Valentine’s Day is just over a week away, which means it’s crunch time for hitting the seasonal aisle at CVS or Target. Sure, you can buy the biggest heart-shaped box of chocolates available, but if you’re looking for more options, Snackology is here to break down a whopping 18 different new and returning kinds of Valentine’s Day candy.
Seriously, I’ve covered all the bases. Chocolate. Sour stuff. Gummy bears. Even jellybeans. (Yes, I know it’s not Easter. I just go where the seasonal aisle takes me.) So throw that giant box of chocolate into your cart and use this roundup to find a few new favorites to go along with it.
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What they cost: An 8-count pack of 8.8 oz. boxes is $4.49 at Target
My thoughts: It’s been a long time since I’ve had a conversation heart. They’re usually chalky, and — in a world of amazing other candy options — they’re just not something I’m going to spend my snacking time and energy on. But the “next generation” of conversation hearts from Brach’s are a big improvement. They deliver just the right amount of pucker, reminding me of the classic Sweetart candies.
Snack Score
Brach’s Sweet Bright Conversation Hearts
🍪🍪🍪🍪
(4 out of 5)
Brach’s Cinnamon Jelly Hearts
What they cost: A 12 oz. bag is $3.79 at Target
My thoughts: When we would decorate Christmas cookies as kids, our family had one shaker of cinnamon candies that were very carefully doled out. (If you needed a red nose for a reindeer cutout cookie, they were perfect.) While the texture of Brach’s Cinnamon Jelly Hearts is different, the cinnamon flavor brought me back to my childhood.
Snack Score
Brach’s Cinnamon Jelly Hearts
🍪🍪🍪
(3 out of 5)
Brach’s Strawberry Cupcake Glitter Lollipops
What they cost: A 36-count bag is $6.41 on Amazon
My thoughts: As a 40-year-old adult, there aren’t many opportunities when I can see myself settling down with a lollipop, but Brach’s Strawberry Cupcake Glitter Lollipops were a hit with our daughter.
Snack Score
Brach’s Strawberry Cupcake Glitter Lollipops
🍪🍪🍪
(3 out of 5)
• • •
Reese’s Red Velvet Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
What they cost: A 9.3 oz. bag was $5.29 at Target
My thoughts: I’m mature enough to admit when I was wrong. When I reviewed Reese’s Red Velvet Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups last year, I said they were a “pass.” (I actually passed on them twice.) But after giving them another shot for this roundup, I’ve changed my mind. These fellas are good. Not as good as the Oreo Reese’s Cups or the Spring Sprinkles variety, but still a fun Valentine’s Day offering from Reese’s.
Snack Score
Reese’s Red Velvet Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
🍪🍪🍪
(3 out of 5)
• • •
Reese’s Heart
What it costs: The Reese’s Heart was $5.99 at Giant
My thoughts: I picked up this oversized Reese’s Heart when I needed to get cash back at Giant one morning, and I don’t regret it. Not only is it a generous amount of Reese’s candy, the thick chocolate shell delivers a satisfying bite and the amount of peanut inside in the heart is balanced well with the chocolate.
Snack Score
Reese’s Heart
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
(5 out of 5)
• • •
Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Pink Hearts
What they cost: An 8.8 oz. bag was $5.29 at Target
My thoughts: To clarify, Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Pink Hearts are not white chocolate. But they’re still very good, adding a fun Valentine’s twist to the company’s classic Cookies ‘n’ Creme bar. (If you want an actual white chocolate candy bar, good luck. Despite my rave review of Crunch White, I’ve never been able to find that one in stores.)
Snack Score
Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Pink Hearts
🍪🍪🍪🍪
(4 out of 5)
• • •
Snickers Hearts
What it costs: A 2-piece pack was $2.59 at Target
My thoughts: I’m on record thanks to both my Halloween and Christmas roundups as being a huge fan of Snickers in this format. Everything is balanced. The candy is the perfect size to be devoured in two or three bites. They know what they’re doing with this one.
Snack Score
Snickers Hearts
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
(5 out of 5)
• • •
Twix Hearts
What it costs: A 2-piece pack was $2.59 at Target
My thoughts: Same goes for Twix in this seasonal format. If you’re a fan of Twix in its traditional bar variety, Twix Hearts are going to steal your, well, heart.
Snack Score
Twix Hearts
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
(5 out of 5)
• • •
Kit Kat Friendship Exchange Bears
What they cost: A 4-pack was $1.49 at Target
My thoughts: I love that Kit Kat now has an entire roster of delightful seasonal characters. Bears for Valentine’s Day, Bunnies for Easter, Counts for Halloween, Santas for Christmas — these cute characters should be the standard format for a Kit Kat bar. (Sorry, I prefer these over breaking off a piece.) I want to see the roster expand in 2026. Anthropomorphic firecrackers for Independence Day. Turkeys for Thanksgiving.
Snack Score
Kit Kat Friendship Exchange Bears
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
(5 out of 5)
• • •
Sour Patch Kids Hearts
What it costs: A 3.1 oz. box was $1.29 at Harris Teeter
My thoughts: If you’ve been following along with Snackology lately, you know that I’ve been on a huge Sour Patch Kids kick. (Our home absolutely needed a few more styles of the sour candy.) Sour Patch Kids Hearts come in redberry and strawberry flavors. These flavors aren’t as punch-you-in-the-face sour as traditional Sour Patch Kids, which is pretty kind of them considering they’re for a holiday that’s all about love.
Snack Score
Sour Patch Kids Hearts
🍪🍪🍪🍪
(4 out of 5)
Sour Patch Kids Bites
What it costs: A 1.8 oz. tube was $2.59 at Target
My thoughts: Sour Patch Kids Bites are probably my favorite new addition to the Sour Patch Kids lineup. On first glance, you might think that Sour Patch Kids Bites are tiny Sour Patch Kids. Nope. They’re just the heads. Yes, this is a tube full of the results of someone at the Sour Patch Kids factory decapitating wave after wave of rainbow-colored sour candies. This might be the perfect format for Sour Patch Kids, allowing you to easily toss a handful of different flavors into your mouth at once.
Snack Score
Sour Patch Kids Bites
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
(5 out of 5)
Sour Patch Kids Glow Ups Hearts
What they cost: An 8.4 oz. bag was $3.99 at Harris Teeter
What they cost: An 11 oz. bag was $4.49 at Harris Teeter
My thoughts: It’s been scientifically proven that Starburst Jellybeans are the unrivaled king of the jellybean game, so I was curious to see what a Valentine’s Day version would look like. This seasonal variety of the beloved Starburst Jellybeans comes in cherry and strawberry flavors, wisely focusing on fans’ top two favorites. I’m still not sure about jellybeans escaping Easter containment, but the flavors and candy coating on Starburst Heart Shaped Jellybeans hold up the high standards of the classics.
Snack Score
Starburst Heart Shaped Jellybeans
🍪🍪🍪🍪
(4 out of 5)
• • •
Skittles Littles Original Mini Candy Valentine’s Day Gift Mega Tube
What it costs: A 1.9 oz. tube was $2.39 at Target
My thoughts: Skittles Littles are a simple concept. They shrunk Skittles down, giving them the M&M Minis treatment. This was my first time eating Skittles Littles, and it might now be the only way I eat Skittles. There’s a huge level of satisfaction to having the ability to wolf these itty bitty candy bits down.
Snack Score
Skittles Littles Original Mini Candy Valentine’s Day Gift Mega Tube
My thoughts: Poor Nerds Rope. It was the original Nerds innovation, taking the candy beyond just tiny boxes of sugar blobs. Nerds Rope walked so Nerdy Gummy Clusters could run a mile in under four minutes. I’m sure there are Nerds Rope fans out there, but there just isn’t a world where I would choose this over Nerds Gummy Clusters.
Snack Score
Nerds Rope Valentine
🍪🍪🍪
(3 out of 5)
• • •
Haribo Goldbears
What they cost: A 4 oz. bag was $1.39 at Target
My thoughts: The gold standard of gummy bears, Haribo Goldbears come in bags of just the pineapple and raspberry flavors, offering a classy look for Valentine’s Day. These flavors work well together, and I had to take the initiative to close the bag and put it out of arm’s reach while I was snacking on them after doing this review.
My thoughts: I’m thrilled that chocolate-covered gummy bears are widely available these days. When I was in college, one of my friends figured out how to make them herself (the secret is to freeze them so they don’t melt when dipped in molten chocolate), and I still won’t pass them up when I find them in a candy shop. That same friend also made chocolate-covered Peeps at my insistence, and to this day, they are still wildly better than the chocolate-covered Peeps you can buy in stores. Our bag of Albanese Milk Chocolate Covered Valentine Gummy Bears was gone in a single sitting.
Brach’s Sweet Bright Conversation Hearts, Brach’s Cinnamon Jelly Hearts and Brach’s Strawberry Cupcake Glitter Lollipops were provided to Snackology for this independent review.
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Snackology is written and produced by Bill Kuchman. Copyediting by Tim Kuchman.
The Omnicosm founder. Snackology, Popculturology and The Cold Open writer. A Rochester, N.Y., native now living in the Washington, D.C., area. Won’t pass up a Genny Cream Ale.
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