A snack review and release history of:
- Melt’ems Gingerbread
- M&M’s Toasty Holiday Peanut
- Goetze Brownie Caramel Creams
- Sanders Maple Dark Chocolate & Pumpkin Spice Milk Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel
- Two-Bite Red Velvet Filled Cupcakes
Melt’ems Gingerbread
Score: 7 / 10
I expected the typical, almost punchy ginger flavor, but instead, I was met with a moderately sweet, pleasant gingerbread one. Honestly, I could easily eat these straight out of the bag! These would pair well with almost anything, adding a subtle but noticeable touch to anything you dip!
Not sure when this was released. Found November 2024 at Walmart.
M&M’s Toasty Holiday Peanut
Score: 7 / 10
Close to regular peanut M&Ms in terms of both texture and flavor. However, this flavor is just a tad more toasty and sweet. It’s as if you threw a couple of peanuts onto the pan with sugar for a few seconds. The overall bold peanut taste is reduced and instead replaced with more nuance.
Released around October 2024 for the winter season.
Goetze Brownie Caramel Creams
Score: 7 / 10
Moderately sweet with a very artificial chocolate flavor. It reminds me of a better Tootsie Roll with decent-tasting chocolate and a hint of that Goetze caramel flavor. It’s quite soft and lightly chewy, with an even softer inside. In the end, though, at minimum, it has a very artificial brownie taste—which isn’t bad; it’s just something you may either find terrible or actually pretty decent (I fall into the latter camp!).
Not sure when this was released. Found at Dollar Tree, November 2024.
Sanders Maple Dark Chocolate & Pumpkin Spice Milk Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel
Score: 7.5 / 10 (both)
Pumpkin Spice: Immediately, there’s a salty taste from the outside, followed by milk chocolate and thick, chewy caramel. The pumpkin spice is very faint, overshadowed by the inner caramel- and chocolate-flavored shell. Overall, the texture is pretty good, as it’s thick and chewy. When it comes to sweetness, it’s pretty sweet but not overly so.
Maple: Similar to pumpkin spice except with a noticeable dark chocolate and faint maple instead. Everything else, including the sweetness level and texture, is the same.
Not sure when these were released, although it seems to be a fall exclusive flavor. Found at Stop & Shop.
Two-Bite Red Velvet Filled Cupcakes
Score: 8 / 10
These are so well-decorated! That aside, the flavor is on point, too. They are decently sweet with a pleasant red velvet flavor. The texture is right too, not too thin or dry. When it comes to the frosting, it’s thick, semi-sweet, and has a clear cream cheese flavor.
Frankly, by the taste and texture of these cupcakes, it feels homemade! The only small disappointment was the inside frosting, which just seems to be an extension of the top layer, extending down and creating a tiny pocket of cream cheese frosting—it needs to be more!
Not sure when this was released. Found at Aldi.