REVIEW: Hershey’s Sugar Cookie Kisses

Hershey s Sugar Cookie Kisses Bag

For as long as I can remember, the Hershey’s Kisses have been literally ringing in the holiday season.

But as iconic as that commercial is, I have no reason to buy those red- and green-wrapped Kisses. That may have been exciting in the 1980s and ’90s, but in the 21st century, we like seasonal flavors to go with our seasonal wrappers.

Fortunately, Hershey’s has done exactly that by gifting us with its new Sugar Cookie Kisses, described as “sugar cookie flavored white creme with cookie pieces.”

When I open the bag, there’s a strong scent, but it doesn’t remind me of sugar cookies. It’s just vague sweetness.

Hershey s Sugar Cookie Kisses Star

Each Kiss is wrapped in silver foil with classic shapes printed on it: trees, stars, ornaments, hearts, and bells. It’s a subtle touch that brings me joy.

Inside the wrappers, the Kisses are standard white creme with red and green cookie pieces throughout. They’re nice and festive, but how is the taste?

Hershey s Sugar Cookie Kisses Split

Well, I don’t know how the creme is supposed to be “sugar cookie flavored,” but it tastes like regular white creme to me. The cookie pieces are crunchy like you’d find in a standard Hershey’s Cookies’ N’ Creme bar, just without the chocolate flavor. This summer, Hershey’s had Red White & Blue Cookies’ N’ Creme Bars. These Kisses remind me of those, almost exactly. But they certainly don’t taste like sugar cookies.

There is one way I am able to get a sugar cookie flavor. Instead of chewing, I let the white creme melt in my mouth until I have a lump of cookie pieces, then I chew on those. And they do taste like sugar cookies! I just wish the Kisses tasted like that no matter how I choose to eat them.

Hershey s Sugar Cookie Kisses Bowl

Even though I’m a little disappointed in Sugar Cookie Kisses, I’m not mad at Hershey’s. I appreciate that it creates these different seasonal flavors, and I hope it keeps doing so. Next year, if it used ginger cookies instead of these plain ones, that could be speculoos-tacular!

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 9 oz bag
Purchased at: Smith’s Marketplace
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (7 pieces) 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 40 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 15 grams of sugar, 12 grams of added sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

QUICK REVIEW: Market Pantry Sugar Cookie Milk

Market Pantry Sugar Cookie Milk

What is Market Pantry’s Sugar Cookie Milk?

Target’s store brand has created a new holiday milk, meant to taste like sugar cookies. It has only five ingredients: milk, sugar, natural flavor, carrageenan, and vitamin D3.

How is it?

Market Pantry Sugar Cookie Milk 2

As I first drank it, the flavor was extraordinarily familiar to me. It was on the tip of my tongue (literally), but I couldn’t quite place it. Then it came to me: caramel corn.

This milk tastes exactly like caramel popcorn. But without those annoying kernels that get stuck between your teeth!

So, does it taste like what it’s supposed to? Well, it could. There are so many sugar cookie recipes that there’s probably one out there that tastes like caramel corn. I did detect a bit of butteriness, a key ingredient of sugar cookies. There was also a vibe of baked goods. I like it, but it doesn’t taste like any sugar cookies I have had.

Is there anything else I need to know?

Unopened, this milk has a longer shelf life than typical unflavored milk. It’s early November, yet the best-by date is Christmas Eve.

Conclusion:

Market Pantry Sugar Cookie Milk 3

I don’t like this as much as chocolate milk, and it doesn’t really taste like sugar cookies, but I had no problem consuming a whole glass of it. And it has half the calories of eggnog, making it a not-quite-as-bad-for-you option for a holiday party.

Purchased Price: $2.49
Size: 1 quart
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 200 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 100 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 26 grams of total sugars, 15 grams of added sugars, and 7 grams of protein.