REVIEW: Dunkin’ Signature Pumpkin Spice Latte

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Dunkin Signature Pumpkin Spice Latte Cup

What is the Dunkin’ Signature Pumpkin Spice Latte?

If you’re searching for a slight remix on the typical Pumpkin Spice Latte, Dunkin’ has you covered.

How is it?

Quick, without looking, what’s today’s date?!

Yeah, I had no idea either, but I bet you’re a little shocked we’ve already reached Pumpkin Spice Season. Sure, it seems to come earlier and earlier every year, but if you told me it was June 10th, I wouldn’t put up a fight. Times and dates have become a complete blur.

If you need something to help shake that fog, might I suggest this new Signature Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Dunkin Signature Pumpkin Spice Latte Dunkin Logo

The word “Signature” might be fogging my thought process here, but this tastes like an “upscale” iced pumpkin spiced latte. A slightly more mature tasting Dunkin’ drink if you will. The difference here is a shot of espresso and vanilla.

The vanilla flavor definitely bleeds through nicely. The espresso balances the pumpkin flavor, which prevents it from being too overbearing or artificial tasting.

Anything else you need to know?

The downside about lattes, especially at Dunkin’, is that they ultimately end up tasting more like a milk drink than a coffee. That sounds obvious, but if I told you this was some kind of NesQuik-style coffee and pumpkin-flavored milk, you’d believe me. I acknowledge how nitpicky this sounds.

Dunkin Signature Pumpkin Spice Latte Whip

I’m hot and cold on whipped topping, but the cinnamon-topped cream here was a perfect addition. I actually think I liked the last few sips of latte and melted topping best.

Oh, and speaking of hot and cold, you can get this hot or iced. I always opt for iced.

Conclusion:

So, this really isn’t an extreme departure from the pumpkin spice fare you’re used to, but it’s still quite good.

I like the thought process. Pumpkin spice is a bit played out, so why not start mixing it with other flavors and really ramp it up? Vanilla is a good start, but I want some Mocha Pumpkin Spice stuff or something weirder like Coconut Pumpkin Spice. That should be the bridge coffee from summer to fall.

It’s fall now, right? What day is it again? I forgot already.

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: Small
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 250 calories, 12 grams of fat, 5 gram of trans fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 20 mg of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of total carbohydrates, 38 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of fiber, 8 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Funfetti Cereal

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Funfetti Cereal Box

What is Funfetti Cereal

If you seek a socially acceptable way to eat cake for breakfast, Pillsbury is here to guide you with rainbow-speckled cereal puffs that recreate the taste of the company’s trademark sprinkle cake.

How is it?

Sugary cereals are one of my favorite comfort foods. I especially enjoy them as a snack between my third and fourth hours of languishing after work. While I often acknowledge kids as potential consumers when writing these reviews, I can’t help but feel like Funfetti Cereal was developed by Pillsbury especially for suckers like me.

If you purchase it, be sure to take a deep breath when you first open the bag. The vanilla aroma is wonderfully strong, the perfect imitation of Funfetti cake mix or batter. Because I have very few baking-related traumas, the scent evokes only pleasant memories of baking, birthdays, and other wholesome events worthy of a Pillsbury commercial.

Funfetti Cereal Sprinkles

The taste is equally spot-on: very vanilla-forward, not overly sweet, and with hints of buttery flavor. The colorful flecks — stand-ins for sprinkles — on the puffs themselves do not add flavor or texture, but are very visually appealing. The color presents opportunities to re-purpose the cereal in other snacks: as the base of a marshmallow cereal treat, part of a snack mix, or garnish on top of a confetti cake.

Funfetti Cereal in Milk

The cereal is made with corn flour, which I don’t typically prefer because the texture can turn gummy after a few bites, especially in milk. I was pleasantly surprised that the cereal pieces avoid this tendency, maybe in part due to their size. Each piece is about 1.5 times the size of a Cocoa Puff, so their lightly crunchy texture holds up pretty well in milk. Milk also seems to amplify the cereal’s sweetness, so if you really are debating between eating a bowl of cereal and a slab of icing-lathered cake for breakfast, choosing Funfetti cereal with milk might bring you closer to a reasonable compromise.

Anything else you need to know?

For those ambitious enough to cook their breakfasts, Pillsbury also offers a Funfetti pancake mix.

Conclusion:

Funfetti Cereal perfectly recreates the sweet vanilla flavor of its namesake cake. For anyone with a sweet tooth, it is satisfying, colorful comfort food at any time of day.

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

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 17 oz box
Purchased at: Received from Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 1/4 cup) 160 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 16 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Limited Batch Cinnamon Bun and Gingerbread Cookie Dough Chunks

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Ben Jerry s Limited Batch Cinnamon Bun Dough and Gingerbread Cookie Dough Chunks Bags

Ben & Jerry’s Limited Batch Cinnamon Bun Dough and Gingerbread Cookie Dough Chunks are the first Limited Batch and seasonal extensions of the brand’s snackable dough line that we’ve covered in previous posts.

What’s snackable dough? Well, it’s the gobs of edible dough that you’d find in pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, but without the pesky ice cream in the way. J/k, B&J. I meant to say without the creamy, sweet, tasty, and pesky ice cream in the way.

After opening the pouch of Cinnamon Bun Dough Chunks, my nose was treated to a small cinna-stravaganza. Sadly, sticking one’s nose in the bag is the only way to experience that. I had hoped it would make my office smell as if there was a Cinnabon pop-up in it.

Ben Jerry s Limited Batch Cinnamon Bun Dough Chunks Closeup

I’m a sucker for large cinnamon rolls, but I’m not willing to regularly suffer the sugar bomb that large cinnamon rolls drive into my gut. So I appreciate being able to get the baked good’s flavor without having to eat one when I pop these dough chunks into my mouth.

These soft, chewy bites capture the cinnamon and tangy cream cheese frosting of the baked good wonderfully. There’s also a slight sugary crunch to them, which I am also a sucker for. But the flavors aren’t consistent between bites. Most times, there will be a strong cinnamon taste. But every so often, a chunk will have a strong frosting flavor. But whatever my mouth ends up with, it wants more.

Ben Jerry s Limited Batch Gingerbread Cookie Dough Chunks Closeup

The Gingerbread Cookie Dough Chunks have a bold and sweet ginger flavor, thanks to the candied ginger. Those who approach ginger gingerly might want to skip these. But it’s not just ginger all the time. There’s a bit of cinnamon, molasses, brown sugar, and cloves to help convince your taste buds they’re eating the holiday treat.

I do wish they were shaped like gingerbread people. But that’s probably asking for too much since they’re so small, not uniform in size, and constructing a production machine just for that is, I imagine, a pain in the gingerbutt to do. But these chunks are pliable enough that one could build or cutout gingerbread people on their own.

Ben Jerry s Limited Batch Gingerbread Cookie Dough Chunks Person

Ben Jerry s Limited Batch Gingerbread Cookie Dough Chunks Cutout

I’m partial to the cinnamon bun ones, but both varieties will not last long in my freezer because they taste fantastic. Or maybe they’re already gone and I don’t want to give away that I might’ve eaten them all by pouring them into my mouth as if they were potato chip crumbs at the bottom of a bag.

My only real complaints are that they should come in bigger pouches and the Cinnamon Bun Dough one should be available year-round. With the gingerbread being a holiday flavor, it’s understandable why it’s a limited batch product. But both Ben & Jerry’s original and non-dairy Cinnamon Buns pints are available throughout the year, so why not these dough bites?

If you want to give me a holiday gift this year, Ben & Jerry’s, having the Cinnamon Bun Dough Chunks available permanently would be a gift that keeps on giving. And when I say “giving” I mean giving me the option of avoiding Cinnabon by eating your dough chunks.

DISCLOSURE: I received free samples of the products. (Thanks, Ben & Jerry’s!) Doing so did not influence my review. Although, I can understand how it totally seems like it. But I assure you it did not.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 8 oz pouches
Purchased at: Received from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 9 out 10 (Cinnamon Bun), 8 out of 10 (Gingerbread)
Nutrition Facts: (2 tbsp/28 g) Cinnamon Bun – 120 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein. Gingerbread – 110 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Cheetos Mac ‘N Cheese Cups

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Cheetos Mac N Cheese Cups

I’m as angry red as the Flamin’ Hot version of Cheetos Mac ‘N Cheese (there are also Bold & Cheesy and Cheesy Jalapeno varieties).

For years, I’ve been longing for Cheetos-flavored seasoning to be bottled so that we all can sprinkle some Cheetle on whatever our taste buds desire. But here we are with a Cheetos-flavored powdery substance, but it’s not bottled. Instead, I have to mix it with cooked noodles and water to make mac ’n cheese in a cup.

WHY CAN’T WE HAVE NICE THINGS, LIKE BOTTLED CHEETOS SEASONING!

(Oh, Cheetle is the official term for what we’ve all called Cheeto Dust. Since Cheetos sent me these, I thought I’d be courteous and use the correct terminology.)

Can you imagine topping pasta with Cheetos seasoning instead of grated parmesan cheese? Or maybe put it on McDonald’s French fries, scrambled eggs, potato chips, hash browns, chili, anything from Taco Bell, anything made by Chef Boyardee, a Costco hot dog, Costco pizza, Costco rotisserie chicken, the frozen cauliflower crust pizza I always pick up from Costco…

Sorry, as you can see, I’ve imagined a life with Cheetos seasoning for a long time, and I often shop at Costco.

Cheetos Mac ’N Cheese is available in these single-serve cups, but they’re also sold as box dinners that involve doing more than adding water and mixing.

Cheetos Bold Cheesy Mac N Cheese Cups

The Bold & Cheesy variety is pretty much the adjective-heavy way of saying original Cheetos flavor. Does it taste like the beloved snack? It does, but it’s a bit unsatisfying to get the famous cheesiness this way. I’ll explain more after I go through all the varieties. But this one is my favorite of the three.

Cheetos Cheesy Jalapeno Mac N Cheese

Cheesy Jalapeno is a Cheetos variety I’ve eaten twice, but I can’t remember the last time I had it or how it tastes. So I don’t know if this mac ’n cheese’s flavor comes close to it. It has a strong jalapeno scent and taste that’s slightly more potent than the cheese. It’s also a tad spicy, but not as much as the Flamin’ Hot one. As I ate it, I kept thinking chile con queso.

Cheetos Flamin Hot Mac N Cheese

As for the Flamin’ Hot Mac ’N Cheese, it was, unfortunately, disappointing. It made me sweat a little, but I don’t know if it was the hot noodles or Flamin’ Hot seasoning that caused it. Also, it started off tasty, but about halfway through the cup, it became a bit bland, and the spiciness kind of fizzled. Also, and this might be just me, the angry red/Swedish Fish/B-movie blood color is a little off-putting.

The Bold & Cheesy and Cheesy Jalapeno varieties are decent, but with all three, it’s like I’m eating a cheesy Cup Noodles instead of mac ’n cheese. Look, I’ve had Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Cups, so I kind of expected the slightly watery texture of the sauce. But I feel like something that’s Cheetos flavored deserves better because most variations of the snack are addictive and hard to put down. I can’t say the same about these.

Cheetos Flamin Hot Mac N Cheese Powder

They could be improved, though. Most of the appeal for Cheetos is its cheesiness, but there’s also the crunch factor, which these lack. Yes, we could add some of the crunchy snack ourselves, but it would be easier for Frito-Lay to include some crushed Cheetos that we could use like bread crumbs to top the mac ‘n cheese. I’m pretty sure the folks there have no problem getting access to tons of the stuff.

As I mentioned earlier, Cheetos Mac ’N Cheese is also available in boxes that call for butter and milk to prepare them, which seems like you’ll get a better end result. So I’d recommend purchasing those instead of these single-serve cups.

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

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 2.32 oz cup (Bold & Cheesy), 2.25 oz cup (Cheesy Jalapeno), 2.11 oz cup (Flamin’ Hot)
Purchased at: Received from Cheetos
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Bold & Cheesy), 6 out of 10 (Cheesy Jalapeno), 4 out of 10 (Flamin’ Hot)
Nutrition Facts: (1 package) Bold & Cheesy – 240 calories, 5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 690 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar, and 7 grams of protein. Cheesy Jalapeno

REVIEW: Chocolatey PayDay Bar

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Chocolatey PayDay Bar Wrapper

What is the Chocolatey PayDay Bar?

One of the simplest candy bars gets a new(ish) makeover. PayDay’s signature salted peanuts and caramel get dunked in chocolate for a new bar that looks awfully familiar.

How is it?

Chocolatey PayDay Bar

Unwrapped, you could have fooled me into believing it’s a Baby Ruth, a candy bar I think very fondly of that doesn’t get enough love. In a world full of Snickers and Nutrageous, there’s only so much room for the chocolate-peanut combo, but PayDay isn’t afraid, and its take is quite good.

Chocolatey PayDay Bar Interior

What makes this bar different from the one it looks identical to is the absence of nougat. While PayDay’s signature core is certainly nougat-adjacent, it isn’t quite as sweet. It’s a bit richer with a roasty caramel flavor coming through. The chocolate is typical Hershey’s quality, which is totally serviceable (“chocolatey”), but what allows this bar to stand out is its saltiness.

While not overwhelmingly salty, the savory and sweet balance is much better than your average super sweet wrapped confection. I really like the way the salt activates the chocolate and complements the fatty nuts.

Anything else you need to know?

I’ve always enjoyed the original PayDay but found it to be a bit one noted after a couple of bites despite its fun soft yet crunchy texture. The chocolate coating takes care of that problem and makes it more of a classic sugary experience.

Conclusion:

While this new(ish) treat certainly isn’t reinventing the wheel, it’s a combination of familiar and delicious flavors that any Snickers-lover will definitely enjoy.

Purchased Price: $1.47
Size: King Size (3.1 ounces)
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 pack) 140 calories, 8 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 15 grams of sugar, 3 grams of protein.

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