If you’ve never had Roca before it has a hard, crunchy, sweet, buttery toffee center with small pieces of nuts that’s coated in a sweet, smooth milk chocolate. Brown & Haley, the company behind Almond Roca, has been making Roca since 1928, and it has become a popular treat during the holiday season. With a balance of nutty, sweet, and chocolaty flavors, it seems like the ultimate indulgence. However, despite its popularity, I’m not a fan, and here’s why.
Location in Store
This is located in the Christmas/seasonal aisle at Costco, near products like the David’s Butter Pecan Meltaways, the Kelsen Danish Butter Cookies and the Rondoletti Rolled Wafers. The item number is 1827906.
Taste
Buttercrunch Toffee Almond Roca – The toffee center is extremely hard, so it’s tough to bite into. The toffee has kind of a burnt flavor. The toffee is the main thing that you taste.
There are almond fragments on the outside, but they add more texture than flavor. The Buttercrunch Toffee Almond Roca are okay, but I don’t think the toffee and almond combination is great. 6/10
Buttercrunch Toffee Macadamia Roca – Again, the toffee center is very hard. The toffee tastes slightly burnt (in a good way), but more buttery.
It actually reminds me a bit of a Skor bar. I can’t say I really tasted macadamia nuts, but I liked the Buttercrunch Toffee Macadamia Roca better. 7.5/10
Cost
The 793 gram package costs $19.99 Canadian which includes one big bag of individually wrapped Roca. This isn’t cheap but I recognize that I’m paying for the fact these have almonds and macadamia nuts in them which aren’t cheap.
Convenience
The expiry date is about 15 months from when I purchased them and I recommend keeping them in a cool, dry place so they don’t melt. I like that the Roca is individually wrapped because it makes them easier to share with others!
I can’t say I love harder toffee chocolates like this but I know a lot of people do so if you know someone that loves really hard, toffee chocolates, these would make a good gift!
Nutrition
Calories
Three pieces of Almond Roca contain 200 calories, 14 grams of fat, six grams of saturated fat, 18 grams of carbohydrates, one gram of fibre, 16 grams of sugar, two grams of protein and 50 milligrams of sodium.
Three pieces of the Macadamia Roca contains 200 calories, 14 grams of fat, eight grams of saturated fat, 20 grams of carbohydrates, zero grams of fibre, 19 grams of sugar, half a gram of protein and 60 milligrams of sodium.
Ingredients
The ingredients list is pretty long with unhealthy ingredients list sugar, palm oil and palm kernel oil. If you’re gluten-free be aware that these contain soy. They also contain milk, macadamia nuts and almonds. They may contain peanuts and other tree nuts.
Scoring
Taste: The Almond Roca is a 6/10 and the Macadamia Roca is a 7.5/10
Cost: 6.5/10
Convenience: 10/10
Nutrition: 0/10
Overall
Give it a try if you know you like Roca!
I wouldn’t buy these again, they’re too hard for my liking and I just feel like there are so many better options out there!
Have you tried the Costco Brown & Haley Roca Collection Buttercrunch Toffee Assortment? What did you think of them?
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
I think I need to come to the defence of Almond Roca. 🙂 Not everyone wants straight chocolate, and I am one. It has been around a long time, and a childhood memory. I love it and bought a bag when it was on sale. Just a note that it is “butterCRUNCH toffee.” It’s not like biting into a hard Werthers–whatever they do with it, the toffee “crinkles” (can’t think of a better word!) as you bite into it. That, and the nuts, are what I love about AR. A different taste sensation!
The chocolate coating on the outside has gone down in quality (much like others–yes, I am talking about you, Moritz Icy Squares) but the stars are that “burnt butter” yummy taste, and that flaky caramel with nuts. It is as it has always been. Another plus is there are tons in the bag (I know, I’ve been working my way through it!!!), and they are individually wrapped. If you put them out for guests, it is something that will probably bring back a memory, and they will be drawn to it.
It doesn’t deserve to be called crap. 🙂
Happy Holidays!
Ok, fair enough 😁. Ya can’t argue with happy memories! 👍
Quite frankly, I think Roca is crappy chocolate. I haven’t tried these but their other chocolates imo are a waste of calories. If I’m going to indulge in high fats and sugars, it’s gotta be Belgian chocolate for sure 😋.
Cheers & Merry Christmas 🎄