Fall brings with it pumpkin spice, but when it passes us off to the winter months, peppermint takes over the spotlight. Whole Foods, ready for the holiday season, brought out new seasonal treats to improve the colder months. Some of them are already in my fridge (and my belly) and you’ve gotta snag them too before they leave!
Peppermint Whipped Topping
What goes better with a rich, chocolatey cocoa than a cool, peppermint whipped cream on top? Not much! While this flavor pales in comparison to the flavor punch of the Maple Vanilla version from fall (oh how I miss thee….) this one is perfect for that cocoa.
Compared to other peppermint whipped creams, this one is lighter with more air content than cream (and fat). It’s yummy, but if you prefer a really thick, real cream texture, then maybe grab this seasonal staple elsewhere.
Apple Strudel Granola
While this granola felt more fall, the packaging was of their winter-y theme. I ended up pairing this with a pear cardamom yogurt that built on the spices and flavors. The apple in this granola really, really pops. It reminds me of apple-cinnamon oatmeal I used to eat as a kid, which is not my favorite flavoring for granola ever.
The apple comes across really aggressive and a little bit overly tart in this context. Eating it with something, instead of plain, certainly helped toned down the flavor of the granola, but this might not be a limited release I miss too much.
Smore’s Dark Chocolate Bark. Photo courtesy of Franki Hanke.
Chocolate Barks – S’mores and Dark Chocolate Peppermint
With two options, there’s a hard choice to make: peppermint or s’mores? Bark is a great alternative to bars as they’ve got more texture and bite and are great for a sweet snack.
Dairy-Free Frozen Desserts Cherry Bourbon and Irish Whiskey Salted Caramel
For those, like me, who need to (or at least should) avoid lactose, Whole Foods is coming through with fun flavors with an almond milk base. However, the bourbon and whiskey flavors frightened me off from these because I’m not always a big fan, however I love seeing more fun, adventurous flavors in the non-dairy area because often the almond milk options are bland and boring compared with their lactose-filled counterparts!
Snickerdoodle Shortbread cookies. Photo courtesy of Franki Hanke.
Shortbread Cookies – Snickerdoodle and Hot Cocoa
Between these, I was called by the hot cocoa and that’s what I picked up, and based on them, I would recommend snagging them. The cocoa ones have a light chocolatey flavor and they are pretty crumbly, but not as buttery as some shortbread cookies. I’m usually a bit of a baked goods snob, so if they come in a box, I’m not often impressed, but there’s were not disappointing! I’ll finish up the box for sure.
The size of them is nice and small, perfect for a treat with a hot drink. Plus, I think these would look adorable in the whipped cream atop a cocoa!
Display shelf featuring flavored popcorn. Photo courtesy of Franki Hanke.
Flavored Popcorn- Salted Caramel and Brown Butter Cinnamon with Cardamon
Popcorn has never been my snack of choice, but “brown butter cinnamon with cardamon” were trying hard to convince me otherwise. The flavorings of these are fun and sophisticated for a really basic snack.
These are perfect too because they are a bit sweet without being as heavy or as rich as a cookie.
No matter what you pick up, act fast because as with all seasonal, limited releases there’s no knowing when these will stop showing up on the shelves, so if something sounds good, go grab it!