By Justine Sterling |
Target is like that one aunt who has a sweater for every holiday. Target is always ready with a seasonal color scheme and a festive treat. And Valentine’s Day at Target is no exception. The seasonal aisle is practically bursting with all manner of strawberry-flavored this and pink-sprinkled that. It’s easy to become overwhelmed and overcome with the vapors from so many options. Lucky for you, we bought up the seasonal section and tried every Target Valentine’s Day treat—we’re talking candy, chocolate, cookies, gummies, and even sweet snacks. Out of the 13 Target Valentine’s Day nibbles we tried, there were five that stood out. This list includes way more than just some Target Valentine’s Day candy—and the number one pick is an unexpected snack that we simply must insist you try. Here they are, the best Target Valentine’s Day delights, in all their pink, red, and white glory.
- Strawberries & Creme Indulgent Trail Mix
I have to say, I was skeptical of this sweet trail mix. I imagined it would be overly saccharine and taste far too much of fake strawberry. But I can admit when I am wrong (I’ve had a lot of practice). The mix of candy-coated cranberries, cookie bits, frosting-covered pretzels, almonds, M&M’s, and “shimmer coated pretzel balls,” is sweet, salty, and crunchy. The pretzels taste a little bit like frosting-covered animal crackers, complete with crunchy sprinkle spheres. And there are unidentifiable buttery salty bits that contrast against the strawberry flavor that appears throughout the mix. If you are a strawberry flavor fan, you will totally love this trail mix. But even if you’re a skeptic like me, you’ll like it, too.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Hand-Decorated Sugar Cookies
I tried a few different Target Valentine’s Day cookies but these were the best ones (with an honorable mention nod to the Chocolate Chunk Cookies with M&M’s, which were so wonderfully soft but not particularly unique). These individually packaged iced cookies come in four different shapes: There’s the pink hearts, the purple Valentine’s Day cards, the love emoji faces, and, my fave, the teddy bears holding hearts. While they don’t taste homemade, they are totally satisfying in that grocery store sugar cookie kinda way. They’re buttery and crunchy, and the frosting is just thick enough.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Cupid’s Candy Box
As a former bead-girl, let me tell you, the box this selection of Target Valentine’s Day candy comes in would be great for bead storage. This is such a good Valentine’s Day gift for a kid. Not only do they get a selection of gummy candy (mallowy Xs and Os, sugar-coated red and white hearts, and red and white gummy bears) but they also get a sturdy plastic box with dividers and a clasp. Perfect for kid treasures. And the gummy candy is pretty good, too. I particularly like the tart and tangy cherry-flavored red gummy bears. And the grape-flavored purple Xs and Os really lit a nostalgic flame in my brain.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Gummi Peach Hearts
Not only are these Peach Hearts some of the best Target Valentine’s Day candy we tasted, but they also made our updated list of the best Valentine’s Day candy overall. The dual-toned hearts are coated in sweet sugar, but the gummy itself is peachy and tangy. And they are really nice and firm—a la Haribo gummies. They’re not quite as good as classic peach rings, but they’re heart-shaped and come in a cute tub for Valentine’s Day gifting.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Valentine’s Crunchy Clusters
I don’t want to tell you how many of these clusters I ate. I couldn’t stop myself. They’re so good. Why aren’t people running to Target right now to buy out an entire shelf of these? They should be a cult Target Valentine’s Day favorite. Each individual cluster is composed of salty, crunchy pretzels, chewy, buttery-rich caramel, frosting, and little sprinkle balls. If you want a festive V-Day treat that isn’t straight chocolate or strawberry flavored, this is the best of the best. It’s only January as of this writing, but these Target Valentine’s Day snacks might be one of the best things I’ll eat all year.
Credit: Merc / Target
Best Strawberry Flavored
Rating:
7.5/10
Sporks
Best Cookies
Rating:
7.5/10
Sporks
Best Gift Box
Best Gummy Candy
Rating:
7.5/10
Sporks
Best of the Best
Rating:
7.5/10
Sporks
Other Target Valentine’s Day treats we tried: Love’s Arrows, Chocolate Chunk Cookies with M&Ms, Heart Sugar Cookies, Strawberry Mini Hearts Covered Pretzels, Strawberry Gummi Hearts, You’re Toadally Awesome Milk Chocolate Hearts, Valentine’s Collection Assorted Chocolates, Valentine Exchanged Pack Milk Chocolate Bars with Popping Candy
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About the Author
Justine Sterling
Justine Sterling is the editor-in-chief of Sporked. She has been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and is an avid at-home cook and snacker. Don’t worry, she’s not a food snob. Sure, she loves a fresh-shucked oyster. But she also will leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and loves a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients.
