SPOTTED: Betty Crocker Limited Edition Lucky Charms Cupcake Kit
Oh wow! The sweetened oat pieces got some love with this cupcake kit. I thought it would be only marshmallows. (Spotted by Amanda Y at Target.)
SPOTTED: Duncan Hines EPIC Post Cocoa Pebbles Cake Kit
It took awhile, but Cocoa Pebbles now has its own Duncan Hines EPIC Cake Mix. No longer can it be looked down upon by Fruity Pebbles, which has its own Duncan Hines EPIC Cake Mix that’s been around for almost a year. Good for you, Cocoa Pebbles. Good for you. (Spotted by Bob K at Walmart.)
REVIEW: Ruffles Flamin’ Hot Cheddar & Sour Cream Potato Chips
I feel comfortable sharing something rather controversial with you all: I can’t stand Cheetos, crunchy or puffed. (Feel free to express your outrage in the comments.)
As the tastebuds of my peers developed to handle Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, I was envious that there wasn’t a Flamin’ Hot food for me to call my own. Luckily Frito-Lay began to add the seasoning to other munchies, and I could finally join my friends in doling out some bright red high fives. The newest snack to stain my fingers is the Ruffles Flamin’ Hot Cheddar & Sour Cream Potato Chips.
The bag says the flavor is by LeBron James and it features a large photo of him and some inspirational words that tie into Ruffles’ “Own Your Ridges” campaign. I’m not sure if the flavor was LeBron’s idea or if he just supports Ruffles Flamin’ Hotting its cheddar and sour cream potato chip, but with the popularity of Flamin’ Hot snack foods in Los Angeles, a partnership with the Lakers star makes perfect sense.
In the bag, the chips smelled very similar to the regular Cheddar & Sour Cream but with an added vinegary tang. They had that same richly colored Flamin’ Hot powder that coats other chips and puffs, and it was a generous covering that made the not hot version seem under-dusted by comparison.
True to the name, these tasted like a Flamin’ Hot version of the Cheddar & Sour Cream Ruffles. Cheese and sour cream have long been standard accompaniments for spicy foods, and the pairing made just as much sense on these chips. The Flamin’ Hot powder felt comfortably at home with the cheddar and sour cream dust, but also switched things up a bit. Unlike the regular Cheddar & Sour Cream, which is very cheese flavor-forward, the acidic coating on the Flamin’ Hot version really brought out the sour cream, which was a welcome change for this fan of sour ‘n’ spicy foods. Additionally, Ruffles are robust chips and really hold their own when given the Flamin’ Hot treatment. I loved the substantial crunch and full potato taste of the chip underneath all that zesty seasoning.
Like other Flamin’ Hot snacks I’ve tried, the spice level disarmed me by being minimal at first but then building after a serving or two. Even then, these chips never noticeably burned my mouth or stomach, and I only realized they were getting to me once my nose started to run. Others may wish these Ruffles were more picante, but I feel like they had the right amount of heat to allow one to eat them by the handful without a night of heartburn.
On that note, it seems I almost finished the entire bag as I wrote this review. Bright red high five to whoever can tell me the best way to get Flamin’ Hot Cheetle out of a laptop keyboard.
Purchased Price: $3.49 (on sale, originally $4.79)
Size: 8 oz bag
Purchased at: Ralphs
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (28 grams/about 13 chips) 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.
REVIEW: Crunchy Cookie M&M’s
As I looked down into my bag of Crunchy Cookie M&M’s, I wondered if the Red M&M was playing a trick on me and filled the bag with Sixlets rejects that didn’t meet the spherical standards of, um, whoever produces Sixlets (I’m too lazy to Google it).
Anyhoo, when did crisp rice-filled M&M’s get Sixlets-small?
While I was initially disappointed with their size, after I started eating them, I began to understand why they are the way they are. It boils down to what these chocolate candies are supposed to taste like — a crunchy cookie. That can also be expanded to their texture. Thanks to a thinner chocolate layer, they have a crunch that can be described as more like a cookie than candy-coated M&M’s, and I like it.
Sadly, that crunch doesn’t come from an actual cookie core embedded in the center of each piece. It’s a rice crisp, which our teeth have chomped on over the years. I guess when it comes to solid ingredients, M&M’s stuffing technology hasn’t improved beyond rice crisps, pretzels, and peanuts. Does Mars even have the Sixlets to add cookie nuggets to the center of M&M’s?
But the food manufacturing folks there should figure it out because if they added a cookie nugget, these would probably have a cookie’s flavor, which these Crunchy Cookie M&M’s lack. There were moments when I thought I got a bit of an artificial brown sugar-like flavor, but for the most part, these taste like less chocolatey Crispy M&M’s.
Maybe there isn’t a strong cookie flavor because the chocolate mantle beneath the colorful candy crust is so thin. I’m sure that’s where the flavor is supposed to come from because it’s not the rice crisp core. I pulled one out from the candy, and it has a flavor that I wouldn’t consider cookie-like. Instead, it tastes (and looks) like a tanned piece of Kix cereal. This parent does not approve.
Look, I enjoy Crispy M&M’s, so much so that years ago I probably signed an online petition to bring them back. So I’m okay with the way these taste. But I’m disappointed that they could’ve been better.
I thought about making them better by pulling out a cookie sheet and a box of cookie mix to make actual cookies using these Crunchy Cookie M&M’s. But if I’m too lazy to Google who produces Sixlets, I’m too lazy to bake cookies with these underwhelming candies in them.
Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 7.40 oz sharing bag
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz/about 34 pieces) 130 calories, 5 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 16 grams of sugar (15 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein.
SPOTTED: Peeps Tropical Burst Marshmallows
This would’ve been a nice Mystery Flavor Peeps. Too bad it’s been used. Also, too bad Peeps isn’t making mystery flavors anymore. I miss those. (Spotted by Melissa at Target.)