Back in the good ol’ medieval days, when the world used catapults and ate turkey legs the size of canoe paddles, some hungry, conquering genius gathered a bunch of leftovers and root vegetables, shoved them in the oven, and called it a recipe. Thus, the lumpy, bumpy carrot cake was born.
Now, for those yet to be familiarized, a carrot cake is a spice cake that had dashed dreams of being a fruit cake: it’s fluffy cake crammed with all sorts of this-n-that’s (raisins, carrots, maybe some pineapple) and topped with a honking slather of buttercream or cream cheese frosting. Its warm spices have been known to carve a soft spot in the calloused hearts of one-eyed sailors and, when placed before me, it disappears.
Unfortunately, I’m no baker, so when I heard the folks at Mars were serving up that experience in a lentil-shaped white chocolate confection, I sped, tight-knuckled, pedal-to-the-floor, to the nearest Walmart to dig them from their hiding spot in the dusty display case.
These are pudgy ovoids, notably bigger than a regular M&M. If you’ve had the white chocolate limited edition, you have a feel of what we’re dealing with here: they’re a smidge wider in diameter than milk chocolate M&M’s and have a rounder belly.
See? They’re huge.
The colors come in a trio of light orange, green, and beige, which not only stays with the theme of “carrot colors” but also reinforces my inner belief that all good things come in threes, and it’s always nice to have my inner beliefs spontaneously reinforced.
Like its white chocolate cousin, these sweet bits have a thicker shell, adding a crunch before the white chocolate filling, which is soft, sweet, milky, and melts as fast as the memories of those poems I had to recite back in high school (“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…” [she shudders])
One of the biggest problems I’ve faced in white chocolate M&Ms of the past is that, due to all that sweetness, it’s hard to eat more than a handful without passing out cold on the floor from a belligerent sugar rush to my frontal lobe. I celebrate with such gluttonous joy to find that these are far easier to eat. These start off sweet and, while there are no visible spices, there is a certain cinnamon/nutmeg-ish vibe that comes in the middle to contrast with the white chocolate, encouraging a higher ratio of consumption. They may give me a root canal, but I don’t care. That yoga teacher I took classes from three years ago told me to stay in the present, so I shall enjoy these right now…
And now…
And now…
In the end, eating these makes me want to do something good for the world. Like adopt a rescued guinea pig. Or educate elementary school kids about the importance of their credit score. Or pay those library fees I’ve neglected for four years. These are a solid rendition of a seasonal offering: creative enough to be pushing the boundaries, but familiar enough to inspire mouth-shoving tendencies. What’s even more exciting is that Mars took a risk and it paid off. The only downside is that I’m running out of them…and fast.
(Nutrition Facts – 1.5 oz. (about 1/4 cup) – 220 calories, 100 calories from fat, 11 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 40 milligrams of sodium, 0 milligrams of potassium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 28 grams of sugars, and 2 grams of protein.)
Item: White Chocolate Carrot Cake M&M’s
Purchased Price: $2.88
Size: 9.9 oz. bag
Purchased at: Walmart*
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Bigger than the average M&M. Smooth melt. Crunchy shell. Spice taste balances white chocolate. Spontaneous reinforcement of inner beliefs. Rescued guinea pigs.
Cons: Never enough in the bag. Limited time. Only available at Walmart. Poobahs. Poems memorized in high school. Disco-ball-related accidents.
*If there’s a miff I have with these, it’s how hard they are to find. They’re available at “select” Walmarts only, which may or may not involve a fill up of your gas tank (a tragedy within itself)
I’m glad to see a good review for these. I had a bag and loved them, but every single person I had try them either hated them or barely thought they were okay. I was starting to feel judged by my peers.
Oh man did anyone actually try these. I took them to work and put them out at 3pm in the middle of a call center where about 20 of my fellow coworkers eagerly grabbed a few to try. Every single person hated them, spit them out and then wondered how Mars tasters were still employed. Were these meant for April fools day
I now know what I’ll be stocking up on the morning after Easter. Love me those after Holiday discounts. It’s how I buy all my candy these days.
Thanks for the review of these, I was really intrigued to know if they would be any good. Now I’ll have to track some down in the UK!
I’m surprised these are any good, when I heard about them I thought they would taste awful.
I wish I could try some. They’re on UK ebay but the prices are ridiculous!
I -love- these, but they’re nowhere around here. I picked some up during an impromptu road trip to Vegas, but now I can’t find anywhere to restock! I don’t understand this marketing ploy at all.
I can’t even find these at either of my local Wally World stores. 🙁
Disgusting, the worst M&Ms I’ve ever tried.
Sorry, have to disagree. Our entire family summed these up in three words: “Too sweet. Weird.” Thumbs up to M&M/Mars for trying something different, though.
Can I pay you to smuggle me a bag? South Florida does not have any and since your review I am yearning to try them even more! Just a handful. Nom nom nom no no noms for me for no m&ms to nom nom on 🙁
Although it will be a little pricey, you can buy some on eBay and Amazon.
Ermahgerd. I am looking for these on the way home tonight. I usually walk right past the M&M’s these days. I am addicted to the Peepsters this time of year.
Apparently they only carry them at certain Walmart stores, not all. Closest one from here is 30 miles. Shoot.
There is a store finder here:
http://see.walmart.com/mms-easter/
Everyone at our call center loved them. This gamble by Mars was a solid investment. There is comfort in familiarity. How many stairs do I climb to work off each one? Who cares.
Well, I know this is a bit late but I didn’t know about these and didn’t see them at Easter time at all. I happened to be at WalMart on Tuesday and was browsing the candy isle when I spotted a bag of these. I can’t have milk or dark chocolate but I can have white chocolate so I was super excited to try them and even better they were reduced to only 75 cents. I love them but I’m sure I won’t be able to find them again and based on the reviews I’ve read, I’m not sure they will be out next year either. I wish they would put out more white chocolate versions of their products.
It’s June, and I have mine in an airtight candy jar!!! These are awesome! Went to five stores at Easter in search of these, and couldn’t wait to get them open! They should be a permanent flavor!!!
I bought some white chocolate M&M’s in Texas for my grandaughter as a present. We were on holiday from England. now she wants some more as she only likes white chocolate. Think getting them over here will be a complete NO NO.
It’s Easter 2014 and they’re back! I didn’t know about these last year. Got a bag at Walmart today out of curiosity. I love them! They’re very sweet, though.
I saw the new carrot cake flavored M&Ms in the store today. I completely love them. Carrot cake just happens to be my favorite. Great job. Please keep these year around.
I realize I’m a year late on this, but I just discovered the White Chocolate Carrot Cake M&Ms here in Canada. I really like them! The whole family (my husband, our two kids, and I) hoovered the entire bag. I rarely ever shop at Wal-Mart – I just happened to be there today to use the gift cards we were given for Christmas, and I spotted these – something different! I’d buy them again.
I really want to try these. I tried the pumpkin spice Hershey’s Kiss last fall and ate one out of the entire bag. I then spent the rest of the fall trying to give them away! 😀 I hate to waste anything, but I can’t resist these and will send a bag to my mom too.
ugh. these are so disgusting. i literally gagged. why do they have to mess with the flavors? what’s next, cream horn flavored m&ms? cucumber? pizza??? blecchh.
I love these! I can’t get enough. Why would these be an April fools trick. Crazy. I love them and don’t want to share.