I Tried Unreal's Lower-Sugar Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups, and They Taste Better Than Reese's

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These chocolate confections taste better than their name-brand competitors, with up to 51% less added sugar.

Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RDReviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

It’s like clockwork. Every afternoon, between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., I get a hankering for something chocolate—and off to my go-to sweet snack cupboard I go. So when I had the chance to try Unreal brand’s chocolate snacks, I couldn’t resist.

Related: What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Chocolate Every Day

Unreal makes chocolate snacks with up to 51% less added sugar than its competitors. And many of the confections are similar-tasting to name-brand candy.

When the box of goodies arrived, I immediately opened the box, revealing five of the brand’s chocolaty varieties inside—dark chocolate almond butter cups, milk chocolate gems, dark chocolate coconut-covered almonds, dark chocolate almonds and milk chocolate-covered pretzels.

Hmmm … which bag to get into first?

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I’m a dark chocolate kind of girl, so I chose the dark chocolate almond butter cups. I was pleasantly surprised to see that each little cup was individually wrapped. Now for the real test. How did they taste?

When I bit into the cup, I was immediately blown away. The layer of dark chocolate enveloping the velvety, creamy almond butter center was just the right thickness. And I would never have guessed it was made with less added sugar. Each cup has 5 grams of added sugar, which is half the amount of added sugar in a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup (10 grams).

It was so unbelievable that I had to have a second one just to make sure …

Since that one was so good, I also had to try the rest.

While my favorites so far are the dark chocolate almond butter cups and the dark chocolate coconut-covered almonds (I also can't wait to try the dark chocolate-covered coconut bars and the dark chocolate caramel peanut nougat bars), all the flavors deserve a spot in your pantry.

And the Unreal creators, Kris and Nicky Bronner, deserve a round of applause for creating delicious chocolate snacks that taste amazing but don’t leave you with as much of a blood sugar high and impending crash.

Because I have IBS and cannot eat anything with sugar alcohols, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to eat these snacks—or if I did, I’d be running for my Gas-X. Many reduced-sugar or sugar-free products use sugar alcohols for sweetness. My worries were soon alleviated with the little thumbs-up on the package that said, “no sugar alcohols.” (Side note: The nut butter cups and gems do contain a small amount of inulin, a prebiotic fiber, that may cause some GI distress for some. I noticed some bloating from it but it wasn’t too bad for me.)

Related: IBS Diet Plan: What to Include and What to Limit

And if you don’t like the aftertaste of stevia, you’re in luck. They don’t use that either.

They simply use less added sugar.

On top of that, these snacks are gluten-free (including the pretzels), soy-free and non-GMO. Many of the ingredients are organic, fair trade and kosher. Several of the options are also vegan.

Instead of artificial colors, the milk chocolate gems are colored with turmeric, beet juice, spirulina extract and red radish juice. They also leave off the waxy coating that makes other candies smooth and shiny.

Besides all that good stuff and less added sugar, Unreal uses as few ingredients as possible. For example, the dark chocolate-covered coconut bars use three main ingredients (keep in mind that ingredients are listed in order of most to least): organic coconut, organic cassava syrup and dark chocolate (made with chocolate liquor, cane sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla).

Compare that to its name-brand competitor that contains: corn syrup, semisweet chocolate (chocolate, sugar milk fat, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, PGPR, vanillin (artificial flavor)), coconut, sugar, salt, hydrolyzed milk protein, sodium metabisulfite (to maintain freshness).

Oh, and did I mention that the Unreal coconut bar has just 3 grams of added sugar per bar—which is less than half of what’s in a Mounds bar.

Added sugar is something I’ve been watching for a while now, since I do have a sweet tooth for certain goodies. And while I don’t eat much of the top 7 sources of added sugar, I do include that little bit of dark chocolate each day—and sometimes another occasional sweet bite, too.

Being cognizant of added sugar in your diet—without being too restrictive about it—can go a long way toward supporting your health. For example, too much added sugar on a regular basis may weaken your immune system.

And that’s not all. A 2023 review in Nutrients suggests that too much added sugar over time may contribute to the development of obesity, metabolic disorders—including diabetes—heart disease, cancer, depression and cognitive impairment.

The American Heart Association recommends no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams) for men and 6 teaspoons (25 grams) for women of added sugar per day. But with options like Unreal’s goodies, I can have my (lower) sugar fix and eat it too—and not worry as much about going over the recommended daily max.

I love that these goodies are readily available just about anywhere, from large box stores like Target and Walmart to smaller local grocery stores. Or you can order them online and have them shipped straight to your door. They even offer subscriptions on select products (like their dark chocolate almond butter cups) so that you never run out.

Related: 22 Low-Added-Sugar Snacks You'll Want to Pack for Work

Read the original article on Eating Well.