For many years I (and I’ll bet you) have been told that white chocolate isn’t “real” chocolate, that as a candy it’s inferior to milk chocolate, and that it’s made from elephant tusks. OK, that last one I only heard once, from my neighbor friend Scott, when I was in elementary school.
But I’m here to tell you that white chocolate is indeed chocolate. It contains cocoa butter and milk solids, but no cocoa solids. And it’s carefully regulated by the FDA, as well as the European Union. So there are standards.
I’ve always thought white chocolate has a slightly less overpowering taste than milk chocolate (and certainly less than dark chocolate), and thus in many cases it pairs better with other foods. So, in case it isn’t obvious to you where this is going, let me say that today we’re going to review the Reese’s white chocolate pumpkin. And special thanks to Peter and Carrie who kindly nabbed this treat for me, and presented on china that’s identical to that which has consistently been used in this blog!
Packaging. Alert readers will recall that we earlier reviewed the Reese’s regular-chocolate pumpkins (on October 6), and we thought the packaging was pretty good. This packaging is similar, with the same Reese’s orange and an image of the pumpkin-shaped candy, with a jack o’lantern smile carved into it. We’ll give it the same 2 points we’d given the earlier version.
2. Appearance of the Treat. Ummm. This looks no more like a pumpkin than I look like Brad Pitt. Which is to say, it’s pretty close. I mean, if it just had an entirely different shape, with perhaps some decent pecs, they’d be indistinguishable.
In all seriousness, this is not a pumpkin. It looks like a bar of ivory soap. Zero points.
3. Taste. Oh happy day! The white chocolate pairs with the peanut butter even better than the milk chocolate did. And that earlier combo was no slouch. The peanut flavor is really allowed to shine through, and the delicate sweetness of the white chocolate nicely balances the salt in the peanut butter. This definitely has earned 3 points.
4. Value. Just as with the milk chocolate version, a 1.2 ounce pumpkin costs a buck. It’s not a tremendous value, but it’s still a pretty satisfying treat. I’ll give it the same 2 points as its sister pumpkin.
Steve’s Sweetoberfest Score: 7 out of 12 points, which just squeaks into the TREAT category. You might want to save your money and buy a bar of ivory soap instead.
The humble Oreo has been a key figure in the cookie universe for over a century now. First introduced in 1912, the Oreo is as simple as it is tasty: It’s just two chocolate cookie wafers with a schmear of sweet frosting in between. It’s claimed that the Oreo is the most popular cookie in the world, but I haven’t been able to find any backup data. Also, there’s some uncertainty about the origin of the Oreo’s name. Wikipedia notes one theory “that the name derives from the Latin Oreodaphne, a genus of the laurel family…. [T]he original design of the Oreo includes a laurel wreath; and the names of several of Nabisco’s cookies at the time of the original Oreo had botanical derivations, including Avena, Lotus, and Helicon (from Heliconia).”
Halloween Oreos were introduced as a seasonal item in 1991. And late September of each year you can find me camped out in front of the grocery store waiting for the Halloween Oreos to appear. So that’s what we’re reviewing today.
Packaging. In Pavlovian fashion, I salivate every time I see this package. But aside from the promise of the gastronomic goodness inside, the package also has some worthy nods to Halloween. Such as the prominent use of orange lettering. There’s also the word “BOO!” spelled out in specially-shaped Oreos. And an Oreo with a smiling Jack O-Lantern embossed on its front appears as the middle “O.” The package also promises that the cookies have “5 spooky Halloween designs.” This all adds up to major Halloween Ju-Ju. Still, the design seems a little bare for a Halloween treat. No cobwebs? No skeleton hand holding a cookie? No bats flying the background? There’s plenty of bare, blue space that could have accommodated something along those lines. I’ll give it 2 points.
Appearance of the Treat. You can’t help but smile when you see these cookies. The most prominent feature is the substitution of orange creme for the usual white stuff. It’s bright and festive, and perfectly complements the chocolate wafer to produce the classic orange-and-black Halloween motif. But wait! There’s more! Each cookie (except for one in my package, which evidently was defective) has a “spooky Halloween design” embossed in the cookie. These designs are a jack o’lantern (featured on the front of the package), a spider web, a ghost, a witch, and a bat with the words “dare to dunk.” (That last one is, I think, a little lame. Surely a skull would have been better.) Overall, though, these are fun and whimsical cookies. Halloween wouldn’t be the same without them. 3 points.
Taste. Oreos have a classic taste that perfectly balances chocolate and vanilla. They also have an ideal mouthfeel, combining a crisp cookie wafer with soft icing. So, going into this, you know that you’ve got a great cookie. But then they improve it with orange icing!!
OK, OK. I know that the package says “same taste.” But I don’t buy that for a second. These cookies somehow taste better to me than the regular Oreos. I’m not sure how; the orange creme isn’t flavored like orange or pumpkin or anything. But still, it’s a slightly different and better taste, just by dint of being orange. I’ve gotta give this 3 points.
4. Value. This 20-ounce package, with about 40 cookies, set me back $5.29. That works out to about 13 cents per cookie. Where else can you get this kind of visual and gustatory satisfaction for such a pittance? I was inclined to give it 3 points, but then I noticed that regular Oreos were going for $3.99. Again, we’re getting charged a premium just for the seasonal embellishment. That knocks off a point. So, I’ll rate the value as 2 points.
Steve’s Sweetoberfest Score: 10 out of 12 points. A definite TREAT! Get them before they’re gone and you’re stuck choking down the plain Jane Oreos!
Faithful (attentive) readers will remember that Steve mentioned his fondness for sugar cookies in earlier Sweetoberfest blogs. After two failed attempts to identify a sugar cookie that would meet his high standards, I (as his supportive friend) thought I would try to find one on his behalf.
The search took me to Karen’s bakery in the Northern California town of Folsom. For those of you who may not be familiar with Folsom, it is a mid-sized community located about 25 miles east of Sacramento. Folsom has a rich history which includes gold miners and railroads; however, it is most famous for being home to a large lake and one ofCalifornia’s state prisons (Folsom Prison). If this sounds familiar, you’re probably remembering that Johnny Cash recorded Folsom Prison Blues in 1955, and subsequently recorded an album at the prison in 1968.
Karen’s Bakery has a large selection of food and pastries and is as good a bakery as you’ll find anywhere. So I thought they would definitely have a nice selection of sugar cookies. They did have lots of cookies, including chocolate chip, snickerdoodles, gingersnaps, etc., but nothing that looked like a sugar cookie. They did have cookies that were decorated to resemble candy corn and, when I asked if those might be sugar cookies (since candy corn is a big Halloween item), the attendant hesitantly stated that they were, in fact, sugar cookies. Based on that shaky recommendation (which I was not overly confident in), I picked up three of the candy corn cookies (if you’re not sure whether a sweet treat is the right thing you’re looking for, it’s best to limit yourself to just three of them).
What follows is my (guest) review of the Karen’s Bakery candy corn sugar(?) cookie.
Packaging. Packaging for the cookies came in three stages: in the display case at the bakery; in the plastic container they were shipped home in; and in the bag we were given to take them home. Full disclosure, I did not take a picture of them at the bakery, so I recreated the scene at home, showing how they were displayed at the bakery. The interior of the bakery had a couple of minimal Halloween decorations on display (a witch and some pumpkins) but, other than that, they didn’t do anything special to celebrate the big day. They also didn’t have any special decoration for the plastic container or the bag they sent them home in (e.g., bats, floating eyeballs, Dracula). So they missed an opportunity to get some Halloween decorating extra credits. However, the display case and container clearly showed what we were bringing home, so let’s give them points for packaging. 2 points.
2. Appearance of the Treat. They did a great job with the appearance of these cookies! First of all, they look like candy corn, which is about as Halloween-y as you can get. The frosting looks great-it’s well-proportioned and there are little rectangular patterns on each layer of frosting which shows that they paid attention to detail when decorating the cookies. The cookies are large, measuring 3 inches across and 4.5 inches top to bottom. This is no little mini cookie, or something intended to give you just a “taste”-. It’s the real deal! I think they hit it out of the park on appearance! 3 points
3. Taste. Tasting the cookie confirms that it is, in fact, a sugar cookie. That’s a good thing—it’s what we were looking for! The cookie itself (minus the frosting) is very good, with a background taste of vanilla that really hits the spot. You could definitely taste the sugar, but it didn’t overpower you with sweetness. The cookie was fresh, but it still had the perfect amount of crunchiness. I was not in danger of damaging a molar (see Steve’s “Mummy Dearest” post), and when I sliced one in half (as Steve did with his mummy cookie), it softly separated, as opposed to cracking like a…cracker. However, the frosting was too sweet. They literally missed the “sweet”spot, where you would have just the right amount of sugary flavor, without having it overpower you! After a couple of bites, I scraped off some frosting and, after trying the unfrosted cookie, confirmed that the cookie itself was very good. However, adding the frosting produces a cookie that is overly sweet and not what you want in a sugar cookie. Because of this disappointing combination, I’m giving it one point. Sorry Steve, the search for the perfect sugar cookie continues. 1 point.
4. Value. Each cookie (weighing in at 2.6 ounces apiece) costs $2.00. That’s a good deal considering their appearance, large size and freshness, all of which would make it a great value. However, the value rating takes a hit because they don’t rate very well on the all-important taste category (which when you get down to it, is the most important one). Based on all of the criteria (including cost) I’m giving it 1 point for value. 1 point.
Vic’s Sweetoberfest (Guest) Score: 7 out of 12 points, which makes it a minor TREAT .
Let’s just say from the outset that I’m not a huge Cheetos fan. But we’re on our 20th day of this Halloween Treat Expedition, and we’re running out of obvious choices. Plus, some of the items that I really wanted to review, like Peeps pumpkins and Cap’n Crunch’s Halloween Crunch (“the ghosts turn the milk green!”) have been sold out weeks now.
So when I saw this a special bag of Cheetos called a “Bag of Bones,” I figured I should nab it. And now you get to benefit from my selfless sampling of the product.
Packaging. This is a pretty good Halloween-themed bag. “Bag of Bones” is written in standard “scary” script, and there’s even an inexplicable skull poised over the “E.” The Cheetos are illustrated on the package in the shape of bones, and they even exchanged their usual hideous orange color with a bone-colored white cheddar coating. The package shows how the bones can be assembled into a skeleton. The background is midnight blue, with lightning bolts surrounding the bones. This is clearly a Halloween theme. 3 points.
Appearance of the Treat. The whole point of these Cheetos is that the look like skeleton bones. Which is kind of a “humerus” concept. I dug through the bag and put together a skeleton:
This skeleton is clearly fatter (?) than the one shown on the bag. He might have a bad case of elephantiasis. Or perhaps the baking process has some quality control issues. Either way, this skeleton has issues. Also, I was trying to figure out what the crescent-shaped bone is supposed to be. The bag has a million of them. I decided it must be the hips. But looking again at the illustration on the front of the bag, there are no hip bones. It appears that the mystery bone is simply a broken fragment of the skull. Another ding to quality control. I guess I’ll give the appearance two points, but that’s being generous. I can’t help myself.
3. Taste. As I said, I’m not a huge fan of Cheetos. But these struck me as especially odd. The white cheddar flavor is not something you’d associate with Cheetos, and it comes across as particularly weak and salty. The bone-shaped Cheetos also felt airier than regular Cheetos, and as soon as you start to crunch them with your teeth they dissolve into a thin, gummy paste, while white cheddar dust coats your face. Repurposing an advertising line from Jiffy Pop, I’d say that these skeletons are more fun to make than they are to eat. 1 point.
4. Value. This 7 and 1/2 ounce bag cost me $2.59. That’s about 35 cents per ounce, which isn’t a bad price. However, the 8 and 1/2 ounce bag, sitting on the same shelf, was going for a dime less. So it seems that the Cheetos people are charging a premium for this special version, which (in my opinion) tastes worse than the original. I can only give this 1 point.
Steve’s Sweetoberfest Score: 7 out of 12 points, which is barely a TREAT.
Attentive readers will recall my fond memory of receiving a popcorn ball one Halloween during my misspent youth. From that same general time I also remember another homemade treat: my mom’s caramel apples. They were a pretty simple affair that involved the dipping of skewered apples into a saucepan containing melted Kraft caramels. I seldom would wait for the caramel to harden; in fact, I scarcely waited for its temperature to drop into double digits. My technique was to scrape off the caramel coating with my teeth, and then to throw away the apple. (I used a similar technique with Oreos, which involved eating the exposed icing from a deconstructed cookie and then throwing away the chocolate wafers.)
Still, I have fond memories of caramel apples, which I associate with the Halloween season and with getting money from the tooth fairy in exchange for my caramel-dislodged teeth.
So imagine my nostalgic glee when I found a perfectly-shaped, whimsically-decorated caramel apple at my local Ralph’s grocery store. (Ralph’s is part of the same parent company as Kroger and Raley’s, so I suspect you can find this same confection near you.) On to the review!
Packaging. This caramel apple came on a black plastic tray, and was covered with a clear plastic domed lid. (For some reason, my photo of the domed lid didn’t turn out. Just take my word for this). Now, even though there’s no real Halloween theme to the packaging, I’m going to continue my practice of awarding 2 points for the honesty and transparency of letting the potential consumer see the actual treat through the clear covering. Also, this was a well-designed and sturdy package, which protected the treat from getting damaged in transit.
Appearance of the Treat. Now this is what Halloween noshing is all about: a classic Halloween confection, with thick caramel coating, decorated with sprinkles, and topped with a friendly, rosy-cheeked ghost. And that ghost is not just a decoration; it’s a ring that you can wear to show your Halloween spirit. This is a first-class caramel apple. 3 points.
3. Taste. Oh. My. God. This is a down-home, classic, homemade, fresh, wondrous treat. In the words of Willy Wonka, it’s scrumdiddlyumptious. The caramel is rich and thick, with pronounced notes of brown sugar and butter. It’s just gooey enough to provide a pleasant mouthfeel, without being too chewy. The granny smith apple is simply perfect — crisp and slightly tart, to temper the sweet caramel coating. The proportion of candy to fruit is spot-on. Seriously, this is the best caramel apple I’ve ever tasted. I happily award it 3 points.
4. Value. Well they ain’t giving these things away. This set my back $3.99, otherwise known as about 4 bucks. But it’s got a net weight of half a pound. That works out to 50 cents per ounce, which surely is a good value. It’s fresh, hand-made, festively decorated, and delicious. 3 points.
Steve’s Sweetoberfest Score: 11 out of 12 points. A definite TREAT! It’s tied with Melville’s monster marshmallow pop! I’m using a lot of exclamation points in this review!
Chasing Phantoms 