15 Chocolates Adults Love That Kids Can't Stand

Our tastes can change drastically between youth and adulthood. Even in the realm of sweet treats, where you'd think anything goes if it contains enough sugar, kids will often pass on certain goodies. There are plenty of candies adults like that kids can't stand, and even that favored flavor , chocolate, can trigger a "no way, man" response in a child.

While there will always be outliers who just can't stand them no matter what, some chocolate treats are pretty universally liked, like the world's bestselling chocolate bar, Snickers. Others, though, will get a frown and thumbs down almost every time if presented to a child. It's definitely true that kids can be notoriously picky eaters — it's a normal part of growing and developing independence. When little ones reject certain things, though, it can also be due to encountering textures or flavors that are just too much for their developing palates. 

Come along as we explore the chocolate confections that most often get that big, fat "ick" from the younger generations. If you're trying to please littles, you definitely don't want to stock up on these chocolatey creations. The kids, grandkids, etc., in your life won't be impressed, and handing them out on special occasions, like during trick-or-treat, could put you on the "trick" end of things — and nobody wants to risk their house getting egged or toilet papered.

If you've noticed the kids in your life seem to react strongly to dark chocolate — in a negative way — it's not unusual. Many youngsters don't like dark chocolate versions of anything, even candy bars they normally enjoy. This is likely because dark chocolate is much more bitter and contains less sugar than its milk counterpart, making it an off-putting flavor for those with developing taste buds that are biologically inclined to crave sweetness.

At the other end of the spectrum, white chocolate is often off-putting to young treat-eaters for the opposite reason that dark chocolate is: It's very high in sugar, making it too cloyingly sweet for many. It also tends to leave a sticky residue that unpleasantly coats the tongue — unsurprising, since white chocolate was originally invented as a coating for children's medicine (no wonder many kids don't like it!).

In variety boxes of chocolates, these pieces are often the last ones standing, as marzipan, much more popular in Europe than in the United States, is a polarizing ingredient at best that is similar to fondant and definitely not appealing to many little munchers. Featuring ground almonds, confectioners' sugar, egg whites, almond extract, and sometimes corn syrup, marzipan is another ingredient that can be cloyingly sweet and also have some bitterness and other unpleasant flavor notes at the same time — and the pulverized almonds can definitely trigger texture-sensitive kiddos. 

Boxes of chocolate-covered cherries (cheaply purchasable at the dollar store and, consequently, often doled out as thrifty neighbor gifts) seem to always appear and linger like a syrupy-sweet ghost during the holidays — and often for months afterward, especially if you have young snackers in the house who would rather not encounter a squishy, falsely sweet maraschino cherry at the center of their chocolate. Let's face it: In the land of children, there's fruit, and there's chocolate, and the twain are generally not meant to meet.

Some mashups might be better left in the "dream" stage of creation, and chocolate-covered cinnamon gummy bears are a combination that I, frankly, just do not understand and am completely turned off by — and I'm not even a child. The mouth punch of hot spice and the difficult-to-chew gumminess of cinnamon bears are enough on their own to deter young kids; tossing in the odd (arguably, I suppose, since there is apparently a market out there for this creation) addition of chocolate makes this a taste-bud-confusing combination that begs the question: "What chocolatier out there thought this was a good idea?"

Essentially falling under the "fruit hiding beneath chocolate" category, chocolate-covered raisin treats like Raisinets are another candy many kids are less-than-excited to find lurking in the pantry. Even when the little dehydrated grapes are covered in chocolate, you're just not going to trick some kids into eating raisins (or they might do what I did as a child, which was to suck off the chocolate and spit out the raisin part).

Many kids dislike chocolates with nuts, and many dislike chocolates with coconut — so when you put the two together, you end up with one of the least popular candy bars on the market (especially among children), which often gets left behind in trick-or-treat bowls and home candy stashes: Almond Joy. For many youngsters out there, this chewy, nutty chocolate bar is devoid of joy.

Mint combined with chocolate, as found in treats like Andes Mints, Junior Mints, and York Peppermint Patties, is another unpopular flavor combination among many in the junior set, as mint can hit kids like a mouth-burning assault rather than the cool, refreshing burst adults generally get. For many younger consumers, mint also just tastes way too much like toothpaste – and who wants to eat chocolate toothpaste? 

Chocolate-covered malted milk balls, like Whoppers, are another candy that often triggers texture aversion in kids. The crunchy, malted center is frequently described as chalky, while the chocolate coating is considered unpleasantly waxy, making them yet another treat kids often choose last when they have other options.

Skor bars are another chocolate treat that often gets left behind in the candy bowl when kids are on a sugar hunt. A simple confection of toffee covered in chocolate, Skor is a skimpy-looking bar that is notoriously hard on the teeth and has a subdued-looking black-and-red wrapper that was definitely designed to appeal to adults, not kids (mission accomplished — younglings often won't eat 'em). 

Another tough-on-the-teeth treat that kids often eschew (because they can't es-chew them ... ) is the chocolate-covered caramel candy known as Milk Duds, which one Reddit poster aptly referred to as "tooth glue." The soft chocolate exterior is almost a trap for the teeth — you feel it giving way easily between your chompers, so you relax your mouth and apply more biting pressure, expecting to chew right through ... only (surprise!) to meet the veritable brick wall that is the ball of hard caramel lurking inside as a definite trick, not a treat.

Cadbury Creme Eggs are another polarizing chocolate treat – kids either love them or hate them, though countless adults profess adoration for the egg-shaped chocolate shells filled with fondant (one Redditor referred to them as "the candy corn of [Easter] candy"). Once again, the culprit is kid-deterring textural issues, with icky gooiness and graininess colliding unpleasantly with saccharine, artificial flavors. For some people (myself included), the darned things just look way too much like real eggs, with oozy whites and yolks.

To my childhood palate, the odd, potato-shaped chocolate treat known as Idaho Spud fell into the same category for me as creme eggs — I was just not into eating a chocolate-covered potato. Plus, there's so much besides the association with vegetables that makes it an off-putting treat for kids: dark chocolate, coconut, and a cocoa-flavored marshmallow center that doesn't eat like marshmallow at all. Many adults love them, but as one Redditor poignantly put it: "It's a lump of gelatin covered with chocolate and it vaguely resembles poop. Why does this thing even exist?"

Black Cow is a hard, very tough-to-chew chocolate caramel candy that has turned off many a sweet-seeking child in its time, as you can't really bite into it — you can only suck and suck and then swallow a syrupy, vaguely chocolate-flavored saliva. It was offered on a stick in my youth but is now manufactured stickless – with or without its stem, though, it's still the same hazardous confection that can (and has) extracted dental fillings from the teeth of unsuspecting eaters.

Readers might be surprised to find Butterfinger on this list, since it's a pretty popular bar, garnering 36% of consumer share in 2024 (per USA Today's List Wire) — but just because a fair number of adults buy it doesn't negate the fact that lots of kids don't like it. It's another sticks-in-your-teeth candy (and sticks to braces, too, according to complaints from older kids), and the burnt-orange, weirdly half-chewy, half-crunchy, butter-toffee-ish interior creates some definite texture issues, with some youngsters chewing off the chocolate and consigning the candy's orange innards to the garbage bin.