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A short time ago, M&M released a flavored collection, which came in an assortment of cherry, peach, cookie, orange, peanut, razz (raspberry), almond and mint. Trouble is, they cost around $50 for the sampler, cost $12.95 to ship, and are only available on line. Some sound familiar – razz, peanut, almond and mint M&Ms are already available. Turns out those familiar flavors have been given an overhaul for this expensive item – they all have white chocolate centers, milk or dark chocolate around that, and then a flavored candy shell. So even though there are flavored M&Ms available in stores, if you want to get the vastly overpriced limited edition with obnoxiously clever names like “A Day at the Peach” and “Eat, Drink & be Cherry,” you’ll have to look online.

Anyway, the Cherry Cordial M&Ms are a Christmas special edition – if you want to try them, turn off your computer now, get in your car and drive to Target. I’ll wait here.

Welcome back! Now, for the review. Cherry Cordial M&Ms are larger than standard, about the size of the peanut butter ones. The shells come in two shades of red, which adds a nice visual variety. The mild dark chocolate is accented by a surprisingly pleasant cherry flavor. I was expecting more of a candy cherry, but the flavor in these is that of a maraschino cherry. I felt like I should be running into pieces of cherry at any time. The dark chocolate is not strongly flavored, but it complements the cherry well. They did a good job balancing the two, so that one doesn’t overwhelm the other. The shell is not flavored – just your typical crunchy candy shell. They’re a nice, seasonal alternative to regular M&Ms for your party’s candy bowl (what, your parties don’t have candy bowls? Shame.).

SCORE: 8.5 out of 10

Purchased at: Target

Price: 3.99