Author: Rachel

REVIEW: Banner Butter x Pop-Tarts Limited Edition Kit

Rachel 10 Comments

Buttertarts1 pkg

What is the Banner Butter x Pop-Tarts Limited Edition Kit?

Apparently, slathering butter on your freshly-toasted Pop-Tarts is a thing? I had no idea. As the person who believed for 20+ years that I had invented dipping Wendy’s fries into Frostys, I really should have known.

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Atlanta-based Banner Butter teamed up with Kellogg’s to make a combo kit of Pop-Tarts’ most iconic flavors and two small pats each of six Banner’s flavored butters. The packaging had suggested pairings, which is what I tried (with a couple of additional twists).

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How are they?

First up – Strawberry Pop-Tart with Sea Salt Butter. This was the basic proof-of-concept. And yeah, it was delicious. The butter gave the commercially-bland Pop-Tarts’ pastry the flavor of real, laminated pastry dough. (But did we need that?)

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Next, Strawberry Pop-Tart with Balsamic Fig and Caramelized Onion Butter. This was my favorite of all the butters – a nice sweet/savory combo. It gave the Pop-Tart a flavor complexity it usually lacks.

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Then, Chocolate Fudge PTs with Cinnamon, Cardamom & Ginger butter and Honey Habanero butter. The Cinnamon/Cardamom/Ginger butter was great, but the chocolate overwhelmed it a bit. The Honey Habanero butter gave the chocolate a dark intensity and a little heat – similar to a chili-tinged Mexican hot chocolate.

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Lastly, the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts with Strawberry butter and Dark Chocolate butter. These were both meh. The strawberry got lost in the cinnamon, and the dark chocolate just tasted like added cocoa powder.

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Brown Sugar Cinnamon PTs are one of my favorites, so I also tried them with the Balsamic Fig & Caramelized Onion butter and the Cinnamon, Cardamom & Ginger butter. They both worked way better than the suggested pairing. Balsamic Fig brought the same complexity as it did to the strawberry PTs. The Cinnamon, Cardamom & Ginger butter added an “adult” feeling. Both great butters.

Overall, I really liked some of the flavors here, but wasn’t sure about the “upgrading” of PTs. I love Pop-Tarts in all their naked, untoasted glory. If I wanted something that tasted like a fine French pastry, I’d just go buy the real thing. Give me my pasty pastry in a foil bag. That being said, Kellogg’s, why aren’t you just doing this yourselves? Cinnamon Cardamom & Ginger Pop-Tarts? Spicy Chocolate Pop-Tarts for winter? C’mon.

Buttertarts8 combos

Anything else you need to know?

This kit sold out a while ago, but you can get the same experience ordering Banner Butter and purchasing Pop-Tarts at the store. Or buy other butters. Or make your own compound butter – just soften some butter, mix in the good stuff, and let it sit in the fridge.

Conclusion:

If you’re a Buttered-Pop-Tarts stan, this fancy-butter-combo is definitely for you. If you’re just hearing about it, give it a whirl with whatever you have on hand. If you like your Pop-Tarts lowbrow like I do, try it for fun, but don’t expect it to become your regular thing.

Purchased Price: $25.00
Size: (3) 13.5oz / 8-pastry boxes of Pop-Tarts, (12) 2 tbsp. pats of butter
Purchased at: bannerbutter.com
Rating: 7 out of 10 (although the Balsamic Fig and Cinnamon Butters alone are 9 out of 10!)
Nutrition Facts: (For butters – 2 tbsp or ½ of a pat) Sea Salt – 100 calories, 11 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 0 grams of sugar, including 0 grams of added sugars, and 0 grams of protein. Balsamic Fig & Caramelized Onion – 110 calories, 11 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 2 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 2 grams of sugar, including less than 1 gram of added sugars, and 1 gram of protein. Cinnamon, Cardamom & Ginger – 110 calories, 11 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 2 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 2 grams of sugar, including less than 1 gram of added sugars, and 1 gram of protein. Honey Habanero – 110 calories, 11 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, less than 1 gram of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar, including 0 grams of added sugars, and 1 gram of protein. Strawberry – 110 calories, 11 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 2 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 2 grams of sugar, including 0 grams of added sugars, and 1 gram of protein. Dark Chocolate – 110 calories, 12 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 2 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, 2 grams of sugar, including less than 1 gram of added sugars, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch Mini Treats

Rachel 1 Comment

Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch Mini Treats 1

What are Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch Mini Treats?

The breathlessly-fawned-over, on-off seasonal Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal spinoff Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch has collided with the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Treats. You got your limited edition cereal in my cereal treat bar! You got your cereal treat bar on my limited edition cereal!

Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch Mini Treats 2

How are they?

I only recently tried Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch for the first time, and while I found it a tasty cereal, it wasn’t as good as the OG CTC or French Toast Crunch. I hoped these treats were a better showcase of its subtler (weaker) charms.

Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch Mini Treats 3

Sadly, they were not. Much like the CTC Treats, the texture had a stale cereal feel. The buttery vanilla flavor of the cereal was there, but without that signature SCTC blizzard-thick layer of granulated sugar, a good amount of the magic was missing. The milk-frosting bottom and drizzle didn’t do much in any direction.

Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch Mini Treats 4

However, I will give these treats an extra point for the small sizing. As I’m trying to avoid having to buy larger pants in January, I appreciated the 1” x 4” size, which racks up a fairly small calorie count. If you’re physically incapable of putting down an open food like I am, this is great.

Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch Mini Treats 5

Anything else you need to know?

Why are you all still freaking out over SCTC when Apple Pie Toast Crunch exists now? Are you insane? If I don’t see Apple Pie Toast Crunch Mini Treats in stores next winter, I will RIOT. I mean it. I don’t have kids, so I’ve got lots of time on my hands.

Conclusion:

If you’re a SCTC fanatic, by all means, try these, but be prepared for a chance of disappointment. If you’re meh on SCTC, you might want to pass. And if you’ve got the good sense to love APTC more than any of those, definitely hard pass here.

Purchased Price: $8.98
Size: 17.5 oz box (35 bars)
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar / 14g) 60 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 5 grams of sugar, including 5 grams of added sugars, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Jet-Puffed S’moagie S’mores Sandwich

Rachel 9 Comments

Jet Puffed S moagie 1

What is a Jet-Puffed S’moagie?

Jet-Puffed Marshmallows has partnered with Italian sandwich shop and “best sandwich in New York City” list frequenter Alidoro to crank out a s’mores/prosciutto hoagie mashup in honor of National Sandwich Day. I’m not sure why marshmallows need to muscle in on Sandwich Day, but here we are. I’ll be on the lookout for a Heinz Ketchup collabo on National Toasted Marshmallow Day next August 30th. (Marketing execs, this is a joke. Don’t do it. But if you do, I’ll be there.)

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Alidoro created a graham-cracker-glazed hoagie roll, slathered it with sea salt dark chocolate spread, layered on some toasted/melty Jet-Puffed marshmallows, and topped it with thin, crispy prosciutto.

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How is it?

First, a word for the sweet-salty averse: CALM DOWN. IT’S GOING TO BE FINE. WE’LL GET THROUGH THIS.

This was a really tasty sandwich. The graham-cracker roll was like sweet bread, and the marshmallows were a perfect consistency – melty and stringy, but not on a mission to ooze all over my hands and clothes. At first, I thought it was a little on the small side, but in retrospect, it was exactly the right amount of sandwich.

Jet Puffed S moagie 5

The chocolate flavor was so dominant here that the prosciutto actually faded into the background (for better or worse, depending on your personal POV). I’ve had a lot of bacon-laced sweets in my time, and I was expecting it to pack more of a savory punch. A tad disappointing. However, I noticed when I got down to the end of the sandwich, there was less marshmallow and chocolate, so the prosciutto stood out more, which I liked.

Jet Puffed S moagie 6

Anything else you need to know?

If you’re in New York City, hit the Alidoro locations at Rockefeller Center or Bryant Park to buy a S’moagie in person. The rest of the nation can order a S’moagie kit on Goldbelly, but at a higher price point. Now before you whine about the unfairness of that, just remember New Yorkers pay a staggering amount to live in sky-high shoeboxes, and every one of us has a story about a crazy place where we’ve found a cockroach. Easy access to the S’moagie is the trade-off.

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Conclusion:

A fun, delicious combo! As-is, probably more suited for sweet-salty newbies. If you grew up putting salt on watermelon like me, it might be on the tame side. Adjust expectations…or bring extra prosciutto.

Purchased Price: $10.00 in-store
Purchased at: Alidoro Bryant Park
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not listed. Just assume it’s “a lot.”

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Narwhal Raspberry Waffles

Rachel 5 Comments

Kellogg s Narwhal Raspberry Waffles Box

What are Kellogg’s Narwhal Raspberry Waffles?

This time last year, Kellogg’s released a collection of frozen waffles that included flavors like Mermaid (Blue Raspberry), Unicorn (Cotton Candy), and Birthday Cake. This year, raspberry-flavored Narwhal waffles have joined them.

What in tarnation is a narwhal you ask? Unlike mermaids, unicorns, and the mythical “birthday cake,” narwhals are real. They’re medium-sized whales with a single, long horn (tusk) on the front of their heads. I hear they taste like raspberries, hence the waffle flavor.

Kellogg s Narwhal Raspberry Waffles Closeup

How is it?

These blue-green raspberry waffles looked an awful lot like the blue raspberry Mermaid waffles from last year. Suspiciously alike. But did I even care? I loved the Mermaid (and the Unicorn) waffles. So even if they were simply a retread, I’d be happy.

Kellogg s Narwhal Raspberry Waffles Berries

And they were a retread – woo hoo! The same fruity-eggy aroma, really fun teal hue, and sugary raspberry flavor. They were thick waffles that toasted nicely, and something about the octagonal shape was so satisfying. I couldn’t hate on these, even if the narwhal was just a mermaid in a new costume.

Anything else you need to know?

The back of the box asked me to “check out all our other fun waffles,” but only showed Unicorn and Birthday Cake flavors, so I’m thinking Narwhal is a replacement for Mermaid. Mermaids are SO 2020.

Kellogg s Narwhal Raspberry Waffles Back

Conclusion:

I loved these! You will too if you’re a fan of: cute things, sparkly things, pink/blue/purple things, things that taste like someone lightly rubbed a Jolly Rancher on them, things that taste like last year’s things lightly rubbed with Jolly Ranchers, 8-sided things, things to put in the toaster and forget are there, things that make other people ask why they exist, or things that are unapologetically happy.

Purchased Price: $2.96
Size: 11.oz box (6 waffles)
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 waffle) 130 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 260 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 7 grams of total sugars, including 7 grams of added sugars, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Van Leeuwen Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Ice Cream

Rachel 15 Comments

Kraft Mac Cheese Ice Cream Promo

What is Van Leeuwen Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Ice Cream?

Ever have the urge to dump a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese powder packet into a pint of ice cream? I kid you not – the ingredient list here is cream, milk, cane sugar, egg yolks, and Kraft cheese sauce mix. Of course, when the Van Leeuwen / Kraft Mac & Cheese truck set up in Manhattan and gave away free cups last week, I was there.

Why is this happening? Come on, it’s 2021. Stop asking – we’re beyond that now.

Kraft Mac Cheese Ice Cream Scoop

How is it?

I did not like this – and I went in with an open mind. I’ve had an ice cream made with brie cheese that was delicious. I liked the French’s Mustard Coolhaus Ice Cream and Oscar Mayer Hot Dog Ice Cream. But here, I thought the levels of the sweet ice cream base and savory cheese powder were too equal, fighting each other for center stage. In the mustard and hot dog ice creams, the base vanilla was the star of the show, the novelty ingredients were accents.

This combo might have worked better if one of the flavors dominated. But as-is, it was a cheesy-sweet mess that was not refreshing on a blazing hot day. That being said, it wasn’t even close to the worst thing I’ve ever tasted, so I’ll throw it some points.

Kraft Mac Cheese Ice Cream Sign

Anything else you need to know?

This flavor is currently sold out at all the Van Leeuwen shops and online. So if you really want to try it, keep checking for a restock. Or just drop a powdered cheese pack into a pint of vanilla ice cream.

Conclusion:

People have said they liked it. Now, I like A LOT of stuff. Scroll back through my reviews at the ill-advised stuff that I’ll defend. But I can’t here. Only go for this if you’re a hardcore curiosity seeker.

Purchased Price: Free Giveaway
Size: approx. 3 oz. serving
Purchased at: Van Leeuwen ice cream truck
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: not available

First photo courtesy of KraftHeinz. Scoop and sign photos courtesy of Steve Flack (mine melted too fast to photograph!)