Go Max, Go!

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by Hannah (BitterSweet)

Coming to the end of yet another grocery shopping mission, having avoided temptation for the most part, the final destination is still fraught with danger. It’s those darned impulse buys so cleverly lined up by the check-out line, inviting you to add just one tiny sweet something to the tally. Yes, I’m definitely an impulse buyer when the mood strikes, so those offerings in and of themselves wouldn’t be so frustrating, if it weren’t for the content. Often lacking in proper labels, or full of unsavory ingredients, these temptations are merely eye-candy at best. Vegan candy bars are still incredibly hard to come by, and they usually turn out to be nothing more than glorified granola bars; Delicious, but a far cry from the decadent chocolate, caramel, and nougat treats available to the rest of the population.

Finally, there is a solution! Go Max Go, a vegan-owned and operated business, has developed a line of four candy bars that are impressive by any standards. By sourcing high-quality ingredients, there’s no trans-fats or HFCS to worry about, so there’s less to feel guilty about when you indulge. Imitating the familiar flavor combinations that certain nation-wide brands have made popular, these bars will satisfy your craving for nostalgia, and a sweet treat.

If a Snickers bar sounds like the peanuty indulgence you desire, grab a Jokerz instead. Composed of “caramel, peanuts, nougat, rice-milk chocolatey coating,” this bar is truly no joke. Packed full of chewy, sticky caramel sprinkled with ample amounts of fresh-tasting peanuts, one bite is an intense taste sensation. A good hit of salt brings out the high notes in those crunchy nuts and rounds out the whole flavor profile. The chocolate coating definitely keeps the sweetness in check and provides an appealing exterior, but it’s definitely not the focus here.

One of my childhood favorites was the Milky Way, and it was always the first to be eaten out of my Halloween stash every year. Now, I can indulge in the Twilight, which boasts “caramel, chocolatey nougat, rice-milk chocolatey coating” all under one wrapper. The dense, chewy, almost creamy nougat is very sweet, but still possess a good chocolate flavor. Coated in smooth, milky chocolate, this outer layer a more prominent role, and is sure to please chocolate lovers all around. Married harmoniously with the deep, burnt sugar notes of the caramel, it’s one incredibly satisfying snack.

“Some times you feel like a nut…” and at those times, don’t reach for an Almond Joy; Grab a Mahalo bar! “Coconut, almonds, rice-milk chocolatey coating” lends a tropical taste to this candy. Three solitary almonds line the top, and although that appeared to be a scant offering at first, they proved to be just enough to add delightful crunch to the whole concoction, and were perfectly fresh in flavor. The body was a firm piece of shredded coconut, reminding me somewhat of coconut-packed marzipan. A light shell of creamy chocolate perfectly compliments the interior without overshadowing any of the other components.

Finally, for those who want a more straightforward and simple chocolate treat, the Buccaneer is guaranteed to please. Simply made of “chocolatey nougat, rice-milk chocolatey coating” the 3 Musketeers impostor is the plainest of the pack. Somewhat top-heavy on the chocolate coating, the thick exterior gives way to an intensely sweet and chocolatey nougat. Absolutely delicious, but akin to taking straight frosting shots, this bar is for the serious sweet tooth only!

Easily addictive, each bar is absolutely spot-on for the candies that they’re “imitating,” although I would be tempted to say they’ve all surpassed the originals in just about every respect. If we could only get these babies into grocery store check-out lines, then boy, would I ever be in trouble- They’re pretty much impossible to resist!

[Written for Go Dairy Free]

42 thoughts on “Go Max, Go!”

  1. Thanks for this post! I miss Snickers sooooo much but refuse to eat the high fructose corn syrup. I am going to have to look for these!

  2. Oh my. Hannah, you are the best! I’ve made vegan snickers bars before, but it’s a huge ordeal because I had to make the caramel and the nougat (and for that, I had to make the sweetened condensed ‘milk’), and they came out waaaaay too sweet. So happy that these will be at my local markets soon! Thanks so much for posting about them. :)

  7. Super info as I’m going to London soon and I’ll go rob the radius at Whole Foods Market:)

  8. These sound so good! Snickers was always my favorite and hope to find these sometime soon.

  9. Candy bars are the last thing I need, but the milky way and almond joy look-alikes? Oh, man. My tummy’s growling.

  11. I heard about these recently…they sound delicious, but I was never a big chocolate candy bar person. Come up with a vegan version of PayDays and I’m your girl. My husband is (was?) a Snicker’s fiend, he would love to try the first one, I’m sure.

  12. I had found these a few weeks ago on my favorite veg site and had to order one of each to taste. Oh man! I was instantly hooked!! The last vegan frontier has been breech for me … a highly decadent candy bar, just like the good ol’ days (minus the bad ol’ stuff). :D

  16. Those look crazy crazy good! Next they should make vegan Butterfingers and Watchamacallits – those were always my two favorite candy bars.

  18. Awesome rundown on vegan candy bars! Never even heard of any of them before, they sure do look good though! I’m off to hunt them down, thanks!

  20. Amazing products! Looks really good to me! Thanks for sharing! I am always excited to be introduced to new products.
    I am absolutely an impulse buyer too- especially if I am hungry (I know- never go to the grocery store hungry haha).

    Have a great day!

  21. oh god, these candies will be the death of me. Before being vegan, I ate so much candy, and I’ve long felt that being vegan saved me from myself. Now this?! Mmmm, I can’t wait to try them!

  23. Oh, I’m always tempted by the candy by the checkout… these bars sound delicious. I wonder if I can find them for sale anywhere around DC…

  24. I ordered all four types of these and they were pretty good – I thought they were all pretty similar – and could tell there was rice milk in the chocolate (tastes rice-y) but am about to order a bunch more! I love caramel – yums!

  25. I’ll have to check those out. They sound delicious.

    I’m an impulse buyer, but mostly magazines. It’s very hard for me to resist buying them even though I already subscribe to a bunch.

  27. I always loved candy bars. I tried all but the Buccaneer and they were awesome! Now if I only knew of a place around here to get a hold of some (mine came in the mail and it’s too hot now!)

  28. These bars are indeed a great alternative to Snickers and other junks but let’s remain careful.
    Each bar is still about 250 calories, has A LOT of trans fat and sugar. Plus, corn syrup and beet sugar are genetically modified.
    So they may be way better than Mars bars, they are still far from impressive and super healthy.
    Does it really make sense to have such a far from healthy vegan product? To me, it’s paradoxical.
    It’s a great vegan snack once in awhile…

  31. Yep, that jokerz does look delicious! I would have gone for the bucanneer but I do not like extremely sweet stuff.

  32. I keep hearing about these candy bars and I really wanna try them for myself!! Mmm…your pictures are making me crave chocolate!!

  33. I could so go for a vegan snickers bar right about now. I’m on my way over to their website as we speak. Thanks Hannah!

  38. I simply must stay away from these at all costs! I miss Snickers like mad, so putting me in the same room as these would be a bad idea, I think. At least for my weight loss efforts!

  39. i was SO excited when i saw these for sale recently, but i have to say i was a little disappointed. granted, i only tried the Jokerz bar, but i found it WAY too sweet. there were very few peanuts to balance it out (like 5 in the whole bar.) i actually had to cut it into slices and put some peanut butter on it! haha. it’s nice in theory, but i think they need to tweak these a bit. i may try the coconut one in the future, but otherwise i won’t buy them again.

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