I’m not really into milk chocolate. And by “not really into”, I mean I avoid it like the plague. Too many bad memories of dusty tasting mass-produced stuff stuck into my Halloween sack back in the day. Give me good ol’ dark chocolate, as the gods intended.
But then a few packs of Justin’s showed up, and I decided I’d put aside my prejudices and give them a try. I’m glad I did, because these peanut butter cups are really, really good.
These cups feel like a small-batch confection. This is organic chocolate from a Boulder, CO company with less than fifty employees, so I’m gonna say it is a small(ish)-batch thing. Yeah, there feels like a whole lot of hands-on attention in these puppies. The chocolate is a bit uneven, like someone poured it into a cup and smoothed the top with a spatula.
The peanut butter isn’t as crumbly as mass produced stuff, and it has a slight from-the-jar chew to it. It’s no Reese’s cup, so you’re not gonna get the usual firm snap of commercial chocolate. There’s a chewy, nice mouthfeel as my teeth sunk in. And the peanut butter to chocolate ratio is perfect, neither one overwhelming the other. These are rich – dare I say decadent – cups, incredibly satisfying with just one. So you can share the other one if you want. Or if you’re really doing a self-care treatfest? Go for both.
But the cups are just one part of the treat; there’s fun stuff printed on the paper cup-holder. A “Find nutty words” word-search lets you kick back with your cups (and a latte?) and enjoy some brain teasers with your chocolate break-time.
Justin’s is a company run by a vegetarian, and so these cups are veggie friendly. But not vegan; for that, go with their dark chocolate peanut butter cups (or wait for their almond or cashew butter cups, which are scheduled to debut soon.) These cups are also gluten-free and organic, so your foodie friends will be suitably impressed if they see you noshing on these.
The combination of smooth milk chocolate and that gritty, chewy, substantial peanut butter makes me reconsider my ennui over milk chocolate in general. Okay, maybe I’ll just make an exception for these cups. No sense going crazy.
