Hershey's Simple Pleasures

I've shared more than once that I am a big fan of chocolate. To me, it is one of life's little pleasures (I actually found myself wanting to say, simple pleasures, but more on that later). Be it true or not, I like to believe that having a little chocolate each day is a good thing. I think that a little indulgence daily, can keep me from wanting to sit down and eat lots and lots of chocolate. Plus, I know that I have read somewhere that chocolate is actually good for me (something technical about antioxidants and flavnoids) and I know that eating a good piece of chocolate is something that is soothing to me.

So, even when I am watching my calorie intake and trying to lose weight, it is not uncommon to see me reach for a piece of chocolate. When I allow myself to indulge, I want it to be worth my while - this is true for books, shows, wine, candy, food, clothes, because there is nothing more disappointing than spoiling yourself and not enjoying it. So, when I have a piece of chocolate, I want to know that it is a good, smooth, flavorful treat that I will enjoy.

If you are one that likes to indulge in chocolate like me, you will be glad to hear that there is a new chocolate product from Hershey that will be hitting the shelves at your local Giant Eagle today! It is called Hershey's Simple Pleasures.

"Hershey's Simple Pleasures combines quality ingredients, including dry roasted cocoa beans, brown sugar and pure milk to create a velvety smooth chocolate outside and a rich, creamy center."

There are three varieties of Hershey's Simple Pleasures available - Dark Chocolate with Chocolate Creme, Milk Chocolate with Chocolate Creme, and Milk Chocolate with Vanilla Creme.

When I got the box with the samples, I couldn't wait to give them a try. I, of course, had to try one of each. Fortunately for me, they are only about 30 calories each (a serving of 6 pieces is 180 calories - I did the math to get to 30 calories) and they have 30% less fat than the average of leading milk chocolate.

As I prepared to give them a try, I wasn't sure how to eat them. I know it sounds silly, but generally, when something is cream filled, I have a tendency to want to take a bite out of them so that I can get the flavor of the cream mixed with the chocolate, vs a solid chocolate that I tend to allow to simply melt in my mouth, but the bag calls them an "indulgent, melt-in-your-mount chocolate experience".

So despite this 'direction' on the bag, I decided that I would go with instinct and take a bite. The first one that I tried was the Vanilla Creme, of course, as I would come to learn, this one has the most 'liquidy' center and that first bite left me with this tasty vanilla cream dripping from the second half. So, I decided that I would allow the second one to melt in my mouth. I went with the milk chocolate variety next. Trouble was, for me, the chocolate didn't fit nicely on top of my tongue, nestled into the roof of my mouth, so allowing it to melt and not chew it was a challenge. Lastly, I tried the dark chocolate variety. I took a hybrid approach for this one, I took a bite and allowed this bite to melt in my mouth, rather than chewing it.

Despite all of my challenges around how to enjoy them, I can assure you that I enjoyed them! I think that the Milk Chocolate with Chocolate Creme was my favorite, which is a bit surprising to me, because normally I am a big dark chocolate fan. There was just something so creamy and satisfying about the milk chocolate variety.

I'm not sure that Hershey's is looking for more ideas - but I think I'd like to see a marshmallow creme and a caramel creme - or a marshmallow and caramel creme variety for their next offering.

No compensation was received for this post. A complimentary sample of each variety and information was provided through Giant Eagle. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.