ANNOUNCEMENT: Looking for New Reviewers (2016 Edition)

The Impulsive Buy is currently looking for enthusiastic, talented, entertaining, and self-motivated individuals to write junk food and fast food reviews. We hope to bring on a few new contributors to write one or two reviews per month.

It’s a paid gig, but we won’t say here how much we pay per review. However, we can say it’s enough for you to have a pizza party with several of your friends or more than enough to help you fill a bathtub with popcorn.

If you’d like to apply for the position, here’s what you’ll need to send:

1. One sample review in TIB format (nutrition facts, rating, price, pros, cons, etc at the bottom). The review MUST be a new junk food or fast food product (“New” meaning within the past three months. If you’re not sure if the product you want to review is new, email me). The sample review will help us determine if your writing style would be a good fit. The sample review length MUST be somewhere between 400-600 words (not including nutrition facts, rating, price, pros, cons, etc at the bottom).

2. Photo(s) of the product you reviewed. (Full resolution versions, please!)

3. A bio that includes why you want to write for The Impulsive Buy.

A Few Notes:

1. We’re not only judging you on your review, but also your photos to see your photography skills (Tip: Light will help your photos a lot.) and how you write your bio (Tip: have fun writing it).

2. Due to legal reasons, we can’t hire anyone under the age 18.

3. At this time, we’re only looking for writers located in the United States and Canada.

4. Please don’t send your review and bio as an attachment. Copy and paste them into your email. Photos should be sent as attachments.

To apply, please email your sample review, pictures, and bio to [email protected] with “I’m a Hungry Hungry Hippo” in the subject line. We will stop accepting applicants on Saturday, January 23 at 11:59 p.m. HST.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us.

Thank you.

Marvo
Editor

SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Dove Chocolate Fruit & Nut

Dove Blueberry & Vanilla Cashew

Dove Blueberry & Vanilla Cashew

Dove Strawberry & Cocoa Almond and Raspberry & Honey Roasted Almond

Dove Strawberry & Cocoa Almond and Raspberry & Honey Roasted Almond

Wait a minute…blueberry juice infused cranberries, strawberry flavored cranberries, and raspberry flavored cranberries? Yeah, they’re made with real fruit, but really freaky fruit. (Spotted by Lauren @candyhunting on Instagram at Walgreens and Rachel C at Target.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you’ve tried the product, share your thoughts about it in the comments.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Donuts Fudge Croissant Donut

Dunkin' Donuts Fudge Croissant Donut

I sometimes allow myself to think that maybe, just maybe, some research and development person in the fast casual industry will hear my ideas and implement them. Usually this isn’t the case, but my 2014 review of Dunkin’ Donuts’ Croissant Donut might’ve been the catalyst for Dunkin’s new Fudge Croissant Donut.

…the single-flavor fails to capitalize on a host of sweet croissant fillings, while coming across as overpriced and, yes, mass-produced. There was a part of me which wanted more distinctiveness in the interior layers, wishing for a truly pick-apart dough which was layered with chocolate or marzipan or any number of fillings.

Ok, so maybe attributing Dunkin’s latest donut to me and me alone is arrogant and presumptuous. But I know I wasn’t the only one who liked the original “Cronut” imitator but also thought it could be better. And since chocolate croissants are the logical first step from plain croissants, it only made sense that if Dunkin just added a chocolate filling to their Croissant Donut, it would be a game-changer.

Dunkin' Donuts Fudge Croissant Donut 2

Unfortunately, what Dunkin Donuts is piping into the many laminated layers of flaky croissant-donut dough is not fudge. There is definitely a strong, almost-dark cocoa flavor on the back-end, but the mixture itself is far from the buttery, milky, and intensely chocolaty experience you should get from fudge. It’s also not the hardened and concentrated pain au chocolat filling you might see in a real pastry. Instead, it’s somewhat viscous and tastes like artificially-thickened chocolate syrup. But most of all, it immediately comes across as far too sweet.

Also too sweet are the chocolate and white icings, which lack richness and taste mostly of hardened sugar. Granted, each drizzle is applied with impeccable craftsmanship, but for $2.49, I would hope the Croissant Donut’s value exceeds the aesthetic.

The cloying taste of the icing and the faux fudge might offset a genuine croissant, but because the Croissant Donut is already glazed with a thick and hardened coating of donut glaze, each bite is just sugar on top of sugar. Where the original version of Dunkin’s mashup had some of the savory, buttery aftertaste of croissant dough, this version betrayed too much of its mass-produced donut origins.

Dunkin' Donuts Fudge Croissant Donut 3

Speaking of donut origins, the texture definitely takes a step back from the original croissant donut; the layers are there, but they’re more fluffy than crispy, giving way with even the slightest pressure.

If Dunkin Donuts’s Fudge Croissant Donut was a hit, I’d for sure take credit for its existence and possibly even sue the company for copyright infringement. As it stands, I’ll save myself the legal hassle and just call it like I taste it: the Fudge Croissant Donut is an overpriced sugar bomb, and does neither a chocolate croissant nor a chocolate-iced donut justice.

(Nutritional Facts – 400 calories, 20 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 300 milligrams of sodium, 50 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 25 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.)

Item: Dunkin’ Donuts Fudge Croissant Donut
Purchased Price: $2.49
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Dunkin’ Donuts
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Addition of chocolate filling into Croissant Donut. Indulgent dark cocoa flavored filling gets good coverage throughout the interior layers. Possible hope that fast casual research and development people read my reviews. Saving money on legal fees.
Cons: Chocolate filling doesn’t taste buttery or milky like “fudge”. Novelty of the croissant layers gets lost in the overly cloying icing and donut glaze. Too much donut taste and not enough buttery balance. More than half a day’s saturated fat.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 1/5/2016

Here are some interesting new and limited edition products found on store shelves by us and your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of the products, share your thoughts about them in the comments.

Brach's Strawberry & Cherry Knockout Gummi

Brach’s Strawberry & Cherry Knockout Gummi “Mello” Hearts

Does anyone want to guess how many Brach’s Valentine’s products we’ll see between now and February? I’m going to guess 36. (Spotted by Rachel C at Target.)

Kashi Go Lean Honey Pecan Baklava Plant Powered Bars

Kashi Go Lean Honey Pecan Baklava Plant Powered Bars

Kashi Go Lean Peanut Hemp Crunch Plant-Powered Bars

Kashi Go Lean Peanut Hemp Crunch Plant-Powered Bars

Kashi Go Lean Dark Chocolate Cashew Chia Plant-Powered Bars

Kashi Go Lean Dark Chocolate Cashew Chia Plant-Powered Bars

Kashi Go Lean Salted Dark Chocolate & Nuts Plant-Powered Bars

Kashi Go Lean Salted Dark Chocolate & Nuts Plant-Powered Bars

I thought ALL of Kashi’s products have some kind of “plant power.” (Spotted by Rachel C at Target.)

Kashi Vanilla Pepita Go Lean Clusters

Kashi Vanilla Pepita Go Lean Clusters

Had to look up pepita. It’s a pumpkin seed. Now I have to look up sorghum. It’s a major source of feed for livestock. (Spotted by Amanda at Target.)

Sasquatch Pizza Co. Meat Lover and Triple Pepperoni Pizza

Sasquatch Pizza Co. Meat Lover, Triple Pepperoni Pizza, and Supreme

“The huge pizza with a big stomping’ crust.” “Great,” said sarcastically by crust haters everywhere. (Spotted by Daniel N at Walmart.)

Pub Collection Gourmet Chocolate

Pub Collection Gourmet Chocolate

I’ve heard of chocolate beers, but beer chocolate is new to me. (Spotted by Carla at Target.)

Thank you to all the photo contributors! If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

Also, if you’re wondering if we’ve already covered something, search our Flickr photos or use the search box on the right (or below if you’re on a mobile device) to find out.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Yoplait Plenti Oatmeal

Yoplait Plenti Oatmeal (Apple Cinnamon and Maple Brown Sugar)

Yoplait Plenti Oatmeal (Strawberry and Peach)

So it’s like regular Yoplait Plenti, but without the flax and pumpkin seeds, and with a whole lot more oats. (Spotted by Carla at Walmart.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you’ve tried the product, share your thoughts about it in the comments.