There are two standard axioms for innovation in candymaking: Making it Bigger Makes it Better and Covering it Chocolate Makes it Gourmet. For the most part they’re true.

Albanese Confectionery didn’t invent the gummi bear and didn’t innovate chocolate covered gummis. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t do it well and possibly better than most other confectioners.
The Milk Chocolate Gummi Bears assortment is interesting, first that they’re pretty big. I can’t say for sure, but the bears seem bigger than the standard, but that could be the chocolate coating messing with my ability to gauge their size. The other interesting thing about the assortment are the flavors of the gummis in the center. Albanese has gone with flavors that complement milk chocolate: Orange, Strawberry/Banana, Raspberry, Marshmallow, Strawberry, Apricot.
Of course you’ll never know which you’re getting when you pick one out, kind of a fruity roulette.

Like all of the Albanese gummis, these were soft and flavorful, quite chewy and smooth. The chocolate coating is thin and sweet with a strong milky flavor. (I know that Albanese uses Wilbur Chocolate for their malted milk balls, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this is also Wilbur’s couveture.) The bouncy nature of the gummi goes well with the quick melting chocolate.
Albanese sells their chocolate covered bears for about $6.00 a pound online. Chances are pretty good if you’ve found a candy store that sells individually flavored gummi bears (with an A on their bellies) that also carries chocolate covered bears then you’ve probably seen these. If you’re looking for a chocolate treat that’s not so high in calories, these are a great option. They clock in at only 106 calories per ounce, which is very low for a chocolate coated item. The individual pieces and variations in flavors should make for a lean treat that doesn’t feel like a compromise.
They’re far and away better than the Muddy Bears that come in theater boxes and I prefer them to the Koppers version (but these do have artificial colors in them). Still, the top chocolate covered gummi in my heart are the Japanese Gummy Choco.
Related Candies
- Candy Source: Albanese Candy Factory
- Au’some Easter 3-Dees Gummy
- Big Bite Gummy Bear
- Albanese Gummi Butterflies
- Chocolate Covered Gummi Bears
- Meiji Gummy Choco
- Krunchy Bears
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Comment by
JJ - The Dude on 9/30/11 at 8:36 am #
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Comment by
the candy fan on 9/30/11 at 1:01 pm #
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.These don’t look nearly as good as they taste. One of my favorite snacks. Sadly, I can eat them by the handful & I have the jean size to prove it.
Chocolate covered jelly products are one of my favorite things (BubuLubu… be still, my heart), but the chocolate covered gummy bears I’ve tried in the past haven’t done it for me. Good to know there’s still hope out there.
As a side note, I almost purchased some Muddy Bears last week but decided not to. Glad I dodged the bullet there.
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