Battle of the dishes: Chocolate Pumpkins
We’re in week three of the battle for Halloween candy supremacy and this week we decided to get local. Russell Stover offers six different varieties of chocolate-covered candy pumpkins (not including the sugar free option) and I decided to sit down and try them all.
Now since most people would stop at one or possibly two candy pumpkins — they’re typically sold at two for $1 — I decided to operate on the buddy system, bringing in a second taster to help avoid marshmallow and chocolate fatigue. Each pumpkin would be weighed on its own merits with a Shatto millk palate cleanser between rounds. Let’s begin.
Marshmallow Pumpkin. This is the classic — it had the waxy chocolate and marshmallow smell of Easter candy. The chocolate and marshmallow were both still soft and the flavor was that of a very sweet marshmallow.
Who’s It For: Marshmallow lovers; people you don’t know very well.
Caramel & Marshmallow Pumpkin. First you taste the marshmallow and then the caramel, which then deliciously melts into the marshmallow. The sweetness will make you pucker slightly; it overwhelms your senses. This has the good consistency of a melt-y sundae and the flavor of a Sky Bar.
Who’s it For: True candy lovers; people who pick too many toppings at a sundae bar.
Dark Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Pumpkin. The color is noticeably darker and the taste is a single note. If you’ve ever had a Milky Way Midnight, this is in the same ballpark. Unlike the previous chocolate pumpkins, this didn’t have the same teeth-gratingly sweet finish.
Who’s it For: Upscale hot cocoa lovers; people who would never eat a candy pumpkin.
