SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Starbucks Limited Edition Molten Chocolate Latte

Starbucks Limited Edition Molten Chocolate Latte jpg

So, um, molten mocha? (Spotted by @ReneBarba89 at Family Dollar.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you’ve tried the product, share your thoughts about it in the comments.

Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: Yoplait Girl Scout Cookies Yogurt

Yoplait Girl Scout Cookies Yogurt jpg

Girl Scout Cookies come around each year just as some people are finally getting the hang of whatever diet they’ve decided to try out or just as they have given up on said diet.

Girl Scout Cookies are not permitted on most trendy diets, but Yoplait takes advantage of its “health food” reputation to offer a product to appease those who want to eat them on the 27th day of their diet.

Well, that’s what I tell myself because Yoplait surely can’t believe that someone would choose to eat a Girl Scout Cookie-flavored yogurt instead of a Girl Scout Cookie. Right? But, hey, maybe these flavors will prove themselves a good substitute for when you want some only to find that you’ve missed all the cookie sales.

For the purpose of this review, I procured some Thin Mints and Caramel Delites from a neighborhood Scout for comparison.

Yoplait Original Caramel Coconut

Yoplait Original Caramel Coconut jpg

The latter are my favorite Girl Scout cookie so I decided to start with Yoplait Original Caramel Coconut flavored yogurt. Ahhhh, the first Caramel Delite of the cookie season…dry toasted coconut bits, crisp shortbread cookie, light milk chocolate flavor, chewy burnt caramel coating. Yum. I start to eat another and remind myself that I’m reviewing the yogurt, not the cookies.

Yoplait Original Caramel Coconut 2 jpg

I wasn’t sure what Yoplait’s rendition of Caramel Coconut would look like, but I was surprised to see that it was so boring. The yogurt was a pale caramel color and peppered with salt-sized coconut bits. The taste was more disappointing than the appearance. I imagine this is what “caramel color” tastes like in its pure form, astringent and chemical-forward.

There was a tinge of coconut, but it was off-putting and overpowered by the caramel notes. Nary a hint of chocolate was detected, despite the chocolate stripes depicted on the cookie on the label. This knockoff flavor will leave you wanting to eat multiple Caramel Delites to cover up the cloying flavor that lingers long after the last spoonful of deception.

Yoplait Whips! Thin Mints

Yoplait Whips Thin Mints jpg

Next up, Yoplait Whips! Thin Mints. I spotted some chocolate ingredients on the label of this yogurt, so I had high hopes. It had a dark chocolate color and the usual spongy Whips! appearance. The chocolate flavor was quite strong and authentic. The mint flavor was good but more pronounced (and more artificial tasting) than in real Thin Mints.

Yoplait Whips Thin Mints 2 jpg

It’s hard for me to get past the texture of the Whips!, though. This probiotic-laced sugar bomb is not a bad choice if you’re in the mood for chocolate mint yogurt, but it’s not nearly as satisfying as a serving of Thin Mint cookies, if that’s what you’re hoping for.

Yoplait Whips! Peanut Butter Chocolate

Finally, I wish I could say that the Yoplait Whips! Peanut Butter Chocolate was more remarkable that its Thin Mints cousin, but it wasn’t. The chocolate flavor was milder and the peanut butter flavor was reminiscent of a scratch-and-sniff sticker and not of actual peanut butter. At least the mint in the Thin Mints one tasted like mint.

Yoplait Whips Peanut Butter Chocolate jpg

The Tagalongs that were the inspiration for this flavor feature a dime-sized nugget of peanut butter, so I was expecting this to be nuttier than it was. Another disappointment.

Bottom line: Eat these if you’re eager to try a new Yoplait flavor and you prefer some yogurt cultures with your 20+ grams of sugar. Otherwise, just eat the Girl Scout cookie you’re craving (or 2 or 4) and be happier.

(Nutrition Facts – Caramel Coconut – 160 calories, 3 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 110 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 20 grams of sugars, and 6 grams of protein. Thin Mints – 160 calories, 4 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 100 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 22 grams of sugars, and 5 grams of protein. Peanut Butter Chocolate – 160 calories, 4 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 100 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 22 grams of sugars, and 5 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: 60 cents each
Size: 4 oz.
Purchased at: Food Lion and Walmart
Rating: 2 out of 10 (Caramel Coconut)
Rating: 4 out of 10 (Thin Mints)
Rating: 3 out of 10 (Peanut Butter Chocolate)
Pros: Probiotic yogurt cultures. Gluten-free if you’re into that.
Cons: Cloying flavors. 20+ grams of sugar per serving (twice as much as a serving either Girl Scout cookie). Lactic acid esters of mono and diglycerides, whatever the heck those are!

ANNOUNCEMENT: New Impulsive Buy Reviewer Sarah

I love grocery shopping and grocery stores. When traveling, I always make an excuse to pop into a grocery store to see what’s on the shelves. Even with kids.

I’m a mom to two young kids and grocery delivery services are often hawked to my demographic as the magic remedy to make you forget the snotty noses, the whining, the sibling bickering, the “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” and all the other things that make grocery shopping with kids not so enjoyable. But, you know what my magic remedy is?

Junk food.

Nooooo, not for them. For me.

I love discovering new products and squirreling them away to enjoy later.

For the most part, I’m into healthy food and preparing nourishing food for my family. I cook most meals from scratch, making a roux for casseroles instead of using canned mushroom soup or my own pizza dough. We have a garden where we grow turmeric for our smoothies and shiitake mushrooms for our stir-fry.

Growing up, though, my parents didn’t cook meals from scratch or garden or do anything like that. They were masters of the microwave. But, while we always had food on the table, it’s never what I pine away for these days. Instead, it’s grocery store junk food that brings back all those warm and fuzzy childhood memories. It’s my comfort food.

So, tucked away on the top right corner shelf of my pantry, above the organic rye flour, local sorghum syrup, chia seeds, and the tub of organic cold-pressed coconut oil is my junk food stash. Sometimes the limited edition Oreo cookies don’t even make it inside, but rather stay under the front seat of the car, even though I’m the only one who eats them.

My husband is a food snob and most of my friends are the type who have barely finished their Halloween candy by the time Cadbury Creme Eggs come out. They don’t understand my affinity for odd flavor combinations nor my fascination with reading nutrition and ingredient labels (it’s my party trick — read me a label and I can tell you the product).

Thank goodness I found The Impulsive Buy and my tribe of fellow junk food lovers who are not turned off by Peach Cobbler or Brazilian steak-flavored potato chips, Gingerbread Spice M&M’s, and Cotton Candy Oreos.

So, if you’re ever at my house for a locally sourced dinner of pan-fried free-range rabbit, stone-ground polenta cakes, salad made with foraged greens, and bottle-conditioned craft beer, remember that the top right shelf in my pantry is where you can find the good stuff. Help yourself. 😉

SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Hostess Limited Edition Mint Chocolate CupCakes

Hostess Limited Edition Mint Chocolate CupCakes jpg

Hmm. I wonder if this is Hostess’ Limited Edition Shamrock CupCakes, but with a new name. If they are the same, I also wonder if Hostess has the audacity to have this CupCake and then also release the Shamrock version when it gets closer to St. Patrick’s Day. (Spotted by Melissa S at Walmart.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you’ve tried the product, share your thoughts about it in the comments.

Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Trader Joe’s Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie

Trader Joe s Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie jpg

I’m sure this will sell well, but a little cookie butter might’ve made it sell even more. (Spotted by Debra G at Trader Joe’s.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you’ve tried the product, share your thoughts about it in the comments.

Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.