FAST FOOD NEWS: Popeyes Hushpuppy Butterfly Shrimp

Popeyes Hushpuppy Butterfly Shrimp

Popeyes has combined the classic Southern side dish, hushpuppies, with their Butterfly Shrimp to create their obviously-named Hushpuppy Butterfly Shrimp.

The seafood dish is made by marinating Popeyes’ Butterfly Shrimp in Louisiana seasonings, coating them in a light, sweet hushpuppy cornmeal crust, and then deep frying them.

You can get eight Hushpuppy Butterfly Shrimp, Cajun Fries, a buttermilk biscuit, and Popeyes’ new Cajun Cocktail Dipping Sauce for $4.99.

It’s available at participating restaurants until July 26.

If you’ve tried it, let us know what you think of it in the comments.

(Image via RaveGyrl)

REVIEW: Nabisco Limited Edition Brownie Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies

Nabisco Limited Edition Brownie Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies

Day 1: Test Subject CH-19 has reported for experimentation. CH-19 is an ordinary, unassuming Chewy Chips Ahoy! cookie. While being paid for its compliance, our scientists injected CH-19 with the brownie genome. Is this ethical? Perhaps not, but those nefarious Girl Scouts have little girls running around calling themselves “Brownies,” so our study will continue, too.

Day 20: It’s working. CH-19 reported digestive bloating, and our x-rays revealed that a brownie is indeed growing inside of it. Satisfied, our scientists will sell some of the other subjects in this condition and call them Brownie Filled Chewy Chips Ahoy! cookies.

Nabisco Limited Edition Brownie Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies 2

Day 32: We had no idea that the brownie filled cookies were only Phase 2 of a grander biological process. The metamorphosis into full-blown Brownie Chewy Chips Ahoy! cookie is complete. After an incident not unlike a cocoa-covered version of that scene from Aliens, the brownie chestburster has entirely taken over CH-19 (Sigourney Weaver wouldn’t answer our phone calls). Its blondie exterior is now the earthy color of fresh soil, and he is emitting a scent similar to your grandma’s kitchen during the county fair bake sale.

Day 42: Dissecting CH-19 for taste testing, the soft, chip-stuffed exterior of the roughly Pog-sized (only real ‘90s cookies remember!) treat crumbled easily, revealing its dense, crumb-spewing innards.

Nabisco Limited Edition Brownie Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies 3

Its base flavor is remarkably similar to regular Chewy Chips Ahoy! cookies: buttery, moist, and straddling the border of cloyingly sweet with its noticeable brown sugar undertones and added sugariness from the exploding chocolate chip morsels. At first, a blind taste tester might not even be able to discern post-transformation CH-19 from his original state.

However, further analysis reveals CH-19’s new superpower: the power of the chew. By chewing, chewing, and continuing to chew until your jawbones experience karoshi (word of the day, kids!), new depths of flavor are unearthed. First comes a dull cocoa, which quickly becomes a doughy richness that has some genuine fudge notes. This comparatively subdued cocoa taste pairs well with the chocolate chips’ blasts of straight sugar.

But despite the complexities lurking deep within CH-19’s soul, the jaw exhaustion (ex-jaw-stion?) necessary to bring them out isn’t worth the end result. Without the vanilla undertones or oily base (their uncomfortable sticky gloss doesn’t count) of a genuine brownie, these cookies can’t be considered a reasonable replacement for the actual thing. CH-19 and his fellow subjects fall more into the category of “obviously artificial cookies that taste just real enough for Mom to pass them off as homemade so she can have a gosh darn night to herself for once.”

All in all, the cookies are like when the director rereleases your favorite movie with 7 seconds of deleted footage: the added cocoa-brownie taste is, well, tasty, but it’s so barely noticeable that only the delicate palates of seasoned Ahoy!coholics will be driven to hunt these down.

Nabisco Limited Edition Brownie Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies 4

Day 44: Uh oh. CH-19 is not happy. It has transcended its brownie form and evolved into a higher being. CH-19 has entered Phase 4. The self-titled and grammatically questionable “Ahoy!wich” makes for a delightfully potent and extra chocolaty version of a Chipwich—albeit a disappointingly bite-sized one. The flavor of CH-19’s new vanilla ice cream abdomen ups his “brownie credibility” another notch. He’s too powerful now.

The Ahoy!calypse is upon us.

(Nutrition Facts – 2 cookies – 140 calories, 50 calories from fat, 6 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 60 milligrams of potassium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 11 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.)

Item: Nabisco Limited Edition Brownie Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies
Purchased Price: $2.50
Size: 9.5 oz.
Purchased at: Spartan Store
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Chewy goodness. The ol’ one-two cocoa-chocolate punch. Learning new words. Hey look, Mom made cookies!
Cons: Not brownie-y enough. Not much difference from “blondie” chewy Chips Ahoy! Ex-jaw-stion. Randomly placed exclamation! points. Our new Ahoy!wich overlords.

FAST FOOD NEWS: Wendy’s Baconator Fries

Wendy s Baconator Fries

Update: We reviewed it! Click here to read our review.

Do you feel Wendy’s fries aren’t worthy enough to be next to your Wendy’s Baconator? Well then, upgrade those plain old fries to Wendy’s new Baconator Fries.

This side dish features their natural cut fries topped with a warm cheddar cheese sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, and chopped Applewood smoked bacon. The bacon and cheese-ified fries are available for a limited time and have a suggested price of $1.99.

A serving of Baconator Fries has 490 calories, 250 calories from fat, 28 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 550 milligrams of sodium, 760 milligrams of potassium, 45 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, and 14 grams of protein

If you’ve tried it, let us know what you think of it in the comments.

(Image via Wendy’s)

SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 6/30/2015

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.

Nature Valley Banana Bread & Dark Chocolate Soft-Baked Oatmeal Squares

Nature Valley Banana Bread & Dark Chocolate Soft-Baked Oatmeal Squares

I’ve never drooled over Nature Valley’s Soft-Baked Oatmeal Squares, but this flavor has me drooling a bit. (Spotted by Daniel at Walmart.)

Mrs. T's Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil Pierogies

Mrs. T’s Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil Pierogies

I pity the fool…oh, no relation. Sorry, Mrs. T. (Spotted by Jonathan at ShopRite.)

Weight Watchers Smart Ones Smart Creations

Weight Watchers Smart Ones Smart Creations

Poor Teriyaki Chicken & Vegetables. The new entrees get to be excellent sources of protein, but old Teriyaki Chicken & Vegetables is only a good source of protein. (Spotted by Dorothy at Walmart.)

Entenmann's Limited Edition Lemon Crunch Cake

Entenmann’s Limited Edition Lemon Crunch Cake

Never Ending Entenmann’s. (Spotted by RaveGyrl at Jewel Osco.)

Thank you to all the photo contributors! If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition 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 Google Search box on the right (or below if you’re on a mobile device) to find out.

PODCAST: The Nosh Show #58 Thing Sauce

In this episode, Eric, Dubba, Ryan, and I discuss dried Spam snacks, McDonald’s testing a pulled pork sandwich, new pretzel snacks, and Denny’s Slamtastic 4 menu. Also, Ryan and I talk about our experiences with Pizza Hut’s Hot Dog Bites Pizza.

Listen to the episode RIGHT NOW by using the player below:

Download: MP3 (26.2 MB)

Links to the products we talk about are available at www.thenoshshow.com/58/.

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