Ghirardelli Pumpkin Spice Chocolates

I’ve had these pumpkin spice caramel chocolates before, but they’re always worth another taste.

The outside is a typical creamy-looking Ghirardelli milk chocolate. It has a nice, sweet smell to it

 

These are delicious. They don’t taste like pumpkin, but the caramel is seasoned with an Autumn-y blend of spices that doesn’t rely too much on cinnamon.

 

The caramel is very sweet, but I don’t find it cloyingly so. My favorite seasonal Fall chocolates. 5/5

Bumper crop

Do you call the store Cost Plus, or World Market? It used to be Cost Plus, and now it’s Cost Plus: World Market. My theory is that they’re shying away from the affordable angle, because it’s impossible to walk out of there without spending $50-$100.

Cost Plus: World Market is always packed with pumpkin stuff in the Autumn. If you like baking and cooking mixes, they have a ton of interesting ready mixes that aren’t available in regular grocery stores. I didn’t photograph those because there were SO many of them. Scones, waffle/pancake, muffin, cupcake, etc.

Here’s the one that got away:

I really did want this, but there was just so much of it. I can’t eat all this taffy by myself, and I don’t like taffy enough to try.

 

But I am totally going to eat all of this by myself. Here’s what I brought home that is seasonal.

L-R: Caramel pumpkin coffee, seasonal pumpkin-shaped Peeps, Pumpkin Pie almonds, pumpkin butter, Pumpkin Crunch popcorn, Caramel Apple Sugar Babies, World Market brand pumpkin gnocchi, and Torani coffee house pumpkin pie sauce. That thing in the front is a Cadbury crème egg knockoff meant to look like a bloody eyeball with strawberry goo inside. Charming, no?

 

The pumpkin pie almonds are wonderful. Wonderful. Whole, unsalted almonds covered with spiced white chocolate. They did a good job with the spices. It doesn’t reek of one specific flavor, it has a rich blend. The white chocolate isn’t super sweet, which is nice.

The Caramel Apple Sugar Babies are a fun, artificial treat. They are the same Sugar Daddy base – overly sugary “caramel” - but they’re coated with a bright green artificial apple flavor that tastes just like this gum from my childhood. I really like them!

I don’t really like the pumpkin butter. It’s grainy, and it doesn’t have a lot of flavor. I loved the pumpkin butter I bought in Indiana last year, but I ate it all.

In addition to this stuff, I finally got the Eggo brand pumpkin waffles, and spotted America’s Favorite Cookie, the Oreo! Now tainted orange for your digestive pleasure.

Caramel Apple Milky Ways continue to elude me, but I think I’ve got my work cut out for me with this stuff.

Pumpkin spice treats

It seems that pumpkin treats have been growing in popularity the last few years. I'm always happy to taste anything that calls itself pumpkin (even when it's horrible). These are the pumpkin foodstuffs I've tasted lately.

See's Candies Pumpkin Spice Lollypops

This is the second year I've purchased the little gift box of lollypops, and I don't know why I keep doing it to myself. They're not good. It's a mouth full of that slightly off-tasting cinnamon flavor, with zero pumpkin flavor (hence the name pumpkin spice). But I want to like them, so I keep purchasing them. 2/5

See's Pumpkin Pie Truffles

I like the soft interior of these truffles, though they also have that strange spice taste. (What is it? Too much Cardamom? Artificial cinnamon? I hope someone with a better palate can tell me.) The chocolate outside and creaminess from the filling offset the sharp flavor and make these good overall. 3.5/5

Pumpkin Pie Fudge from my trip to Knott's Scary Farm.

This fudge pretty enjoyable. The pumpkin spice flavor is nice, but all I really taste is powdered sugar. It does have a smooth, soft texture, and the nutmeg on top is very fragrant. 3.5/5

These items are from my Foodzie delivery service.

The Avenue Sweets Pumpkin Spice Caramels are just okay. They taste somewhat like spice, but a few pieces I've eaten also taste like burned sugar. Yes, I understand that caramel is burned sugar, but this is a bitter flavor that I'm sure can't be right. The texture is wonderful though, and I'm fairly sure that I just got a few bad pieces. 2.5/5

The pumpkin seeds are from the humorously named CB's Nuts. I can't say if they're good or not because I haven't tried them yet. I anticipate that they'll taste like pumpkin seeds with a bit of sea salt.

Indian Pumpkin Candy

During a recent candy raid at the local British-Indian Market, I picked up this box of tempting candy:

Dry Petha Premium Delights - Delicious Pumpkin Sweets

They claim to be traditional Indian sweets, and they look similar to something I remember as a kid, so I couldn't resist them.

They look like soft little pillows with a sparkly sugar crust.

I took a big bite, and it tasted like OH GOD, VOMIT! IT TASTES LIKE VOMIT! I WANT THIS OUT OF MY MOUTH NOW!

And then I jumped around the kitchen squealing before wiping my tongue with a paper towel and running my tongue under the kitchen tap.

It's safe to say that these are traditional, and also possibly a required taste like Marmite.

They don't taste anything like pumpkin. The insides are oily and flaky and the taste is indescribable. Don't go on my account - if this is what people like in India, I am very happy for them. I will stick to my chickpea curries and samosas.

I'm not sure what passes for pumpkin in India; I'm guessing pumpkin means something different. I've had Thai pumpkin curries that contained some kind of squash, but definitely not what Americans consider pumpkin.

Ingredients: Ash Gourd and "Nature Identical Flavouring Substances"

But I won't let this dampen my adventurous spirit. Whenever something bizarre has pumpkin in it, I will buy it.