Fall is a time of celebration and abundance. Two brands from the 1-800-Flowers.com family that truly embrace the magic of the season — and that are committed to capturing that spirit in every product they offer — are Harry & David and Cheryl’s Cookies.
Each year, both brands refresh their seasonal offerings to ensure their customers can experience the very best that autumn has to offer. For Harry & David, that includes rich, spiced Autumn Bakery Baskets to sweet and savory, harvest-inspired gift boxes. The Medford, Oregon-based brand, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, makes sure its fall selections are designed to evoke the warmth and comfort of the season, making every moment a little more special.
“I love this time of year,” says Desiree Marca, Harry & David’s supervisor of research and development, and one of the guiding forces in creating new seasonal offerings. “There are so many memories made during the fall, and aromas and flavors are a big part of those memories. Experiencing them can really take you back — it’s a wonderful and powerful form of nostalgia.”
For Marca, creating exciting and delicious new products for the fall (whether it’s a retro-inspired Apple Spice Cake or an exquisite dessert like Moose Munch cheesecake) can be a complicated task. She says she likes to embrace the traditional favorite flavors of the season but also look at what is trending in the world and what she can bring to a product that makes it new or different.
“When we’re creating new products, we’re trying to be really multidimensional,” she explains. “One-note flavors get boring quickly, so we try to look at how we can combine flavors in new ways, adding on to them, enhancing them, and really trying to pique people’s interest. I want people to think, ‘I love that flavor already, but I’ve never tried that combination before!’ Finding those pairings and developing those new flavor profiles is really fun and very rewarding.”
That focus on reimagining and reinventing has led to this year’s crop of fresh seasonal offerings, including the sweet and savory Pecan Pie Bar, the ooey, gooey Caramel Apple Bar, rich and decadent Pumpkin Cheesecake (try to eat just one slice!), the Dutch Caramel Apple Pie, and Chocolate-Covered Caramel Apples — traditional favorite foods you know and love but with a unique seasonal flavor twist that makes them even more special and craveable.
Cookies, too, are an ideal vehicle for classic fall flavors, and also innovation, says Alison Warner, product development merchandise manager at Cheryl’s Cookies. That’s how products like Frosted Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies, Kitchen Sink Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Cookies, and Buttercream Frosted S’more Cookies end up getting created — with a new batch of future favorites coming out each fall.
“New product development takes close to a year,” Warner says. “That includes both creating the recipe and also testing it so we can offer the best products possible. We also have multiple rounds of taste tests to get flavors just right. We want to make sure that each new fall cookie offers something different and has a reason for living within the line.”
“Developing our fall flavors also requires a ton of shopping and looking at what is already on the market,” adds Katelyn Skebba, another member of the Cheryl’s Cookies merchandising team. “We talk about bringing back classics that people already love as well as trends that are going on that can influence new products — that’s how our Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies started. We looked at the trend for fall cheesecakes and then found a way to make that flavor profile distinctly new and different.”
What flavors and products are triggering the greatest buzz this season?
“I love our Buttercream Frosted Cinnamon Roll Cookie,” Skebba says. “And our Buttercream Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes are incredible as well — they’re some of the best products we have – I wish they weren’t seasonal!”
As for Warner, her heart lies with that Raspberry Cheesecake Cookie. “It’s fabulous,” she says. “Absolutely delicious. It’s the perfect taste for fall.”
Ready for your next autumn feast? Pair some of these new wonders with classics like Apple Spice Cake, Cinnabon Bundt Cake, our Fruit and Nut Gift Boxes, a few scoops of Pumpkin Pecan Butter, refreshing citrus sangria, and some rich chocolates, like the ones found in the Belgian Chocolate-Covered Fruit, Nut, and Caramel Assortment.
Eat them all together at a giant family function, or enjoy them individually throughout the coming months. Either way, you’ll have the perfect group of flavors and scents for yet another incredible — and magical — fall.
AUTHOR
Brian Good is a writer, editor, and project manager with more than 20 years experience in publishing. He's written for some of the country’s biggest magazine brands including Men’s Journal, Men’s Fitness, Shape, Men's Health, Muscle & Fitness, US Weekly, AARP: The Magazine, and websites including Mashed, Health Digest, DiversityInc and others. Good specializes on topics including lifestyle, travel, pop culture, health, food and nutrition, spirits, products, politics, and activism.