Although the snow hasn’t begun trickling onto the damp frozen grass, I find myself in a whirlwind of holiday cheer. An array of vibrant, luminant, and multicolored lights deck my neighborhood and others alike, dotting the winter darkness with joy and amusement. 

I am infatuated with these short weeks that are labeled as the most glorious time of the year. Songs of “Last Christmas,” by WHAM! and “All I Want For Christmas” by Mariah Carey absorb into my ears, and my image melts into pine needle trees and tinsel. 

During these chilly holiday months, peppermint mochas dot my diet, but this year, I had a delicious change to my favorite winter treat. 

Being sent to Trader Joe’s in an unfortunate search for Santa-themed wooden spoons by my mother, peppermint and evergreen scents submerged my nose in a tornado of smells and led me on a trail to the special edition snack aisle. 

Since I was little, and the closest Trader Joe’s was in Detroit, my family always found ourselves venturing into the city in search of the delicacies they provided—we just couldn’t get enough of them. My favorite has always been their vanilla meringues. The way they melt into a puddle of sugar on my tongue and hit every singular sweet spot in my mouth are the reasons they hold the title of my all-time favorite dessert. 

So, when my unsuccessful adventure to find holiday spoons forced me to stumble upon limited edition peppermint meringues, I stopped in my tracks and did a little giddy dance. Snatching the small plastic box from the shelf, paying, and then safely speeding home, my hysteria for this product was shooting through the roof.

Of course, the look of an item you will be eating is of the utmost importance. So, the appeal to the eye of these cream white meringues topped in small peppermint chunks was captivating and very pleasing. The smell was identical to peppermint extract, and thankfully, it didn’t contain the fake minty smell that is in some sorts of mint gum and winter coffees. 

The most important is the taste. I anticipated the identical melt in your mouth reaction that is included in regular vanilla meringues and was delighted to receive that sensation with this holiday twist. 

Although the peppermint chunk toppers do create a sticky feeling in your mouth, gluing the chunks to the creases of your mouth, it’s masked by the icy flavor created. 

Along with being extremely tasty, delicious, and embodying the true meaning of evergreen Christmas and peppermint snow, the bite sized proportions are ten times better than my year-round favorite vanilla meringues. 

Pleased is an understatement for these overwhelming holiday treats. I love nothing more than indulging in these peppermint meringues, which please my palet repeatedly every time one is placed on the tip of my tongue. My taste buds are so happy I was sent on a wild goose chase for a Santa Clause wooden spoon and discovered these decadent peppermint meringues instead.