Holiday Products: Unexpectedly Peppermint

In our quest to experience the full breadth of Christmas, this year we purchased a good number of products that were slightly... unexpected. 

This is not an exhaustive list by a long shot of things going candy-striped for the holidays, just some of the ones we came across.



First we'll take a look at a Limited Edition ice cream. Dreyer's (Edy's east of the Rocky Mountains) has a seasonal flavor: Peppermint Wonderland.


This is the low-fat version. The full-fat variation has more explicitly Christmas packaging, with candy canes and all. I really couldn't say why the low-fat is more 'generic winter' looking...

In any case, it's peppermint flavored ice cream with slightly gooey peppermint candy bits.


I liked it, although it was a bit strong. Erin was less enthusiastic.


 With the addition of a little Hershey's syrup, however, even he pronounced it "fine". 
And then he ate the rest.


Next, let's add mint to something that is already a mint.


Take a look at this package:


Real Junior Mints made with a real candy crunch. Because counterfeit Junior Mints rolled in fake glass candy are so plentiful..?


These.... look even less appetizing than normal Junior Mints. They have uneven boils:


They don't taste half bad, and the peppermint bits add an interesting texture, but actually the whole effect is a little too much mint at once for my palate. 

Finally: 


Not Peppermint. Candy Cane. 

Complete with gift tag for stuffing the stockings of those who don't deserve actual candy.


And here's what it looks like:


Actually I like this quite a bit. It doesn't taste like anything, but the mint smell is quite strong. It makes my lips tingle and feel cold. This isn't entirely a pleasant feeling, but it's very interesting. Also, Erin keeps getting confused about whether or not I'm brushing my teeth at odd times in the day. 

I call that win-win-win.

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