{"id":21100,"date":"2017-01-10T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-10T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/?p=21100"},"modified":"2021-01-07T20:46:08","modified_gmt":"2021-01-08T06:46:08","slug":"review-hersheys-cupcake-kisses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2017\/01\/10\/review-hersheys-cupcake-kisses\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Hershey’s Cupcake Kisses"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Hershey's<\/a><\/p>\n

In my mind, and in my heart, cake and Kisses fall in essentially the same category. Short, sweet, and simple reminders that life is worth living, and ideally consumed\/received on a daily basis. It is under this umbrella of logic that I read the news of Hershey\u2019s Cupcake Kisses and proceeded to die with anticipation.<\/p>\n

For this Target-exclusive Valentine\u2019s Day candy Hershey\u2019s put a spin on their popular Cookies ‘n’ Creme flavor (also available as Kisses) and made a \u201cwhite cookie cupcake\u201d kiss with colored cookies and cupcake flavor. Opening the playful pink bag is like dunking your face into a Funfetti frosting wonderland, It is exactly what I wanted these Kisses to smell like. <\/p>\n

\"Hershey's<\/a><\/p>\n

The initial bite is very sweet and smacks you in the face with vanilla frosting splendor. At first these Kisses taste exactly like hardened bits of Funfetti vanilla frosting with the cookie pieces in place of the festive sprinkles, and the white chocolate is the jarred faux-buttercream. Unfortunately there is a strange astringent aftertaste that dominates and leaves my mouth tasting unpleasant and artificial, almost like a cake made with too much baking soda.<\/p>\n

\"Hershey's<\/a><\/p>\n

I thought it might be coming from the colored cookie pieces, which unlike in the cookies and cream version have no chocolate or specific flavor to them. I was able to isolate some of the cookies in my mouth and they tasted fine, like a slightly tame shortbread. After repeatedly trying more Kisses to shake the bitter essence, it kept coming and put a damper on the overall experience, but for some reason I kept wanting to eat them. <\/p>\n

\"Hershey's<\/a><\/p>\n

There is a lore that pink or red frosting has a bitter strong flavor when compared to other dyes, likely due to the use of iodine, Red #3, or Red #40. Although not specifically listed in the ingredients, there could be an element of frosting-emulation at play here that is causing the strange aftertaste. <\/p>\n

Whether that translates to a true cupcake experience or a failed element of execution is up to you, but it\u2019s certainly there, and for me, ultimately distracting. Strange frosting flavors have never kept me from crushing cake in the past, and while these Kisses miss the mark of being perfect, I will still eat at least three servings of them (27 Kisses). <\/p>\n

(Nutrition Facts – 9 pieces \u2013 200 calories, 90 calories from fat, 10 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 18 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein..)<\/small><\/p>\n

Purchased Price:<\/b> $3.49
\nSize:<\/b> 10 oz. package
\nPurchased at:<\/b> Target
\nRating:<\/b> 6 out of 10
\nPros:<\/b> Funfetti frosting wonderland. Still oddly delicious. Foil covered in hearts. So many shades of pink.
\nCons:<\/b> Weird bitter aftertaste. Cake doesn\u2019t have a crunch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In my mind, and in my heart, cake and Kisses fall in essentially the same category. Short, sweet, and simple reminders that life is worth living, and ideally consumed\/received on a daily basis. It is under this umbrella of logic that I read the news of Hershey\u2019s Cupcake Kisses and proceeded to die with anticipation. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1440],"tags":[1471,1483,1521],"class_list":["post-21100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-candy","tag-hersheys","tag-hersheys-kisses"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":50078,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2022\/02\/09\/hersheys-vanilla-frosting-kisses-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":21100,"position":0},"title":"REVIEW: Hershey’s Vanilla Frosting Kisses","author":"Alex","date":"February 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"What are Hershey's Vanilla Frosting Kisses? The latest Kiss from Hershey's is a creme-filled variety that seeks to make up for all the times you've rushed to a tray of assorted cupcakes at a schoolmate's birthday party in a backyard, classroom, or Discovery Zone only to find that the more\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/hervanfroskiss2.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/hervanfroskiss2.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/hervanfroskiss2.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/hervanfroskiss2.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/hervanfroskiss2.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21052,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2016\/12\/29\/spotted-on-shelves-hersheys-cupcake-kisses\/","url_meta":{"origin":21100,"position":1},"title":"SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Hershey’s Cupcake Kisses","author":"Marvo","date":"December 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The paper plume is alive. It's holding a tray of cupcakes! Next, it'll hold a weapon. We're doomed! DOOMED! (Spotted by Robbie at Target.) 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That may have been exciting in the 1980s and '90s, but in the 21st\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Hersheys-Sugar-Cookie-Kisses-Bowl.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Hersheys-Sugar-Cookie-Kisses-Bowl.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Hersheys-Sugar-Cookie-Kisses-Bowl.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Hersheys-Sugar-Cookie-Kisses-Bowl.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Hersheys-Sugar-Cookie-Kisses-Bowl.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":67406,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2025\/01\/27\/hersheys-harry-potter-butterbeer-kisses-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":21100,"position":3},"title":"REVIEW: Hershey\u2019s Harry Potter Butterbeer Kisses","author":"Julie","date":"January 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"While generations of children were distraught that they never received an invitation to Hogwarts, my rejection from wizarding school was for the best. 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