Pumpkin Spice Latte M&M's

Much like the Oreo brand, M&M's have become known for their unique flavor varieties over the last few years.  Whether it was Red Velvet or Carrot Cake, the candy classics have become synonymous with the ever-changing seasons.  Being able to adapt and transition from one event to the other, Mars have put M&M's on the holiday map and, as expected, they're at it again with one of their best editions to date!

Peppermint M&M's

It just seems like they're constantly releasing new M&M flavors!  I'm sure you've seen these before, because I know I have, but The Holidaze is behind on the Christmas times so I want to cover as much as I can in the short amount of time we have left.  If we're going to celebrate the season, we need to talk about everything - big and little - even if they've been released in the past.  Because next year, if these are discontinued, we can say we mentioned them.  For example, did you know there were Sugar Cookie Twix, last year?  I sure as hell didn't and now I regret missing out on the now extinct greatness!

When I first heard about these white chocolate peppermint M&M's, I was searching the Internet for various Christmas products.  This stood out to me because I couldn't find them and, on Ebay, they were selling for $15 a bag.  Really?  Were they that rare?  Was I gonna have to splurge on a bag of candy that I may not even like?  The answer is... no.  They're easy to find and readily available, somebody was just trying to cash in.  I'm sure somebody, somewhere, was suckered into the trap.  If they're reading The Holidaze, I hope they know I found stacks and stacks of Peppermint M&M's at Target.  Sorry, bud.. I was almost you.

I like how much they're using the snarky, sarcastic, red M&M to sell their products.  Out of all their characters, he's the closest thing to a used car salesman.  He gives you a smirk, points out the beauty of his candy, throws on a Santa hat to welcome your friendship, then charges you $15 for a bag you could have had for $3.  Isn't that how it goes?  He's good, and I like him, but I'll say it again - he needs a name.  I'm tired of calling him "The Red M&M."  I don't even like "Red," I just want him to have a traditional name like Joe or Bob.  It's funnier.. What would you name Red?

These were obviously going to be red and white colored and anything different would have been a disappointment and epic fail.  We knew that wouldn't happen, and that's a good thing because these are perfect for the season.  Everything from the bag design to the candy coating is red and white and emits a true feeling of winter.  You'd think blue would do a better job than red, but not when it's paired with white.  Peppermint is probably the number one Christmas flavor and nothing does it better than the Candy Cane.  Hence, red and white M&M's.  How come this stuff was never mentioned in College?  I could write pages and pages on the color of candy but couldn't write a paragraph about "The Great Gatsby."  Grown up, baby!

Usually, whenever I try these white chocolate + random flavor concoctions, I don't taste anything out of the ordinary.  Use the Candy Corn M&M's as the perfect example.  However, this time, they really hit the nail on the head and did a great job!  These are, without a doubt, my favorite Holiday M&M's and it's with good reason - the truly taste like Peppermint!  Yeah, there's the subtle hint of white chocolate, and that's to be expected, but it's not overwhelming and walks the line perfectly.  

So if you're only going to buy one of the 472 M&M flavors this season, I'd make this the winner.  They look and taste like Christmas and that's enough to make up for those damn Pumpkin Spice M&M's last October.

Candy Corn M&M's

Last year, I heard all about Candy Corn M&M's.  I saw them, I picked them up, and read the bag.  It clearly said "white chocolate" M&M's.  I thought, if these are just a collection of M&M's that I can get at any time of year, seasonally colored to represent candy corn, then it's not worth buying to try and write about.

But soon after I passed up on the M&M's, I read various reviews that described the flavor and they believed they were actually candy corn flavored.  Well now we're talking.  This year, I wasn't going to let others describe and review for me, I was going to do that myself.  Luckily, I found a tiny bag at Michael's Craft Store and was able to pick it up for cheap.

One thing I never discounted last year was the bag design.  On both the large and small bags, they went all out as they usually do with their seasonal M&M's.  Of course, they went with the obvious color scheme of yellow, white, and orange.  I wouldn't expect anything different, but the fact that they dressed the red M&M in a candy corn costume is pretty cool.  We all know this guy.  He's been in 100s of commercials and he's quite the complainer.  It seems like he's never happy.  But somehow, they convinced him to put this costume on and act like he's proud to be laying in an M&M ball pit.  He's even throwing up the RVD thumb as if to say "Yeah, check me out, ladies."  They must have paid him in gum.

You'd probably notice the size of these M&M's first, but I want you to notice the fact that I flipped every M&M over to be M-Side Up.  That's dedication to The Holidaze, so lie and tell me you noticed that first, okay?

Second, you'll notice the strong scent of sugar once you rip this open.  It kinda smells like cake frosting battling with the stronger scent of vanilla extract.  It's strong, but I like it.

Lastly, before you try one, you have to respect the colors.  Comparing these M&M's to candy corn is easy, but they're perfect for fall as well.  Besides brown, I can't think of three better colors to pour in a bowl and display on your table as a decorative item.  You don't even have to be a fan of Halloween or candy corn, you just have to enjoy the season itself.  And if you don't like Fall, then I have no idea how you stumbled on this site.

Okay, now for the reason behind purchasing these suckers at all - the taste!!  I gotta be honest, all I'm tasting is white chocolate.  I've seen a dozen sites saying that they taste candy corn, but I'm really pushing it if I say I do, too.  I mean, you might get a hint of it every now and then, but I truly feel like I'm tricking myself into believing it.  A lot of people have said "Yeah, it's white chocolate and candy corn combined."  I'll take your word for it and, if that's the case, then I now know what those two flavors taste like when put together, but I can't make the same claim.  

Regardless of what I taste, you taste, I think, or you think, these M&M's are still very good and they're worth buying for the colors and design alone.  I didn't think so last year, but I've had a change of heart after writing about them.  If not for the season, I'd probably avoid them and stick with the classics, but I can't turn down Halloween candy two-years in a row.  Now, from what I'm hearing, there are new pumpkin spice M&M's out for 2013 and those I'll have to try.  I've been on the lookout, but no luck just yet.  When it comes to stocking shelves, stores have been slower than ever.  But soon, Halloween will strike and strike hard.  Until then, go ahead and pick these up.  I'm curious to see what you think.