Chocorooms

I still remember the exact moment I first saw Chocorooms. It was at the now defunct Borders Books and Music store in Highland, Indiana. (It's a BAM! now.) There was a box directly from Japan in bright, lime green with childish pictures of a sun in the background.

A week later, the Meiji America boxes came in, and I had a little extra cash on me, so i bought a box and decided to try some while watching Dragonball Z.

........ And I can't understand how I lived without them that long.

Chocorooms are tiny, lightly sweetened, hard crackers with a thick, dark chocolate coating. The chocolate is smooth and not very sweet, which plays well with the texture of the cracker underneath. It's designed to look like skinny mushrooms, which have earned it a less than savory reputation for those into drug paraphernalia. 

You may be wondering why there is a Tyke rating for this snack. Who gives parental ratings to snacks, anyways, right? Well the reason I did this is because Chocorooms are small and oblong, and are at the width where they pose a choking hazard to Tots ages 0-4. But they make a perfect after-school snack for the kindergarten+ crowd.

A serving size is supposed to be 38 grams or one fourth of a 5 ounce bag. Each serving will set you back an unbelievable 210 calories, but considering that it's still way less than a candy bar, this makes Chocorooms a great snack for dieters. Chocorooms are sold in the United States in small boxes and tiny, re-seal-able pouches, while the Japanese version comes in little, colorful boxes. Here are the ingredients, as posted by the official website:

SUGAR, WHEAT FLOUR, COCOA MASS, VEGETABLE OILS (PALM, SUNFLOWER, SHEA, ILLIPE, CANOLA, SAL), WHOLE MILK POWDER, COCOA BUTTER, LACTOSE, SHORTENING (PALM), CONDENSED MILK POWDER, NONFAT DRY MILK, EMULSIFIERS (SOY LECITHIN, GLYCERIN FATTY ACID ESTER, SUCROSE FATTY ACID ESTER), HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CREAM POWDER, LEAVENINGS (SODIUM BICARBONATE, AMMONIUM ACID CARBONATE), MALT EXTRACT, YEAST, SALT, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS.

CONTAINS: WHEAT, MILK, SOY

Made in a Bakery that uses Eggs and Tree Nuts. Packaged in the USA on equipment that also packages peanuts.

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