During last year's introduction of Hershey's autumn-themed candies, we tested the Candy Corn Kisses and found them tastier than expected, though tooth-achingly sweet. This year, the Pumpkin Spice Kisses lured us into buying them off an early Halloween rack being prepared at Target.
From the picture on the front of the bag, we were expecting a chocolate kiss with a pumpkin-pie-like center, so we were thrown off when the foil strip-down revealed a light orange candy. This put on hold any debate about whether a chocolate/pumpkin combination would be a match made in heaven or if we'd end up wishing we could separate the flavors.
With that potential dilemma removed, we dove into the bag.
The candies are soft. Really soft. Even at room temperature, the kisses were on the verge of melting; we gave them a few hours in the fridge to harden them, and then got on with the tasting. The pumpkin spice flavor actually came through quite dramatically. The orange coating gave way to a white filling, which seemed to add a slight sour cream tang.
Overall, they are a pretty good approximation of pumpkin pie in candy form. Our main beef is with the texture. The candy has a tendency to feel gritty when overly soft, and since the kisses are almost always overly soft, the chance that you'll get to enjoy these at an optimal texture is fairly slim. The kisses are a fun idea in theory, but fall a little short in execution.
Would we finish the bag? Like the Candy Corn Kisses, these might be best used in a cookie or brownie recipe.
Would we buy again? Possibly.
Rating: 3 out of 5