3.18.2012

Sarris Candy: The Best in PA

Husband and I love sweets. We especially love chocolates. When we discovered that Pittsburgh had it's own candy-making company, specializing in chocolate, we went a little crazy buying treats to try. All in all, we probably purchased upwards of $60 of chocolate products to savor.
Sarris Candies is located in Canonsburgh, PA, just southwest of Pittsburgh. People I know who live in the South Hills or Mt. Lebanon {pronounced "Leb-a-none"} make monthly trips  to the factory to stock up. It would be a dangerous situation for me, as both Husband and I loved many of Sarris' offerings.

Near Valentines Day, we purchased then ate an entire box of assorted chocolates from Sarris {Pronounced "Sarah's"}. Some may think this is excessive, but I think it was just research. {In the name of SCIENCE!}
 The review of this box is as follows:


 We first selected the golden coin. It was shiny, and we are indeed magpies.
 It was solid milk chocolate, with a creamy, rich flavor. 
 Next came the chocolate-covered cashews, which were super fresh. The nut still had it's essential oiliness, which can sometimes disappear as it's sitting in it's chocolate shell. Good quality!
 Peanut butter treats are my favorites, and I am in LOVE with chocolate and peanut butter combinations. {I have a theory that my mom ate Reese's Peanut butter Cups while she was pregnant with me!} Sarris has a truffle-like chocolate that they call a Peanut Butter Meltaway. I bit into it, and it wasn't as creamy as I would have hoped. I expected to melt away, for crying out loud. It tasted good, but the consistency wasn't there for me.
It's nice that they label it, though. Mystery chocolates are a bit scary!
Husband ate and enjoyed the Jordan Almond. Good for him. {I'm not a fan. Too many at weddings when I was a kid.} 
 The next few chocolates were mostly the same on the outside {oblong with criss-crossing drizzle}, so I'll spare you the photo space, and just show one.
 The treats inside ranged from walnuts,
 to almondy chocolate nougat, 
 to strawberry creme {!}, 
 to coconut {!},
 to lemon creme {!}, 
 to chewy caramel, 
 to toffee, 
 to chocolate-brownie-like gooeyness.
 There was also a Chocolate Meltaway, which had the same issue as the peanut butter one. It wasn't very melty. 
 See?
 Solid. But the flavor was there!
Then, we moved on to the foiled round one. 
 It was also a chocolate, but more truffle-like. 
 Solid as well. 
 Finally, I saved the best for last {or what I thought would be the best.} The Cherry Cordial.
 So pretty!
 It was gooey, and the cherry was delightfully crunchy. {I hope that doesn't sound weird, but if you eat a lot of cherry cordials, you'll know that was a compliment. No one wants a mushy cherry.} I also was hit with a liquor liquid, and immediately was thrown back. I loved that this chocolate cordial actually tasted a but like a cordial. Great job, Sarris!
 The aftermath:
 Then, to cover my bases, I did a little research on the other large PA chocolate maker, Asher's. They claim they're the "Official Chocolate for Everyday Life," while Sarris is the "World's Best Chocolates." Seems a bit different, huh?
I purchased a peanut butter Easter egg from each of these, and found vast differences. {Sorry for the absence of the Sarris egg!}
Asher's Packaging, versus the silver and white motif of Sarris' egg.
Asher's egg. 
Sarris' egg was 30% bigger, the peanut butter was MUCH creamier, and the shell was easier to break into.  The Sarris egg beat the Asher's egg by a mile. The price was similar.

{Overall}
Sarris Candies are great, but be warned - they mostly deal in milk chocolate, so if you prefer dark or white chocolates, they might not be the candy maker for you. Their variety of products is excellent, and I love the holiday peanut butter offerings and the regular creme chocolates inside assortments. I hope to take visitors to see the factory, and stock up myself!

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2 comments:

  1. Yet ANOTHER faboo place that would be perfect to take your parents to visit!!!! What gorgeous candy and no doubt, totally yummy.
    Love,
    MO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds like a plan! I was hoping you'd want to make time to visit the factory...we'll be the ones popping tons of chocolates in our mouths!

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