
3. Next with the long edge of the triangle facing away from you, take the right hand point and curl it under to the center point (facing you) to form a small cone and hold in place.
4. Next take the left hand point and fold it around the cone you have just formed, bringing all the points together.
5. You've got something resembling a sturdy paper cone, huh?
6. Fold all three points over into the bag three times to hold in place. Or if you must, you can also use sticky tape to hold the cone in shape. You should now have a perfect icing bag.
7. There! See...your icing bag is now strong enough to withstand all that squeezing you're about to do.
8. Simply snip off the point with a pair of scissors. Do not cut too much off at first, you can always adjust later.
9. Then insert your icing nozzle, pushing down gently with the handle of a wooden spoon or something like that...for gods sake, get anything to push the nozzle down to the bag tip.
10. ...until it just sticks out of the end of the bag. You can cut a little more off the point if necessary. There it is, you're now ready to pour the icing in and start squeezing.
You know, this is really easy. If you are going to be baking and caking regularly, you can make a whole bunch of Paper Icing bags and store them for later use, tucked into each other. Whenever you require, take one out, snip off the tip, tuck the nozzle in...and there you go!
-end of story-
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Its the good times in Chennai, really. At least for the quintessential sweet tooth. In recent times, Chennai has enjoyed the launch of quite a few businesses dedicated to all that is sweet and sinful. To name a few, places like Ecstasy, French Loaf, La Boulangerie, the Cake Shop etc are fast becoming the places to go to if you like it a bit upscale and desperately want to satisfy that craving for sinfully delicious desserts, cakes, pastries and other assorted baked foods of pleasure.
Well, these upscale places are relatively new, but Chennai has also long been famous for the more traditional south indian sweets made by the wildly popular 'Sweet Brands' like Sri Krishna Sweets, Adayar Anandha Bhavan, The Grand Sweets & Snacks, Ganga Sweets and their ilk. While the above mentioned brands have become 'the' byword for traditional Indian Sweets, there are hundreds of smaller sweet stalls and shops whose sweets are just as delicious as the ones offered by the big players, and in many times, even better. The small sweet shops don't have big, glittery, swanky floor space to showcase their treats, but if you are interested only in the quality and taste of the sweets and don't especially care for the ambiance, you might just come across your very own taste-bud heaven.
Venkataramana Sweets
The typical small neighborhood Sweet Shop that lies just by the corner will not have dim lighting, some random light background music, waiters in prim and proper uniform waiting for your order, professionally designed menu card, interior design that probably cost more than the total invested capital of a dozen small shop owners and cosy seating with cool comforts, but places like The Venkataramana Boli and Sweet Stall is proof that you don't really need all that 'shop dressing fluff' if you offer your customers sweets that let them experience that momentary piece of paradise.
For a good treat, the ambiance is largely irrelevant. If you have a hankering to satisfy your sweet tooth, then you will not get a better taste of sinful pleasure than their top selling treat, the traditional Sweet Poli. It is their signature product, wildly popular, and always in danger of being sold out, if the speed at which they are disappearing off their trays is any indication. Even if you're one of those people who come to a sweet shop and still want to stick hard to your diet, they don't disappoint. This wonderful little Sweet Shop makes Oil-free coconut and Dal stuffed versions of their mouth watering Polis for the health conscious.
Wait! there's more.
For all its popularity, the Poli is not the only reason to drop by, their Badhushahs and Jangiris are also worth killing for. And for my money, this little sweet shop called the Venkataramana Boli and Sweet Stall can really challenge the premier product of the leader of the traditional south indian sweet industry(retail), the Sri Krishna Sweets, with their dripping-with-ghee, devilishly-sweet-and-mind-numbing Mysore Pak. If for any fathomable reason, even after all this heavenly sweetness, you want something spicy and savory to sink your teeth into, you must definitely get your hands on their piping hot samosas, sizzling Bajjis and crunchy murukkus.
The Point is...
The Venkatramana Boli and Sweet Stall is a small shop, and there isn't a whole lot of place to move around. And no, the shop doesn't spill over into the street, but the milling crowds certainly do. It is a no-frills place with quality sweets and snacks that are just...you know...whats the word again? Yeah, Sinful. Just sinfully delicious.
Well now, aren't you hungry?
I definitely am. My entire mouth is just dripping with saliva.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Venkatramana Boli and Sweet Stall
Food Type : Traditional South Indian Sweets & Snacks
Bestsellers : Sweet Poli (coconut & dal), Badhushahs, Jangiris, Samosas.....
Price Range : Rs.4/- to Rs.120/-
Business Timings : 8.30 am to 8.30 pm
Address : No.58, Thambiah Street, West Mambalam, Chennai, Tamilnadu (India)
Place Type : Neighborhood Sweet Stall
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Places you can sinfully indulge:
1. Ecstasy
2. Sri Krishna Sweets
3. The Grand Sweets and Snacks
4. La Boulangerie
5. French Loaf
-end of story-
I've eaten a lot of candy to date, quite regularly in fact, and I don't plan on changing the status quo. All kinds of candy - sugar boiled, caramel, hard candy, everyday candy bars, nougat filled, fruit & nut, energy bars, white chocolate, dark chocolate, high couture, whatever. You name it, and I would have eaten it at some point or the other. But till now, and I say this without any doubt whatsoever, the Snickers Candy bar has remained, and still is, my eternal favorite.
Snickers is good
The Snickers bar, with all that chocolate-ness, caramel, nougat and peanut is undoubtedly the most consumed candy bar on the face of this planet. It is also one of the most fulfilling candy bars that you'll ever have. In fact, Mars, the company behind Snickers, advertises it as not just a candy bar, but rather a snack bar - to fulfill that sudden pang of hunger which may strike at any time of the day. Actually, that's what the Snickers candy bar is, an any-time snack.
Here in India, Snickers have been available for more than a couple of decades now, albeit in duty free shops, shops selling imported goods, smuggled goods and the like. It is only since the past couple of months that Mars have officially launched Snickers in the Indian Chocolate & Candy Bar market, which is dominated by the Cadury's product line. Since Snickers is now available in most of the shops in my neighborhood, I have at least one every alternate day, including the limited edition Snickers that the Mars company keep putting out - like Snickers Almond (more nuts with added almond pieces), Snickers Xtreme (all caramel & nuts), Snickers Nut ‘n Butter Crunch (all peanuts & nougat), Snickers Dark (dark chocolate) and Snickers Shrek (green nougat). To be honest, they all are pretty interesting, but none match up to the taste and the experience that the Classic Snickers Bar offers.
Charged up Snickers
Well, that all changed yesterday. One of my friends came back to Chennai, from New York recently and she came to visit me with a gift. Knowing my penchant for Candy, she brought a case, rather a big box (big enough to hold a regular TV), full of popular Chocolates and Candy bars sold in America. I'm not going to list all the candy in the box, it'll take me an entire day. But what caught my eye right away, were the limited edition Snickers Charged in a very shiny silver wrapper inside a shiny silver box.
Mars have messed with Snickers quite a bit, with all their various limited editions. And to be honest, none have been worth a second bite. Well, none till Snickers thought that we need to wake up and smell the candy bar.
Whats in it?
The new Limited Edition Snickers Charged packs 60 mg of caffeine, 250 mg taurine and other B vitamins (about 10% of your RDA). The bar is slightly smaller than the regular one, the same case with all the limited edition bars. It’s 1.83 ounces instead of 2.06. And a slightly smaller bar equals fewer calories. This one is 250 calories compared to the 280 in the regular bar. Not much of a difference, I say.
How does this one fare ?
The Charged edition smells the same as the regular Snickers, has the same texture - the same crunchy peanuts, golden chewy caramel and damning-sweet nougat with just a hint of salt. Take a bite, you'll see it tastes just the same regular Snickers.
Then it comes, the kick of caffeine.
And boy, what a kick it is, I mean in the mouth. A bitter aftertaste that sits high and in the back of the mouth. Its the Caffeine, its strong, and it kind of just lingers there, like maybe it’s not something you ate but something you smelled. And it stays with you, probably as long as the caffeine is in your system. I ate a whole bar of this super charged candy and guess what, the coffee aftertaste stayed with me for at least a couple of hours.
Well, If you’re one of those people who don't mind the bitterness of coffee like me, it might not be such a big deal. But the nice thing about a Snickers is that it’s an anytime bar, just tear open the wrapper and chomp down whenever the craving hits.....this one, this Snickers Charged, I wouldn’t be able to eat it late in the evening or at night. Simply because I simply can’t sleep if I have caffeine that late.
That 60 milligrams of caffeine in one Snickers Charged bar is nothing to take lightly, especially when compared with other caffeinated foods.
1 - 8-ounce soft drink contains 20-40 mg (about 150-170 calories)
1 - 8-ounce regular coffee contains 65-120 mg (5-100)
1 - 8-ounce energy drink contains 72-80 mg (110-140 calories)
Frankly, as far as an edible dose of caffeine goes, it’s great value for your money. A candy bar is usually about 75 cents at a convenience store or Rs.15 in India. A cup of coffee is $1.25 and a soda $1.00 ... and you might be able to get an energy drink for about $2.00. (Let’s not even go into the caffeine, calories & price of those blended coffee drinks.)
Its a radical change from the regular candy bar, but my point is...
Snickers are an alarmingly deceptive simple confection. With just a couple of ingredients, it hits much of the pleasant high notes that the average person craves. Achingly sweet, a little savory, a hint of salt, a bit of texture and crunch, but not too much, all leading up to a heavenly taste in your mouth with a couple of good bites. What can I say, I'm helpless, I love me candy bar. But whats the problem ?
Well, caffeine is bitter, really, and shoving such a dose of it which is present in a single Snickers Charged bar is not very pleasant. Even the explosion of taste that the almighty Snickers bar induces doesn't make up for it. I'm sorry, but the caffeine infusion just doesn't work. The fine folks at Mars have failed miserably here. Snickers Charged has an initial subtle bitterness, that quickly grows very pronounced as soon as the third bite, and leaves a bitter aftertaste that holds for quite some time.
I munched into another caffeinated Snickers bar today, thinking I may have been thrown off by the radical change in taste. But no, I still don't find it appealing. And I’m still trying to get the aftertaste out of my mouth. I don't think I'm wrong when I say that, this is the precise opposite of the desired end result to the consumption of a world class candy bar.
Final thoughts
There are still ten more Snickers Charged bars in the humongous candy box that my dear friend gave to me. I don't want to eat another one, unless I have a specific need for unhydrated caffeine. Even the lure of the 'limited edition' label, which means I'll find it very hard to get my hands on another Snickers Charged bar afterward, doesn't give me the impetus to reach for the rest of them in my candy box. I think I'll firmly stick to the plain ol' regular Snickers.
Oh wait! Maybe I can give them to Rekha, she's even more of a candy addict than I am. I'll really enjoy the shock on her face when the taste of the caffeine kicks in.
-end of story- Read the rest of the story >>
