Forget Chai Nog; Go For Hershey’S

Planning that holiday party? The Spokesman-Review Reader Food Panel has two suggestions: forget the Chai Nog and load up on the Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Bites.

Leave it to the Oregon Chai people to come up with Chai Nog. Take a holiday spiced (cinnamon and cloves) black tea and mix it with equal parts milk or milk substitute, or so the experiment goes. We project (since projecting results was made so popular by our presidential election) that the experiment is going to fail.

The folks in Oregon are bold enough to label the box “the nog of your dreams.” As far as we’re concerned, it’s more likely to cause nightmares. But those Hershey folks are making the stuff of dreams with their new chocolate cookie bits coated with white chocolate. And they’re just in time for that holiday party. Served in a pretty holiday decorated bowl, these marble-looking treats are a rich, decadent treat.

Oregon Chai Nog

Taste: *

Value: *

Price: $3.79 for 32 ounces (mixed with equal parts milk or milk substitute to make gallon)

Nutrition information per cup serving (before milk): 90 calories, no fat and 15 milligrams sodium.

Comments: “This tastes like some medicine I was forced to drink when I was a child.” - Tina Johnson

“This has a nice holiday aroma, but if you want nice Christmas presents, keep it simmering on the stove. Your guests will enjoy the smell and you won’t subject them to what we went through.” - Skip Hubbard

Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Bites

Taste: ****

Value: ***

Price: $3.29 for 12.5 ounces

Nutrition information per serving (19 pieces): 210 calories; 11 grams fat (47 percent fat calories); less than 5 milligrams cholesterol; 85 milligrams sodium.

Comments: “This would blow a diet real fast, but oh, well. They’re yummy.” - Ella Gordon

“Chewy on the outside, crunchy on the inside, this is good stuff. Too bad I didn’t find any of these on Halloween.” - Mike Connelly