9 Hershey's Dark Chocolate Candies, Ranked Worst To Best

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How do you like to Hershey's? Perhaps with a simple and sweet milk chocolate bar — the perfect companion for a by-the-fire s'more. Maybe you prefer a classic member of the Hershey's family like a Reese's. Or perhaps you're the type to keep an assorted bowl of Hershey's Kisses on the counter in case of chocolate emergencies. There's really no right or wrong way to do it. The beauty of the Hershey's brand is that it comes in enough varieties to satisfy all kinds of chocolate lovers. And that variety, of course, includes a stout collection of dark chocolate confections.

The dark chocolate options range from standard bars and truffles to chocolates paired with nuts, coconut, mint, and even fruit flavors. Some carry the Hershey's name while others fall under its umbrella of acquired brands. They all bring something different to snack time, which is why I sampled a variety of its dark chocolate products to see which ones I like the best. 

I was looking for the rich decadence I'd expect from a dark chocolate product, as well as a smooth consistency, bold cocoa flavor, and add-ins that worked in harmony with the chocolate. Here are my final rankings from my least to my most favorite. And don't worry; a little bitterness is just part of the dark chocolate experience.

Although Hershey's does not own Cadbury outright, the Hershey Company has owned the rights to manufacture and sell Cadbury products in the U.S. since 1988. Outside of the States, Mondelēz is responsible for Cadbury production, so international versions of the chocolate may look and taste a bit different.

I'm not sure what the Royal Dark Chocolate Bar tastes like in other countries. But when it comes to the U.S. version, I'm not overly impressed. It's said to be a "darker twist on classic Cadbury bars" and is touted as being indulgent and semi-sweet. I'd say that's all true, but what I was hung up on most was the texture. The bar is extremely thick — at least twice as thick as a classic Hershey's bar. It was hard to bite into. Once I was able to, I found it was crumbly and took a couple seconds to melt on my tongue and reach a more manageable consistency. I also picked up on a coconut oil taste hiding underneath the bittersweet chocolate. Perhaps it was just the tropical notes from the cocoa butter, but it was still enough to take away from some of the more sophisticated richness.

Needless to say, it didn't wind up as a favorite of mine. I think I'll be sticking to the brand's Dairy Milk bars and Creme Eggs in the future — even if the eggs don't taste quite the same as they used to.

Mounds represents the union of dark chocolate and coconut in its most classic form. The formula has  remained the same since the candy bar's inception in 1919, and didn't even change when it was bought by Hershey's in 1988.

I know it's more of a polarizing pick. Some people really can't stand the taste and shredded texture of the coconut, but I've always been a fan of the two-part confection. There's something satisfying about the combination of sweet, chewy coconut paste enrobed in chocolate. It's a little tropical treat with a flavor profile that's distinctly different from most other candy bars. Better yet, it feels more balanced and has a better texture than the Cadbury Royal Dark bar.

The reason Mounds doesn't make it far in this particular taste test, however, is because the dark chocolate component doesn't feel particularly prominent or high-quality. It's a very thin layer around the inside and it doesn't offer a bold dark chocolate experience, despite the addition of real cocoa. A nostalgic and sugary taste only gets it so far. If you're on the hunt for the best Hershey's dark chocolate, know that there are better options out there.

These days, Reese's signature combination of peanut butter and chocolate comes in just about every form imaginable. There's Thins, Jumbos, Pieces, and even Plant-Based options. Plus, classic cups are being filled with Oreos, marshmallows, strawberry jelly filling, caramel — the list goes on and on. So, it should come as no surprise that the brand has also gone dark and made its mini cups with dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. 

Dark chocolate paired with a peanut butter filling should feel so right. But it feels just a bit wrong in this specific scenario. On the one hand, it's a touch more indulgent and less sweet than the OG Reese's cups. On the other, I find it to be a bit drier and missing that smooth, melt-in-your-mouth quality that makes the milk chocolate version so iconic. So while I'd still gladly take a few dark cups over a Mounds or Cadbury bar, I can't say they're my absolute favorite.

Perhaps I should try the Dark Chocolate Thins instead. In Tasting Table's own Reese's taste test, the Thins were crowned the winner, and other customers agree that they're elite. Maybe that's the way to go for a better balance of richness.

These Brookside chocolates had customers in a chokehold throughout the 2010s. They combine dark chocolate with a fruity center to create a lighter snack that could still satisfy a sweet craving. I'm not afraid to admit I was one of the many fans who couldn't get enough of them back then, and I still enjoy them today. They're just not my end-all-be-all when it comes to dark chocolate.

The outside of each little chocolate ball is shiny like a hard shell, but it easily gives way to a layer of cocoa-forward chocolate that surrounds a chewy fruit filling. This particular flavor combines blueberry and açaí for a very tart profile. They feel like an elevated snack and their small, poppable size somehow makes them even more enticing. Plus, açaí adds a trendy, health-conscious appeal, even though the blueberry flavor is far more noticeable.

Really, my only complaint has to do with the ingredients. It has a lot of them — especially for something that's supposed to be (and is priced as) a more premium product. Things like corn syrup and canola oil make the cut, as well as a laundry list of fruit concentrates that go well beyond just blueberries and açaí. It would be nice to have a fruit filling that was more pure.

The two core Brookside flavors are very similar (the brand also makes Morello Cherry and Goji & Raspberry varieties, but they're not as easy to find). If I poured the Açaí & Blueberry and Pomegranate chocolates into the same bowl, I'm not sure I'd be able to tell them apart. But when sampled individually, I found myself gravitating slightly more toward the pomegranate variety.

It has that same waxy yet pleasantly bittersweet dark chocolate coating. The texture of the fruit filling is also comparable and pliable enough to remind me of fruit snacks. Even many of the ingredients are the same (though the pomegranate variety contains slightly fewer fruit juice concentrates). Where the pomegranate chocolates pull ahead is in the fruit flavor itself. It tastes a bit more true to the fruit, with a slightly sweeter profile and a more subdued sourness than the Açaí & Blueberry. The dark chocolate coating transforms it into a more sophisticated treat that would feel right at home next to a glass of bold red wine.

Special Dark is Hershey's flagship dark chocolate bar. In a Hershey's world typically defined by milk chocolate confections, it immediately stands out. Tack on the fact that it has the word "special" on the wrapper and it's clear that its reputation precedes it.

It's made up of a fairly simple list of ingredients including cocoa, cocoa butter, chocolate, sugar, and milk fat. But if you look a little bit closer, you'll also see that it contains just 45% cocoa. This is considerably lower than other dark chocolate bars on the market, and that's exactly why I would call it a great gateway dark chocolate. It doesn't come with a strong enough cocoa flavor to offend sensitive taste buds. It's also snappy and still manages to maintain some of that recognizable Hershey's taste, just repackaged in a slightly richer format. So, even if die-hard dark chocolate lovers can't have their sky-high cocoa percentage, everyone can still appreciate the smooth consistency and mild sweetness this bar promises.

It may seem a bit odd to place a York Peppermint Patty so high above the Mounds Bar. The two classics follow a very similar idea: dark chocolate with a sweet filling. The chocolate is some combination of cocoa, sugar, and corn syrup, and like the coconut in the Mounds, the mint in the York is also somewhat of a polarizing flavor. Plus, both date back for decades. The Patty first surfaced in 1940 and similarly joined the Hershey's clan in 1988.

However, despite the parallel, I stand by York Peppermint Patties being the better pick — and one that's more interesting than a plain chocolate bar. It's success has to do with the ratio of chocolate to creamy peppermint inside. It's formed into a thin circle and is both fresh and minty. But you're still getting all those benefits of mildly bitter dark chocolate. It's one of those candies that simply wouldn't be the same if you swapped the dark chocolate for milk chocolate, and that's where it  surpasses Mounds. I don't think that change would have mattered in the coconut-based confection. It's still not the best of the best when it comes to dark chocolate, but its flavor balance and nostalgia are to be respected.

If you took one singular rectangle from a Hershey's bar (what's known as a pip, according to the brand) and puffed it up, it would be roughly the same size and shape as a Hershey's Nugget. These bite-sized and individually wrapped treats are an adorable and come in a range of flavors with various fillings. I picked out two dark chocolate options to try from the lineup, including Special Dark with Almonds, and I wasn't disappointed.

Essentially, the nuggets contain the same exact chocolate as the Special Dark bar. So you still have about 45% cocoa and a mellow, dark chocolate taste. But here it's thicker, so you get a more concentrated flavor right away. And, of course, the pièce de résistance is the almonds. If you combine any kind of chocolate with nuts, I'm immediately on board. It's that subtle, creamy crunch that kept me coming back for another Nugget. I wish there had been more almonds tucked into each piece. Each one I tried only had two or three small almond shards hiding in the chocolate, but I wanted every single square inch to be studded with nuts.

Just the word "truffles" alone elicits thoughts of decadence and luxury — whether you're talking about the chocolate dessert or the rare fungi. In the chocolate's case, you think of a rich treat with an incredibly soft center. The Swiss chocolatier Lindt has long set the standard in this category. But Hershey's has cooked up a surprisingly indulgent truffle experience of its own.

The Dark Chocolate Truffle Nuggets are just what you would expect. The outside appears thick and carries a similar smooth and lightly sweet flavor as the brand's Special Dark products. It also offers about the same percentage of cocoa. But as soon as you bite into one, you're met with that creamy chocolate mixture at the core. I like the contrast of textures. It helps the Nuggets stand out even though they're just chocolate. Something about the flavor also reminded me of Hershey's Kisses, which was a nice nostalgic touch.

They may not be the most extravagant or high-end truffles I've ever had. But for a store-bought product, they're solid and are one of Hershey's best dark chocolate offerings.

The first thing I did for this article was to take an inventory of Hershey's chocolate offerings, including Hershey's-owned brands. I found that there are a surprisingly large number of dark chocolate products. That number was somewhat limited by which candies were actually available at stores in my Columbus, Ohio, area, but I still wound up with a decent array of products to sample.

Above all else, I was looking for chocolate treats that truly put the focus on the chocolate. I wanted that rich, slightly bitter flavor to stand out among the other ingredients and distinguish it from a standard milk chocolate. I also considered the other ingredients and textures. Add-ins like nuts, mint, coconut, or fruit should complement the bold chocolate flavor rather than competing with it.