Spooky's Swirls a horror themed bakery & mini museum in Chandler, Az!

 

We are in the midst of spooky season, so it is the perfect time to talk about our visit to Spooky's Swirls! Spooky's Swirls is a horror themed bakery & mini museum that is open year-round for all spooky lovers to enjoy. They offer delicious treats featuring characters like Ghost Face, Slimer, and more plus slices of cake, biscotti and more. Gluten-free guests will be happy to know they are a gluten-free bakery. Alongside their delicious treats they also have some products for sale like earrings, mints, etc. and they have a collection of horror themed props in the store that you can check out while there. They are located at 3029 N Alma School Road #117 Chandler, AZ 85224.

While we were in the area recently, we decided to stop by & pick up some sweet treats! Everything in the store ranges in price, but everything is labeled clearly. There are so many delicious sweets to select from, you'll have a hard time trying to leave with just one thing. We each found something we wanted to try & we were all quite pleased with what we had picked out to take home. Not everything is pictured on this post, but you can see most of what we picked up to try out. 

Sometimes products that are gluten-free can taste a little off, but that wasn't the case with their treats. Everything was sweet and had a lot of flavor. I also loved the little designs on a lot of the products. They do have quite a few products that are staples of the bakery & won't get swapped out, but they do also rotate through other products featuring different movies and themes so there will probably be something new each time you stop by. 

The mini museum is pretty neat as well, they have a decent number of props, replica clothing and more on display along the walls of the store. As an added bonus they also have a small selection of products for sale including horror themed earrings, hair clips, mint tins, and more. The store is family friendly & the staff were all very nice and were happy to answer questions. We will be visiting again the next time we are in the area! 

What horror character or movie, would you like to see featured on a baked good? 

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. (Click on the name or locate it on the right-hand side of my page).

★ This is not a sponsored post, we paid for this on our own. I enjoy sharing new places we explore with my followers.

Kyoto Sweetsbox - A Japanese snack subscription box review!

 

Being able to try new snacks & sweets from other countries can be a lot of fun, especially when it arrives in the form of a subscription box. You never know what you might end up with! I recently received a box of snacks from a company called Kyoto Sweetsbox. Originally the review was just a collaboration to be posted on my Instagram, but I felt like posting about it here as well because we enjoyed the box quite a bit! So, I am going to give you a quick rundown on what we received in the box. You can purchase a single box for just under $37 a month, or you can purchase a longer subscription which will give you a discount on each month's box. 

Each box not only comes with snacks & sweets, but it also comes with one Japanese inspired gift plus a booklet that talks about each item in the box, along with providing some information on Japanese traditions and more. Our box included fourteen different food items and two non-food gifts. 

Here is a breakdown of the snacks we received: 

⭐️ A beautiful fox mask
⭐️ Wet Wipes
⭐️ Chocolate Cake - This was a favorite; it was soft and delicate. It was chocolatey but not overly sweet.
⭐️ French Fries Snack - A type of crunchy potato chip.
⭐️ Handball Candy - Tasty with an almost buttery flavor, they are delicious. 
⭐️ Hi-Chews - I love these & this was a softer version than the kind we have in stores near us.
⭐️ Sweet Yuzu-flavored Mochi - This was fun to eat & I liked the powdered sugar flavor.
⭐️ Supamucho Ume Flavor - Interesting taste, slightly spicy but sweet.
⭐️ Wasabi Flavored seaweed snacks - Not too spicy, actually pretty good.
⭐️ Apple Manjuu - A mini bunny shaped cake that is fluffy & not too sweet.
⭐️ Matcha Cappuccino + Uji Matcha Green Tea - I haven't tried this yet but will get to them soon.
⭐️ Koba Cheese Tart - This along with the chocolate cake were my favorites! I'd love more of this.
⭐️ Soba Manjuu Matcha Flavor - This had a bold unique flavor.
⭐️ Fava Bean Snacks - Crunchy, salty & a fun snack to eat.
⭐️ White peach jelly - a sweet & strong peach flavor.
⭐️ Happy Turn - A tasty rice dough based snack.
⭐️ Mochi sprinkled with soy flour - This was another fun treat to eat, they have a great consistency.

All of the snacks & treats included were full sized, I think this subscription is worth the cost. I like being able to try new things that aren't available near me or that I have never heard of before. 

Disclaimer-  Kyoto Sweetsbox  provided this experience to us for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Madhu Chocolates!

 

If you love chocolate & enjoy trying new unique flavors that you won't find in your average grocery store then you should check out Madhu chocolate. They are a chocolate brand that started in Texas, they combine their love of traditional Indian flavors with chocolate. I was recently sent several of their chocolate bars to check out for a review, my family & I tried them together and were surprised at which ones were the favorites for each person. The chocolate bars are 2.6oz each & can be purchased for $10, the chocolate is really rich so you won't eat the whole bar in one sitting. (Unless you want to of course!)

Before I dive into the flavors we reviewed, how pretty are the chocolate bars? They have a beautiful design on them and some of the flavors have an added flare such as the rose petals shown in the bar pictured below. They also smell really good, each has its own unique scent that shines through the chocolate. So which flavors did we review? We received the Saffron Milk, Dark Masala Chai, Lemon Coriander, Dark Rose & Cardamom Dark. 

My favorite was the Saffron Milk, it had a really rich and creamy flavor with a little bit of spice that I really liked, it was the favorite of my daughter. My least favorite would be the cardamom, just because it was very heavy on the dark cocao - I typically like more of a milk chocolate, however my husband enjoyed this one. My son and husband liked all of the flavors, there were one or two that my daughter and I weren't as big of fans of, but they are all tasty in their own way depending on what you are in the mood for. I would try out their chocolate bars again! 

Along with the flavors we received they have several others along with spreads & more, so you should head over to their website to view what they have to offer. 

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Madhu Chocolate for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Sweet Chaos Popcorn will satisfy your sweet tooth!

Popcorn can make a great snack or a dessert depending on what you put on it, sometimes it is a mess to make flavored popcorn on your own so buying a premade bag makes getting your favorite flavors very simple. A popcorn brand called Sweet Chaos who sells a wide range of popcorn flavors from savory to sweet so everyone should be able to find something they like. I was recently sent a few of their popcorn flavors to try out with my family & we have really been enjoying the popcorn so far. 

The flavors we received to review were - White Chedder, Sea Salt, Kettle Corn, Black & White, Peanut Butter Cup and a fun collab they did with cold stone creamery which is a Cake Batter flavored popcorn. We haven't opened all of them yet, mainly because I know we won't eat this much popcorn at once and I don't want any of it to go stale. The first two flavors we opened up were white cheddar and also the cake batter. My kids mentioned right away that the cake batter popcorn (shown above) kind of tastes like lucky charms cereal, and I somewhat agree with that. It was sweet, but not overly sweet; it is perfect for when you want a small dessert since it isn't heavy on your stomach. The white cheddar was also flavorful & well balanced, surprisingly it went well side by side with the cake batter if you were eating both flavors one after the other. 

When the cake batter popcorn was finished, we opened up the peanut butter cup next. It felt like it had slightly more chocolate drizzle than peanut butter, but it was a really good combination & was delicious. I have purchased their black & white popcorn before which we loved so I was happy to see that included as well, it is a mixture of white chocolate & milk chocolate drizzle. Both of these options are a good dessert option, if you are like us and just have a little bit of it at a time then a bag should last you a little while. I like that the popcorn isn't overly greasy or sticky, so your hands won't feel gross when eating this. Popcorn can also make a great addition to a slightly healthier snack tray such as the one I put together above that also includes strawberries and rice cakes. If you aren't sure where to find Sweet Choas popcorn, it can be purchased online, or their website has a "where to find" page that allows you to search for stores in your area that carry it. I checked it out for my area & it looks like we have two different big box stores that sell Sweet Chaos & every once in a blue moon I've seen it at the dollar tree as well, so I know where to stop by when I am craving more. 

Which of the flavors mentioned in this post would you like to try? What is your favorite topping to add to popcorn?

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Sweet Chaos Popcorn for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Pink Panda a healthier gummy candy alternative!

 

I've always been a fan of gummy candies, I know that not everyone is a big fan of gummies & they prefer something else but I wanted to share a brand with you called Pink Panda. Pink Panda was founded by a guy named Noah who loves gummy candy, but he wanted something that would fit in with the healthier lifestyle he was trying to lead. Thus he began his search & ultimately ended up making Pink Panda which is a plant based candy that has 1/2 the typical number of calories gummy candies have and it has 95% less sugar without missing any delicious flavors. 

I recently received two bags of all three flavors they offer to try out with my family. I received Astro Blaters which are sweet & chewy, Peachy Hearts that are sweet & chewy plus the Treasure Chews that are sweet & chewy. Each bag is one serving size, there are only 2 grams of sugar per bag & 90 calories! Each gummy is about the size of my thumb nail which is a good snack size.

Astro Chews - I love the fun shapes in this bag, all of the gummies are shaped like stars, moons, etc. The flavors included in this mixture are Blue Raspberry, Cherry, Lemon, Green Apple and Orange. 

Peachy Hearts - These are of course shaped like hearts! One of my favorite road trip candies growing up has always been peach rings, so I was excited to try these out as part of the review. 

Treasure Chews - Another fun mixed bag of shapes & flavors, this one doesn't have the outside sugar coating on it like the other two bags. 

My favorite of the three was the Astro chews, I thought it would be the peach hearts but surprisingly the peach hearts I found to be significantly more sour than the astro chews even though they were the sweet option of the two. I also really enjoyed the treasure chews, they kind of reminded me of a slightly harder fruit snack. The bags are big enough and filling enough that I had no problem splitting a bag between my two children and myself, with each of us getting a good amount of gummies. 

I will be including a bag of the Treasure Chews in next month's Beauty & The Book giveaway bundle so keep an eye out for that if you'd like to win!

Disclaimer- Pink Panda Candy provided the product above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Amore Di Mona Chocolate Review!

When it comes to finding treats that are a healthier alternative such as gluten free or low sugar can sometimes turn you away from wanting to buy them because they just taste bland or dry. I recently came across a decadent chocolate brand that creates chocolate that are vegan friendly, are diabetic friendly and more, so much so that I am going to share the image from their site with you instead of tying out everything it is free from. What company is it? They are called Amore Di Mona, and their chocolates are not only delicious but beautiful as well. 

For a review I was sent a Crispy Caramela Bunny gift box which contains three chocolate bunnies, our box looked slightly different than what is shown on their website. Our box was missing the brown tissues paper so the bunnies arrived jumbled up with the grass like bedding all over them, however it was easy to wipe away. 

The bunnies have a consistency inside which reminds me of a rice crispy treat, it had just the right amount of chocolate to crispy ratio, they are a bit thicker than something like a crunch bar so I would eat it in smaller bites otherwise it might be difficult to chew. My kids and I each had one of the bunnies and everyone seemed to enjoy them. I think they'd make a cute addition to an Easter basket or gift set.

I was also sent a Cherry Caramela chocolate bar which is hands down my favorite out of the two products I was sent to test out. Each bar has four pieces of chocolate inside, when you take each piece out they are a little soft to the touch. As it is a new brand I wasn't quite sure what I was in for, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the chocolate had a brownie like consistency with a dried cherry in the center.

Pure cocoa usually has a taste that is a little bitter compared to dark chocolate, but I found that the ingredients they used helped balance everything out. If I could find these in store I would pick up a bar from time to time as a nice treat to myself. 

They also offer truffles and boxes of chocolate that are perfect for gifting. What types of chocolates do you usually like to eat? If you aren't a fan of chocolate, what types of treats do you enjoy?

Disclaimer- The product mentioned above was provided by Amore Di Mona for a review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

CompletEats has a cookie to fit your Gluten-free & Vegan needs!

Looking around for a gluten-free, plant-based treat? CompletEats offer four different flavors of cookies that are each gluten-free, plant-based and vegan! The four flavors they offer are Banana Bread, Mocha Chip, Cherry Almond and Chocolate Chia. They had a holiday flavor as well which was peppermint cacao chip, I was recently sent some of the peppermint and Banana bread to try out. I was asked to incorporate the cookies into a recipe if I could, so I want to not that I am not vegan so neither of these recipes are vegan however there are alternatives out there that are vegan and can be used instead. Their cookies are made with delicious and wholesome ingredients like cherries, chia seeds, almonds, coffee and more!

I decided to use the Peppermint Cacao Chip as a crust base for some mini cheesecakes, you can make a while cheesecake or you can make mini cheesecakes. I used a food processor to turn the cookies into crumbs and I was surprised how well they blended up, which could be due to how moist and fluffy the cookies are. Much like using graham crackers you'll add a bit of melted butter to the mixture so it form fits to the pan, however you will want to avoid doing what I did. What was that? My brain thought it would need the same time that graham cracker crust does to bake, but I was wrong and the cups got a little burned around the top so I suggest setting the timer for about five minutes less than what you normally would. Due to them not looking the best I am going to skip the photo for this one, but they turned out pretty good. I like the little addition of peppermint, it gave it a nice kick.

The Banana Bread I decided to make ice cream sandwiches with because I love ice cream sandwiches. To make them quick and easy to make I used pre-made store bought ice cream, after I brought the container home I cut the container open so I could take the ice cream out. Once the ice cream has been removed you can cut it into slices and use a cup to create perfect little circles to add in between two cookies. We have a decent selection of sprinkles so I put some on a plate and rolled the ice cream sandwich in it to add a little flair to them. These cookies do not need to be added to a dessert, they are great on their own! It is just fun to mix it up and spice up your desserts from time to time.

At the moment CompletEats sells a sample pack which comes with one cookie of each flavor, a six pack that comes with a random variety or you can buy a twelve pack of a single flavor. The cookies had a lot of flavor and they were pretty thick so they were filling. Their product packaging was nice and it was easy to open, Also how cute is their logo? I love that the "C" is a little moon.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by CompletEats for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Spooky October treats with Gramma In A Box!

My kids jumped for joy when they spotted the October Gramma In A Box sitting on our counter when they came home from school last week. They wanted to get into it right away but were slightly disappointed when I told them we had to wait a day or two until we were able to sit down and make our October treats. As you can imagine they were bursting with excitement when we sat down to see what was in the box and make our goodies. What is a Gramma In A Box kit? This box was originally created by owner Terry, who has grandchildren who live out of state, this box gives her and her grandchildren a chance to work on decorating cookies together over Skype, over time it has turned into a full time business for other parents and grandparents who want to do the same with their children.

Each month you'll receive supplies to create three different treats, everything you need (aside from a fork and bowl) along with instructions are in the box. The October box includes goodies to make Witch hat cookies, "Mud" cups with gummi worms and body parts, and shaped sugar cookies.

To create the Witch hats you'll need thin Oreos, melting chocolate, sprinkles and Hershey's kisses. The first step is to cover the Oreo in chocolate, the directions say to thinly spread the chocolate just on the top half of the cookie but we decided to coat both sides. After you've covered your cookie in chocolate, add a Hershey's kiss on top and sprinkles for decoration. Let the Witch hats sit on the wax paper for 3-5 minutes to let the chocolate set. We all really enjoyed these, the Oreos being thin made it to where the cookies weren't hard to eat.

I didn't realize it until they were already gone, but the photos I took of the chocolate cups we made came out blurry so I include a photo of all the treats above where you can see the cups. For these cups you'll need cocoa pebbles, the rest of the melting chocolate, gummi worms, and candy eyes/bones. Mix the cocoa pebbles with the rest of the melting chocolate until the cereal is completely coated, and add an even amount to each of the wrappers. Once you have the "dirt" or "mud" how you'd like it, you can add gummi worms and body parts as decoration. My kids enjoyed making and eating these, as you can see each cup is quite unique.

Sugar cookies! This is personally my favorite part because it is a lot of fun decorating the cookies with the kids, and they are so delicious. Some sugar cookies have too much sugar and some are too dry, these are just right and taste fresh. Gramma In A Box always includes three different piping bags with three different frosting colors to use for decorating, plus different sprinkles so you can decorate your cookies however you'd like. Above you might notice that the pumpkin has a green stem, I wanted a green stem but there were no green sprinkles so I cut off the end of one of the gummi worms to use as the stem. It is best to roll the frosting in your palms a bit before cutting them open, this will warm the frosting up a bit allowing it to be spread easier, otherwise it tends to clump up a bit.

You can purchase a singular box to try out or you can purchase a 3,6,or 12 month subscription and automatically at the start of each month your box will be shipped out. In total there are enough goodies in the box to create 15 to 20 finished items (each cookie counts as a finished item). A single box is $20 or if you buy a subscription the price lowers a bit depending on which subscription you purchase. If you are a new subscriber you need to place an order before the 3rd of each month in order to receive that month's box. This subscription service is only available in the US. During the holidays there are holiday themed items in the box which adds to the fun of the box.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Gramma In A Box for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

240Sweets Review!

**This was not a paid post. My honest opinions were used, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.The products mentioned below have been provided by 240Sweet for the review free of charge.**

When I think of hot chocolate it is hard not to think about marshmallows because they go so well together and what is a great cup of hot chocolate without melty sweet marshmallows? I was recently sent a boozy hot chocolate kit from a company called 240sweet who creates large fluffy unique marshmallows that are sure to leave an impression.

                       

I wanted to test this kit out because my best friend is a wine fan along with other drinks so I thought she might like alcohol infused marshmallows. I do not really like any kind of alcohol so I tried out one marshmallow from each bag then sent them off to her to try out and let me know her thoughts. The Rhone Rangers Syrah has wine in the mixture, when I tried this flavor it tasted like vodka to me which wasn't completely unpleasant but I wouldn't eat the whole square at once as it can be a little overwhelming. The Bourbon cinnamon is sweet and I like that they actually coated it in cinnamon because it helps with the flavoring. The marshmallows are fairly large so I like to cut them in half and put them in my cup of hot chocolate so they melt faster.



My friend has been enjoying them as well as a little treat for mommy at the end of a long work day, she thinks they are delicious but agrees that they should be eaten about half at a time otherwise they can be a little too much. The Hot chocolate mixture itself is creamy and quite lovely, perfect for a cold winter day. This boozy hot chocolate kit sells for $35 on their website or each item can be purchased separately. Everything comes in ready to gift bags, you will need to cut them open to get to the marshmallow the bag they use keeps everything fresh and tasty so it is thick and hard to open by hand. Below you can see the size of their marshmallows in comparison to my hand.

Nerdy Noms Giveaway & Review!

**This was not a paid post. My honest opinions were used, they are solely my own & they may vary from others.The products mentioned below have been provided by Nerdy Noms for the review & giveaway free of charge.**

Almost everyone loves chocolate, it is tasty and puts a smile on your face so what could make it even better? The answer is chocolate in the shapes of some of your favorite fandoms/hobbies. I recently found a Etsy shop called Nerdy Noms that sells a wide variety of chocolates in different shapes and colors and I was enchanted by what her shop had to offer. You can see which chocolates I received below along with my thoughts on them and you can enter to win some chocolate of your own. If that isn't awesome enough as is Nerdy Noms also sells blind dates with a book.




Chocolate Dragon Egg with Baby Dragon: This sweet treat is inspired by the egg Hagrid wins that Norbert hatches from in Harry Potter. This chocolate egg is hollow and can come in a variety of colors, the one I received was black/red and came in a lovely little gift box that kept it safe during shipping. When you crack the egg open you will find cinnamon dots (red hots) and a chocolate baby dragon. The chocolate did tend to absorb a little of the spicy cinnamon flavor from the red hots, it gave the chocolate a nice kick and was quite enjoyable but if you aren't a fan of hot candies I would possibly avoid this one. This product sells for $20.



Hogwarts House Chocolate Frogs: All fans of Harry Potter are fully aware of the sweet treat chocolate frogs and I am sure most have always wanted to try out a chocolate frog. Thankfully these little guys won't try to hop away on you so you won't have to worry about eating it quickly. Each frog has a different color chocolate filling to match one of the four Hogwarts houses, you won't know which one you picked until you bite into it. These would be a great idea for any Harry Potter themed party. There are no added flavors per color the chocolate is simply colored to make the chocolate frogs more fun. The frogs taste like creamy delicious chocolate. You can buy a six pack for $8 you have the option to select a single house, receive an assortment or pick a house with gift wrapping for an extra two dollars.



Firefly Serenity Vessels: The ships were a big hit with the kids, they thought the shape was fun and it is chocolate so they were double excited and couldn't wait to have one once they finished their dinner. Each chocolate has just the right amount to satisfy your craving without over eating sweets. You can buy a six pack for $7.50-$10.50 depending on which flavor you select.

GOT Stark Logo Coin: This is also what looks like a new chocolate in her shop, it is about 3" x 3" and features the Stark logo. This one had slight air bubbles along the logos hair line but it didn't make any difference in the taste and it still looked great. Each coin comes package separately so again this would make a great party favor or holiday gift for any Game of Thrones lover.



Open Book Chocolate: This chocolate is a great size, we are a family of four and we were able to cut four slices about half an inch in width from each size of the book so it lasted for two days worth of desserts. My kids got a kick out of the book and loved how big it was, as with all of the chocolates from Nerdy Noms the chocolate was creamy and tasted great however I don't suggest leaving the chocolate within a few feet of the stove hahaha I forgot and my book melted slightly while I was cooking dinner. Each book sells for $10 each and comes in plain or you can get it decorated with roses.

Chocolate Pixel Hearts: This set of chocolate comes in a number of flavors ranging from classics like light coco to fun flavors like pumpkin spice. I didn't actually measure them but going off of a guess I'd say these hearts are about 1"x1"x1/2" thick, you can eat it in two bites or one if you eat it like a chipmunk. You will get a dozen for $6-$8 depending on the flavor you select.

Harry Potter Book Of Spells: This is a fun take on a Harry Potter themed chocolate product, you will receive a small box labeled "Book Of Spells" which contains one chocolate frog and one chocolate rat for $5. The box was a little bit of a pain in the butt to open without ripping it open otherwise we loved this item and thought it was a great idea.

Nerdy Noms also has seasonal inspired chocolates, The Walking Dead themed chocolates and more all at awesome prices! Everything I received arrived in perfect condition and tasted great. I will be posting a separate post to review their Blind Date with a book.

PRIZE ALERT:
One lucky winner will receive their choice of any 1 listing from her shop.

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