Festive foods bring holiday cheer

Christmas and Hanukkah are quickly approaching, and ‘tis the time for holiday treats. With several different kinds of snacks lining the shelves, many people have trouble deciding the best brand to buy. So to help in all the gift madness and indecision, here’s a few brands we’ve rated so you don’t have trouble finding the perfect holiday treat.

Hot Chocolate:

Starbucks Hot Chocolate (boxed) – $6.99

Madi’s review: While this chocolate is rich, it’s almost unbearable to drink because of how bitter it is. This is the drink for you if you love dark chocolate, but for hot chocolate drinkers that enjoy a sweet taste, this is not the drink for you. My rating for this is 4/10.

Christina’s review: Out of all the brands of hot chocolate we tried, I would have to rank this one the lowest. Although it had a very smooth texture, the taste was a bit funky. Because this one was made with dark chocolate, it lacked the sweet, rich flavor that comes with milk chocolate. I’d give this 5/10.

Great Value Hot Chocolate – $2.48

Madi’s review: This one isn’t as gross as Starbucks, but still not great. It’s watered down and tastes cheap, but still holds a little sweetness. This one is a middle of the road choice. I’d give this a  6/10.

Christina’s review: For me, this one falls right  in between the Starbucks and the Swiss Miss hot chocolate. Although not as sweet as the Swiss Miss, it was way sweeter than the Starbucks one. But it was also very thin, and not as thick as the others. It also had more of a rich flavoring, and was very good for the price. I’d give this one a 7/10.

Swiss Miss – $2.39

Madi’s review: A holiday classic, honestly. Swiss Miss is rich in taste and so sweet. It’s my long standing favorite, and these other hot chocolates don’t compare. This one is an 10/10.

Christina’s review: This hot chocolate was definitely the best of the three. Super smooth and rich, and was the sweetest of them all. This one had the flavor the other two lacked. I’d give Swiss Miss a 9/10.

Egg Nog:

Reiter’s Creamy Egg Nog – $2.98

Madi’s review: This eggnog is probably the worst I have ever tried. It tasted cheap and watered down, which made drinking it unbearable. It tasted like a mix of watered down milk and too much cinnamon. It was the worst out of the bunch, and it deserves a 2/10.

Christina: This eggnog was definitely the worst of the three. It was very thin and bitter, and didn’t have the creamy flavoring eggnog is most known for. It was very watered down, and overall I’d give a 3/10.

Horizon Organic Lowfat Eggnog – $3.56

Madi’s review: Despite the name (which screams healthy), this was the creamiest and most delicious of them all. The taste just reminds you of how sweet the holidays really are. This nog gets a 7/10.

Christina: Out of the three, I say this one was the second best. This one was way richer than Reiter’s, and was full of sweet flavoring. Although it was thicker, it was a bit too thick for my taste. But overall, I’d give it a 6/10.

Silk Nog (dairy free eggnog) – $4.23

Madi’s review: Not the best, not the worst. I was really impressed that it was dairy free, and wouldn’t be able to tell it was dairy free at all. Very mediocre eggnog, but worth a shot for allowing l the animal lovers out there. I give this a 6/10.

Christina: This one was definitely the best for me. It was full of sweet flavor, and was richer than Reiter’s but not too rich for my taste, like Horizon was. It was very smooth, and of the three it was the healthiest due to the fact that it was dairy free. I’d give this one an 8/10.

Cookies:

Note: All cookies reviewed were mixes

Betty Crocker Sugar Cookies – $2.08

Madi’s review: Just your average sugar cookie. It’s semi soft, and you can only taste a little flavor. It’s a pretty bland mix. The recipe was easy to follow, and is great for kids to learn how to bake, with parental guidance of course. This is the third ranked cookie for me. As an avid sugar cookie fan, I rate these a solid 5/10.

Christina: Personally, I’m not a fan of sugar cookies, because I find them very bland and lacking flavor. But, these ones were actually pretty good. Not the most flavor packed of the ones we had, but they weren’t bad at all. A little sweet, but not overbearingly so. They were soft in the middle  which I like. I rate these a 5/10.

Betty Crocker Rainbow Chocolate Candy Cookies – $2.08

Madi’s review: These ones were pretty good, but not the best.  These had a good chocolate to cookie ratio. I’d enjoy just a regular chocolate chip cookie, but the candies added color, making them so cute. Probably the second best out of the bunch, ranking in with a 7/10.

Christina:  These ones for me were the second best of the ones we tried. A perfect mixture of sweet and salty, these cookies were definitely tasty. Soft in the center as well, they were just the right texture as well as taste. I’d give these a 8/10.

Pillsbury Funfetti Cookies – $2.98

Madi’s review:  These ones rank number one for me. I absolutely loved the incorporation of sprinkles, and they made the cookie a lot more fun to make. They were just the right amount of sweet for me, and were great sugar cookies. The texture is weird at first, a lot softer than your average cookie, but just as delicious. This one is by far the best, coming in with a 9/10.

Christina: These ones weren’t as bad as the Betty Crocker sugar cookies, but for me they didn’t taste like a cookie. They were very fluffy and sweet, but for me they had more of a cake-like texture than a cookie one. They weren’t bad at all, but for me I prefer to have cookies that doesn’t taste too much like a cake. I’d give these a 6/10.

Krusteaz Chocolate Chunk Cookies – $2.17

Madi’s review: Although this one is fourth, it’s definitely not bad. I’m not a chocolate fan, which is why this is ranked last, but this definitely was not unpleasant in taste. It was a bit too chocolatey for me, and more on the hard side. Would definitely go well with some eggnog or milk, but isn’t outstanding on it’s own. I’d give these a 4/10.
Christina: For me, this one is definitely the best. As a chocolate lover, anything that is loaded with chocolate ranks best for me. With the super chunks of chocolate baked into these cookies, they were bursting with sweet flavoring. For me, I’d give these a 9/10.