Initially Published in BSN, co-written with Grace Muskovitz, Benjamin Schnirman, and Ariana Wahab
Celebrations is an enduring chocolate tin brand produced by Mars. With Easter today, we decided to gather up 4 of our journalists to rank the chocolates and get confused about the changed names. We averaged our individual ranking to produce this ranked list of Celebrations chocolates, then we had each writer pick two chocolates to write up on.
Image by UrbanImages / Alamy Stock Photo
Bounty (average ranking: 7.5), Ariana (personal rank: 8)
Going into this I was a bit put off from trying Bounty as I heard they were the worst of the bunch, but I was surprised. Upon biting into it my initial reaction wasn’t disgust, instead I was glad they were better than their reputation. The combination of coconut and chocolate is pretty similar to Mounds and Almond Joy so if you enjoy those you’ll definitely like Bounty. Personally it’s not one I would go out of my way to find, however I don’t think it deserves the hate it gets.
Milky Way (average ranking: 6), Grace (personal rank: 8)
When I sink my teeth into the soft flesh of a Three Musketeers bar, even if the name is Milky Way here, I taste a classic American treat. My taste buds scream the roaring twenties, baseball games, and begging my parents for one at CVS after a laborious day of playing under the summer sun. Simply put, a Milky Way is a staple in anyone’s candy repertoire. The thin veil of chocolate surrounds soft nougat. Sounds delicious, right? While Milky Ways undeniably give me a good dopamine hit, there isn’t much going on. Some more texture, layers, or flavors would immensely help a well-loved, yet somewhat bland, treat.
Snickers (average ranking: 5.5), Gabe (personal rank: 5)
Snickers is a classic chocolate amalgamation of nougat, caramel, and nuts. Known for its classic commercials consisting of the tagline, “You’re not you when you’re hungry,” there are no compromises between the Snickers found here and the ones you’re used to in the US. One interesting fact, however, is that it used to be called Marathon in the UK until 1990.
Galaxy Caramel (average ranking: 5.25), by Grace (personal rank: 1)
Galaxy Caramel is what I call a treat. When I bit into the Galaxy Caramel, I was surprised by the runny caramel interior. While the runniness of the caramel has the potential to get a little messy, I found it reminiscent of a Ghirardelli caramel chocolate. I find it a shame that these pseudo-luxury chocolates aren’t readily available to consumers in the U.S., as it has quickly become something I seek out in Tesco when I’m feeling a bit festive.
4. Galaxy (average ranking: 3.75), by Gabe (personal rank: 5)
While in the UK you might have noticed that many well known brands in the US share different names over here. Lays potato chips are called Walkers, and TJ Maxx goes by TK Maxx. Galaxy is yet another one of those odd across the pond rebrands, better known as Dove in the US. Just like its US counterpart, the chocolate is very milky and smooth in both texture and taste. If you are just looking for a nice, classic, milk chocolate bar, then Galaxy should be your go-to. Its UK name is ironic, since nothing about it seems to be out of this world.
3. Mars (average ranking: 3.5), by Ben (personal rank: 1)
Americans get a whole galaxy to describe the combo of nougat, caramel, and chocolate that forms this classic candy bar; Brits just get a planet. The Mars bar (by its US name of Milky Way) is something I used to eat while watching sports on TV with my dad as a kid and I would often get it as Halloween candy. It inspires nostalgia in me, and considering the most controversial texture in it is caramel, it’s a sure hit with the public. It’s so classic that it shares its name with the company that makes these confections.
2. Twix (average ranking: 2.25), by Ariana (personal rank: 1)
Twix has always been my favorite type of chocolate candy. The combination of chocolate, caramel, and cookie is simply perfection in my book. Twix has stood the test of time as they have been around for over 50 years. Biting into a Twix always evokes a sense of nostalgia for me. They were always candy I would request my parents to put out on Halloween. Overall Twix are a staple in my book and they always put me in a good mood.
1. Maltesers (average ranking: 2), by Ben (personal rank: 2)
Malteasers, on the other hand, are a bit unique. They sometimes come shaped like balls in a small bag, but in Celebrations, they’re a proper candy bar, with an airy core that feels almost like crisped rice–but which is actually malted milk. The sweet notes of the chocolate come with undertones of rich barley which comes from the malt. No surprise, then, that while the unique flavor didn’t have the emotional power to be any of our panelists’ favorite, it was everyone’s number 2. Most people can’t go wrong with Maltesers, and that’s why it finished in first place.
