Harry and David Heart Shaped Dried Fruit Reviews
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There'due south nothing quite every bit sweet every bit receiving a delicious treat in the mail, whether you're getting one as a gift or recovering from surgery. We had heard of popular gourmet souvenir services like Harry & David and Hickory Farms, but we wanted to find out if they were as skillful as their reputation claimed—and whether the smaller guys, like Jeni's and Simply Pop In!, were just every bit adept.
Nosotros constitute some of the most popular food souvenir services and put them to the test. Here's our verdict on which food gifts are worth your money—and which you should skip:
1. Buy: Harry & David
Our favorite treat:Moose Munch
Harry & David has a solid reputation for delivering high-quality gift baskets and treats—and there's a reason. Nosotros tested a wide diverseness of treats from Harry & David, from their famous pears to their holiday-themed gift towers. Amid all the foods we sampled, we weren't allow down by a single one.
The standout for usa was the Pear Express Train Gift (which, ironically, didn't come with pears). This gift tower just looked impressive when we received it. It's shaped like a festive train and makes an incredible gift for anyone with piddling ones, because it can exist easily repurposed as a fun new toy.
The box comes with a mix of savory and sugariness treats, like white-chocolate covered peppermint pretzels (that I ate immediately), hickory-smoked summertime sausage (that my husband ate immediately), and Moose Munch popcorn, which is, frankly, criminally delicious.
Become the Pear Limited Train Gift for $89.99
2. Buy: Basics.com
Our favorite treat:The World'due south Finest Mixed Nuts
Every bit people who review products for a living, there's a litmus test for something truly impressive: Would we recommend this to friends and family? Not but have we done merely that with the products from Basics.com, we've even gifted them some tins and snacks as a mode to transport some cheeriness in quarantine.
We've sampled dozens of dissimilar Nuts.com snacks—cheque out our in-depth review—and all have consistently impressed us. The packaging is fun (especially these days when cardboard boxes double as wrapping paper), and everything from dried fruit to mixed nuts to organic raw cacao goji free energy squares is incredibly fresh and delicious.
We've added raw basics to salads and inhaled peanut butter pretzel bites past the scattering, but our very favorite care for is the aptly named World's Finest Mixed Nuts. Arriving in a gold tin, this ii lb. treat features cashews, almonds, Brazil nuts, pecans, and hazelnuts mixed in simply the right amount of seasoning to brand it hard non to eat in ane sitting. You'll probably want to order ane for yourself while you're at it.
Become The Globe'southward Famous Mixed Nuts from Basics.com for $34.99
three. Buy: Baked by Melissa
Our favorite treat: Holiday Cheer Cupcakes
Baked by Melissa is a boutique bakery based in New York Metropolis that specializes in mini cupcakes. And when we say mini, we really mean bite-sized; don't feel embarrassed when you have to await your husband in the eyes and tell him you only ate 6 cupcakes at 10 a.1000. (considering that'southward what I did).
These tiny treats are indescribably practiced. Each mini cupcake has its ain special season, which could be annihilation from chocolate chip pancake to caramel block concoction to even Oreo cheesecake. You tin can buy a 25-, l-, or 100-pack of cupcakes, which is enough to concluding you near... iv days. Each cupcake is individually iced and decorated, with specialty cupcakes even featuring an additional sweetness on top (like tiny marshmallows yous'll find on tiptop of the caramel hot cocoa cupcake).
We tried two varieties of Broiled by Melissa, both of which were tailored for the winter holidays: Holiday Cheer Cupcakes and the Festival of Bites Cupcakes. The Vacation Cheer Cupcakes came with snowball, caramel hot cocoa, processed cane, and snow cap flavors. My husband and I devoured the first tray within x hours of receiving it—each bit was powerfully packed with flavor, making it increasingly difficult to resist eating some other. The standout for me was the peppermint-flavored "processed cane" cupcakes, which had a small slice of peppermint bawl on top of each bite.
A pack of 25 cupcakes will toll $xxx, plus an additional $xv in shipping if yous're exterior of the New York area. Every bit a gift, I'd absolutely consider sending these cupcakes—and Iwill exist sending a package of gluten-free cupcakes to ane of my co-workers this season.
Get cupcakes from Baked past Melissa starting at $30
iv. Buy: Milkbar
Our favorite care for:Cake truffles
We were very excited to get our hands on Milkbar, which has become then popular in recent years, it was fifty-fifty showcased on the latest season of Netflix's Chef's Table. This boutique New York-based baker sells cookies, cakes, truffles, and something they literally call "fissure pie."
We sampled everything merely the pie (which we at present regret). The cake was delivered in a modest box and wrapped in hard plastic, significant information technology kept its shape perfectly throughout the aircraft journeying. We were worried information technology'd be dry out, but it was surprisingly moist and bursting with flavour. The icing was sweet and well-portioned—and don't fifty-fifty become us started on the truffles on tiptop (they were incredible).
The standout among the items we tested were the truffles. They were delicately soft, teeming with flavor, and deliciously filling (so you don't have to worry about gorging on more than than you lot should). We tried the seasonal strawberry shortcake flavor and loved information technology so much that nosotros immediately ordered a second batch. That'southward how good Milkbar was.
Go Block Truffles from Milkbar for $24
five. Buy: Simply Pop In!
Our favorite treat:Signature Drove Gift Box
We should probably be embarrassed by how quickly we ate an entire box of Just Pop In! popcorn. But, honestly, there's no shame in our snack game. The popcorn was fresh and crunchy, and the toppings were on point—flavorful without being overpowering.
Just Pop In! cooks upwardly popcorn covered in everything from spicy pepper pickle to night chocolate sea table salt. We sampled the Signature Collection Gift Box, what nosotros at present consider the ultimate crowd-pleaser. The box (tied up with a charmingly old-fashioned red-and-white string) features some of the Indianapolis shop's well-nigh popular flavors: caramel, sharp cheddar, caramel nut crunch, and Indy Way (a mix of caramel and sharp cheddar). Each was better than the next, but nosotros loved the salty-sweet combination of the Indy Style mix.
Should your giftee exist a popcorn fanatic, Just Popular In! also offers their popcorn by the gallon. You tin can make full one-half- to 3.5-gallon tins (festively busy for every occasion, including birthdays, Pride, and the ultimate movie dark) with up to three flavors. There'southward even a scoop to assist you really dig in.
Get the Signature Collection Souvenir Box from Just Pop In! for $20
6. Buy: Jeni's
Our favorite treat:Chocolate-brown Butter Almond Brittle
Jeni's is a small Columbus-based ice creamery that ships pints nationwide. Information technology's known for its bold flavors, like Wildberry Lavender, Goat Cheese with Red Cherries, and Brandied Banana Brulee. We built our own box and tested out some of the standout flavors.
Each ice foam shipment comes packed in dry ice, so the ice foam itself stays perfectly chilled. Jeni'south sends frequent shipping updates besides, so y'all don't have to panic about your ice cream melting before y'all tin get to it. The water ice cream itself is out of this world. The toll may seem steep—each pint costs $12—but once you try the flavors, it's not hard to see why. My female parent, who's lactose intolerant, even swears past their dairy-free collection.
My favorite flavor, which is unsurprisingly one of their near pop, is Chocolate-brown Butter Almond Breakable. I usually gravitate toward chocolate, merely there'southward something almost this particular blend of butter, almond, and heaven that gets me every time.
Get Jeni's Top Sellers Collection from Jeni's for $68
7. Buy: Cheryl'due south
Our favorite care for:Thank You lot Souvenir Tin
We consider ourselves to exist cookie connaisseurs—there'due south never been a time we've said, "Hm, no thanks" when offered a chewy chocolate flake, a well-baked ginger molasses, or anything in betwixt. So we were skeptical when we saw the delivery from Cheryl's featured cookies individually wrapped in plastic. They seemed more mass-produced than we were expecting.
But, boy, were nosotros wrong. Despite looking like a cookie you may take hold of off a shelf at the store, these babies tasted homemade. The cookies were soft and chewy, and we could've eaten the buttercream frosting by the spoonful. The crisp citrus flavor in the Buttercream Frosted Lemon Burst Cookie distinctly reminded me of a lemon bundt cake my grandmother used to brand.
We ordered the Give thanks You Gift Tin for its variety—chocolate, key lime white flake, salted caramel, butter pecan, crunchy sugar, and more—and we'd recommend each ane. There are decorative tins available for every occasion then you tin discover the ane that all-time represents your giftee.
We besides tasted the x-slice Brownie Sampler, which features chocolate fudge, blondie walnut, cashew chocolate chip, raspberry nibble, caramel peanut butter, and more. These were less impressive than the cookies, but still a solid choice. We'd recommend going all-in on cookies though—you tin't go wrong.
Go the Thanks Souvenir Tin from Cheryl'southward for $39.99
viii. Buy: Wolferman's
Our favorite treat:Nutty Sticky Buns
Wolferman'due south Bakery sells an array of homemade baked appurtenances, including English muffins, cinnamon rolls, scones, and sticky buns. Being an avid home baker, I came to the table with a disquisitional heart to run across if Wolferman'south could meet my standards—and it delivered.
We tested the Delicious Delivery, which came with a wide assortment of treats in an adorable paper-thin mailbox. The packaging makes information technology an ideal holiday gift, if not for the novelty alone. The treats within were as delicious equally they looked, from the tangy preserves to the chewy English Muffins.
My favorite of the bunch was the massive sticky bun, which was virtually equally large as my caput. It was sticky, sweet, and gooey—everything a viscous bun should be. The scones were likewise chewy and delicious, which we weren't expecting as they were delivered in individual plastic wrappings. Overall, we were pretty impressed with what Wolferman'southward brought to the tabular array.
Go Delicious Commitment from Wolferman'due south for $49.99
nine. Skip: Hickory Farms
Our favorite treat:Sugariness Hot Mustard
We had high hopes for Hickory Farms. Their bestselling Summer Sausage & Cheese Gift Box has nearly 2,000 glowing reviews online, and the presentation of meats and cheeses upon opening the box was impressive. Information technology easily seemed similar a gift worth giving.
Looking just like the motion picture upon inflow, the box, which retails for $49.99, includes 2 10-ounce signature beef summer sausages, a 10-ounce smoked cheddar blend, a 10-ounce farmhouse cheddar, a half dozen-ounce smoked Gouda blend, and 2.5-ounce bottles of honey pineapple mustard and sugariness hot mustard.
Unfortunately, nosotros were let down by the taste. The sausage was dry out and the cheeses tasted overly processed (a peek at the ingredients label confirmed as such). We did actually actually enjoy the mustards, which have earned a spot in the refrigerator for sandwiches and future charcuterie boards. They're also sold separately in sets of three 10-ounce clasp bottles.
- Become Dearest Pineapple Mustard (3 bottles) from Hickory Farms for $14.99
- Get Sweet Hot Mustard (3 bottles) from Hickory Farms for $14.99
x. Skip: Simply Chocolate
If I had to rank the things I dear near in life, it would go i. My husband, and 2. Chocolate. Nosotros had very high hopes for Merely Chocolate, merely in the end, the company cruel beneath our expectations.
We tested the Only Chocolate Splendid Sweets Basket, which is actually not listed on the Simply Chocolate website anymore. It came with chocolate bawl loaded with almonds, chocolate-covered popcorn, pecan clusters, hard caramel candies, and raw almonds and cashews. The bark wasn't as tasty every bit it looked and the pecan clusters were simply OK (on par with what you could buy at the supermarket for a much lower price). The chocolate-covered popcorn left much to be desired, peculiarly when compared to Harry & David'southward Moose Munch.
Ultimately, Merely Chocolate didn't really impress united states. They have a wide option of chocolate-covered pretzels and truffles that we didn't try, but if you're looking for a succulent chocolate gift, we recommend buying from Harry & David instead.
Go chocolates from Simply Chocolate starting at $29.99
eleven. Skip: The Popcorn Factory
Our favorite treat: White cheddar popcorn in the Cheers a Bunch Popcorn Tin can
When you lot're dealing in gallons of whatever type of food, yous should make sure you really dearest information technology. Unfortunately, the tins from The Popcorn Factory don't quite measure out upwardly. The popcorn we sampled was perfectly fine for a pocket-size stack, just it tasted a little stale upon arrival, which didn't bode well considering there'due south just and then much popcorn a person can eat in i day and some of these offerings tin can hold a whopping half-dozen.5 gallons.
Nosotros ordered the Thanks a Agglomeration Popcorn Tin, which features butter, cheese, caramel, and white cheddar popcorn. In terms of season, there was no beating the white cheddar. It was definitely tasty, just possibly not the freshest nosotros've e'er had.
We did enjoy the fact that some tins, like the Framed for the Holidays Popcorn Tins tin be customized with a personal photograph. Information technology's a nice touch on that's sure to be appreciated this holiday season peculiarly. Looking for a tin that tin can double as décor? The holiday gift tins volition brand a cracking impression.
Get the Thanks a Agglomeration Popcorn Tin from The Popcorn Factory starting at $37.99
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Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/reviewedcom/2020/10/30/gourmet-food-gifts-review-harry-david-hickory-farms-and-more/6084788002/