Spread Possibilities with New Hershey's Spreads

*All products were sent to me for testing and review, completely complimentary, from Crowdtap. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so excited to be one of only 1000 given the chance to try the new Hershey's Spreads. I'm not sure if others who were given this opportunity got anything different, but the spread I received was Chocolate with Hazelnut.

As part of this sample there were various challenges to complete. I could create a video, but I'm not good at those. I could be daring and try to pair my Hershey's Spreads with something unusual, but some of the options for this (such as pickles) turned my stomach a little. So I went with the challenge of coming up with 5 pairings that I'm going to share with you.

I've said this in every food post but I always feel the need to point it out again. I am not a food blogger. I don't have the time or patience to come up with new recipes and do some fancy set up for pictures. That said, I like food, I love sharing it with you, and I do try my best with the pictures. I really hope you enjoy my fumbling attempts; I know I enjoyed eating/drinking them. :)

The first pairing I tried was hot chocolate. I love making my own hot chocolate with Hershey's powdered chocolate so I hoped this would work just as well. And it did! Better in the case that there was no extra chalky powder at the end of the cup. Though, I was really sad not to have some mini marshmallows in my cupboard but the rich, chocolate-y taste with a slight nutty flavor sated my chocolate craving and warmed me up after a horrible ice storm.

This hot chocolate is very simple (and quick) to make. Simply whisk 3 tablespoons of Hershey's Spread into one cup of milk over low heat - you don't want to scald the milk or burn the chocolate. You can add a pinch of cinnamon (or your favorite hot chocolate spice) for a more Christmas-y drink or take a trip back to your childhood and toss in some mini marshmallows or a scoop of marshmallow fluff.

For my second pairing ... walking down the snack aisle I saw some yummy looking chocolate covered pretzels. However, they were fancy and expensive. Given that the bag had only a handful of pretzels inside it really wasn't worth the price, but it gave me a horrible craving for chocolate pretzels. So, I walked further down the aisle and picked up a much cheaper, very full bag of simple pretzel sticks and satisfied my new-found craving by dipping them into the Hershey's Spread. It was the perfect snack!

I thought and thought and thought about my next pairing. All that thinking made me hungry so I snooped through my cupboards and came up with this sandwich pairing. I love peanut butter and honey sandwiches, and I occasionally love peanut butter, honey, and banana sandwiches. It was really a no-brainer to substitute the peanut butter for Hershey's Spreads.

It was like eating chocolate covered bananas dipped in honey. It was really yummy! I'm also really eager to try just the Hershey's Spreads with honey, and I'm already dreaming of grilling up some Hershey's Spreads with jelly much like I do with pb&j sandwiches.

So, I did snacks, drinks, and lunch with my last pairing ... what about other meals? Say ... breakfast?? How about some chocolate pancakes? I apologize, but I never learned how to make pretty pancakes lol. I just pour some batter into a small skillet and spread to the edges of the pan as best as possible - cook, turn, cook and eat. For this just use your favorite basic pancake recipe (I prefer quick and easy with the least amount of ingredients possible so I use Jiffy mix) and add a spoonful or two of Hershey's Spreads. 

What I also never learned to do is leave well enough alone! I just had to spice these pancakes up a bit. I drizzled on some of my favorite syrup - dark Karo syrup and then I added a scoop of cherry preserves. Oh sweet pancake gods above (or maybe below with how absolutely sinful these are)!! It was like eating chocolate covered cherries for breakfast. Almost tooth-ache inducing but too good to put down! I'm almost hoping a food blogger sees this and runs with the idea because these pancakes really deserve to look pretty!!

But ya know what? All that thinking and mixing and eating ... my all time favorite way to eat Hershey's Spreads is just with a spoon.

Or, since this is my own personal Hershey's Spreads, with my fingers. I have been caught many times just like this.

Want to try some of my pairings for yourself? The new Hershey's Spreads hit shelves December 6th so if you can't find them in your local shop yet keep looking!

*All products were sent to me for testing and review, completely complimentary, from Crowdtap. All thoughts and opinions are my own.