I Tried the New Limited-Edition M&M’s, and They’re So Good, I’m Not Sharing with Anyone

Every holiday season, my family puts out bowls of candy along the narrow console table in our living room. The contents rotate from year to year, and sometimes a new candy gets its day in the display, but there’s always one constant: Peanut M&M’s. 

If I’m snacking on a bag of M&M’s, nine times out of 10 it’s the peanut. The crunchy whole peanut enrobed in chocolate and a thin candy shell are a delicious balance of flavor and texture. 

Naturally, my curiosity peaked when I heard that M&M’s was launching a toasty holiday version of this age-old classic (and that people were buying 19 bags at a time). I got my hands on a sample of the new and very seasonal flavor to see how they’d stack up to the original.

Extra toasty snacks are having a moment — and the R&D team over at M&M’s central seems to have taken notice. The latest limited-edition flavor gives that trend a cozy, wintry holiday remix (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, anyone?). 

Toasty Holiday Peanut M&M’s launched in October and contain roasted peanuts and milk chocolate infused with flavors of cinnamon, vanilla, spiced sugar, and caramel. The candies are covered in festive red, green, or yellow candy shells that mimic Christmas tree lights. They come in 3.27- and 7.44-ounce bags and are currently available at retailers nationwide. 

As the temperatures drop, all I want is to feel warm and toasty, curled up with a blanket and sweet bite — and these Toasty Holiday Peanut M&M’s fit the bill. I opened the bag, took a whiff, and was met with a sweet, maple, hazelnutty smell (mixed with notes of milk chocolate, obviously). It reminded me of the little pushcarts selling warm candied nuts you’d pass by on a cold wintry evening walking through Times Square in New York. 

I popped one in my mouth and it tastes like the original Peanut M&M’s but with more layered, complex notes (like if it got dressed up to go to a holiday party). There’s the familiar combination of peanut-meets-chocolate, followed by a deeper, caramelized, nutty, sweetness. Those lingering flavors are somewhat subtle at first, but they build as you snack on more M&M’s. 

As someone who finds plain M&M’s too sweet, I was a fan. The peanut helps balance the sweet flavors (plus I love that added crunch). These would be great to munch on while watching a holiday movie solo or, if you’re feeling generous, set out in a bowl for your next gathering. They’re also a perfectly good excuse to make these monster cookies. 

Buy: M&M’S Toasty Holiday Peanut Chocolate Candies, $3.96 for 7.44 ounces at Walmart  

Have you tried this M&M’s flavor? Let us know in the comments.