Cadbury Mini Eggs, Dark and Milk Chocolate, reviewed

Cadbury Mini Eggs have long been an Easter staple in my house. I prefer them even to the ever popular Cadbury Creme Eggs, which are nice, but can be a bit too sweet for me with all that gooey fondant in the center.

Mini eggs, if you haven’t had them, are about 3/4-inch high eggs that have pastel-colored matte candy shells over a solid chocolate center. They’re Cadbury products, but the ones available here in the US (excluding Cadbury chocolates that are actually imported and sold here) are made on license by Hershey’s. For years, they have been available in only one flavor:  a very creamy and milky milk chocolate that melts against your tongue the second you bite through that candy shell.

This year, I noticed that there is now a “Royal Dark” dark chocolate version of my Easter favorite! The new Mini Eggs are put together the same way as the milk chocolate ones, but feature darker shells, rather than the very pale pastels of the original candies; the ratio of candy shell to chocolate is the same and the eggs are still the same size. The chocolate inside is very nice – surprisingly dark, with both bitter and fruity notes. It is also quite the contrast to the creamy milk chocolate in the classic and if you put them out in a bowl without giving a little bit of a warning, you might end up with some very surprised tasters on your hands. That said, you can’t go wrong with either variety and I’m definitely keeping a mix of the two out this Easter. And stocking up on an extra bag or two since these are season products available only for a limited time each year.