Category: Reviews

REVIEW: White Chocolate Sugar Cookie M&M’s

Rachel 10 Comments

White Chocolate Sugar Cookie M M s Bag

What are White Chocolate Sugar Cookie M&M’s?

M&M’s is taking a softer approach to the Christmas creep this year. “Sugar cookies are year-round favorites, right? They’re sugar cookie flavored. No big deal. Just a little red & green sugar on the bag…oh, and Red’s wearing a little Santa hat. Shhh, it’s okay. Just buy the small pack. We know it’s too early, but you want to try it, don’t you? Yeah, put down that candy corn…”

White Chocolate Sugar Cookie M M s 2 Cookies

This is one of those flavors that seems like it should have existed already, but – surprise! – has somehow escaped the novelty flavor grinder until now. They have crispy rice centers – I believe this is the first time we’ve seen a white chocolate/crispy center combo (correct me if I’m wrong). They’re the standard M&M’s size and come in the usual holiday red-green-white candy coating color combination.

How are they?

These were delicious – the creamy white chocolate worked really well with the crispy rice center. The crunch gave them the texture of thin sugar cookies. I inhaled the first single-sized bag without even realizing I’d eaten them all. Dangerous.

White Chocolate Sugar Cookie M M s 3 Closeup

They didn’t quite capture the flavor of sugar cookies, however. I wanted to taste the “bake” here – caramelized sugar, butter and flour. I didn’t get any of that. They tasted, to me, like a fantastic white hot chocolate I used to buy cups of every winter at a defunct, ritzy grocery store in Manhattan. It was milky and thickly sweet with white chocolate. These M&M’s were exactly like that – more like milk that might have had a sugar cookie dunked in it, but definitely a pound of white chocolate. I had to ding them for not being what they claimed. If they were called M&M’s White Hot Chocolate, they’d rate higher.

One other tiny thing – I did wish there were some red and green sprinkles inside to give the centers some color, but not a deal breaker. Just a sprinkle-obsessed request for next time.

White Chocolate Sugar Cookie M M s 4 Inside

Anything else you need to know?

Not sure if it’s sabotage or synchronicity, but Hershey’s also has sugar cookie-flavored Kisses hitting shelves as well. 2020 will go down in history as the Year of the Sugar Cookie!

Conclusion:

If you’re here for wonderfully tasty M&M’s, come right in. If you’re here for sugar cookie flavor, buy a box of sugar cookies.

Purchased Price: $1.09 (on sale)
Size: 1.35 oz bag
Purchased at: Duane Reade by Walgreens
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 pack) 180 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 23 grams of sugar, including 21 grams of added sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend

Mike 2 Comments

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend Bottle

What is Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend?

I can’t be the only cereal lover to receive a face full of debris as I tip nearly empty bags of Cinnamon Toast Crunch into my maw, attempting to extract the pure, concentrated essence of deliciousness found at the bottom of every bag. To save us from ourselves, there’s now Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend.

How is it?

Call me cynical, but I was half expecting this seasoning blend to consist solely of sugar and cinnamon. A look at the ingredient statement assures me that there’s more going on here than what a 7-year-old can throw together while running late for school.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend Closeup

I pour a generous mound on a plate, lick my finger, and dig in. I’m surprised by the quick, sharp spice flavor given how mild the cinnamon is in the namesake cereal. This doesn’t taste much like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but offers a greater depth and variety of flavors.

The sweetness follows, but there’s also vanilla, caramel, and salt. Yes, salt. It’s the third ingredient on the ingredient statement, so salted caramel fans will find a lot to like. It’s salty enough that I imagine there are some savory applications. Cinnamon Toast Crunch sweet potato, anyone? Popcorn? Maybe even dipping some breakfast sausage? There are lots of possibilities for this seasoning blend.

Anything else you need to know?

Readers may be shocked to hear that I’ve never had a Complete Breakfast™ before today. I’ve had a Full English Breakfast, stacks of pancakes bigger than the platter they were served on, and Moons Over My Hammies aplenty. Yet, a Complete Breakfast™ is something that only existed in the cereal commercials that interrupted the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles every Saturday morning when I was a kid.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend Complete Breakfast

Even back then, I knew that cereal was the fastest, lowest effort breakfast option, so the idea of serving it with sides of buttered toast, fruit, juice, and another glass of milk always seems ridiculous. Yet, the Complete Breakfast™ has remained an aspirational ideal for decades now, so I knew I had to take this opportunity to assemble one and try Cinnadust on various items.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend Cereal

I know I’m not alone in shoveling sugar on top of already sugar-loaded cereal, so it doesn’t seem outrageous to sprinkle Cinnadust on my bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch to create Super Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Since it doesn’t exactly replicate the namesake cereal’s powdery coating, it adds some interesting flavors. But the cereal is too sweet for much nuance to come through.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend Toast

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend Fruits

On the other hand, it is a fantastic topping for buttered toast, apples, and bananas. Cinnadust toast is like cinnamon sugar toast, but better, with the salted caramel flavor accentuating the golden brown bread. Likewise, the less sweet fruit allows the spicy cinnamon notes to come through, and the light saltiness offers a flavor boost.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend Milk

The only failure here was adding Cinnadust to milk. This isn’t a drink mix, so it is not surprising it didn’t work, but I was hoping for some instant cereal milk. Instead, it only made slightly sweet milk with floating cinnamon clumps.

Conclusion:

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust Seasoning Blend doesn’t precisely replicate the flavor of the cereal. But it still tastes great and complements a wide variety of sweet treats.

Purchased Price: $5.48
Size: 13.75 OZ (282g)
Purchased at: Sam’s Club
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts (1 tsp) 15 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 4 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar including 4 grams added sugars, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Ruffles Baked Flamin’ Hot Potato Crisps

Marvo 4 Comments

Ruffles Baked Flamin Hot Potato Crisps Bag

Frito-Lay’s Ruffles Baked is like Val Kilmer Batman. They’re both okay, but it hard to get excited when I know there are tastier options out there. Original Ruffles is like George Clooney Batman because both are hard to resist snacks. Nom nom nom. NOM.

If Ruffles Baked is like Val Kilmer Batman, then adding Flamin’ Hot seasoning to the potato crisps is like the addition of nipples on the Batsuit in Batman Forever. Both make things spicy.

I’ll admit I don’t regularly buy snacks from Frito-Lay’s Baked line, but I’m not dissatisfied when I do. But any Baked version of a Frito-Lay chip lacks the one thing fried chips have — addictiveness.

Okay, maybe addiction is too much on one side of the spectrum because I would not do unmentionable things to get my hands on a bag of Ruffles.

But, if a Ruffles Baked bag is placed in front of me, I’ll gladly munch on it. However, there’s an excellent chance there will still be some left. With, let’s say, a bag of regular Ruffles, there’s a 100 percent chance I will demolish that bag’s contents unless it’s taken away from me by force or if my doctor happens to be in the same room and he gives me a disapproving look.

Ruffles Baked Flamin Hot Potato Crisps Closeup

With that said, the familiar, slightly cheesy, and spicy Flamin’ Hot seasoning instantly makes these potato crisps my favorite variety in the Baked line that I’ve had so far, which I will admit is not many. Maybe four or five? And that doesn’t include the Cheetos Baked Flamin’ Hot.

But, even though these Ruffles are nicely coated in the red seasoning, it doesn’t completely hide the baked potato crisps’ flavor, which I’ve always thought tastes more like a cracker than a potato chip.

Ruffles Baked Flamin Hot Potato Crisps Closerup

Nevertheless, these crisps are hard to put down thanks to the flavor and heat from the red seasoning. But, oddly, I didn’t feel the need to put them down to drink something because, and maybe this is just my imagination, these don’t seem to be as spicy as regular Ruffles Flamin’ Hot or Flamin’ Hot Crunchy Cheetos.

While I very much enjoyed Baked Ruffles Flamin’ Hot, I can understand why others might not feel the same way because of the underlying crisp’s flavor. But, if you’re okay with Frito-Lay’s Baked line, which I imagine is a lot of people because it’s been around for years, then this is definitely worth a try.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample of the product. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 6 1/4 oz bag
Purchased at: Received from Frito-Lay
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (28 grams/about 11 crisps) 120 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Reese’s Big Cup with Pretzels

Marvo 5 Comments

Reese s Big Cup with Pretzels Wrapper

A successful stuffing of Reese’s Pieces into Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups has led us down the sticky hole to the new Reese’s Big Cup with Pretzels. It’s taken four long years to go from Reese’s Pieces to pretzels, but if you’ve ever gone through a sticky hole, you know it takes a while to go through one.

While previous stuffed Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were available in Big Cups and the original size, these are currently only available in these honkin’ Big Cups. Although, I’ve been told by a little peanut butter cup that a bag of pretzel-stuffed miniatures will be sold starting in January.

Why a thicker peanut butter cup and not a regular-sized one? Your answer is probably as good as mine. I think the pretzel pieces might not be thin enough for a normal-sized cup.

Reese s Big Cup with Pretzels Closeup

While they might not be thin enough, the pieces are still small. It’s as if Hershey’s factory workers were allowed to let out their 2020 frustrations onto bags filled with skinny pretzel knots and used the shattered pieces in these. They’re just bits, but they provide a satisfying crunch that no peanut, cookie, or Reese’s Pieces could come close to.

But here’s the thing, while it has the popular snack’s crunch, I don’t notice a pretzel flavor. Even in bites that seemed to be mostly pretzels, I didn’t get that unique flavor.

I thought the savory snack might make the candy noticeably saltier than a regular Big Cup, but they don’t. Also, because of the added ingredient, this isn’t as sweet as a standard Big Cup.

So does that mean this a big bland brown disk? No.

That signature Reese’s peanut butter and chocolate flavor is still there, although subdued a bit. They’re basically Reese’s Big Cups with a BIG crunch, and I’d still stuff these into my big mouth.

But here’s another thing. I have to admit my taste buds weren’t too excited about these because they’re more intrigued by a similar product from Reese’s announced around the same time. However, it won’t come out until March 2021, and that’s Reese’s Big Cups with Chips. Yes, potato chips.

I’m someone who prefers chips over pretzels. If I’m watching a major sporting event, like the World Curling Championship, I’m going to be watching it while sweeping some chips into my house for all eight to ten ends. It’s not going to be pretzels. So it makes sense that my taste buds are looking forward to the chip version more.

But as for this Reese’s Big Cup with Pretzels, it’s worth a try. But buy a bag of Synder’s of Hanover with it if you want a bit more pretzel flavor.

DISCLOSURE: I received free samples of the product. (Thanks, Reese’s!) Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 2.6 oz (King Size)
Purchased at: Received from Hershey’s
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 180 calories, 10 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 140 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 18 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Jack in the Box Unchicken Sandwich

BrandonP 8 Comments

Jack in the Box Unchicken Sandwich Sign

Which came first, the chicken or the pea protein isolate?

Domesticated chickens date back to 2000 BC, but peas were present a few thousand years before that. When considering whether those peas were dried, milled, wet filtered, and put in a centrifuge to extract the protein… I’m going to just give the chicken a win. And Jack in the Box is giving the chicken a win too, sparing them from its new offering, the Unchicken Sandwich.

Jack in the Box is currently testing the Unchicken Sandwich only in restaurants near Reno, NV and Monterey, CA, making them just the second major fast food chain in the US to test plant-based chicken. This follows KFC’s Beyond Fried Chicken tests in 2019 and earlier this year. Jack in the Box has partnered with Raised & Rooted, a subsidiary of Tyson Foods, to bring its Unchicken Sandwich to the meatless crazed masses.

Raised & Rooted advertises its chicken alternative as a blend of pea protein isolate, bamboo fibers, egg white, and golden flaxseed. The breading is Jack’s recipe, available in original and spicy. I opted for the latter.

Jack in the Box Unchicken Sandwich Lettuce

Aside from having a plant-based patty, the sandwich offers the standard accompaniments of a toasted split top bun, mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato. My sandwich came with what can only be described as an aggressive amount of lettuce. While Jack in the Box is usually generous with lettuce, it seems it may have gone overboard to compensate for the very thin Unchicken patty.

Jack in the Box Unchicken Sandwich Spicy Coating

Upon my first bite, I was immediately hit with an intense amount of spice. As someone who is often disappointed by the lack of spice in fast food offerings, the strong cayenne and paprika flavor from the crisp breading offered a welcomed punch. The plentiful amount of lettuce, along with the tomatoes, worked well to help cool down the heat.

Jack in the Box Unchicken Sandwich Split

If I was not cued to the fact that it was a plant-based sandwich, I don’t think I would question that it was anything but a thin, processed chicken patty sandwich. The grain-like aftertaste you get when tasting the patty alone is masked quite well by the spices in the breading. On close inspection, the Unchicken is denser than most chicken patties. But when eating the sandwich together, it is remarkably similar to the texture of chicken.

Having tried plant-based burgers and chicken nuggets in the past, Jack in the Box’s Spicy Unchicken Sandwich takes the top spot as the most convincing imitation. Keeping the patty thin and having a crisp, spicy breading really hides any shortcomings that come from utilizing a chicken alternative. If you’re inclined to eat a more plant-based diet, this is definitely one to try.

Purchased Price: $5.49 (sandwich only)
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available.