Once again, the nice people at Ghirardelli have hooked me up with a box of their addictive chocolates, this time with special flavors for the holidays!

I received a box of limited edition Chocolate Squares in the holiday flavors of Eggnogg, Pumpkin Spice Caramel, Peppermint Bark and Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark. I was excited to try them all, though my initial impression upon seeing the words “Pumpkin Spice Caramel” was actually, “Pumpkin and chocolate? Gross!”

Surprisingly enough, though I saved what I had thought would be the worst for last, the Pumpkin Spice Caramel chocolates are actually my favorite of the four. I think the emphasis here is on pumpkin SPICES, which I think Ghirardelli meant to reference the spices you typically find in pumpkin pie: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and maybe some allspice. There isn’t any pumpkin flavor to the chocolate itself, which is what had me worried, but the cinnamon/nutmeg flavors blend nicely with the caramel in the center of the square for a really warm, cozy chocolate that makes you think of eating a piece of pumpkin pie by the fire.

Though I do enjoy eggnogg during the holidays, I was most disappointed with the Eggnogg squares. Since I am definitely a chocoholic, the fact that these are white chocolate squares was a bummer for me. And while they do, indeed, taste very reminiscent of eggnogg, I just couldn’t quite equate Ghirardelli chocolates with that flavor. So while I’m sure many people will dig these, they were not really my thing.

The Peppermint Bark was also based on a white chocolate square, but I enjoyed their flavor a lot more because they reminded me of the Frango Mints we used to get around the holidays when I was a kid. Since Marshall Fields has been bought up by Macy’s, and I am definitely not a fan of that institution, it’s nice to know that there’s an alternative that replicates Frango’s distinctive green and black mints. I’m also a big fan of the York Peppermint Pattie, so Ghirardelli’s Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark was also a bit hit with me. Really, though, chocolate and mint together—how can you go wrong?

Overall, I would recommend these special limited edition holiday flavored chocolate squares as stocking stuffers or gift ideas for the chocolate lovers on your list. And if you really like Ghirardelli, be sure to check out my previous post on their chocolate flavored sauce for making hot chocolate and Chocolate Martinis for additional ideas.

Tags: Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark, Eggnogg, Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares, holiday flavors, Peppermint Bark, Pumpkin Spice Caramel

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 28th, 2012 at 3:51 PM and is filed under Food, Holidays. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.