Categories: Shopping & Fashion

Coconut M&Ms; Are a Nice Change of Pace

M&Ms; are one of America’s favorite candies and for good reason. Who doesn’t love a chocolate candy that won’t melt and make a mess? As a mother, I appreciated those little candy-coated discs when my children were small. No mess and no fuss was right up my alley.

For years M&Ms; kept their formula pure; milk chocolate center surrounded by a brightly colored shell. It was a work of art so they figured why change it?

Over the years; however, Americans became more varied in their tastes. They wanted to branch out and try new things. When M&Ms; didn’t keep up with the times, their sales suffered, albeit only by a fraction compared to some of their other competitors.

Still Mars Candy decided it was time to get inventive. Since M&M; peanuts were popular, they decided to try M&M; with almonds. Next, the milk chocolate center was replaced by dark chocolate. That appealed to those who were switching to dark for health reasons.

M&Ms; minis quickly became popular with small children as well as bakers. M&Ms; with peanut butter announced, “move over Reese’s Pieces, there’s a new sheriff in town.” It is hard to beat the best.

Customized M&Ms; let people produce their candy in the colors they wanted along with a printed message. Now that has been expanded further. They can even add their, or someone else’s, face on the candy as well.

Pretzel M&Ms; mixed two American favorites into one candy. The same will be done shortly with the launching of MMs Thrill Mints. M&Ms; will also be re-bagged to mix multiple flavors in one place at one time.

Perhaps one of the most inventive M&Ms; today; however, is the new Coconut M&Ms.; Gone is the old candy coating in favor of one that is coconut flavored. That mixes with the delicious milk chocolate as the candy melts in the mouth.

I purchased Coconut M&Ms; for my daughter who likes all things coconut. However, I tried them myself and found that I like them too. They provide a nice change of pace.

There are unfortunately significantly more calories in Coconut M&Ms; 210 versus the 150 or so found in other M&M; options. A serving constitutes one 1.50-oz package. Of the calories inside, 80 of them are fat related.

There are 9 grams of fat included in these M&Ms; compared to the 5 grams found in some of the others. Of that, all of it is saturated fat. Coconut M&Ms; contain no trans fat.

Additionally, there are 30 grams of carbohydrates. That is about 5 grams more than some of the other M&M; choices. There are also 26 grams of sugar, which is one of the highest amounts in the M&M; line.

To the positive, there are only 5 milligrams of cholesterol and 30 milligrams of sodium. Therefore, individuals who are watching their cholesterol and sodium intake may find this candy acceptable.

Additionally, coconut M&Ms; contain 2 grams of protein and 1 gram of fiber. They also provide 4% of the recommended daily amount of calcium and 2% of the needed iron.

Ingredients include, but are not limited to chocolate, cocoa butter, corn starch, corn syrup, lactose, milk fat, skim milk, salt, soy lecithin, sugar. They also contain artificial colors and flavors, dextrin and gum acacia.

Coconut M&Ms; can be found in select locations. Not every retailer that typically carries M&Ms; are carrying this flavor. However, they should be available through some candy outlets, grocery stores, drug stores and discount department stores.

Here is my summary review:

Taste: 4 stars. The milk chocolate is as good as ever but the coconut tastes artificial. Still, overall, this isn’t a bad candy choice.

Freshness: 5 stars. Unless these little candies are mashed or melted, they usually remain fresh and until their expiration date, which is printed on every bag.

Variety: 5 stars. If Coconut M&Ms; don’t appeal to you, there are lots of other flavors to choose from. These include, but are not necessarily limited to: almond, dark chocolate, dark chocolate peanut, milk chocolate, milk chocolate peanut, minis, mint, peanut butter and pretzel.

Nutrition: 3 stars. As a rule, candy is not good for you. However, M&Ms; are better than some other options because they can be easily rationed.

Green value: 5 stars. The packaging is biodegradable.

Packaging: 5 stars. Coconut M&Ms; come in a white package with brown, green and red trim. Miss Green is the spokes candy for this flavor and she is highlighted on the front of the bag along with a coconut tree. The candies themselves are limited to white, brown and green to match the outside package.

Ease of storage: 5 stars. The package is small at approximately 6″ by 3″. It should fit it a pocket, handbag or anywhere else you might want to put it.

Availability: 5 stars. M&Ms; are widely distributed, but not everyone is carrying Coconut M&Ms.; You will probably have to do some legwork to locate this new flavor.