PUMPKIN SPICE OREOS

Welcome to day 12 of Tag Sale Tastes’ Pumpkinpalooza!

Today’s feature is Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Creme Oreo Sandwich Cookies, otherwise known as Pumpkin Spice Oreos.

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Whoa — that’s a big pumpkin on the package!  And cinnamon sticks!  Oh boy, can’t wait!

Let’s look at the ingredients:

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Well, color me disappointed.  At this point, I’m pretty used to seeing “artificial and natural flavor”) (emphasis on the artificial), but “paprika oleoresin” for color?  What’s wrong with, oh say, pumpkin for color?

Here they are:

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And here’s a closer look at the paprika-colored creme filling:

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Before I get down to the nitty gritty, I have to confess that a decade ago, my friend Patricia and I took a Wilton cake decorating class at Michael’s.  Each week we had to bake a cake and mix up a batch of icing to bring to class.  The icing was made from powdered sugar and Crisco (I think there may have been a little water or vanilla extract added).  It seemed pretty gross, and when we tasted it, we realized that it was basically Oreo filling.  And so each week we’d sit there with our lopsided little cakes and vat of Oreo filling, sampling here and there, of course, until we were reeling from the sugar high.  I love Oreos, always have, but my relationship with them has never been the same since.

Back to the Pumpkin Spice Oreos.  I know you will be shocked and disappointed to learn that these did not taste anything like pumpkin spice.  In fact, if they’re Pumpkin Spice, then I’m Posh Spice.  In a blind taste test, I doubt you could distinguish them from Golden Oreos:

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But . . . they’re Oreos, which meant that they disappeared in no time (thanks, teenage son).  Stick with the Golden Oreos, and don’t waste your money on the inflated price of the limited edition paprika ones.

Rating:  3-1/2 pumpkins (only because they’re Oreos) (out of 5)

PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE M&M’S

Welcome to day 11 of Tag Sale Tastes’ Pumpkinpalooza!

Thanks to an alert from my observant daughter, I found Pumpkin Spice Latte M&Ms this weekend.  I’d been searching for them at the grocery store, but it turns out they’re only available at Target (note to grocery stores — you’re not missing anything).

The ingredient list included the ever-so-vague “natural and artificial flavors”:

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And here they are:

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They were a little larger than regular M&Ms, which is a good thing because you would NEVER want to eat one of these by mistake.  They tasted similar to regular M&Ms, but with definite notes of burnt coffee and candle drippings.  You know that potato chip commercial about how nobody can eat just one?  Well, trust me, you can eat just one of these.

Rating:  1 pumpkin (out of 5)