It's the holiday season and retailers everywhere are battling for peoples money left and right. And food vendors don't want to be left out in the cold either so they constantly strive to come up with holiday themed foods to entice people to plunk down their dough for their Christmas product. Some can be inspired while others just add green or red colors, which doesn't take much thought (I'm looking at you
Oreo) or they add, ugh, peppermint to some chocolate and call it a day. Yuck. Again, see Oreo. And peppermint bark is its own special hell to me.
Ghirardelli Chocolates is known for it and the SO loves it but me--ick. I have, however, succumbed to several other holiday food treats that fortunately for me only come out once a year, otherwise I would be as big as Santa from scarfing it down on a daily basis. Herewith, then, are a three of my favorites. First up is red velvet chocolate milk put out by Target.
Upon first hearing about this I was dubious to say the least, but after trying it, I was magically surprised. Yes the main ingredient is chocolate milk with a heavy dose of red food coloring but something about has that red velvet cake taste and it is literally like drinking cake batter. That's a good thing, like eating raw cookie dough, this stuff is delicioso! Now to get all
Sandra Lee on you there are ways to make it even better. One is to add a shot of brandy to an 8 ounce glass, it's a great alternative to egg nog--and very smooth. Other options include warming it up or freezing it to serve like an ice cream. And if you want to go all out, take half a tub of
whipped cream cheese and mix it with 1/4 cup of powder sugar and a pint of heavy whipping cream. Mix it till it's frosting like then you put a table spoon or dollop on top of either warm, frozen or cold and it will be like the cake plus the frosting in liquid form. If you have sweet tooth this will definitely satisfy it several times over. Next are fudge iced gingerbread men from
Trader Joe's.
These little cookies are like ginger crack--you just can't stop eating them--so I have found out to my waistlines despair. Yet we've gone through 4 boxes in the last 2 weeks. The cookies are crunchy on the outside and chewy inside with bits of candied ginger inside the cookie. They have a very strong ginger taste, one that borders ever so slightly on bitter but is pulled back by the fudge icing on the back. Together it makes these cookies a must have taste treat. If only the Trader Joe's were closer to my house I could get more, but then again maybe it's a good thing it's not. Finally I now take a stand for what I call--In Defense of Fruitcake.
