REVIEW: Marshmallow Crispy White Chocolate M&M’s

Like an evolving Pokémon, Marshmallow Crispy White Chocolate M&M’s are the third iteration of similar candy launches following White Chocolate Marshmallow M&M’s in 2019 and White Chocolate Marshmallow Crispy TREAT M&M’s in late 2022. So, in a way these are a seasonal returning item. Kind of. I was curious what the modifications may have been since dropping the “treat” from the name.

The first thing I noticed upon opening the bag was the uniformity of the shape and size of these candies. I also preferred the blue and white colorway to the previous spring time mixes that included a pastel yellow or pink, but that’s just personal preference. True to their name, these M&M’s had a strong sweet aroma like opening a bag of marshmallows.

The inside texture of these M&M’s was similar to any other Crispy M&M’s and the first thing that went through my head was “Oh, like a rice Krispie treat!” so, they were on to something with the 2022 name. The white chocolate coating isn’t too thick or overwhelming, resulting in a substantial crunch with every bite. The only thing I couldn’t put my finger on was the flavor. Did they taste like marshmallow? What does a marshmallow taste like other than vanilla flavor, anyway? After falling into a marshmallow flavor matrix hole of thought for a while I decided it doesn’t matter, these are delicious. They are VERY sweet, but they are delicious. Once I’d had a few, the subtly of any other vanilla or marshmallow flavor gave in to the overpowering sweetness of white chocolate. But the crispy crunch made me keep eating them longer than I thought I would given the intense sweetness.

Overall, I’m impressed with M&M’s fine tuning of this spring time candy. They didn’t need the word “treat” in the name to convey a candy version of a Rice Krispie Treat. And, since they clearly enjoy innovating and iterating upon successful formats, I really hope to see more crispy M&M’s in the future. A cross over with Caramel M&M’s would be amazing; a Chocolate Caramel Crispy M&M! But for now, if you find yourself in a Target (where these are an exclusive) consider picking up a bag of the new Marshmallow Crispy White Chocolate M&M’s.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 7.4oz bag
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz/about 30 pieces) 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 17 grams of sugar (including 16 grams of added sugar), and 1 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Strawberries & Creme M&M’s

Frequently for Valentine’s Day, M&M’s likes to bring us some new flavor involving strawberry or cherry because, of course, February is when those summer fruits are in season.

We have had Cherry Milk Chocolate, Strawberry Milk Chocolate, Black Forest Cake, and White Chocolate Strawberry Shake. And I swear there was a Valentine’s raspberry version in there somewhere, but I can’t find it.

For 2025, the flavor is White Chocolate Strawberries & Crème. And you might be thinking, “That sounds an awful lot like White Chocolate Strawberry Shake.” And you would be right.

I don’t have any of the Strawberry Shake variety with me, but the new Strawberries & Crème version tastes just like I remember the 2023 flavor. The main difference is that Mars removed green from the color scheme and replaced it with an extra shade of pink. (Though green was explainable, I still thought it was an odd choice. I fully support the new pink and red colors.)

So, even though it’s the same, how is it? It reminds me of strawberry milk: creamy, fruity, and artificial. I happen to like strawberry milk in all its fake-flavor glory, so I approve! Aside from the flavor, it’s the same white chocolate you find in other limited edition M&M’s. If you don’t like white chocolate, stay away, but I like it. (It might get cloying if you eat too many, but built-in moderation isn’t a bad thing!)

If Mars wants to rerelease an enjoyable candy with a new name and an improved color scheme, I certainly won’t complain. Especially since Valentine’s candy is probably the best thing about January and February.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 7.44 oz bag
Purchased at: Dick’s Market
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (16 pieces) 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 25 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 19 grams of sugar including 17 grams of added sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Sour Skittles Pop’d Freeze Dried Candy

Freeze-dried candy seems to have been gaining popularity in the past few years. What was once only seen at craft fairs, TJ Maxx checkout aisles, and farmer’s markets have now gained proliferation in gas stations and grocery stores. The most popular seem to be variations of freeze-dried Skittles. I don’t fully understand the legality of an independent candy company buying branded candy, sucking the water out of it, and then re-selling the confection under a new name and brand, but hey, that’s capitalism for ya! So, when I saw Skittles was launching its own freeze-dried candy, my immediate thoughts ranged from “Of course!” to “DUH.”

Skittles Pop’d has launched in both Original and Sour varieties. I opted for the latter for a bit more intrigue and interest. The flavor variety differs from the original Sour Skittles mix. The Sour Skittles Pop’d comes in Strawberry, Lemonade, Blue Raspberry, Cherry, and Watermelon. The combination lands closer to the Mixed Berry mix, which some people will adore! Sour Mixed Berry? Yes, please!

Watermelon is the least perceivably sour and much closer to the true watermelon candy flavor. The blue raspberry and strawberry are similar to their original Skittles flavors, but the concentrated flavor from the freeze-dried process makes them way more intense. Lemonade is BY FAR the most sour, and Cherry just sort of tastes like generic sour/sweetness, with the cherry flavor getting lost in the overwhelming hit of sugar.

The freeze-drying process removes all moisture from the food or candy and inherently changes the texture and flavor delivery. Moisture and how it is chemically bound to other molecules in a food play a large role in how our taste buds perceive flavors. So, it wasn’t necessarily surprising that these Sour Skittles Pop’d were INTENSELY sweet the second they started to dissolve on the tongue. What was a little less expected was which part of the candy was sour. I’m used to Original Sour Skittles being sour on the outside, where the citric acid and sugar coating is applied. If you let that coating dissolve, the inside of an original Sour Skittle is sweet, just like Original Skittles. These are sour on the inside, making the entire eating experience sour from start to finish, something I really enjoyed.

The texture of Skittles Pop’d is the largest difference from the original. The freeze-drying process made these extremely crunchy and not at all chewy. Like most freeze-dried foods, they sort of take on that chalky, crunchy, pull-all-the-moisture-out-of-your-mouth type of experience I’d otherwise only associate with science museum gift shop astronaut ice cream (also freeze-dried). The texture is fun but not something I can tolerate as long as the original chewy candy.

Overall, I think there’s a reason the original Skittles has stood the test of time. Whether Original, Sour, or one of the many flavor varieties, the sweet, chewy Skittle delivers an enjoyable and expected candy experience. But I think it’s strategic for the brand to carve out its own space in the growing freeze-dried candy market. I mean, hell, if competitors are going to re-sell Skittles anyway, it might as well get in on that branded action.

Purchased Price: $5.99
Size: 5.5 oz Resealable bag (individual smaller bags also sold)
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (30 pieces) 120 Calories, 1 gram of fat, 5 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 21 grams of sugar (21 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Toasty Holiday Peanut M&M’s

As we approach the holiday season once more, Mars has created a new Peanut M&M’s flavor to get everyone into the holiday spirit: Toasty Holiday Peanut M&M’s. The brand describes the new flavor as a winter treat made with roasted peanuts infused with cinnamon, vanilla, spiced sugar, and caramel.

While M&M’s has kept a fairly steady stream of new flavors and textures coming in their other varieties, it’s been a minute since the Peanut M&M has seen some innovative love! The holiday-focused flavor comes in just red, green, and yellow colors. There isn’t much else distinctive about these in appearance; they look just like standard Peanut M&M’s.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from cinnamon, vanilla, spiced sugar, and caramel (that’s a lot of flavors), but the first impression I had of these Toasty Holiday Peanut M&M’s was that they didn’t overdo it with the flavor. It’s definitely present, but it’s not too heavy. I also wasn’t really able to discern any one of their specifically listed flavors. They all sort of melded together and tasted like brown butter, or maybe toffee, or even maple? For something so difficult to nail down, one thing I was sure of is that they’re delicious!

I decided to taste them against regular Peanut M&M’s to see if the flavor would stand out more. The Toasty Holiday Peanut M&M’s maintain a really pleasant warm spiced note compared to their OG counterparts. I will also say that my coworker tried these and said they tasted like a TJMaxx candle, so I guess to each their own.

Overall, I’m trusting my gut here and saying these are great. The flavor isn’t over the top and is just ambiguous enough to fit the broad description of “toasty holiday.” I enjoyed them more than original Peanut M&M’s and sincerely hope Mars keeps innovating with them!

Purchased Price: $2.28
Size: 3.27 oz bag
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1oz/12 pieces) 140 Calories, 8 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 15 milligrams sodium, 17 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 15 grams sugar, and 3 grams protein.

REVIEW: Peanut Butter & Jelly M&M’s

In my never-ending quest to be cool, I’m a “Full-sized-Candy-Bar-at-Halloween-Guy.” The thing about it is that I get approximately ten trick-or-treaters on an average Halloween. (15 in a real bustling year.) My neighborhood is mostly filled with extremely old people whose grandchildren are beyond trick-or-treating age. This means I end up with a whole bunch of full-sized candy bars. And while that sounds amazing, it really just means that I head into the Holiday Fattening Season carrying more weight than I wanted.

All this to say, I really didn’t want to like new Peanut Butter & Jelly M&M’s. I didn’t need to like them. Oh sure, I enjoy Peanut Butter M&M’s, but I was holding out hope that the inclusion of jelly would somehow render these inedible and disappointing.

I was wrong.

Peanut Butter & Jelly M&M’s aren’t far off from the Peanut Butter M&M’s you already know, but the addition of jelly is a welcome touch. (Though, I cannot, for the life of me, tell what KIND of jelly it is, so don’t ask.) Each M has the customary peanut butter/chocolate vibe, but then there’s just a pinch of fruity sweetness. The food scientists at Mars did a fine job of making sure the jelly wasn’t too light or too overwhelming, either one of which could’ve totally ruined the new variety.

It’s worth noting that M&M’s has been here before. In 2009, it introduced Strawberried Peanut Butter M&M’s, which is, frankly, a terrible name. But I believe these are probably about the same from a conceptual standpoint. (I didn’t have them in ’09, though, so I can’t vouch for their similarity/difference. But I mean, even if I had tried them 15 years ago, it’s extremely unlikely I would remember how they taste.)

One thing that is a little different about these M&M’s is that there are only red, dark brown, and light brown (Or gold? Off-yellow?) candies. So if you’re someone who’s really into the green or the blue M&M’s, my deepest condolences; you’re out of luck. But if you like the regular Peanut Butter M&M’s and don’t mind a drab color pallet when it comes to your bite-size chocolate candy choices, you’ll wanna check these out before they leave shelves. Or just wait for 2039 when they come back with another name.

Purchased Price: $4.78
Size: 8.6 oz. bag
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz.) 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, including 13 grams of added sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

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