Candy Hunting: Holiday Assortments

Dum-Dums Holiday Pops

Flavors: Merry Cherry, Sugar Plum, Hot Chocolate, Sugar Cookie, Gingerbread, Apple Cider, Green Apple Grinch, and Polar Punch
Place found: Target
Price: $2.69

Jelly Belly Holiday Favorites

Flavors: Egg Nog, Candy Cane, Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry Sauce, and Hot Chocolate
Place found: Target
Price: $2.69

Ghirardelli Holiday Limited Edition Squares

Flavors: Egg Nog, Peppermint Bark, and Pumpkin Spice Caramel
Place found: Target
Price: $3.99

Links to more Holiday Candy Hunting: 

Part 1

Peeps (Part 2)

One Pound Candy Bars (Part 3)

Part 5

Ghirardelli Pumpkin Spice Caramel Squares

Place purchased: Walmart

Price: $4.99

Number of reviewers: 6

Appearance - 7.2

The Ghirardelli Pumpkin Spice Caramel Squares are sold in bags of 20 individually-wrapped squares. Each square has a glossy milk chocolate shell filled with a pumpkin spice flavored caramel containing visible flecks of spices. 

Flavor and Taste - 7.6

The caramel squares have a perfect balance of sweet caramel, milk chocolate, and spices. 

D: Yum! Good balance of pumpkin and spice. 

E: Spicy nutmeg/clove flavor dominates. Very rich.

E2: Cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin, caramel, sweet. Milk chocolate overpowers the caramel/pumpkin.

G: Nice amount of pumpkin flavor. Not too overpowering. 

N: Not much pumpkin. 

Texture - 7.4

The milk chocolate shell has a firm bite The caramel filling is very soft and runny, which could be a problem if the square is eaten in multiple bites. 

D: Could have more snap, but great. 

E: Crisp chocolate with good melt. Gooey center. 

E2: Smooth, creamy, not too hard or too soft. 

G: Very creamy texture. 

N: Sticky! 

Aftertaste - 6.8

The aftertaste is of milk chocolate and spices. 

D: Mmmmm.

E: Sweet, acidic, dairy, spicy. 

E2: Sweet, dairy/milk. 

G: Aftertaste is more from the chocolate flavor, can't taste any of the pumpkin flavor. 

N: Caramel mostly.  

Overall - 7.6

Overall, the Ghirardelli Pumpkin Spice Caramel Squares are the best pumpkin spice and chocolate combination I have tasted. Unlike most pumpkin spice chocolates, the milk chocolate in this application did not overpower the flavor of the spices. 

D: Love it! 

E: If you like chocolate caramels and fall spices, you'll like this. 

E2: Satisfied, very fall appropriate. 

G: I am not a pumpkin fan, but I love caramel and chocolate. And I love Ghirardelli.

N: More pumpkin! 

Candy Hunting - New Dove and Ghirardelli Chocolate Covered Berries and Nuts

Dove Whole Cranberries in Dark Chocolate (Review)

Place found: Meijer
Price: $3.50 for 6 oz

Dove Whole Blueberries in Dark Chocolate (Review)

Place found: Meijer
Price: $3.50 for 6 oz

Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Cranberry

Place found: Target
Price: $4.99 for 5.5 oz

Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Blueberry

Place found: Target
Price: $4.99 for 5.5 oz

Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Sea Salt Cashew

Place found: Target
Price: $4.99 for 5.5 oz

Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Spiced Almond

Place found: Target
Price: $4.99 for 5.5 oz

Ghirardelli Mint Cookie

Place purchased: Target 

Price: $1.77 (on clearance)

Number of reviewers: 4

Appearance - 7.8

The 98 g bar is sectioned into eight large pieces. Each piece has a center that looks like a chocolate cookie encased in milk chocolate. 

J: Reminiscent of a Thin Mint box.

Flavor and Taste - 8.3

The milk chocolate coating has a sweet, milky chocolate flavor, while the center tastes like a dark chocolate cookie. The amount of mint flavor in the bar is perfect; it is neither overbearing nor dominated by the flavor of the chocolate. 

C: A mix between Andes mint and Thin Mint cookie. The mint is nice and not too overpowering. 
E: Better than I expected! Reminiscent of a Thin Mint, but encased in more chocolate. Yum.  
J: Great chocolate! 

Texture - 8.0

The milk chocolate and filling are very smooth and soft when initially bitten into. When chewing, the center has a crispy and crunchy texture similar to a Thin Mint cookie. 

C: Nice and creamy outside with just the right amount of cookie crunch on the inside.
E: Outer chocolate is very creamy and minty. Center has a subtle crunch.
J: Smooth. Crunchy, Thin Mint inside. 

Aftertaste - 8.0

The aftertaste is first balanced between mint and sweet chocolate, then turns to a light, refreshing mint.

C: Chocolaty, minty cool.
E: Minty and fatty.
J: Chocolate and mint aftertaste.

Overall - 8.1

The Ghirardelli Mint Cookie bar is essentially eight Thin Mint cookies covered with milk chocolate in a chocolate bar shape, and is therefore phenomenal. I highly recommend purchasing this chocolate bar. 

E: A winner! Tasty, rich, and yet fresh. 

Candy Hunting - New Summer Products, Part 3

Juicy Fruit Fruity Chews

Available in Original and Strawberry flavors. 
Place found: Target 
Price: $2.99 for 40 pieces

Peeps Minis Vanilla Crème

Peeps Minis Vanilla Crème are a Target exclusive. 
Price: $2.79

Ghirardelli Minis

Milk Chocolate Toffee Crisp and Sweet Dark Chocolate Cookie Bits

These two varieties appear to be Target exclusives. The other three varieties can be viewed here. 

Price: $3.99

Ghirardelli Squares Mocha

Place found: Target 
Price: $3.99

Life Savers Gummies Parodise Mix

Flavors: Strawberry Acai, Blueberry Pomegranate, Pineapple Mango, and Cherry Yumberry
Place found: Walmart
Price: $1.78

Milky Way French Vanilla and Caramel

This was originally a limited edition release in Fall 2012. 
Place found: Walmart
Price: $0.68

Warheads Sour Twists

Place found: Meijer
Price: $1.89

Werther's Original Caramel Cinnamon

Place found: Meijer
Price: $2.17

Life Savers Mints Spear O Mint

New & Improved Flavor!

Place found: Meijer
Price: $1.99

Candy Hunting - New Summer Products, Part 2

Cherry Cola Twizzlers Pull 'n' Peel

Twizzlers Cola & Cherry Twists were a limited edition product back in 2006. Now they have returned as Pull 'n' Peel Twizzlers.

Link to Review
Place found: Target 

Price: $2.49

Twizzlers Raspberry Bites

Twizzlers Raspberry Bites are a Target exclusive. 
Price: $2.49

Simply Balanced Dark Chocolate Blueberry

Simply Balanced Dark Chocolate Blueberry is also a Target exclusive.
Price: $3.59

Skinny Cow Heavenly Crisp Chocolate Raspberry

Place found: Target
Price: $3.99

ChocoMaker Sugar Cookie Flavored Candy Wafers

Place found: Walmart
Price: Not $8.98, that is for an acai product, not the candy wafers

Hershey's Family Pouch 

Hershey's Drops, Kit Kat Minis, and Reese's Minis are now available in 'Family Pouch' size. The Family Pouches contain 419 g, while the normal size pouches contain 226 g. 

Place found: Walmart
Price: $4.74

Ghirardelli Squares

Ghirardelli Squares Cinnamon Crunch and Creamy Almond Crunch.

Place found: Meijer
Price: $3

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Oreo

Place found: Walmart

Candy Hunting - New Products from Ghirardelli

Ghirardelli Minis

Varieties include dark chocolate, milk chocolate caramel, and milk chocolate sea salt and almond. 

I recently found the Ghirardelli Minis at Meijer. 

Ghirardelli Squares Creamy Almond Crunch and Cinnamon Crunch 

Ghirardelli Mango Sunset and Cherry Tango