Panda Express released limited-edition chocolate bars to celebrate National Comfort Food Day on December 5. Panda Express partnered with Compartés (a luxury chocolate brand) to release a one-of-a-kind collection of chocolate bars inspired by the Panda Express dishes.
They released 4 flavors total consisting of The Original Orange Bar, Honey Walnut Bar, Fortune Cookie Bar, and Kung Pao Bar. The Original Orange Bar is a blend of orange bits and a hint of red chili flakes for a sweet-heat kick in a milk chocolate base with crispy rice for a crunch. The Honey Walnut Bar is a bar with sweet-candied walnuts layered with crisp honeycomb and a touch of honey in the white chocolate base. The Fortune Cookie Bar is a bar with crushed Panda Express fortune cookies folded into creamy white chocolate with a special fortune inside. And finally, the Kung Pao Bar is a mix of Panda Express’ dried chili peppers, crunchy peanut bites, and flaky salt balanced in dark chocolate. The bars individually are each $11.95 and $49.95 for a gift box set of all four.
Although I wasn’t able to purchase all four flavors, I did decide to purchase and try the Fortune Cookie White Chocolate bar. As someone who doesn’t enjoy the taste of chocolate as a snack, I do enjoy munching on white chocolate over milk or dark chocolate.
At first I was very reluctant to tasting any of the bars. They all sounded very odd when it came to the flavors, however, their packaging was very nice and appealing. The shape of the bar was also more luxurious looking and not just a classic cheap chocolate bar you could find in a store. They were shaped not too thick or thin, and the patterns on the bar made it look more appetizing.
The bar was packed with crunchy chunks of real Panda Express fortune cookies. It covers the entirety of the white chocolate flavor. I didn’t think it was delicious, however, I didn’t think it was awful either. I quite enjoy white chocolate, but the fortune cookie bits threw me off just a little. The crunch made it more enjoyable to eat though. I don’t think I would purchase it again (it may also be because I don’t normally enjoy chocolate usually), however I did think it was a good experience in trying because these types of releases don’t happen often. While social media tends to enjoy this specific bar a lot, I would give it a 7/10 overall.
