Cybele?reviewed?Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Tahitian Vanilla Caramels about a year ago, which first put them on my radar.?The little bag nearly escaped my notice in the store. It was near the checkout counters in impulse buy territory.
The caramels were beautiful round balls with a captivatingly glossy sheen. That outer coating quickly melted away when I held the caramel in my mouth, but I much preferred to bite into them.
When I bit into it, the outer shell yielded easily with a soft crunch as it splintered, then melted smoothly. The inner caramel was initially soft and then quickly became chewy.
The caramel and chocolate were amazing. The chocolate had a great cocoa depth with a lovely, dusky finish, and the caramel had a smooth butteriness with some light rum notes and a butterscotch finish.
The combination of the two was absolutely stellar, a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts. The sticky caramel mixed well with the smooth chocolate, and the dusky cocoa flavors played off the buttery caramel.
I loved the complexity of this treat – far better than Milk Duds – and can’t wait to pick up another bag. An OMG.
Varsha