Mars responds to the cries of avid caramel lovers for more caramel, with this edition of their ever popular candy bar: the Milky Way Simply Caramel Candy Bar. Definitely lots of caramel. They retained the milk chocolate coating as it appears in the original bar. But here, they omitted the nougat and filled the void left behind with more caramel. This caramel tastes the same as that found in the original, as does the chocolate outer covering. So the swapping of the nougat with more of the caramel is apparently the only change they made in this version.
I’m a casual caramel fan, indeed much less enthralled with caramel than, say, peanut butter. So while I definitely like the substantial weight, taste, and texture of this Milky Way bar, I would probably still buy the original when given a choice. While this is a high-quality candy, I wouldn’t buy it very often, because I like the nougat in the original, which this version lacks. But if I was a more devoted lover of caramel in general, this delicious sweet, done in the image of the original Milky Way candy, would receive my highest praise. The caramel here is among the best caramel I’ve ever tasted; not too buttery, salty, sweet, or overly chewy. And, it’s soft, as caramel goes. So you needn’t worry about breaking a tooth or losing a filling when you bite into it. The caramel here is main stream in that it does not radically exaggerate any aspect of good caramel. It’s neither too stiff nor too soft, or too sweet nor too salty. I like it fine.
Benefits, Pros, Features, and Advantages
- Experienced candy maker. The Mars company produces this product and a host of others as well that have delighted for decades now. They know how to create and package a fine candy product such as this one.
- Freshness lock wrapping. The air tight wrap is used here as well and quite effectively contains chocolate and caramel aromas.
- Long shelf life. It keeps this candy fresh for a year or more if you store in a cool, dark, and dry place.
- Milk chocolate coating. Thick milk chocolate exterior, surrounding a completely caramel center.
- Modernized nutrition label. The more modern What’s Inside nutrition label appears on this product. But you also get the original and more extensive but harder to read Nutrition Facts label as well.
- Slightly lower calories. Fewer calories per serving than the Milky Way Midnight (dark chocolate) edition, at 190 calories Vs. 220 calories.
- Delicious right out of the freezer. Hardens nicely in the freezer, for an extra chewy snack. But watch your teeth when eating this candy frozen. Doing so severely taxes the jaws and teeth, and may cause inadequate dental work to fail.
- Easily bought. It’s extraordinarily easy to find a Milky Way bar at nearly any food or convenience store, gas station or bus terminal. Milky Ways are ubiquitous.
Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, and Concerns
- Bad fats. Has hydrogenated palm kernel oil. Unhealthy in many expert opinions.
- No nougat.
- Melts and deforms when warned. The milk chocolate coating can become soft, sticky, and messy when you buy this bar from those lighted vending machines that keep the candy within too warm.
- Getting expensive. These candy bars aren’t cheap these days. I paid well over a dollar for this one.
- Needs more natural calorie-free sweetening. Less sugar, please, and more zero calorie sweeteners like stevia, sucralose, or aspartame.
- Sticky and messy. Sometimes, the caramel stretches without completely severing when you take a bite, and you then end up with this string of caramel on your face that resembles stringy bubblegum; a feature of this signature softer caramel. But the caramel flavor, messy though it may be, is truly second to none. You probably won’t find better caramel, whether it be contained within a candy bar, or all by itself. It’s delicious.
Ingredients
Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, skim milk, chocolate, lactose, milkfat, soy lecithin, artificial flavors), corn syrup, sugar, hydrogenated palm kernel oil and / or palm oil, skim milk, milkfat, less than 2% of lactose, salt, artificial flavor.
Allergy warning: May contain egg.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: One bar, 40 grams. Servings per 2-to-go container: 2.
- Calories: 190. Calories from fat: 70.
- Total fat: 8 grams, 12% DV.
- Saturated fat: 5 grams, 25% DV.
- Trans fat: 0 milligrams.
- Cholesterol: 5 milligrams, 2% DV.
- Sodium: 45 milligrams, 2% DV.
- Total carbohydrate: 27 grams, 9% DV.
- Dietary Fiber: 0 grams, 0% DV.
- Sugars: 23 grams.
- Protein: 2 grams.
- Vitamin A: 0% DV.
- Vitamin C: 0% DV.
- Calcium: 4% DV.
- Iron: 0% DV.
Product Rating
I’d rate this product at 85 out of 100. It would have done much better without the hydrogenated oils. But the flavor is top-notch; very chocolaty and moderately sweet.
Where to Buy the Milky Way Simply Caramel Candy Bar
Milky Way bars are sold at most any food or convenience store, big and small, all over the United States and beyond. Look for this candy bar in the black wrapping with the white and yellow letters, and a few purple stripes around the logo.
References
- Milky Way on Facebook
- Milky Way Products Website
- Milky Way Simply Caramel Candy Bars on Amazon.com
- Where to buy Milky Way Simply Caramel Candy Bars
Revision History
- 2015-01-15: Added whitespace, revised content, rearranged tag and category assignments, and adjusted ad placement.
- 2012-09-30: Originally published.