I’m SUPER disappointed this doesn’t come in a pickle-shaped bag. I guess cones are the extent of Popcornopolis’ packaging prowess. (Spotted by Robbie at Sam’s Club.)
COMING SOON: Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch, Ghostbusters, and Lucky Charms Galactic Cereals
I have to admit Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch wasn’t on my future Toast Crunch cereal bingo card. I was expecting a hazelnut chocolate, mocha, or Vegemite flavor. (Yes, I will never get bingo on my card.) But here we are with a cereal that combines the taste of caramel with the crunch of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. And, yes, the endmilk will have a little Dulce de Leche flavor. The new variety is a permanent addition to the Toast Crunch line, and it’s rolling out to stores as you read this. It’s available in two sizes — Family Size ($4.99 MSRP) and Mid-Size ($3.99 MSRP).
Ghostbusters Afterlife cereal is a tie-in with the upcoming movie premiering later this year. If you guessed this cereal comes with marshmallows because 97 percent of cereals that have a movie tie-in do indeed come with marbits, then you are absolutely correct. The cereal features fruity flavored sweetened corn puffs with ghost and ectoplasm-shaped marshmallows. It’s available for a limited time and should be showing up on shelves very soon. It comes in two sizes — Family Size ($3.99 MSRP) and Mid-Size ($2.50 MSRP).
If you guessed Lucky Charms Galactic comes with marshmallows because 100 percent of Lucky Charms cereals do indeed come with marbits, then you are absolutely correct. It comes with your standard charms, but it also comes with, according to General Mills, three new magic charms with special powers. There are two planet charms that have the power to duplicate and a rocket charm that has to power to race through space. The cereal is now rolling out to stores and is available for a limited time. Two sizes are available — Family Size ($4.99 MSRP) and Mid-Size ($3.99 MSRP).
(Info and images via General Mills.)
REVIEW: Dairy Queen Girl Scout Thin Mints Blizzard
What is the Girl Scout Thin Mints Blizzard?
It is part of Dairy Queen’s Summer Blizzard Menu, which is available two months before summer begins and includes this offering as the only new flavor of the six. As you surely have surmised by the name, this Blizzard includes vanilla soft serve with Girl Scout Thin Mints cookies and, importantly, as I will explain, cool mint.
How is it?
Before I get to the taste, I must assure you that the accompanying photos are indeed of the correct Blizzard. When it was delivered to my table, complete with an enthusiastic upside-down flip from a friendly DQ employee, I figured perhaps a mistake had been made as I stared down at my oddly grayish treat. So, I think for the first time in my life, I made a deliberate attempt to smell a Blizzard, and it definitely had that familiar Thin Mints aroma.
Confident that my order was right but still a bit perplexed by the color, I dug in. It tasted even better than it smelled and much better than it looked. This is coming from someone who likes Thin Mint cookies but doesn’t love them (and no, I even don’t love them straight from the freezer). Thin Mints are good — they are cookies, after all — but when I get guilted into buying Girl Scout cookies on a trip to the grocery store, I usually pick other varieties. So, this Blizzard had to prove its worthiness to me.
If it simply had Thin Mints blended in, even perhaps with some chocolate, then I think it would be pretty average. But with the addition of cool mint, which in the ingredients on the DQ website is listed as creme de menthe topping, it jumps up several levels. The flavor is a bit mintier than simply biting into a Thin Mint, but it is by no means overpowering, so the chocolate and more subdued mintiness of the cookie is still there.
Thin Mints also have a great texture for Blizzards, as they are not too crunchy but firm enough to hold up well in the ice cream. I was a bit surprised how much I liked this, especially given my neutral stance on Thin Mints.
Anything else you need to know?
I really cannot fully explain why my Blizzard was more gray than green, although the green color in the DQ advertising is somewhat muted, so the color difference was not that great after comparing the two. Plus, my Blizzard did get a bit greener as I got toward the bottom, so an uneven mix was likely at play too. But I don’t buy a Blizzard to look at it, so if it tastes good, I don’t care what color it is.
Conclusion:
If you really dislike Thin Mints, then take a gander at the five other options on the summer menu, but if you like Thin Mints even a little bit, then I think you’ll give this one a big thumbs up. And if you really love Thin Mints, you might even use both thumbs.
Purchased Price: $4.79
Size: Medium
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Medium) 900 calories, 32 grams of fat, 21 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 460 milligrams of sodium, 137 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 102 grams of sugar, and 18 grams of protein.
SPOTTED: Joy Chocolate Chip Cookie Cones
Joy Cone Co. has been around for over a hundred years, but this year is the first time I’ve ever heard of them. Geez, I really have to do my homework on ice cream cone makers. (Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)
COMING SOON: Mystery Flavor Sour Patch Kids
Sour Patch Kids now has a mystery flavor and without even tasting it, I’m going to guess pineapple.
Much like Pringles did with its mystery flavor promotion, there’s a cash prize involved if you guess the flavor correctly…and get picked among the hundreds or even thousands of other people who also figured it out. If you’re able to guess the Sour Patch Kids mystery flavor, you could be entered for a chance to win $50,000 and other instant prizes.
From now through July, the Mystery Kid will be revealing weekly clues via Sour Patch Kids’ social media. So if you want to be THAT PERSON who enters the contest without even purchasing a bag of Sour Patch Kids, you can be that person who doesn’t spend the $2.36, which is the suggested retail price for an 8-ounce bag.
The first clue is: It gives laughs and can be a riot, cause when it flies nobody’s silent. (Ugh. It better not be fart-flavored.)
The mystery flavor bags are available at retailers nationwide and folks can submit their flavor guesses at Mystery.SourPatchKids.com. The flavor will be revealed in August.
(Thanks to Sour Patch Kids for the info and images.)