It’s hard to keep track of what’s new and what’s returning on store shelves for Christmas. I’ve found there aren’t that many new introductions, but there are plenty of tried-and-true favorites back again this year.
I think a lot of candy companies introduced limited editions as a sort of test marketing and found that bringing back fringe favorites on a regular schedule satisfies those who crave the special items but doesn’t detract from their regular product lines.
Here are a few candies that I’ve reviewed in the past and a few new ones I’ve spotted on shelves again this year. Just because something is not on this list doesn’t mean it’s not made this year, just that I haven’t been able to track it down.
Hershey’s
• Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses (old review when they were made with real white chocolate)
• Hershey’s Mint Truffle Kisses
• Hershey’s Bliss - Creme de Menthe Meltaway (review)
• Hershey’s Mint Miniatures (white creme with nonpareils, Special Dark with mint and Milk Chocolate with mint - here’s an old review when the white chocolate was made with cocoa butter)
• Reese’s Trees (just like the Eggs)
• Reese’s Bells (foil wrapped bell shaped candies about the size of the regular miniatures)
• Reese’s Snow Board Santa (kind of like the big Reester Bunny around Easter)
• HersheyEts (review)
• Giant Hershey Bars (1 Pound)
• World’s Largest Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (1 Pound - review)
Just Born
• Peeps Chocolate Covered Peppermint Trees (Milk & Dark Chocolate)
• Peeps White Snowmen (I like the snowmen because they’re one of the few varieties that doesn’t have artificial colors)
• Peeps Green Trees
• Mike and Ike Holiday Medley
Nestle
• Paul Frank Nestle Crunch Bar (can be a greeting card - see above photos)
• Wonka Exceptionals Peppermint Shortbread (review)
• Wonka Gobstoppers Snowballs
• Wonka Frosty Nerds (watermelon, wild cherry & punch)
• Wonka Nerds Holiday Rope (photo)
• Wonka Holiday SweeTart Gummis (red & green and I think they’re shaped like Oompa Loompa faces - photo)
• Nestle Butterfinger Jingles (review)
Mars & Wrigley’s
• Life Savers Tin - holds 7 rolls of three different varieties - comes in Butter Rum, Cherry or 5 Flavor package design
• Life Savers Sweet Story (the box that looks like a book and has a collection of Life Saver Rolls in it)
• Live Savers Sweet Story - Gummies
• Life Savers Hard Candy Holiday Mix (cherry, apple & candy cane)
• M&Ms Mint (revew)
• M&Ms Cherry Cordial
• Dove Peppermint Bark (in foil wrapped Promises & boxed bark review)
• Dove Promises Snowflake Assortment (round pieces in milk, dark & caramel with snowflakes molded in them)
• Snickers Nutcrackers (review)
• Snickers Peanut Butter Santas (review)
• Mars Heritage Tins - pencil box sized tins filled with miniatures - designed like classic candy bar wrappers - come in Snickers, M&Ms, Twix and Milky Way)
Farley’s & Sathers + Brach’s
• Brach’s Christmas Nougats (Peppermint & Wintergreen - no one has seen Cinnamon on shelves - review)
• Brach’s Gloria Mix (classic straw & filled candies)
• Brach’s Holiday Mix (classic filled candies)
• Brach’s Holiday Mints (pillow mints with a green minty jelly filling)
• Brach’s Spicettes (gumdrops in green & red)
Tootsie
• Tootsie Roll Candy Cane Pop Drops (review)
• Tootsie Roll Candy Cane Pops (review)
• Tootsie Roll Banks (Tootsie & Midgees)
• Tootsie Roll Holiday Midgees (I have no idea what these are - the package doesn’t say)
• Christmas Dots (review)
• Andes Peppermint Crunch (white chocolate with crunchy peppermint candies)
• Andes Cherry Jubilee Thins
• Andes Toffee Creme Thins
• Junior Mints Peppermint Crunch (review)
Russell Stover
• Ribbon Candy (I suspect this is just a repackage of Sevigny’s, as so few companies make this now)
• Marshmallow Snow Man (large ones - come in regular milk chocolate covered and chocolate covered in milk chocolate)
• Peppermint Bark Snowman - new this year, I picked some up, they’re made with real white chocolate
• Marshmallow Santas review
• Coconut Wreath review
• Strawberry Cream Santa- review
• Milk Chocolate Coconut Santa - review
• Maple Cream Santa - review
• Peanut Butter Santa - review
Cadbury/Adams
• Swedish Fish (red & green) in bags or theater boxes
• Sour Patch Kids (red & green) in bags or theater boxes
• Cadbury Solid Milk Chocolate Balls (like the mini-eggs)
Other Items of Interest
• Giant Toblerone Bars
• Terry’s Chocolate Oranges (Milk with Mint, Dark with Orange and Milk with Orange)
• Maxfield’s Assorted Chocolates (I haven’t tried these boxed chocolates yet, they’re less expensive than Russell Stover and probably on par with Elmer’s - photo)
• Godiva Gems Peppermint Truffles (photo)
• Fannie May Mint Meltaway & Pixies (individually wrapped - pixie review & meltaway review)
• Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark (review)
• Ritter Sport Peppermint (review)
• Florida Tropic Oranges in a variety of flavors - review
• Zachary Confections Egg Nog Candy Corn
• Zachary Confections Candy Cane Corn
• Zachary Confections Christmas Mellocremes
• Ferrara Chocolate Oranges (review)
What are you looking forward to most? And what are you having trouble finding this year? What did I leave out?
Thanks for posting this! Where did you find the Reese’s Snow Board Santa? I’d love to get that for my boyfriend, but I tried looking online and couldn’t even find mention of it. Also, I think the Haviland mints that you featured recently would be nice for the list - not specifically holiday but nice for the season.
Laura - I saw the Reese’s Snow Board Santa at Target. Here’s a picture
http://www.flickr.com/photos/typetive/5185972322
(It might not be called that.)
Have you seen/tried any of the new Reese’s Mini’s or Hershey’s Drops? They’re slowly hitting the market mostly in grocery stores like Kroger here on the east coast and chain c-stores. They’ll be on the candy aisle in c-stores and will sell as a king size. The grocery stores may also have them in pouches like the Pieces.
sdswcu - They’re showing up in stores. I saw them at a RiteAid right after Thanksgiving. But there were no prices on the shelf. I thought convenience stores were supposed to get them, but I haven’t seen them at 7-11 or Circle K yet.
I reviewed them back in June - Hershey’s Drops and Reese’s Minis.
Oh yeah, I remember reading that now, it seems so long ago.
We’re being told here on the East Coast that the distributors will be getting them by the first of the year, but some larger ones, like McLane, which sells to 7-11 and Pantry/Kangaroo, have already started to ship to stores in large markets.
At any rate, they should be easier to find in a few weeks.
oh this is great! thanks for posting!
Cybelle, I’ve seen the Reece/s Mini’s at a few places in northeast ohio already. One of them being Speedway gas stations. I think there on special at 2 for $1.00
Based on these photos…I’m gonna ask Santa for Tootsie Pop Drops and a big Butter Rum Lifesaver tin….going full-kid!
I did see Brach’s Christmas Nougat in Cinnamon at Meijer in Michigan this year.
yea, the hershey candy cane kisses werent as good as they used to be, but on top of cookies were good enough tho
Scotts
Just picked up some of the Cherry Cordial M&Ms; on sale the other day. Hands down, the best M&Ms; I’ve ever had. I highly recommend picking those up!
Walgreens had the Brachs Christmas nougats in a variety bag, which has cinnamon, wintergreen and peppermint for $2.50/bag, but I’ve not seen them sold separately.
OMG - I’m going into a sugar/chocolate/candy coma looking at your delicious, mouth watering blog! I think I even gained 6 pounds just scrolling through your postings and “Candy Store!” Fun discovery thanks to your listing on pg. 13 in my new “Blogging for Dummies” book which I bought yesterday.
Warm regards from the EAGAN daily photo blogger in snowy, cold Minnesota
I also spotted an Irish Cream Hershey’s Kiss in the stores for Christmas this year, which I hadn’t seen before. I bought some with extreme excitement, but they turned out to be quite a let-down. I thought they were fairly gross, as did several of the people that tried them. The best review they got was “Interesting…”.
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