Tuesday, October 28, 2014

10 Pumpkin Spice Candies I’ve Tried

On the Halloween flavor trend meter, Pumpkin Spice is right up at the top this year. It’s an odd sort of synergy, since pumpkin pie isn’t really for Halloween. The pumpkins we associate with Halloween are for Jack O Lanterns and are not grown for eating. The closest I can come to a true Halloween pumpkin tie in would be pumpkin seeds, which are a seasonal item for folks who do their own carving and toasting of the pepitas. Here are ten of the pumpkin spice flavored candies that have hit store shelves that I’ve tried in recent years.

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Salted CaramelsName: Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Salted Caramels
Brand: Trader Joe’s
Place Purchased: Trader Joe’s (Park LaBrea)
Price: $4.99
Size: 6.2 ounces
Calories per ounce: 135
Type: Chocolate/Caramel
Review Rating: 6 out of 10
In Short: This is a new twist on Trader Joe’s annual favorite. They don’t improve on the original, but do make a nice themed hostess gift.

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Seed BrittleName: Pumpkin Seed Brittle Dusted with Sugar and Pumpkin Pie Spice
Brand: Trader Joe’s
Place Purchased: Trader Joe’s (Park LaBrea)
Price: $3.49
Size: 10 ounces
Calories per ounce: 121
Type: Hard Candy/Nuts
Review Rating: 7 out of 10
In Short: This is the only candy in the roundup that integrates actual pumpkin ingredients (even if it is just the seeds) and the pumpkin spice.

Russell Stover Pumpkin PieName: Pumpkin Pie
Brand: Russell Stover
Place Purchased: Walgreen’s (Studio City)
Price: $.50 (on sale)
Size: 1 ounce
Calories per ounce: 140
Type: Chocolate/Cookie
Review Rating: 7 out of 10
In Short: Russell Stover has a lot of pie and cake themed seasonal shapes; this one goes for more of the uncooked pie crust texture combined with the spices.

M&Ms Pumpkin SpiceName: M&Ms Pumpkin Spice
Brand: Mars
Place Purchased: Target (WeHo)
Price: $2.66
Size: 9.9 ounces
Calories per ounce: 142
Type: Chocolate/ Cinnamon
Review Rating: 7 out of 10
In Short: Mars has come out with quite a few seasonal flavors for their classic Milk Chocolate M&Ms over the years, and these keep returning. They’re the best of their spiced varieties (Cinnamon and Gingerbread) so it’s a keeper, though still not the best limited edition they’re ever done.

Pumpkin Spice KissesName: Pumpkin Spice Kisses
Brand: Hershey’s
Place Purchased: Target (Santa Monica & LaBrea)
Price: $2.99
Size: 10 ounces
Calories per ounce: 152
Type: White Chocolate (it really isn’t though)
Review Rating: 5 out of 10
In Short: Hershey’s does capture a lot more of the experience of a pumpkin pie filling with their spiced sweet paste covered in white confection (which is then colored orange).

Ovation Pumpkin Spice OrangeName: Pumpkin Spice Orange
Brand: Ovation
Place Purchased: samples
Price: $3.99 retail
Size: 6.17 ounces
Calories per ounce: 147
Type: Chocolate
Review Rating: 7 out of 10
In Short: This seasonal orange is very well made, which is part of the joy of the sectioned oranges. The spices are well balanced which makes the whole thing a good choice for a holiday product, but not really for Halloween.

See's Pumpkin Pie TruffleName: Pumpkin Pie Truffles
Brand: See’s Candies
Place Purchased: See’s (Glendale Galleria)
Price: $20.40 per pound
Size: 2 ounces
Calories per ounce: 135
Type: Chocolate
Review Rating: 6 out of 10
In Short: My opinion on these doesn’t matter much, they’re already sold out on the See’s website (though I’m sure they’ll get more in before Thanksgiving).

Pumpkin Pie Gourmet Candy CornName: Pumpkin Pie Candy Corn
Brand: Target
Place Purchased: Target (Eagle Rock)
Price: $2.99
Size: 9.9 ounces
Calories per ounce: 106
Type: Fondant
Review Rating: 4 out of 10
In Short: Zachary makes novelty flavored candy corn for a variety of stores. I couldn’t find this particular version at Target this year, but I know that Brach’s also makes a version now.

Naked Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Malt BallsName: Naked Chocolate Malt Balls: Pumpkin Spice
Brand: Naked Chocolate (Philadelphia)
Place Purchased: gift (thanks Susan!)
Price: unknown
Size: unknown
Calories per ounce: unknown
Type: Chocolate/Malt
Review Rating: 5 out of 10
In Short: Koppers makes these fancy, jumbo, multi-layered malted milk balls. They lack the simplicity of the malt and chocolate, which is really all I want in my malt ball, but if you go into the experience with your mind open, they’re a fun seasonal candy that looks great in a candy dish.

See's Pumpkin Spice LollipopsName: Pumpkin Spice Lollypops
Brand: See’s Candies
Place Purchased: gift from Russ (thanks!)
Price: $4.80
Size: 5.6 ounces
Calories per ounce: 100
Type: Hard Candy
Review Rating: 6 out of 10
In Short: These have a wonderful texture, but are far too mild in flavor for something with the word spice in the name.

BONUS: Actual Pumpkin KitKat
Pumpkin KitKatName: KitKat Pumpkin
Brand: Nestle
Place Purchased: gift from Santos (thanks!)
Price: unknown
Size: unknown
Calories per ounce: unknown
Type: Chocolate/Cookie
Review Rating: 7 out of 10
In Short: These Japanese KitKat feature real pumpkin cream filling ... but no spice. And yes, it pretty much tastes like sweet squash, but the crispy wafers and milk chocolate really work well.

Related Candies

  1. 15 Caramel Apple Candies I’ve Reviewed
  2. Candyology 101 - Podcast Episode 1
  3. 10 Underrated Candies
  4. Amsterdam on Foot: Three Chocolate Shops
  5. The 110 Essential Candies for Candivores
  6. Candy Blog Photography

POSTED BY Cybele AT 2:14 pm Tracker Pixel for Entry     CandyHalloweenHighlightFun Stuff

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