December has officially arrived. In other words, we have transitioned from gobbling up turkey to stuffing down candy canes (see what I did there?). Feeling particularly 'merry' due to the end of finals in sight, I decided to harness my festive spirit into a Holiday supermarket haul. And, since I am basic AF, you best believe the supermarket I turned to was Whole Foods.
The rules were simple: I see "ginger", "peppermint" or "spice", I buy. I also threw anything that had snowflakes and/or reindeer into the cart, for good measure.
Whole Foods Holiday sugar overload:
1) Candy Cane and Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzels
First up, Whole Foods' cookie bar! Although their selection of holiday-themed cookies was sparse, Whole Foods sleighed with these sweet, salty, and mint-y pretzels. The crunchy texture of the candy canes perfectly complemented the smooth dark chocolate and crumbly pretzel. Rating: 9/10
2) Pumpkin Shortbread
The only other holiday-themed treat from the cookie bar were these pumpkin shortbreads. Unfortunately, you can't always judge a book by its cover. Although these cookies looked super vibrant, their taste was pretty bland. I would not have guessed these were pumpkin-flavored if not for their alarmingly orange color. Sorry for being a Scrooge. Rating: 3/10
3) Milk Chocolate Gingerbread Bark
Yes. As the photograph clearly shows, I had chocolate bark for breakfast. Don't judge me, it's the holidays. Although the chocolate was a little too sweet for my liking, the gingerbread bits added a nice hint of spice and an enjoyable texture to the bark. Rating: 7/10
4) Peppermint Marshmallows
These chocolate-covered bites made me feel like I was dashing through the snow on a one-horse open sleigh (too far?). Seriously though, these marshmallows, reminiscent of little pillows of snow, perfectly encapsulated the holiday spirit. Rating: 10/10 #spoontip: I decided to plop one of these cute squares in my coffee the other day, and holy ...sugarplum. Mind. Blown.
5) Spiced Pumpkin Truffles
These chocolate truffles felt like Santa punched me right in the mouth. I apologize for the brutal honesty, but these little truffles were overwhelmingly sweet and obnoxiously spiced. They had that unpleasantly potent quality that you feel in the back of your throat. The creators of these definitely made my naughty list. Rating: 0/10
6) Candy Cane Chocolate Sandwiches
The frosting between the cookies tasted so fresh and, well, frosty. If you haven't noticed by now, I'm a sucker for chocolate and mint flavor combos, and this was no exception. What made these even better than your regular peppermint Oreos is that they had tiny flecks of crunchy candy cane throughout the filling. Yum! Rating: 9/10
7) Organic Candy Canes
These were pretty standard candy canes with the added Whole Foods aesthetic of being organic, synthetic color free, high fructose corn syrup free, nut free, gluten free, and presumably reindeer free since they're vegan (okay, I'll stop). I don't know about you, but I've always believed that Red 40 and corn syrup added a certain magical mystery to these holiday treats. Rating: 5/10
8) German gingerbread treats
Leaving the best for last... These delicious Nuremberg-style gingerbread cookies are the epitome of Christmas treats. From the adorably festive tin box to the delicious blend of spices, nuts, and marzipan in every bite, these pastries transported me to a cozy German cottage with a fire crackling inside and a snowman resting on the porch. Rating: 11/10 (yes, they're that good)
...And that concludes my list of 8 limited-edition holiday sweets. But don't take my word for it, give these treats a try and let me know what you think!
Wishing you, and your respective tummies, a happy holiday filled with love, joy, and carbs!