Red Velvet Kit Kats Released Just In Time For Valentine’s Day

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Hershey’s has released the Red Velvet Kit Kat, perfect for sharing with friends and loved ones, or hoarding all for yourself. This limited edition candy is enrobed in a white coating, with a flavor that’s reminiscent of cream cheese or a butter frosting. The inside wafers are chocolate and impart that slight cocoa flavor that lets you know you’re eating a red velvet cake. Except in this case, it’s a Kit Kat.

Red Velvet Kit Kats are a thing people! pic.twitter.com/wZnFAGt5FF

— Qanuk (@shinjukuro) January 14, 2017

And they are delicious. Seriously. Run, don't walk. Go get your red velvet fix! pic.twitter.com/9Z2RJuv4Zl

— Qanuk (@shinjukuro) January 14, 2017

The one thing missing from this red velvet confection is the red dye, which is a good thing, considering the way that most red dye is made. Some people have a heightened sensitivity to artificial food colorings, so even if the candy isn’t a deep scarlet like traditional red velvet cake, this isn’t a bad thing.

The outside of the package is whimsical, with two intertwined cats. While normally cats aren’t associated with Valentine’s Day, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be now. The adorable black and pink felines form a heart shape with their tails, letting you know that this isn’t leftover Halloween candy you’ve found at your local retailer.

This is the first non-traditional flavored Kit Kat that Hershey has released in the United States. Previously, Kit Kats have only been available in three standard flavors, with a few special colored editions thrown in. Your standard everyday Kit Kat comes in milk chocolate, semi-sweet dark chocolate, and white creme. One of the previous colors was orange, but the flavor was still the standard white creme.

Of course, a non-traditional Kit Kat is nothing new if you live in Japan. Outside of the United States, Kit Kat production is handled by Nestlé, the Swiss-based chocolatier best known in the United States for the Crunch bar and Toll House Chocolate Chips. They have produced over 300 special seasonal brands of Kit Kat since 2000, taking over the top selling candy spot from Mieji Chocolate from 2012 to 2014. Some of the more well-known flavors include Green Tea, Strawberry, Citrus Golden Blend, Purple Sweet Potato, Hot Chili, and Wasabi.

In Japan, Kit Kats are known as Kitto Kattsu, which translates into the phrase, “You will surely win.” Because of this, it is a tradition for students in Japan to receive gifts of a Kit Kat before any exam. Kit Kat capitalized on this by making a form of Kit Kat that was able to be mailed to students with a space for a good luck message.

Kit Kats are so popular in Japan that there are specialty shops dedicated to the candy, comparable to Godiva chocolate shoppes in the United States. These branded boutiques have attracted over US $20 million in sales since they started in 2015. These boutiques have premium Kit Kat flavors, including Orange Cocktail Noir, which has rum powder in between the wafers with an orange-chocolate exterior, and Sakura Green Tea, which has Uji tea leaves and powdered cherry leaf extract. Both of these Kit Kat varieties cost roughly US $4 each.

The mastermind behind the different and limited flavors in the boutiques is Chef Yasumasa Takagi, the mind behind the bakeable Kit Kat. Baked Kit Kats are baked in a non-preheated toaster oven for two minutes and forms a golden brown exterior with the traditional wafer in the center.

What do you think? Are you going to try the new Red Velvet Kit Kats? Have you had any of the other varieties that are sold in Japan? Let us know in the comment section below.

[Featured Image by Mahathir Mohd Yasin/Shutterstock]