This Store-Bought White Chocolate Bar Will Never Be In Our Shopping Carts

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White chocolate is already divisive. Made from cocoa butter and no cocoa solids, the FDA even ruled out white chocolate as real chocolate at one point. In fact, if you clicked on this story, it's likely because you're wondering how an already bad thing could possibly get any worse. However, if you are the rare white chocolate enthusiast, we're here to tell you that unfortunately, it really can. When Chowhound shouldered the burden of taste testing and ranking 15 store-bought white chocolate brands, we did so with trepidation. 

Sweet and creamy with a flavor profile all its own, the best white chocolate, Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme XL Candy Bar, is balanced by crunchy, slightly more bitter chocolate cookie pieces. The lowest-ranked option, 7th Heaven White and Cookies, aimed for the same result with disappointing inaccuracy. While its packaging markets it as "unbelievably dairy-free," our taste testers disagreed with that claim strongly. Although oat milk mixed with white cacao and crunchy chocolate cookies sounds pretty good, our reviewers found this white chocolate bar to taste pretty bad. 

If you have been dairy-free and/or vegan all your life and have never had the pleasure of tasting Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme chocolate bar, it is possible you might like 7th Heaven's take on white chocolate. Otherwise, if you prefer a dairy-free option these days, opt for one of many other dairy-free and vegan chocolate bars instead of this chilling confection.

Concerns aside, there's a lot to love about 7th Heaven as a brand. The company's ingredients, like fair trade cacao, are ethically sourced and all its products are cruelty-free, 100% vegan, non-GMO, and kosher. Plus, if you branch out beyond white chocolate, there are a lot of highly reviewed products to try, like 7th Heaven's peanut butter cups or caramel and sea salt chocolate bar. Our suggestion? Lean into 7th Heaven's unexpected flavors, especially the more savory items like pistachio and halva or salty mixed nuts. A saltier chocolate product with a surprising savory flavor is so unique you won't miss (or question) the absence of that nostalgic dairy-rich taste.

If you're tempted to try the 7th Heaven White and Cookies bar, we'd recommend breaking it up and sprinkling it over some non-dairy ice cream (like dark chocolate or coffee), or snacking on it alongside an oat milk latte. Or, even better, try incorporating the chopped white chocolate into a saltier snack mix with pretzels and peanuts. You might still regret putting this particular white chocolate bar in your cart, but probably less so.