SPOTTED ON SHELVES (PROTEIN BAR EDITION) – 6/15/2017

Here are some interesting new and limited edition products found on store shelves by us and your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of the products, share your thoughts about them in the comments.

Kind Maple Cinnamon Breakfast Protein Bar

Kind Maple Cinnamon Breakfast Protein Bar

Kind Almond Butter Breakfast Protein Bar

Kind Almond Butter Breakfast Protein Bar

Kind Dark Chocolate Cocoa Breakfast Protein Bar

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Target and Carla at Fred Meyer.)

Kind Sweet  Spicy Korean Chili Almond Bar

Kind Sweet & Spicy Korean Chili Almond Bar

Kind Sweet  Spicy Sweet Cayenne BBQ Almond Bar

Kind Sweet & Spicy Sweet Cayenne BBQ Almond Bar

(Spotted by Rachel C at Target.)

Clif Bar Nut Butter Filled Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter and Caramel Chocolate Peanut Butter

Clif Bar Nut Butter Filled Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter and Caramel Chocolate Peanut Butter

Clif Bar Nut Butter Filled Blueberry Almond Butter

Clif Bar Nut Butter Filled Blueberry Almond Butter

(Spotted by Rachel C at Ralphs.)

Fiber One Protein Nut Chewy Bars Sweet  Salty Roasted Nut

Fiber One Protein Nut Chewy Bars Sweet & Salty Roasted Nut

Fiber One Protein Nut Chewy Bars Chocolate Pretzel Nut

Fiber One Protein Nut Chewy Bars Chocolate Pretzel Nut

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Target.)

Power Crunch Red Velvet Protein Energy Bar

Power Crunch Red Velvet Protein Energy Bar

(Spotted by Caitlin J at Walmart.)

Nature Valley Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate XL Protein Chewy Bars

Nature Valley Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate XL Protein Chewy Bars

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Target.)

Zone Perfect Revitalize  Salted Caramel Latte and Hot Chocolate Marshmallow

Zone Perfect Revitalize (Salted Caramel Latte and Hot Chocolate Marshmallow)

(Spotted by Rachel C at Target.)

Thank you to all the photo contributors! 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 do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

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.

BACK ON SHELVES: Limited Release Zima (2017)

Limited Release Zima  2017

Zima is back to get a new generation of college kids drunk. (Spotted by Tyra P 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: Project 7 Gourmet Gum (Cotton Candy, Half & Half, and Margarita)

Project 7 Cotton Candy Gourmet Gum

Project 7 Margarita Gourmet Gum

Project 7 Half  Half Gourmet Gum

The only alcohol you might find in chewing gum is sugar alcohols. The only way that pack of gum will get anyone drunk is by opening it, dumping out all the gum, and using the pouch as a shot glass. (Spotted by Rachel C at Target.)

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: Salted Caramel Oreo Thins

Salted Caramel Oreo Thins

I prefer Oreo Thins to Oreos.

Sure, you can’t beat a classic Oreo, I’ve just never been able to eat many in one sitting. Regardless of flavor, I’m done after about four. I can polish off an entire sleeve of Oreo Thins without even realizing it. It doesn’t make sense, but it’s true.

Listen, I can hear your outrage from here. “Vin likes Thins more than Oreos?! This is outrageous. Wait, who the heck is Vin?”

I get it. I know people still have some problems with Oreo Thins. They convey an unattainable image to young Oreos. They’re a false portrayal of what society thinks an Oreo should look like. Every new Oreo Thins flavor that hits shelves feels like a slight to Double Stuff Oreos the world over, but hey, I like what I like.

Salted Caramel Oreo Thins 2

Speaking of new flavors, remember like a decade ago when you never even knew salted caramel was a thing? Can you believe we once lived in a world where “sweet and salty” wasn’t a super mainstream flavor profile? Now even the world’s most famous cookie is dipping itself into the salted caramel pool.

The new Salted Caramel Oreo Thins have that distinct Golden Oreo cookie smell with just a spritz of eau de stale caramel.

Salted Caramel Oreo Thins 4

There isn’t much crème per cookie, but I imagine you know the drill with Thins at this point. I personally prefer the Thins ratio to a normal Oreo.

Honestly, the caramel flavor in these cookies isn’t all that strong. It’s more of a “yeah, I guess that’s caramel” than anything, but it still tastes good. I wouldn’t get my hopes up expecting a big blast of caramel flavor.

As for the salt? It’s there, but not overpowering. I did get a couple salt crystal crunches from time to time, which are always appreciated. I could be crazy but the cookie might have a little more saltiness to it than normal. Don’t quote me on that though, I haven’t had a Golden Oreo in a bit.

Salted Caramel Oreo Thins 3

Caramel is a delicious flavor in general, but it’s also very dependent on texture. Sure, I get annoyed when a chewy, sticky piece of caramel sticks in my molar, but that’s also part of the charm. The caramel “crème” in these cookies doesn’t hold a candle to a good piece of actual caramel. You might as well call it “car-mull” crème like one of those weirdos who say “car-mull.”

I’m sure people will complain about the lack of normal sized Salted Caramel Oreos. Let me tell you something – they wouldn’t be good. This is the perfect ratio of crème to cookie. A double serving of this crème would be gross even with more cookie to counter it. They knew what they were doing.

So, these aren’t bad. Salted caramel doesn’t necessarily lend itself to a crème consistency, but these go down easy.

I hope Nabisco continues to drop exclusive flavors on its Thins line, because that’s a line I want to walk.

(Nutrition Facts – 4 cookies – 150 calories, 60 calories from fat, 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 100 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 11 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: $3.00
Size: 10.1 oz. package
Purchased at: Stop & Shop
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Solid caramel-ish flavor with a touch of salt. Golden Oreo thins are much better than the normal size. They go down easy. Oreo’s most recent packaging update. The “sweet and salty” boom.
Cons: Somehow not sweet or salty enough at the same time. Golden don’t beat the original chocolate cookie and never will. The different pronunciations of “caramel.” The cream vs. crème battle wages on. That corny final line.