Reese’s Cups! M&Ms! Nerds Gummy Clusters! It’s a Valentine’s Day extravaganza!
Let’s celebrate the season of love with Red Velvet Reese’s Cups, Strawberries & Creme M&Ms and, um, whatever flavor these Nerd Gummy Clusters are.
Welcome to the Snackology Valentine’s Day extravaganza. While you can’t go wrong with the classic Valentine’s Day candy offerings (my wife expects the biggest heart-shaped box of Russell Stovers each year, no matter how basic it is), the holiday is a great time of year to add some new options to your repertoire.
In addition to the Red Velvet Reese’s Cups that I reviewed earlier this month, I have two additional holiday finds to bring you in this roundup: M&Ms White Chocolate Strawberries & Creme and Nerds Gummy Clusters Valentine.
With the big day just a month away, let’s jump into these candies before I start having flashbacks to attempting to buy a Valentine’s Day carnation for a girl I had a crush on in middle school …
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Reese’s Cups Red Velvet
Where I found it: The Red Velvet Reese’s Cups in the standard size were a find at Wegmans. I ordered the Miniature Cups from Target.
What I paid: A four-pack of standard-sized Red Velvet Reese’s Cups cost me $2.79 while the Miniatures were $4.69 for a 9.3 oz. bag on Target’s website.
My thoughts: If you read my review of the Red Velvet Reese’s Cups, you know what’s wrong with this one. It’s impossible to properly capture the complexity of red velvet if you’re skipping the cream cheese frosting element. A red velvet cupcake needs cream cheese frosting. These seasonal Reese’s Cups are missing that key flavor. I’m not sure how to fix that, but the whole “red velvet flavored creme” bit isn’t doing it.
Final verdict: PASS
M&Ms White Chocolate Strawberries & Cream
Where I found it: The seasonal aisle at Target came through with the 7.44 oz. bag.
What I paid: This bag of Strawberries & Creme M&Ms cost $4.99.
My thoughts: There’s a chance Mars is trying to pull a fast one when it comes to the Strawberries & Creme M&Ms. These Valentine’s Day M&Ms — with a white chocolate core — are almost indistinguishable to me from the White Chocolate Strawberry Shake M&Ms that were released for the holiday in 2023. But here’s the good thing: I was a fan of the Strawberry Shake M&Ms, and I’m a fan of the Strawberries & Creme ones. They’re sweet but not too sweet, and if it wasn’t for the fact that we still have a bowl of mint M&Ms out from Christmas, I’d be snacking on these guys right now.
Final verdict: BUY
Nerds Gummy Clusters Valentine
Where I found it: I found these Gummy Clusters at Target during the same trip I found the M&Ms.
What I paid: The tiny 3 oz. bag was $2.59.
My thoughts: This one isn’t hard to review. Nerds Gummy Clusters are a perfect candy, created in a candy lab to revitalize the Nerds brand. (No, seriously. Nerds Gummy Clusters were the result of just such a mission. That mission was so successful, it rocketed the Nerds brand from $40 million in sales in 2018 to $800 million over a twelve-month span in 2023 and 2024.) I have no idea what flavor the Valentine variety of Nerds Gummy Clusters is supposed to be, but they’re addictive. I bought the small bag on purpose since there’s no way I’d have the self control to not eat a full-sized bag.
Final verdict: BUY
Copyediting by Tim Kuchman.
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