Dove Blackberry Caramels

Happy Valentine’s Day! I was presented with a large array of chocolates this year. I will be reviewing them over the next month or so. (I’m a stasher.) But one candy I was so curious about that I couldn’t help but tear open the box as soon as it was given to me. My sister and I exchanged our annual Valentine treats first thing in the morning. She was pleased with the Ferrerro Rochers I got her, and I was intrigued by the interesting choice she made for me: blackberry caramels.
Blackberry and caramel don’t appear to be compatible flavors. But the chocolate that enrobed the luscious goo inside was dark, my favorite, and I’m all for the fruit/chocolate combo. I created an informal tasting panel by splitting the package between my sister, father, mother, and I. Each piece was wrapped in purple foil and printed with gold hearts. That, coincidentally, is the color combination that I am planning to wear for promotion at the end of the year. A good omen. And the smell is simply heavenly. I don’t detect even a trace of caramel, but the intermingling of very dark chocolate and berry is a treat for the nasal tract. I scraped off a bit of the chocolate to taste. It was standard dark chocolate, nothing very standout. But once my teeth broke through to the runny filling, I was convinced that this was a standout candy, indeed.
Have I ever had a blackberry candy before? No, I don’t think so. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I’ve eaten an actual blackberry, and once it was in a salad covered in tangy vinagrette. But the flavor was absolutely fabulous, berries and chocolate embracing to create a super-rich indulgence. One bite lasted me for a full hour. I took another bite an hour later, which finished off the little square. One thing that puzzled me, though, was the lack of buttery caramel. The filling was a rich golden color, which tricked you into thinking caramel would overpower blackberry, but the blackberry was so strong that the caramel lent only its texture but no flavor.
These sort of reminded me of those fabulous Harry and David blueberries. But instead of giving me a chewy experience, it was runny. I thought they were fantastic. My mom’s reaction? “Yeah, that’s pretty good.” My sister’s? A buggy-eyed, “Whoa, that’s...!” My dad’s? A vigorous nod and a “Yeah, yeah... yeah...” He likes his candies creamy and cookies goopy and undercooked, (prefers the dough.) so I wouldn’t take it from him. Take it from me, dark chocolate fans. This was absolutely delicious. The berry notes sang along with my heart. The chocolate blended with the fruitiness just right. But I can’t quite bring myself to give them the highest honor, a ten out of ten, so consider this 9 a 9.9999999.
Rating: 9 out of 10