Gingerbread TWIX

First off, let me just say - Happy December!! Only 24 days to go, friends!

Now, when I first starting searching for new, and not-so-new, holiday items, the first two to pop out at me were pretty damn awesome.  The first were those ever-so popular Gingerbread M&M's.  But the second, and even more enticing to me than the former, were Gingerbread Twix!!

I'm a big fan of Twix cookie bars, and we'll get into that a bit more in a later post, so I was pumped to see that they were releasing a limited-edition Gingerbread variety.  I looked everywhere to find them and it seemed as though they were becoming more allusive than the yet-to-be found Gingerbread Oreo cookies.  I looked to Ebay, but couldn't justify spending so much money on a bag of candy during what's already such an expensive season.  So, I gave it some time, kept my fingers crossed, and eventually found these babies at Target.  At first, I walked right by them because they blended in so well with the traditional bag, but those smiling Gingerbread men didn't let me get far.

When you take a closer look at the packaging, it's very well done while remaining true to the traditional Twix color and style.  They've added a few swirls to represent the caramel and, of course, two very festive Gingerbread men all decked out in their decorative icing for the holidays.  Although I missed them at first, it's hard to imagine how I could.  As such a big fan of packaging and graphic design, this is something I shouldn't miss at all.

Besides design, I always talk about going the extra mile and, yes, Twix definitely added that little bit extra and it goes a long way.  Take a look at the metallic Twix wrapper.  Not only is it brown and shiny, which is to be expected from Twix, but they added tiny Gingerbread men to the design!  You have to look closely when you purchase your own bag, because this picture actually makes them pop much more than the human eye, but they're there and they're beautiful.  It adds so much to the season.  Now, I don't feel like I'm about to open a regular mini Twix bar, I feel like it's something special and for the holidays.  It doesn't take much to do what Twix did and takes even less to make this nerd happy :)

Looking at the Twix cookie bar, you wouldn't expect anything out of the ordinary.  It looks traditional, but there is a faint smell of Gingerbread and it's enough to let you know that the season is upon us.  Now, I'm a fan of Gingerbread, so I was expecting greatness, but if you like Gingerbread the way I like Pumpkin Spice, then you should probably stop reading right now ;)

Gingerbread is gingerbread, but there are different levels and varieties and this one falls very high on the list of "extreme" gingerbread.  At first, even I wasn't sure what to think.  I actually didn't like them after the first few bites and that surprised me.  But, I realized, it's because I was expecting a traditional Twix flavor and that was throwing me off.  I've never had any Twix outside of the classics, so it's odd biting into one and tasting something that your mind says shouldn't be there.  But believe me, once I had my tastebuds talk to my mind and convince him that this is all going to be okay, it was awesome.  I just had one as I typed this to re-affirm my love for Gingerbread Twix and we're in the clear.  They're a bit bitter, maybe taste more like cinnamon than gingerbread, but it works and it works wonderfully.  I'm not sure if I like these more than the Gingerbread M&M's, but if you like gingerbread, you really can't go wrong with either one of these brands.  Pick 'em both up, have a taste test, throw a party, and enjoy the new candy gifted to us this Christmas.  It's the little things, really :)

Starburst Candy Corn

It's still August, so there haven't been many Halloween products released, but there have been a few here and there.  One of the downsides of starting the "Halloween Holidaze" so early is that I really don't have much to talk about just yet.  But when you find Fruity Yummy Mummy, you drop everything and change the design.  In the meantime, I'll be sure to throw in a few more Summer posts every now and then before we really hit the ground running in September.  Luckily, one of the first items revealed to us this season is brand new and comes from Starburst.

Introducing - Starburst Candy Corn!  Weeks ago, I had seen a photo of these posted on Instagram and thought, ah, that's probably not real.  But after I thought about it, this release actually makes sense for Starburst.  They're one of the few candy brands ahead of the curve.  When fans let them know that Cherry and Strawberry were the favorites, they released "Fav Reds."  For Easter, they came out with Starburst Jelly Beans.  And, for movie lovers who have never been offered anything worth taking (or sneaking) into the theater, I recently spotted these at CVS..

When it comes to candy, Starburst has always ranked high on my top-ten list.  When I was a kid, my cousin and I used to buy pack after pack during the Summer and attempt to come up with new flavors.  Because they were the only "fruit chew" around, we thought it would be cool to see a "Soda" and "Peanut Butter and Jelly" flavored Starburst.  Not sure how I'd feel about that now, but I'd give it a shot.  It's still better than "Macaroni and Cheese."  We were just hungry that day.

Starburst Candy Corn is a great idea and perfectly connects the flavor of traditional Starburst with the celebration of Halloween.  Candy Corn isn't for everybody but, personally, I enjoy it.  It reminds me of Fall and growing up in anticipation of Halloween.  The flavor is one that I'll always associate with the upcoming time of year.  I remember, one year, I was home alone on a Saturday night playing "WWE WrestleMania XIX" on Nintendo Gamecube while eating a giant bag of candy corn and baby pumpkins.  Hell of a good time.  I felt like the Halloween version of Kevin McCallister.

Now, these Starburst Candy Corn don't have the classic candy corn flavor, but they do share the same texture.  With this candy, you're getting the memorable feel of candy corn with the taste of four, overly sugar-filled, Starburst flavors.  These are strong.  They pack a punch because, unlike fruit chews, you don't even think to suck on them first.  Because of the candy corn name and image, your instincts tell you to bite down and begin chewing.  That's when you're hit in the face with flavor.  That's not a bad thing, but I'd suggest taking smaller bites.  I basically do that with regular and Starburst Candy Corn, anyway.  I bite the top white part off first, then the middle, and finally the bottom.  With this candy, it's probably the best bet.

I'd definitely recommend Starburst Candy Corn if for no other reason that it's a brand new Halloween candy.  I'll stick with the original candy corn from now on, but I had to try these.  They're worth the buy and, from what I am seeing, they're selling fast! If you like the taste of Starburst and the texture of candy corn, then that's what you'll get.  They're even chipped, broken, and stuck together.  Look at the red one, it looks like a bloody vampire tooth.  Tell yourself that when you try these.  You'll feel like more of a badass.