Author: Mark

REVIEW: Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes Ice Cream

Mark 8 Comments

Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes Ice Cream Pint

What is Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes Ice Cream?

Per the carton, “Two family-owned brands, Little Debbie and Hudsonville®, have come together to craft this cold and creamy Christmas Tree Cake® inspired ice cream, making holiday moments even sweeter.”

It features ice cream, red icing, green sugar sprinkles, and pieces of pound cake.

Oh, and it’s exclusive to Walmart.

How is it?

It’s so festive that I have to remind myself that it’s not going to taste like peppermint.

Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes Ice Cream Scoop

The red icing has a nice flavor, definitely better than the waxy coating on Little Debbie cakes. I also like the cake pieces mixed in with the ice cream. They are soft enough that the two elements work together nicely.

You know when you have cake and ice cream at a birthday party, and you mix the leftover ice cream with the cake crumbs on your plate? This ice cream is like that. In fact, swap out the colors, and this could be a birthday cake ice cream.

Anything else you need to know?

There are basically two things I don’t like:

  • The green sprinkles. They are fine on the actual cakes, but the gritty texture clashes with the soft ice cream and cake. I can see how some people might like the textural contrast, but I don’t. They’re not a deal-breaker, but I do wish they weren’t there.
  • This product is good, but it’s just kind of boring. It’s basically vanilla ice cream flavored like vanilla cakes.

Conclusion:

Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes Ice Cream with Cake

I like Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes Ice Cream more than I like actual Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes. The flavor might not be very exciting, but visually, the ice cream screams Christmas, and the cake provides a pleasing texture.

Purchased Price: $2.50
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 230 calories, 10 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 26 grams of sugar, 21 grams of added sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Cup Noodles

Mark 7 Comments

Pumpkin Spice Cup Noodles Cup

What is Pumpkin Spice Cup Noodles?

Cup Noodles has added sweet ingredients to its traditional mixture of ramen noodles and savory seasoning. Just add water, microwave the cup, and you’ll have a quick lunch where brown sugar, powdered pumpkin, and spices join garlic powder and onion powder. It is exclusive to Walmart.

How is it?

I can taste both the sweet and savory elements. As far as pumpkin spice foods go, it’s not gross, but it’s also not delicious. It’s just kind of odd. I was going to rate it 6 out of 10.

Pumpkin Spice Cup Noodles Top

But then I realized it’s not just a pumpkin spice product; it’s a Cup Noodles product. I asked myself, “Would I enjoy eating this for lunch multiple times during November?” And the answer is a definite yes! So I rate it 7 out of 10. The ramen noodles tie everything together, just like they’re supposed to.

Pumpkin Spice Cup Noodles Noodles

The savoriness and sweetness are about equal. But I’d say the sweetness is stronger than the spices, which are stronger than the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Spice Cup Noodles Whipped Cream

The package says, “For an even more satisfying Pumpkin Spice experience, try topping with whipped cream after microwaving.” So I did, and I really enjoyed it! So much so that I might try whipped cream on savory instant ramen sometime.

Pumpkin Spice Cup Noodles Broth

Anything else you need to know?

I recommend trying Pumpkin Spice Cup Noodles, but you might have a hard time finding it. When I looked on Walmart’s website, the closest store that had it in stock was sixteen miles away. Of course, I made the trip, but I only found one in the entire store. It was evidently misplaced, and I could not find where it was supposed to be. I asked a worker, and he didn’t know either, even when he scanned it.

Conclusion:

Pumpkin Spice Cup Noodles Lid

The mixture of sweet and savory is a little weird, but I’ll definitely buy more Pumpkin Spice Cup Noodles if I can ever find it again.

Purchased Price: $0.88
Size: 2.75 oz. cup
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 package) 360 calories, 14 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 960 milligrams of sodium, 51 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 5 grams of sugar including 3 grams of added sugar, and 8 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Candy Corn Red Vines

Mark 4 Comments

Candy Corn Red Vines Box

What are Candy Corn Red Vines?

Everyone’s favorite* red licorice** is now orange! But not only is the color new, but it also tastes like candy corn. (Supposedly.)

*Favorite unless you prefer Twizzlers, or Wallaby, or. . .

**OK, it’s not technically licorice, but who cares?

How are they?

So, what do Candy Corn Red Vines taste like?

Nothing.

Well, that’s not quite true. They taste like marshmallows. Which also taste like nothing.

Candy Corn Red Vines Candy Corn

I had some Brach’s candy corn to go with these Orange Vines, and the candy corn was positively flavorful in comparison. Let that sink in: these twists make candy corn taste flavorful.

Candy Corn Red Vines Orange

Texture-wise, these are like regular Red Vines. They are chewy, and I feel like I want to eat several, but once I finish one, it feels like I’ve already had two or three.

Anything else you need to know?

Candy Corn Red Vines Inside the Box

The ingredients list includes “natural and artificial flavor.” For the life of me, I can’t figure out what that could possibly be.

I can remember a lot of candy corn products from roughly a decade ago: Hershey’s Kisses (2007), Tootsie Dots (2009), Jones Soda (2009), M&Ms (2011), Jelly Belly Jelly Beans (2011), Oreo (2012), Charms Pops (2013), Hershey’s bars (2014), Jet-Puffed Marshmallows (2014), Spangler Circus Peanuts (2014), Peeps (2015), Hostess CupCakes (2015), Russell Stover Pumpkin (2018), and Pez (2018?).

I’m happy to revive the trend (if only for the novelty), but I wish Red Vines had brought a stronger offering.

Conclusion:

Well, at least they’re not gross. They’re just bland.

Purchased Price: $1.25
Size: 4 oz. package
Purchased at: Dick’s
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (3 Twists) 100 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar including 12 grams of added sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Skittles Shriekers

Mark 4 Comments

Skittles Shriekers Bag

What are Skittles Shriekers?

There are five Skittles flavors in this mix: shocking lime (light green), ghoulish green apple (darker green), rattled raspberry (purple), citrus scream (light orange), and spine-tingling tangerine (darker orange). Most of them are normal, but “some are so sour they will make you shriek!”

Skittles Shriekers Fun Size

It’s the same idea as the Zombie Skittles I reviewed two years ago, but without the repulsive rotten flavor.

How are they?

I like all the flavors! Tangerine is the most sophisticated flavor, but lime and green apple are also fantastic. Raspberry and citrus are less interesting, but I still like them.

The sour ones have the same flavors as the non-sour ones, but they get more sour the more you chew (unlike regular Sour Skittles, which have a sour coating on the outside). They’re less sour than Warheads, more similar to Sour Patch Kids. They didn’t make me shriek, but my eyelids twitched!

Skittles Shriekers Skull

These trick-or-treat fun-size packages have about fifteen Skittles each, but only two or three are sour. That’s a shame, because they’re a lot of fun! With the Zombie variety, you didn’t want too many gross ones, but this variety would benefit from more sour.

Anything else you need to know?

Aesthetically, both the packaging and the candy itself are more Halloweeny than previous varieties. I dig it!

Skittles Shriekers Skeleton

But that skeleton made me have a nightmare that I took corpses and skeletons from a mausoleum to Carrie Underwood’s house.

Conclusion:

Skittles Shriekers Spoons

I am so happy Skittles didn’t merely change the flavors for Halloween; instead, the candy is an experience. It’s definitely an improvement on the intentionally disgusting Zombie packs.

I just wish there were more sour ones.

Purchased Price: $3.00
Size: 10.72 oz. bag (20 fun-size packs)
Purchased at: Dan’s
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 pack/15 grams) 60 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of sodium, 14 grams of carbohydrates, 11 grams of total sugar, 11 grams of added sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Apple Cider Donut Oreo Cookies

Mark 6 Comments

Limited Edition Apple Cider Donut Oreo Package

I think the junk food gods wanted me to have a good experience sampling the new Apple Cider Donut Oreo Cookies, which are a standard Golden Oreo cookie with a tan-colored creme that tastes like apple cider donuts.

I had been actively (obsessively) searching for several days, and finally found them the fourth day in a random local grocery store, when it just happened to be twenty-five degrees cooler than average. So even though it’s August, it totally felt like fall, making a perfect atmosphere to review these new cookies that totally taste like fall.

Limited Edition Apple Cider Donut Oreo Fall

When I first heard about these, I was intrigued and excited but also skeptical. I hoped for three elements from cookies with “Apple Cider Donut” in the name: apple, donut, and spices (specifically cinnamon). Would they deliver? Let’s find out!

Apple: Check!

Donut: Check!

Spices: Check?

OK, so I don’t really taste the spices, even though the ingredients list says “spices (includes cinnamon).” But the rest of it is so good that I don’t mind!

I don’t know how Nabisco’s food scientists did it, but these cookies really taste like donuts, like there’s been dough fried in oil.

The most prominent flavor, though, is apple. It’s not an authentic flavor, but it’s also not like an artificial candy flavor. It’s somewhere in the middle. And even though I don’t always like apple flavors, I don’t mind it at all here!

Limited Edition Apple Cider Donut Oreo Milk

The Oreo is known as a dunking cookie. So I dunked these in milk, and the result surprised me: the milk neither enhanced nor detracted from the experience. It brought the apple flavor forward, but not overwhelmingly so.

Limited Edition Apple Cider Donut Oreo Cider

And since it’s apple cider donut, I dunked these in apple cider as well. I worried the authentic cider would make the creme taste too artificial, but nope, it was still enjoyable. Neither better nor worse.

No matter how I tried them (eating normally, separating the creme, dunking in milk, dunking in cider), I liked them equally. You know those people who are friends with everyone? These Oreo cookies are the junk food equivalent.

For more than a decade, we have had lots of candies and treats flavored like candy corn, caramel apple, and of course, pumpkin spice. I love them all, but I’m so glad to see another iconic fall food get some recognition.

There are other Oreo flavors that I like more, but these just make me happy. Like any good Oreo should do.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 12.2 oz. package
Purchased at: Dan’s Fresh Market
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar (including 12 grams of added sugars), and less than 1 percent protein. (Neither the website nor the label gives an actual protein gram amount.)