Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Salted Caramels

Chocolate, pumpkin spice, salted caramel.  What could go wrong here?  Sounds like the perfect combo.  Let's see.

This week we're reviewing another Trader Joe's seasonal product: Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Caramels.

Trader Joe's describes them this way, "Rich Belgian chocolate envelops creamy caramel imbued with the flavor of pumpkin and spices like clove, cinnamon, and ginger, sprinkled with Hawaiian red sea salt."  Ooo, fancy.  The box of 12 caramels will set you back $4.99.


A mom's (my) take: Someone on Instagram warned me that these were not so good.  I have to disagree, I quite like them.  The chocolate is rich and dark, the caramel smooth and creamy, and the pumpkin spice very flavorful and distinct.  There is no mistaking the pumpkin spice here...it's very pronounced.  The Hawaiian sea salt was applied a bit heavy-handedly. I think with a smaller pinch of salt or a smaller flaked salt, these would have been perfection.  The chocolates come in a nice box and would make a sweet Thanksgiving hostess gift (especially with a bottle of Two Buck Chuck.) ;)
Overall rating: 4 of 5 stars

A teenager's (kiddo's) take: These caramels are packed with a flavorful punch.  The sea salt brings a bit of an odd taste out when you first bite into it, but it's quickly overshadowed by the luscious chocolate and caramel accented by a great pumpkin flavor.  I could eat a lot of these and not regret it.
Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars


Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Caramels: a little salty, but mostly sweet! 

Read all of our Trader Joe's dessert and sweet treat reviews!