One of the Halloween candies I routinely stock up on each year are gummi pumpkins. I admit that a good 75% of the reason is the fact that’s they’re cute little pumpkins and most of the time I’m not really taking the taste into consideration. This is a mistake really, if eating them is what you plan to do with them, which is what I do with them after I’m done cooing at how cute they are and squishing them with my fingers. Yes, pumpkins have that effect on me.

I’ve seen these made by several different brands, so it’s hard for me to pin down a specific one to review. I’ve had several over the years and it’s hard for me to really say if one is better than the other. They are all good in my book. These specific ones were samples from the All Candy Expo, but I’ve seen these in bulk bins at grocery stores. So they’re pretty easy to find if you’re willing to look.

The flavor of these is not pumpkin, sadly. Although that’d be a little strange now that I think about it. Instead, they’re the (next) best flavor in line: orange. It’s a nice fresh, slightly zesty orange, a little sweeter than a Lifesaver. The sugar coating gives a nice crunch and the texture is very firm and chewy. So much so that some tend to get stuck and all sticky in my teeth which is extremely annoying.

I also like how multi-purposeful these gummi pumpkins are. I’ve seen the used in many Halloween baking creations as they make wonderful toppers for cupcakes. Your imagination is the limit, really.

My favorite way to enjoy them is to leave the bag open and out on my table. I nibble on a few each day and taste enjoy them as the texture gradually hardens as they get a little stale. Strange, I know, but they’re fun and I always am disappointed when I find my bag empty. Which is always sooner than I expect.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Yay, more pumpkin truffles! I’m happy to see that pumpkin is getting more attention from all the chocolatiers as of late. It makes my little candy and squash-loving heart so very happy.

These truffles are made by the famed Knipschildt chocolatier lover in Connecticut. I’ve had limited experience with their work, as I’ve only sampled a few bites at the Chocolate Show in New York last year. From what I recall I liked the flavor of the chocolate so I feel very optimistic, heck, extremely excited to give these a taste.

The packaging is extremely attractive. A nice, handmade paper orange box securely closed with a wooden peg. The label is removable and nicely designed. I’m already brainstorming as to what I can reuse this box for.

Opening it up, you’re greeted with a little army of the truffles. Forty of them to be exact, all lined up in rows waiting to be consumed. They’re cute to look at as they’re large and topped off with a pumpkin seed. They smell sweet and roasted with a hint of nutmeg.

The chocolate shell was thick, but didn’t crack and made it easy to bite into. It’s a nice milk chocolate with good strong cocoa flavors. The ganache is very rich and the texture reminds me of very smooth fresh frosting, minus the sugar grain and greasiness. The flavor is more like pumpkin than pumpkin pie, as it comes across as more bitter and roasted tasting than sweet. Strong notes of nutmeg and clove mask any cinnamon that may be lurking in there, and it makes the flavor much more dark and mysterious.

I reviewed the Godiva pumpkin truffles last week and I prefer those to these. Not only flavor wise are they sweeter and more like a dessert, but the price is a little easier to handle. I paid $40 for this box at Dean and Deluca’s (yes, I know, I was kinda asking for it shopping there).

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links:
Knipschildt Chocolatier Website

A ghost candy? Seriously, what could be spookier? The idea of little glowing Dots with ghostie faces was just too much to ignore. I swooped up a (giant) bag in Target and eagerly lugged it home.

I should have kept them sealed in their boxes. Opening them up was a huge disappointment.

The Dots are faceless and a seriously lacking in the glowing department. I was also a bit nervous because they smelled strange. This odd, somewhat plastic-y fruity aroma. I decided to let the flavors “shine” for me (haha, get it?) but instead I just got the normal Dots flavors. I guess they think this is new and novel because they all look the same. Which flavor will this ghost be? Ooooo, it’s a mystery! After figuring out what was going on, I didn’t feel any need to finish them.

Although, before I totally gave up on these. I wanted to give them one more chance:

They needed faces, so I took a sharpie marker to them. That made up for the disappointment….a little.

These are good to hand out for Halloween if you don’t mid your front lawn getting decorated toilet paper later in the evening.

Rating: Not Worth It

Links:
Dots Webpage

Every Halloween season ever confectioner has a field day with appropriate candies and chocolates. There’s no limit to the number of pumpkin, ghost, bat, witch, etc. shaped sweets lining the shelves at our favorite store. How’s a girl to choose? Among other things, this year I decided to give Godiva’s seasonal Pumpkin Truffles (since I’m a sucker for all things pumpkin)a try. I’ve eyed these for a few years and figured it was time to cave in.

They’re gorgeous to look at since the packaging job on these is top notch. Beautiful orange foil wrappers with a tiny coil and leaf on top. Almost too cute to eat!

The milk chocolate is unremarkable: sweet with a dairy taste. The truffles have a cinnamon dusting on the which adds a nice spiciness to the whole thing.

Now, as Mom always said “it’s what’s inside that counts” and that’s really what this truffle is all about. The inside is just heavenly. It really tastes of pumpkin pie which is a major plus since most pumpkin confections I taste don’t taste of anything…or if they do, it’s of cinnamon. The texture of the ganache is lovely; nice and rich without feeling greasy on the tongue.

Beautiful and delicious, these are a great fall treat or a nice gift to a friend.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links:
Godiva’s Website

Last year Brach’s, my favorite brand for candy corn, surprised us all with new flavor varieties of this iconic fall candy: Milk Maid Caramel Apple and Milk Mail Caramel. I reviewed these last year when I was writing for CandyAddict, and you can see my impressions of them there. I was pleased to find in my local Target that Brach’s is continuing the tradition and released a new flavor: Milk Maid Chocolate Caramel Candy Corn.

The candy corn still smells sweet, but now there’s a really strong buttery smell to them. The kernels are really pretty to Different shades of
The flavor is very interesting. It’s immediately sweet and the flavor is immediately the caramel. It comes across as a very intense, salty, fake, buttery flavor. The cocoa appears in the finish and aftertaste working hard to mellow out the strength of the butter flavor. I know it sounds odd, but this works. The caramel and cocoa flavors match well and neither come across as overpowering. My only criticism is that the caramel has a stronger presence than the cocoa, but I can live with this.

I love candy corn to begin with, so these will be a nice addition to my eating rotation so things won’t get too boring.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links:
Brach’s Website