REVIEW: Brach’s Fruit Cake Nougats

Brach s Fruit Cake Nougats

In many European folk tales, a family discovers that their child has been replaced with a changeling, a hideous, ill-tempered fairy baby.

I think Brach’s has a changeling on its hands.

I have always loved their Christmas Nougats: wonderful white peppermint, gorgeous green wintergreen, and pretty pink cinnamon.

Brach s Fruit Cake Nougats 2

But the new member of the family, Brach’s Fruit Cake Nougat, is nothing like its siblings. It’s brown. And it doesn’t have the festive tree in the middle—just a few fruity globs that are drab when mixed in with the brown.

When I open up the bag, I get a whiff that is vaguely reminiscent of baked goods. But not grandmotherly baked goods. I never lived in a fraternity, but I imagine this is what a baked good in a frat house smells like.

Brach s Fruit Cake Nougats 3

The flavor has that same off-putting baked-good vibe to it. Sometimes I detect a nuttiness. But mixed in with the baked good is a strong flavor of Fruity Pebbles. I like Fruity Pebbles, but not combined with whatever that other flavor is. Even once I’ve finished, the flavor lingers in my mouth.

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I find it perplexing that they decided to go with a fruitcake flavor. I’ve always felt that fruitcake jokes are more common than fruitcakes themselves. I even had to buy a fruitcake as a point of reference, because I haven’t had them enough to remember what they taste like.

In addition to the gummy, fruity bits, Brach’s uses real cranberries and raisins. Props to them for trying to make it like an authentic fruitcake. I guess. These candies don’t taste like the fruitcake I got; the fruitcake actually tastes better.

I can’t help but wonder who is really going to buy this —- and then who is really going to like it. They had so many other holiday flavors to choose from. Spearmint, gingerbread, sugar cookie, eggnog, cranberry orange, hot cocoa -— not all of those would be good as nougat, but most of them would be better than fruitcake.

In many of those European folk tales, the family would throw the changeling into the fire. It would escape out the chimney, and their own child would be restored to them.

Brach’s should treat their Fruit Cake Nougat the way any sensible person would —- kill it with fire!

Then maybe we’d get to see a lovely Christmas Nougat baby that actually belongs in the family. Spearmint, perhaps?

(Nutrition Facts – 4 pieces – 130 calories, 2 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 21 grams of sugar (including 17 grams of added sugars), and 0 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 9.5 oz. bag
Purchased at: Walgreens (exclusive flavor)
Rating: 3 out of 10
Pros: Uses actual cranberries and raisins. Has a Fruity Pebbles taste.
Cons: Tastes like baked goods from a frat house. Lingering flavor. As hideous as a changeling. Inferior to the other Christmas Nougats.

15 thoughts to “REVIEW: Brach’s Fruit Cake Nougats”

  1. Is it weird that reading this review made me really want them? I mean, there’s worse things out there. I was scrolling through the Lightning Deals on Amazon and discovered earthworm jerky is a thing… so I mean, at least they didn’t do an earthworm taffy flavor for Earth Day.

    1. That’s a great idea Caitlin! I’ll pass it on to the R&D department. GENIUS! Earthworm taffy

    1. Sorry we don’t do booze. Nice try. Although our scientists might come up with something. It might cause few of our R&D members to get wasted to get the flavor right

  2. I actually liked these! Then again I’ve eaten and enjoyed fruitcake… They have a strong brown sugar and preserved fruit taste, and they are softer than the minty nougats. Plus my husband despises raisins so I know he won’t sneak any.

    1. I love the fruitcake candy but y Walgreen’s doesn’t have it this ur. Where can I get some?

  3. I got some for my mom after finding out she likes fruitcake and then seeing these at the store. I am known
    for my goodie bags and I always try to find the unique holiday items to put in them. We’ll see what she thinks.

  4. My son gave me a bag of the fruitcake candy he picked up in Alabama and I am obscessed with it. I am a fruitcake fanatic but now worried I won’t find this can’t again until the holidays. I live in Wisconsin!!

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