REVIEW: Dunkin’ Iced Strawberry Lemon Loaf Cake

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With desserts and coffee on the same menu, Dunkin’ always compels me to eat cake for breakfast. That undeniable urge brought me back to the drive-thru for its new summer menu. The Iced Strawberry Lemon Loaf Cake cried out to my sweets-for-breakfast-loving heart, and it ultimately further encouraged my habit. How?

This loaf cake tastes a lot like Trix cereal. Thanks, Dunkin’. In my mind, cake that tastes like cereal = cereal = breakfast = a sensible morning meal. Right?

Ignore my flimsy rationalization for several moments, and let’s return to the cake. In smell and taste, the loaf’s fruity flavor is very similar to Trix, Fruity Pebbles, and any candy, snack, or sweet inspired by such sugary cereal icons. It’s definitely an enjoyable and nostalgic, although nondescript, flavor that pairs well with the cake’s rich, buttery taste. While I could discern lemon flavor (but very little strawberry) primarily in the aftertaste, I wish that the loaf tasted more specifically fruity as opposed to generically fruity.

The loaf lists lemon juice, strawberry puree, and natural flavors among its ingredients, so it’s funny that the resulting taste is so similar to products that lean on cocktails of artificial fruit flavorings. I wonder if sticking to one flavor would have yielded a result similar to the lemon loaf from Starbucks, which I haven’t had in years but still remember as tasting like lemon zest.

Despite the unexpected flavor, the Iced Strawberry Lemon Loaf Cake is not a bad bite. The slice is thick, moist, and dense in crumb—a perfect, filling pound cake consistency. The layer of strawberry-flavored icing coating the top is semisoft powdered sugar icing, neither crusty nor runny. It adds an extra touch of moisture and sweetness without being cloying, although the purported strawberry flavor is pretty mild. Bonus points for the cool marble swirl effect that paints the cake yellow and pink. In these respects, the loaf satisfies, rivaling similar products you’d find at other coffee or grocery store chains.

Pre-packaged for on-the-go convenience, Dunkin’s seasonal Iced Strawberry Lemon Loaf Cake is here for a limited time. For breakfast, snack, or dessert, it won’t serve up a slice of summer flavor, but fruity cereal fans won’t leave any crumbs.

Purchased Price: $3.29
Size: 4 oz (113 g) slice
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 450 calories, 21 grams of total fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 75 milligrams of cholesterol, 310 milligrams of sodium, 58 grams of total carbs, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 40 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Chocolate Covered Pretzel Oreo Cookies

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It’s the Year of Salty Oreo Cookies!

Okay, there have only been two of them so far in 2025 — the Post Malone Taste Twist Oreo with salted caramel and shortbread flavored creme and this new Limited Edition Chocolate Covered Pretzel Oreo with pretzel flavored cookies with salt and chocolate flavor creme. But who knows what the rest of the year holds? I think Oreo has something great here with these sweet and salty varieties, and the brand knows it, too.

First, at a quick glance, nothing about these suggests the wafers are pretzel-flavored. They look a bit more sun-kissed than Golden Oreo wafers, and if you look closely, there might be a salt grain here and there within the nooks and crannies of the cookie. But they give nothing away to how they might taste. Even their scent is too sweet to make me think of pretzels. While they look like the Hawaii beach cousins of Golden Oreo cookies, their flavor is noticeably different, brah. However, I don’t recognize any pretzel after trying them on their own and with the chocolate creme.

But that ended up not being a bad thing.

The dark-colored creme is similar to the standard chocolate one that Oreo has used for decades. But the addition of salt, which also appears on the creme, enhances the filling’s flavor, which in turn helps make the whole cookie taste wonderful. The goodness of sweet and salty is present with every bite, and while I can’t say there’s a bit of a pretzel, I can say these are delicious and must-buy if you’re into sweet and salty products.

Limited Edition Chocolate Covered Pretzel Oreo is one of those flavors I want to return after its limited run ends, like Cotton Candy and BLUEBERRY PIE. Dammit, when is Blueberry Pie coming back, Oreo!

Even though pretzel was supposed to be one of the highlighting flavors, I’m glad these don’t taste like they have any because I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed their sweet and salty flavor as much as I did.

Now, how about Limited Edition Chocolate Covered Potato Chip Oreo Cookies to keep the Year of Salty Oreo Cookies rolling?

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

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 10.68 oz package
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of cholesterol, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar (including 11 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Baskin-Robbins Strawberry Tres Leches Ice Cream

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Pardon my mixing of languages, but Baskin-Robbins Strawberry Tres Leches Ice Cream is très bien. The sweet treat combines tres leches-flavored ice cream with strawberry pieces, white cake pieces, and strawberry swirls.

Although vanilla-looking, the tres leches base tasted nothing like any vanilla variety or sweet cream ice cream. Instead, there was a unique milkiness that did enough to convince me it was supposed to be three milk cake-flavored. While I believe it tasted pleasant, I wish its flavor had a bit more punch.

The same can be said about the strawberry swirls and pieces. While they had a noticeable berry flavor, they weren’t as sweet or flavorful as what I remember getting from a McDonald’s strawberry sundae. Fortunately, with the ice cream base and strawberry ingredients not being bold, neither overpowers the other, making it possible to taste both in every bite.

Much like the cake pieces in previous Baskin-Robbins offerings, the ones in this scoop were dense and chewy, which was what I expected. Because there is no way light and airy tres leches cake pieces could survive being mixed into an ice cream. As for their flavor, I think the base does a better job than the actual cake pieces at getting across the baked goods flavor.

Baskin-Robbins’ Strawberry Tres Leches Ice Cream is worth a try. However, it is not out of this world like TrES, the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey. Nor does it hit my taste buds as hard as Green Day drummer Tré Cool.

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: 2.5 oz scoop
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 160 calories, 7 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 65 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 18 grams of sugar (including 14 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Lay’s Do Us a Flavor Bacon Grilled Cheese Potato Chips

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It’s been far too long since we’ve experienced a Lay’s Do Us a Flavor contest. It’s been so long that I don’t even remember when the last one was or what the flavors were without having to Google it.

This year’s crop of flavors includes Valentina & Lime, Korean-Style Fried Chicken, and Bacon Grilled Cheese. Unfortunately, unlike previous years, there’s no definite oddball loser among them that allows the food scientists at PepsiCo to flex their flavor alchemy at the cost of poor sales. So, no Cappuccino potato chips to freak out our taste buds.

Instead, all three of 2025’s Do Us a Flavor finalists have a legitimate chance of winning. However, all the past contests have shown us that the safest flavor wins. So here’s a review of the winner because I believe it’s the safest — Bacon Grilled Cheese.

(NOTE: I haven’t tried any other finalists because, for some reason, when I picked this up at Target, none of them were in stock.)

They’re not the most aromatic chips I’ve had. I notice the smokiness and the cheese, but they’re surprisingly light, even when I shove my face into the bag. Although, I could blame vog allergies for that.

Fortunately, the flavor is noticeably stronger than its scent. Between the cheddar cheese and the bacon, it tastes like there’s a bit more smokiness. If you’ve had the bacon or BLT-flavored Lay’s that come back occasionally, you’ll recognize that these chips have a similar smokiness. The cheese mostly reminds me of cheddar, but the ingredients also list blue cheese, sour cream, and buttermilk, which explains the chip’s pleasant tanginess. With its combination of tastes, I imagine Lay’s could repackage and rename this product without any changes as “Smoked Cheddar” in the future.

Lay’s Do Us a Flavor Bacon Grilled Cheese is a fine finalist, which is surprising because I believe Lay’s Bacon Potato Chips are mediocre. The addition of cheese to the smokiness makes a tremendous difference. However, while these chips are good, they don’t excite my taste buds as much as cheddar & sour cream or sour cream & onion. I wouldn’t be sad if I never got to try these again.

With that said, this chip is good enough and safe enough that it’ll probably win. However, if you love it and it doesn’t win, don’t fret. Like many previous Do Us a Flavor losers that aren’t Cappuccino, Lay’s has brought them back for a limited time.

Purchased Price: $4.00 (on sale)
Size: 7 3/4 oz bag
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 16 chips – 28 grams) 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 140 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: McDonald’s McCrispy Strips with Creamy Chili Sauce

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Like Spider-Man movies, McDonald’s has rebooted its chicken strips multiple times. First, there were the Chicken Selects (Tobey Maguire). Then, there were the Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Tenders (Andrew Garfield). And now, the fast food chain has once again dipped its toes into the extended dippable poultry universe with its McCrispy Strips (Tom Holland).

McDonald’s uses 100% white meat chicken coated with a crispy golden brown breading that features a new black pepper flavor for the new menu item. Along for the ride is the new Creamy Chili Dip, a savory, sweet, and tangy sauce that McDonald’s says “unlocks the full Strips experience.” The chicken is available in 3- and 4-piece orders, and both options come with two sauces of your choice. But, spoiler alert, I REALLY recommend getting the Creamy Chili Dip, which I’ll get to in a moment.

The first thing that caught my eye about the McCrispy Strips was how McLong they were. They seemed more impressive than the previous McDonald’s offerings. Also impressive was how tender and juicy the meat was. However, I wish the “crispy golden brown breading” was crispier. There’s some texture, especially on the edges, but for the most part, I find the Chicken McNuggets to have a crispier exterior. That’s disappointing for something that seems more premium than chicken nuggets. As for its flavor, it has a light pepperiness that makes these okay enough to eat sans sauce, but you NEED to eat them with the Creamy Chili Dip.

I’ve had Raising Cane’s once, and all I remember is how much I liked the Cane’s Sauce more than the chicken fingers. And I can say the same thing about these McCrispy Strips. While the chicken doesn’t blow away my taste buds, the Creamy Chili Dip does, and I hope it never leaves. Its tangy and peppery flavor brings to mind what I remember Cane’s Sauce tasting like, and it perfectly complements the McCrispy Strips’ flavor. However, there were times when I thought the chicken strip with the sauce got a bit too salty. But overall (I can’t believe I’m about to type this), I might love this Creamy Chili Dip as much as my beloved Hot Mustard Sauce. And I look forward to trying it with Chicken McNuggets.

McDonald’s says the McCrispy Strips are a permanent item, but it’s hard to tell if it will cement them into the menu like the Big Mac or Chicken McNuggets. History shows that McDonald’s has an on-and-off relationship with chicken strips. Only time will tell if they stay. If they end up disappearing, I won’t be too sad. But if the Creamy Chili Dip goes, I may McCry.

Purchased Price: $5.99*
Size: 3-piece order
Rating: 8 out of 10 (with Creamy Chili Dip)
Nutrition Facts: (w/o sauce) 350 calories, 17 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 1100 milligrams of sodium, 50 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 30 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

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