We never had the original Gingerbread Oreos that debuted in 2012, nor had we tried them in any year since—until last week.

The 2020 Limited Edition Gingerbread Oreos are a new formulation and packaging.

We have only one word for them: Terrific!

The originals were vanilla-flavored cookies with a creme filling flavored with gingerbread spices.

O.K., but the brand managers new an updated was needed.
 
 
THE NEW GINGERBREAD OREOS

The new version is like a real gingerbread cookie, crunchy and toothsome.

 
The cookies themselves are an assortment of “5 Festive Designs,” molded onto the side of each cookie (photo #3).

They include: Christmas Tree, Oreo Joy, Gingerbread Man (photo #1), Oreos For Santa and Gingerbread House.

Let us say once more: They are delicious!
 
 
GET ‘EM WHILE YOU CAN

A limited edition this good is likely to sell out, so don’t wait…or buy just one bag.

If you don’t want to hoard them for yourself, friends and family will be happy recipients.

We’ve bought enough to keep us happy through the cold winter. They’re terrific with hot chocolate, coffee, tea and the classic glass of milk.

We’ve found them at retail and online.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF OREOS
 
 
> COOKIE GLOSSARY: THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COOKIES

[1] This gingerbread man is one of five designs on this year’s Gingerbread Oreos. See all five in photo #3, below (all photos © Mondelez International).

[2] Don’t buy just one bag. If you don’t want to hoard them, friends and family will be happy recipients.

[3] This year’s designs: Christmas Tree, Oreo Joy, Gingerbread Man, Oreos For Santa, Gingerbread House.

[1] The electric blue color will surprise guests, but after a taste, they’ll be delighted (all photos © Amour Geneve).

[2] The wine is at home at the beach or a special event.

[3] Need a gift for a wine drinker? Here it is!

[4] Prepare for July 4th celebrations with a flight of red, white, and blue: rosé, white and Amour Geneve wines.

A blue wine?

Amour Genève, the world’s first naturally blue wine was created under the direction of company CEO Coviello Salinès (an American).

It is an homage to his late father, who loved the color blue.

If you’re looking for a novel gift for a wine lover—or want to surprise your family and guests—this might be it!
 
 
ABOUT AMOUR GENÈVE BLUE WINE

The wine is 70% Verdejo, a white wine grape, and 30% Nebbiolo, a red wine grape.

Natural pigment was extracted from the Nebbiolo grape. Then the pH was balanced to allow the natural blue extract to stabilize.

The pigment extract was introduced to the fermenting Verdejo; hence, a white wine colored blue.

The wine matures throughout a natural fermentation and aging cycle, and fully satisfies all requirements of the FDA, TTB* and EU.

There are patents on the process and formula.
 
 
HOW DOES IT TASTE?

Truth to tell, we haven’t tasted it. We saw it while dining alone at a restaurant where it was only sold by the bottle, and the restaurant couldn’t sell us a bottle to take home.

But we did some easy research. Here are tasting notes from the producer:

 
And customers who left feedback on the website wanted more! For example:

 
 
FOOD PAIRINGS

 
 
GET YOUR BLUE WINE

Head to AmourBluForever.com.

 
 
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*We had no idea what “TTB” stood for, so we looked it up. It’s America’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

It’s time to treat yourself to Starbucks® delicious holiday season coffees.

Personally, we’re thrilled that two of our favorites are on the shelves.

Here’s what to look for:
 
 
STARBUCKS HOLIDAY COFFEE

 
Both flavors are available in Roast & Ground and K-Cup® pods during the holiday season, while supplies last.

 
Need something that is ready to sip? Here are two in bottles:

 
 
TIP FOR SWEETER COFFEE OR TEA

If you like sweetness in your coffee or tea but not a sweetener, buy Lactaid or other lactose-free milk.

Lactose-free milk contains an enzyme called lactase that helps break down the naturally-occurring milk sugar, lactose, into two simple sugars: glucose and galactose.

The lactose-free milk seems sweeter than regular milk because they can taste of the break-down of the lactose bonds.

Lactose-free milk is one of our favorite “diet” tips for people who want something a tad sweeter.
 
 
> COFFEE GLOSSARY: THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COFFEE

> THE HISTORY OF COFFEE

[1] Starbucks Peppermint Mocha coffee turns into a sweet snack or a drinkable dessert (all photos © Starbucks).

[2] Starbucks Holiday Blend, with maple and herbal notes.

[3] Peppermint Mocha is a chocolatey, minty treat.

[1] Vosges Haut Chocolat’s brilliant box for Holiday 2020: Chocolate Alchemy Truffles (all photos © Vosges Chocolate).

[2] A close-up of the insides shows how beautifully artistic each detail is. To give you an idea of the size, the spheres and triangles are the size of regular bonbons. For the large orbs: Bring a knife!

[3] How can you decide where to start?

[4] Jupiter: apricot, ylang ylang flower, fennel pollen, almond and Amaretto liqueur in a 36% cocoa butter white chocolate tinted shell.

[5] The Moon: Grenadian nutmeg and Blackwell Jamaican Rum in a 36% cocoa butter white chocolate shell with pearlescent dust.

[6] Neptune: early-harvest first pressed Mediterranean olive oil in a 36% cocoa butter white chocolate shell.

November 29th is National Chocolates Day.

What’s the difference between chocolate (which has its own holiday) and chocolates?
 
 
CHOCOLATE VS. CHOCOLATES

Chocolate

Chocolate refers to the food product made from the roasted seeds of the fruit of the cacao tree. The seeds are more commonly known as cacao beans.

The hulled meat of the bean, the nib, is ground and processed into various forms of chocolate for eating and drinking. After the nibs are ground, however, the chocolate-making process has many more steps to go. Check them out.

 
TRIVIA: For thousands of years, chocolate was only a beverage. While the same cacao could be used to flavor puddings and baked goods, the first chocolate in solid form (i.e., a chocolate bar) was finally devised in 1847. And that was coarse, “rustic” chocolate, not the smooth, melt-in-your mouth product we know today.

Chocolates

A distinction is made between chocolate, the general food product made from cacao beans, and chocolates, which are confections made from chocolate: bonbons, pralines, truffles, etc.

While “chocolates” is also the plural form of “chocolate,” simple grammar rules should make this distinction clear.

Chocolate bars are referred to as chocolate. Items of more complex fabrication are chocolates.
 
 
THE VOSGES HEALER COLLECTION: CHOCOLATE ALCHEMY TRUFFLES

This new, limited edition, 2020 Holiday Collection is a real knockout.

It’s what you get when you blend astrology, alchemy, the classical elements*, great design and innovative flavors into a memorable collection of artisan chocolate truffles.

Each piece represents the solar system, the five elements of nature or the seasonals.

You don’t have to be into astrology, healing or magic to go crazy over this collection of 17 bonbons, large and small.

Rather, these are French truffle bonbons: centers of ganache, infused with “healing” flavors, in shells of dark, milk and white chocolate.

The flavors are not your typical creams, fruit purées and other soft centers.

Rather, along the lines of the healer and alchemy themes, each ganache has been infused with one or more healing elements: exotic fruits, liquors, oils, seeds and spices.

A full description of the pieces is on the ordering page, but here’s a taste:

 
The sizes range from bite-size to enormous (equal to three or four standard bonbons).

The fun and flavor: equally enormous.
 
 
GET YOURS HERE

Any sophisticated chocolate lover will adore this gift. Get it at VosgesChocolate.com.

The exquisite box, 14 inches in diameter (photos #1, #2, #3), is a definite “keeper”—a reminder of your wonderful gift long after the chocolate is gone.
 
 
> CHOCOLATE GLOSSARY: TERMINOLOGY & TYPES
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE
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*“Classical elements” typically refer to earth, water, air, fire, and later, ether, which were proposed to explain the nature and complexity of all matter in terms of simpler substances. The ancient cultures of Greece, Ancient Egypt, Persia, Babylonia, Japan, Tibet and India had all similar lists.

Here’s an idea from Éclat Chocolate, an artisan chocolatier in West Chester, Pennsylvania (shipping nationwide, of course).

They topped a cup of hot chocolate (photo #1) with one of their “mendiants” or “mondiants,” plain or filled chocolate disks.

The disks melt, of course, making an even more chocolatey cup of hot chocolate (photo #2).

As the chocolate melts into the drink, you can eat the melty chocolate with a spoon, or stir it into the beverage.

It’s much richer than stirring in a garnish of whipped cream.
 
 
MENDIANTS, MONDIANTS & FRENCH MONDIANTS

French mendiants (photo #4) are different from what Éclat calls mendiants (photo #2—see footnote for an explanation of the classic French mendiants).

Éclat’s Mendiants

Éclat’s mendiants are plain chocolate disks, available in five varieties.

 
Éclat’s Mondiants

“Mondiants” are a name created by Éclat to describe filled disks of chocolate. They’re available in:

 
Both Éclat’s mendiants and mondiants have beautifully designed and textured surfaces.

In addition to enjoying one as a nice piece of chocolate, either mendiant or mondiant can be:

 
 
CHARMING GIFTS

From Eclat’s mendiants and mondiants to the others shown in the photos, all are welcome holiday gifts for those who appreciate fine chocolate.
 
 
> CHOCOLATE GLOSSARY: TERMINOLOGY & TYPES
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF HOT CHOCOLATE
 
 
> HOT CHOCOLATE & COCOA: THE DIFFERENCE
 
 
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*Mendiants (French for mendicants, i.e. beggars) are traditional French chocolates: disks or bars of chocolate that are studded with nuts and dried fruits. Mendiants can also be made in large slabs and then broken into smaller pieces, like bark.

The colors of the nuts and fruits traditionally referenced the color of the monastic robes of the orders of the Augustinians (hazelnuts), Carmelites (almonds), Dominicans (raisins) and Franciscans (dried fig—photo #4). Today, a wider variety of fruits, peels and seeds are used: candied orange peel, dried cranberries and coconut, for example.

Unlike chocolate bars that enrobe the nuts and fruits, mendiants are created with the fruits and nuts studded on top, to offer visual appeal.

[1] A cup of hot chocolate, waiting for its mendiant or mondiant (photos #1, #2 and #3 © Éclat Chocolate).

[2] Hot Chocolate with a mendiant garnish. The chocolate disk will melt into the beverage, making it more chocolatey.

[3] Caramel mondiants, one of three flavors in a “keeper” gift box.

[4] French mendiants from Michel Cluizel (photo © Michel Cluizel).

[5] These Americanized French-style mendiants from Woodhouse Chocolate use bright fruits in addition to nuts (photo © Woodhouse Chocolate).