One of the best things about the holiday season is all the mouth-watering wondrous winter inspired food. Magical meals and decadent desserts with family and friends fuel fancies for New Year’s gym membership resolutions.
Grocery stores and the many brands that stock their shelves are very much aware of these end-of-year dinner parties and gleeful gatherings. Offering ornamental packaging and festive flavors for the holidays, this yummy yule-tide tradition has hints of mint and gatherings of gingerbread among their winter wonders. To help prepare for seasonal soirées, we’ve made a list (and checked it twice). Filled with festive favorites, there are many you might recognize.
Killer Cereals
Starting the day off with a ‘balanced breakfast’ is now Christmas themed with these special editions of Lucky Charms (Cinnamon Vanilla), Cocoa Puffs (Hot Cocoa), Rice Krispies, Cookie Crisp and Cap’n Crunch.
Mint Madness
While peppermint candy and mint mocha might be found year-round, the wintery cooling sensation of this jolly green leaf tends to bring about a particularly prolific peppermint paradise this time of year.
From popcorn to peppermint coffee; cookies and candy, mint flavor is most makes a magical manifestation. Occasionally found free of additional flavor (peppermint candy canes, butter mints and button candies), this wintery cool flavor is most often paired with a most amazing cocoa based confection we know and love as chocolate.
Brilliant beverages, like Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Coffee, Swiss Miss Candy Cane Hot Cocoa and Donut Shop Peppermint Bark Coffee will warm any winter-weary traveler.
From peppermint Twinkies to peppermint mocha popcorn these snacks are only found around the holidays.
Pictured: Wise Peppermint Mocha Popcorn, Peppermint Twinkies and Pepperidge Farms Milano Slices Peppermint Cookies
Any sweet tooth is sure to be satisfied with any of these fine mint chocolate tempting treasures. A host of Christmas confections with a cool bite from Lindt, Peeps, Hershey’s, Ghirardelli, M&Ms and more are make for minty munching merriment.
Minty madness from Peeps Delights Peppermint Bark, Lindt’s Lindor Dark Peppermint truffles, Hershey’s Peppermint Bark Candy Bells, Junior Mints Peppermint Crunch, Ghirardelli Limited Edition Milk Chocolate Peppermint Brownie, Ghirardelli Limited Edition Peppermint Bark Squares and M&Ms White Peppermint are shown here:
And for those with a palate preferring pure peppermint (sans the chocolate), there’s the classic candy cane and candy cane flavored chewing gum.
Gingerbread Bonanza
This year there the spiced cake seems to making an effort to take over the holiday flavor of choice. Cookies, candies, oatmeal and snack bars challenge the ordinary gingerbread man and woman for control of this classic Christmas flavor.
Pictured below: Nerds Gingerbread Kit, Mike and Ike Gingerbread Kit, Nature Valley Gingerbread Crunchy Granola, Quaker Chewy Gingerbread Spice Granola bars, BelVita Gingerbread breakfast biscuits, Quaker Gingerbread Spice Oatmeal, Lance Nekot Gingerbread Crème, Life Gingerbread Cereal, Gingerbread Peeps, and Lindt LINDOR Gingerbread Chocolate Truffles
Peep Power!
Marshmallow Peeps used to only make an appearance around Easter. Now these gooey treats traverse several seasons, including Christmas. In addition to the mint and gingerbread varieties mentioned above, Peeps can be found flavored to taste like chocolate mousse and vanilla caramel brownies. Of course “regular” sugar coated marshmallow shapes like Snowmen and Christmas Trees can also be found.
Play with your Food
Several popular board games now come in a sweet chocolate option, making for a delicious stocking stuffer. These include Uno, Scrabble, Candyland, and Monopoly.
Christmas Candy
Finally on our festive snaking sleigh ride, we come to special Christmas editions of popular candies. Special seasonal shapes and merry mixes make munching these sweets a holiday delight.
Tempting treats like Snickers Trees, Twix Santa, Nestle Crunch Jingles, Hershey Candy Cane Kisses, Holiday Mint M&Ms, Peanut BRR-ittle M&Ms, Ghirardelli Chocolate Caramel Snowmen, Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Snowmen, Candy Cane Tootsie Pops, Christmas Gummi Bears, Jelly Belly Candy Canes, Sour Patch Kids Candy Canes, Sweetarts Candy Canes, Christmas Dots, Holiday Mix Skittles, Everlasting Gobstopper Snowballs, Lifesavers Holiday Mix, Sweetarts Merry Mix, Christmas PEZ Dispensers, Hershey’s Mint Fudge Bon Bon Bells, Recess Peanut Butter Bells, Recess Peanut Butter Snowman and Hershey’s Candy Canes can be found at almost any store this season.
And finally Oreo Cookies have returned with two seasonal sandwich cookie snacks that would make a great addition to that plate of cookies and glass of milk left out for Santa Claus on Christmas eve. This year, in addition to their usual holiday cookie (red filling and seasonal shapes), hot cocoa oreos have joined the party.
Either as a sweet stocking stuffer or delicious dish of snacks at the family holiday gathering, these seasonal sweets and treats are dressed for Christmas and ready to make your taste buds smile.
Which of these holiday versions of must have munchies do you enjoy the most? Share your sweet story in the comments below.
Source and images: Wal-Mart, Target
