I went back to Target over the weekend in hopes of finding more new Halloween goodies. Though it was mostly the same items I found there two weeks ago, the seemed to have a bit more in the way of their Gourmet Candy Corn line.
They have a lot of funny flavors that seem incongruous with candy corn like Tangerine, Green Apple (plus Chocolate Covered Green Apple), Toffee (which I already reviewed) and S’Mores. However, Pumpkin Pie sounded pretty good.
It’s in the same style of stand up black shiny bag that the other gourmet treats were in. They’re all terribly overpriced, but the packaging is nice enough that you could probably bring a bag as a hostess gift for the right occasion.
I found the colors off-putting. The tip is soft orange, the center is bright yellow but the base is some unworldly fluorescent orange that just makes me think of faded vinyl tub toys. I really couldn’t capture the color in the photo.
The bag smells sweet and creamy when opened.
The texture is soft and has very little grain to it. They’re sweet and lack that touch of honey that true candy corn usually puts forward. The pumpkin pie here is just a light blend of spices. Cinnamon is the boldest, but it doesn’t rise to the level of spicy or hot cinnamon. There’s a slight twinge of woodsy nutmeg or allspice ... but that’s pretty much it.
I was disappointed. I hoped for some more nutmeg or even a note of clove but instead it was about as bland as generic canned pumpkin pie mix. I think I’m done tasting novelty candy corn, at least when the price is $2.99 per flavor. So if you’ve tried some of the others, chime in with your experience to help out other readers.
Related Candies
- Toffee Flavored Chocolate Covered Candy Corn
- Halloween Dots: Bat, Candy Corn & Ghost
- See’s Pumpkin Spice & Root Beer Lollypops
- Brach’s Chocolate Candy Corn & Halloween Mix
- Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Kisses
- Zachary Candy Corn & Jelly Pumpkins
Name: |
Pumpkin Pie Candy Corn |
RATING:
- SUPERB
- YUMMY
- TASTY
- WORTH IT
- TEMPTING
- PLEASANT
- BENIGN
- UNAPPEALING
- APPALLING
- INEDIBLE
|
Brand: |
Target |
Place Purchased: |
Target (Eagle Rock) |
Price: |
$2.99 |
Size: |
9.9 ounces |
Calories per ounce: |
106 |
Categories: |
Fondant, United States, Halloween |
I can’t, I just can’t, support the idea of flavored candy corn. Today I saw “tangerine” flavor, called “Witch Corn,” with purple where the orange should be… NO NO NO! There is only one candy corn, the one that tastes like waxy vanilla honey, with a little grit. It’s a classic! “Corn candy” and black and orange jelly beans were the very first candies associated with Halloween. Is nothing sacred!??
I tried the S’Mores flavor. I was expecting it to be unbelievably awful, so I was pleasantly surprised when it was pretty decent. I’ve only ever had the super-cheap drugstore candy corn, so the nice texture of the Target stuff was a huge step up. The flavor had some odd finishing notes of chemical (there were 7 artificial colors in it, to render it 3 shades of brown!). But the up front flavor was sweet, not too sweet, a bit chocolatey. I’m not as good with the descriptions of flavors. Basically, I did go back for more after the first taste.
I have a bag of the “Chocolate Covered Candy Corn” from Target on my desk right now. I only bought it to try it, as the price is a bit steep for what you get. I find the chocolate-covered pieces to be OK; but do think candy corn should not be covered in chocolate. Having a bag of Brach’s Candy Corn in the house as well, there is no comparison.
I agree… trying to dress up candy corn to make it high end or giving it trendy flavors is silly. Leave it alone and enjoy it for the classic it is!
OMG, I’m turning into my grandfather, aren’t I? Could someone pass me that bottle of Geritol over there?
I’ve never tried candy corn at all before, because my mom always said it was gross! I’ve always been curious though… is Brach’s candy corn the closest to the “classic” flavour of candy corn? I think I’d want to try something that tastes like candy corn is supposed to taste like first…
I too tried the Pumpkin Pie Candy Corn from Target (as a lover of all things pumpkin). I thought it was super sweet - even sweeter than regular Brach’s in my opinion - and, like you, found that the pumpkin/spice flavor was rather weak (though I thought I detected a hint of an earthy pumpkin note to it… maybe just wishful thinking!). It wasn’t as disappointing a product as Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses, but still, not the awesomeness I had hoped for. I also saw Strawberry Cotton Candy flavor at my Target; I adore cotton candy, so I’m debating taking back my pumpkin pie ones and grabbing that one to try. Until then, I have the “real deal” Brach’s, as well as the awesome Caramel Apple candy corn that Brach’s makes.
Zachory’s has a gourmet line for Wal Mart that I discovered on a trip home last week. Their Pumpkin flavor is tastier.
I found this blog while looking up the Strawberry Cotton Candy flavored candy corn at Target. At $3 for the tiny bag, I wanted to see if I would be wasting my money, but found no info online. I went ahead and bought it, and it’s okay overall. I love cotton candy flavored stuff, and this doesn’t have a distinct cotton candy flavor, nor much of a disctinct strawberry flavor….just vaguely sweet and slightly strawberry-y. They’re good, but my overall impression is “meh.” Probably wouldn’t go out of my way to find / buy it again, but the various flavors offered by Target can be a fun twist on a Halloween classic.
The green apple is actually pretty good. I approve.
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