Happy Halloween everyone! It’s the night made for every candy lover out there! This year will be interesting, as it’s the first year while in my new place. I’m curious to see what our trick or treat turn out is. Have a safe and sugar filled night!

When I heard white M&Ms were making a comeback for Halloween this year, I was pretty excited. I became less excited however, when I heard they were “candy corn” flavored and would only be sold in Wal-Mart. Now that I live in Los Angeles, I don’t have a Wal-Mart that’s close enough to justify a drive to find some candy. I’d have to go up to Valencia or down to Orange County to even get close to one. I knew right away I wouldn’t order them online, since they’re always overpriced. I tried to get my boyfriend (who was out visiting PA at the time) and my Mom to both locate a bag for me. Both of those plans fell through. I had all but given hope on acquiring some to review on the blog here when Jeff, a friend of mine from work, dropped a bag on my desk Monday morning. My hero! What a unexpected sweet gesture. A true example of Halloween spirit among adults.

The package is cute, all decked out in yellows and oranges with Red standing in the dead center with a big candy corn suit on. It’s very iconic. I immediately opened the bag and you get the strong scent of sweetness and butter. Its an interesting scent, and it’s not really what I’d call candy corn. It’s a nice aroma nevertheless.

The M&Ms are very attractive. They have the orange, yellow and white colors of normal candy corn. The color mix is very festive, I have to admit. I was surprised when I first picked them up since, they felt greasy. I can’t figure out why, since the ingredients are good, so I don’tr get why they’d feel so slippery on the outside. Part of me wonders if they added flavoring or scent to them and that’s why the outside feels so slick. It’s a mystery….

The flavor is sweet at first, then a flavor of fake butter kicks in pretty strongly. I think the butter flavor is in the shell, because as soon as I dissolve or crunch it away I then get the full flavor of the creamy white chocolate. It;s buttery and sweet with just a hint of chocolate. The flavor does remind me of candy corn, yes, so the flavors here do live up to their expectations. They’re much richer than candy corn though since we have a base of creamy fatty chocolate. It adds some satiety to the candy, which is nice.

These were tasty, I just wish they were not so buttery flavored and were just the plain white chocolate M&Ms like the “Pirate Pearls” were a few years ago. Because of the candy corn flavor here, you miss a lot of fans who love white chocolate but hate candy corn. So it’s a trick or a treat depends on your flavor preferences!

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links M&Ms Website

I love gummi pumpkins! They’re pretty tasty and come October, there’s so many varieties to choose from. I tend to prefer the ones with the granulated sugar coating on them, as I really like that texture. What lured me into these gummis that I found in Cost Plus World market was the fact it’s a mix of black (ish) and orange pumpkins. Something new, horray!

So, from looking at the package, it’s difficult to say who made these gummi pumpkins for Coat Plus World Market, since they’re packaged completely in their branded packaging. I have a inkling they’re the Juju Pumpkins that Zachary Confections makes. Still I’m sure there’s other manufacturers out there out there that I am unaware of.

These pumpkins are attractive to look at. The colors are vibrant and pretty. The back, upon closer inspection, is actually a dark purple. The pieces are well formed and have nice fluting on them like real pumpkins. They’re a nice size too, not too big and not small. I’d say around the size of a large gumdrop.

The grape pumpkin tastes like concord grapes. It’s thick and juicy with rich notes of grape and raspberry. I’m reminded of a mixture of concord grape juice and grape cough medicine, but in a good way.

The orange pumpkin is, of course, orange flavored. It’s bright and orangy, and reminds me of the Brach’s orange slices. The flavor is sweet and there’s no hint of tartness at all. Fun and tasty.

I really liked these, and they’re a fun “stand in” until I find the ones with the sugar coating. I prefer the orange ones to the grape flavor, which in a way makes this package hard for me to pick through since I go after all the orange ones first. I’m sure these would look super nice as decorations in a candy bowl or on top of cupcakes!

Rating: Will Eat Again

I was excited to find Spooky Nerds on one of my Halloween candy hunts. It’s a movie theater sized box, one side white “Punch” flavored and the other orange “Orange”. The box is decorated with adorable images of the Nerds creatures sporting bat wings, witch hats, vampire capes and ghost costumes. So cute!

Orange Spooky Nerds are flavorful and immediately remind me of orange soda, but with a slight tang to it. It’s zesty and sweet at the same time, which is a nice combination. They crunch wonderfully and are a blast to chew. Punch Spooky Nerds start off tart, and blossom into a fruity symphony that brings to mind Hawaiian Punch drinks. I get notes of oranges, pineapples, and passion fruits. When eaten together I get a flavor similar to a tropical sherbert. It’s fantastically fruit and feels like fun. 

I wish these Nerds came in smaller and/or trick or treat sized boxes, as it would be much easier to eat and share them that way. The movie sized box seems like overkill to me, and if it wasn’t for sharing with friends, I would not have been able to finish the box.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links Wonka Website

Candy Corn is a Halloween candy that everyone seems to have a very strong opinion about. You either love it or hate it, and often are loyal to a specific band. Speaking personally, I love candy corn, and Brach’s is the kind I grew up with. I’ve tried other varieties, but Brach’s are always what I return to as my favorite. I figured it was time to give perspective on another very popular brand, Zachary.

I was lucky enough to find a bag of Zachery Candy Corn to review. Immediately I see differences between the candy corn kernels that Zachary makes from the Brach’s ones. The colors of the Zachary corn is much paler, the kernels are flatter and wider. I pour some out into a bowl to get a better look, and I’m surprised to find that many kernels are misshapen and broken. The white tips of the kernels have a high tendency of breaking off, so the bag had a lot of loose white tips floating around.

The flavor of the candy corn is nice. I was surprised because I compared the ingredients list to Brach’s candy corn, and there were many differences as well as similarities. What caught my eye the most was how much lower Honey was on the Zachary Candy Corn’s list than Brachs’. I really expected a more dramatic different in the flavor because of this. The flavor starts of sweet, very sweet, with a slight note of marshmallow. The flavor then mellows with a slight hint or honey and vanilla, and ends with a strong sweetness and a heavy throat burn from the sugar. It tastes like typical candy corn, but with a slightly less honey notes than the Brach’s variety.

I liked this candy corn more than I expected. It’s a tasty variety, but I miss the slight complexity of flavor, bright colors and sturdy structure of the Brach’s candy corn. So if you’re a Zachery fan, I can understand your preferences. Candy Corn is a strange candy, and our preferences reflect that.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links Zachary Candy Corn Webpage