Spookylicious Pop-Tarts are Back!

Finally, Target has begun rolling out their Halloween aisles and the spooky season is well underway in retail.  While searching the aisles for new and unique products, I was happy to find an old friend return in 2014.  After last year's unexplained absence, Kellogg's has brought back their Spookylicious Halloween Pop-Tarts!  In a time where we're always looking for the latest and greatest, it's nice to see traditional treats given the respect the deserve!

Spookylicious Pop-Tarts Return

If you've been a fan of The Holidaze long enough, that logo above is nothing new to you.  We've discussed these Spookylicious Halloween Pop-Tarts before.  But the amount of effort that Kellogg's puts into these Pop-Tarts every year makes them a must-buy and, in this case, a must-cover.  In my opinion, these are in the top tier of Halloween treats that come out throughout this season.  The order in which they fall is up to you, but there's not doubt that they belong in the upper class.  Everything, from the box to the pastries themselves, screams Halloween and represents the purity of the holiday.  Really, they do.  Trust me, I talked about them last year!

So, is there anything different about this year's box compared to last year's?  Actually, yes! Last year, the box design was a bit lackluster.  It featured a spider web, a spider, and a full moon.  It was nice and definitely surpassed much of what I've seen from other products.  But the 2012 box design features bats and spooky trees with their eyes on the prize.  They're obviously checking out those beautifully orange Pop-Tarts while hoping to get to them before the ghost does.  Speaking of that ghost, take a look at him.  He's in complete shock.  Some might like to think he's just being his ghoulish self, but I think he's just surprised to see that Target actually stocked the Halloween aisle for a change.  Zing!

Every year, Kellogg's Spookylicious Pop-Tarts feature a Halloween recipe to go along with the new season.  They may not change the Pop-Tarts themselves, but you don't fix what aint broke!  They have a good thing going and throwing in a new recipe every year is more than they have to do to get me to buy a box.  

Last year, I didn't even take a picture of whatever the recipe was.  The Holidaze was only a month old and I didn't think anybody would want to see it.  But this year, I'd be surprised if anybody is even reading an almost identical entry so I had to change it up.  This year, I took a picture of the back of the box and the Fudgy, Spooky, Spider.  I didn't make one myself, because I like to wait until October before I get crafty in the kitchen.  But in case you want to dive right in, here's the recipe!  They look good!

If you make any, let me know how they came out and snap a few pics.  Send them to @HolidazeBlog on Twitter! Maybe you can get a bit creative and add a little something to the mix.  Go wild!  It's Halloween!

One thing about writing on The Holidaze for over a year now, is the fact that I've gotten better at taking pictures and editing them to make them look more appetizing.  Believe it or not, you'd be able to see my entire kitchen in the background of that photo had I not cropped it out.  Who wants to see a stranger's house when they're looking at Halloween Treats?  Not this guy!  For that reason, I'm trying to make everything look better and I'm confident that the photo above topped last year's.  It's all about progress on The Holidaze!

I said it before, and I'll say it again, these Pop-Tarts are amazing to look at.  Forget about taste for a second, just stare at them for a moment.  Visually, the orange and brown contrast, mixed with the dark brown, white, and yellow sprinkles, makes for Halloween magic!  If these wouldn't go bad, I'd decorate with them!  I have to figure out how to preserve and hang them from my ceiling.  I'd get weird looks, much like the one you're giving your computer screen, but it'd be worth it to illuminate a room in this orange glow!

In terms of taste, I mentioned last year how chocolatey these things are.  That hasn't changed and, personally, I have no complaints.  I actually think these are the best Pop-Tarts to come out all-year-long.  However, I also mentioned that I rarely microwave or toast my Pop-Tarts and usually eat them right out of the box.  Well, again, in order to change things up for The Holidaze, I had to toast these babies up and give 'em a chocolate whirl!

What was I thinking?  Why in the world did I not toast these last year?  Why didn't any of you shake me, wake me up, and tell me what type of mistake I was making?  Spookylicious Pop-Tarts, toasted, go from great to "OMG."  I never say "OMG" and I feel like a 13-year-old girl when I do, but there's no other way to put it.  These are that good and it's sad that I actually get excited over the fact that I still have a full box left.  Unlike last year, I won't be eating these in moderation.  I've become addicted to the chocolate overload and I'll be storming through these boxes like a twister.  What have I done? ;)

To conclude this Spookylicious 2012 entry, I'm going to recycle a photo I used last year.  Seeing as how these Pop-Tarts have pulled me into their darkness, it's only fitting that these little monsters return :)

Spookylicious Pop-Tarts

The best part about writing this Holidaze blog is that I now make more of an effort to discover new things.  Last year, I knew that Halloween Pop-Tars existed, but I never made any attempt to find them.  In fact, had I walked right past them, I probably wouldn't have even noticed.  But now, with my focus geared toward creating an unforgettable Halloween season, I'm finding everything I never did before.  This has certainly enhanced the season and made this one of my best October's in years.  What's better?  We're not even halfway through!

It's upsetting that I didn't pick these up last year because they're obviously worth it.  I haven't had many kind words for Kellogg's this season, as I feel they can do more to create better Halloween products, yet they're still very much a large part of the season.  They've given us Rice Krispies Treats and provided the number one ingredient to our Pumpkin Spice Krispies Treats.  I hate to knock them for those reasons, but I feel like I have to in order for them to become better.  I'm like a disgruntled parent who sees that their child has an ability they're not putting to good use.  Spookylicious Pop-Tarts prove that!

If Kellogg's can do this much for a box of Pop-Tarts, why can't they do the same for their cereal boxes?  Here we have a ghost, a spider spinning his web, a full moon and the perfect amount of orange.  Not to mention the decorative tarts covered in Halloween-themed sprinkles.  They basically took their fancy box and translated that into 12 toaster pastries.  See son, you can be the best!

The Spookylicious Pop-Tarts are chocolate flavored.  To be specific, they're "Frosted Chocolate Fudge."  Either way, you're only going to like these treats if you're a fan of chocolate because the filling is rich and overwhelming.  For me, that's a good thing.  I love chocolate, but even I have to break these treats down into increments.  However, that's another good thing.  That means they'll last me straight through to Halloween without having to purchase another box just to say I had one on Halloween.

I'm not sure how the masses commonly eat their Pop-Tarts, but I usually eat them right out from the box.  On occasion, I'll microwave or toast them, but it's rare that I do.  I know that they taste better that way, but I'm just too lazy to heat them.  I've yet to try doing so with these treats, but I should have to give the people who don't read this a better review.  In the time it took me to write for nobody, I could have already finished one and had more to write about.  Oh well, I'm sure they're just as good heated as they are unwrapped.

Finally, here is a close-up on one of the Spookylicious Pop-Tarts.  Obviously it looks nothing like the ones pictured on the box, but I've yet to see a product that ever does.  However, you still get to see those ghosts, spiders and moons.  For whatever reason, they all seem to cluster down at the bottom, leaving the outcasts up top.  That's mean.  Now I'm writing as if these sprinkles have thoughts and emotions.  That's ridiculous... or is it?

Eater beware! Bwahaha!