SPOTTED ON SHELVES – Pecan Pie Pringles

Pecan Pie Pringles

Update: Click here to read our Pecan Pie Pringles review

Last year, Pringles introduced three seasonal sweet varieties — Cinnamon & Sugar, White Chocolate Peppermint, and Pumpkin Pie Spice. This year, they’ve come out with another flavor that doesn’t sound right being on a potato crisp — Pecan Pie. (Spotted by Brandon at Dollar General.)

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. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

REVIEW: Papa John’s Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie

Papa John's Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie

Happy National Cookie Month! Break out the Oreos and snickerdoodles, because this October, we’re celebrating cookies.

Though I can find no record of the origins of this commemorative month on the Internet, it’s safe to assume its birth can be traced back to 1904, when President Theodore Roosevelt held the Nabisco Conference in Washington, D.C. There, Roosevelt mediated the signing of a peace treaty between Ambassador Pop N. Fresh of the Pillsbury Republic and Lieutenant Bertha “Mrs.” Fields of the Cookie Rebellion Army, ending a ninety year civil war. To celebrate the momentous occasion, Roosevelt signed a federal enactment declaring the month of October in honor of the newly found peace.

This year, Papa John’s will be celebrating National Cookie Month by offering to fatten you up. After you finish stuffing your face with copious amounts of grease, processed cheese, and tomato sauce, you now have the opportunity to indulge in dough and chocolate chips with the pizza chain’s new Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie. The fresh-baked, family-sized cookie regularly costs six dollars, but can be purchased for only five dollars with any pizza through October 27.

After witnessing the promotional photos of the Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie, it’s clear to me that Papa John’s is relying upon the gimmick of a cookie in pizza form. This pizza-cookie duality is familiar to me. As a child, I recall numerous kindergarteners bringing to school a “cookie pizza” for their birthdays. It was always a treat, especially when the center of the cookie failed to cook through, providing each and every tumbling tot with a yummy serving of salmonellosis. Nothing’s more entertaining than a classroom bursting with sugar-high kindergarteners suffering from explosive diarrhea.

The Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie comes packaged in a miniature pizza box. The cookie was much smaller than expected, appearing rather measly in its flimsy aluminum tin. The promotional photos had made it seem enormous, large enough to feed an entire orphanage of impoverished street urchins or a single Honey Boo Boo. What sat before me was an eight inch pan of cookie resembling a circular plate of baklava, capable of realistically feeding four to eight people of average appetite as a dessert.

Papa John's Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie Closeup

As promised, the cookie was warm, even after sitting in its cardboard box during the preceding pizza feast. In both taste and aroma, the Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie reminded me of freshly-baked Nestlé Toll House cookies. Super rich from the melty chocolate chips, the cookie possessed a soft and moist interior, evoking memories of homemade chocolate chip cookies, warm out of the oven during a cold winter.

Too often, the pleasantries of a chocolate chip cookie are ruined by a rubbery, overcooked bottom. Fortunately, even the underside of the Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie was soft. The edges of the cookie were similar to brownie edges, offering a bit more of a crunch than the center.

Papa John's Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie Slice

Warm and gooey, Papa John’s Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie is delightfully sweet and somewhat addictive. However, after gobbling up my second slice of the cookie, I found myself in desperate need of a glass of milk. The Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie is extremely dense, and will potentially clump in the back of your throat when consumed devoid of cow-juice.

I also found myself in desperate need of a copy of Richard Simmons’ Sweatin’ to the Oldies. Upon reading the nutrition facts on the Papa John’s website, I was shocked to discover that a single portion of the Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie contains 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 22 percent of the daily value. By eating two-and-a-half slices, I consumed more than half of the recommended amount of saturated fat. And that doesn’t include the pizza I ate beforehand.

As a strapping and chiseled young buck, I have to watch my figure. If I’m not careful, all of those lipids could go straight to my thighs. Then, much like Shakira, my hips won’t lie. They’ll tell the complete and unadulterated truth — that I’m a lazy, overweight American whose diet consists mostly of jelly donuts and Cheetos.

Papa John’s new Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie was a tasty treat, but I can’t see myself purchasing this cookie again in the future, especially after seeing the nutrition facts. In addition, the portion seems rather small for a price tag of five or six dollars. I could easily eat this entire tray by myself on a Friday night, slumped on the sofa while watching the movie Mannequin. (I don’t care what you think. It’s a good movie.)

If I’m looking to experience a gigantic chocolate chip cookie, I’ll gladly buy a package of Toll House cookie dough and mush it all together into one giant cookie. After all, it would taste pretty much the same as the Papa John’s Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie.

If you really must, be sure to try out the Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie while the five dollar promotion is still in effect. Grab your wallets, cookieholics.

I’m looking at you, Cookie Monster.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 Slice (39 grams) – 195 calories, 80 calories from fat, 9 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 13 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 17 grams of sugars, and 2 grams of protein.)

Item: Papa John’s Mega Chocolate Chip Cookie
Purchased Price: $5.00
Size: 1 cookie (8 slices)
Purchased at: Papa John’s
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Warm, gooey, and soft. Slightly crispy edges. Ambassador Pop N. Fresh.
Cons: Extremely dense. Ridiculously fatty. Seems overpriced. Kindergarteners with salmonellosis.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 10/14/2013

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.

Mtn Dew Game Fuel Electrifying Berry

New Mountain Dew Game Fuel! Well, one old Mountain Dew Game Fuel flavor and the new Electrifying Berry Mountain Dew. (Spotted by James at Walgreens.)

Rally Bar 2

Rally Bar 1

Rally Bar is back for a limited time exclusively at Walgreens! Enjoy a candy bar your parents probably ate! (Spotted by Lauren at Walgreens.)

Nestle Carnation Cinnamon Coffeecake & Bread Kit

I personally wouldn’t make this. I’d just go to a grocery store bakery, buy coffeecake, cut it up, stick in my own container, and then say I made it. (Spotted by Sara at Walmart.)

Taco Bell Sauces

Are these really necessary? I’m sure everyone who regularly visits Taco Bell has got a pile of unused sauce packets that just gets bigger because Taco Bell employees give more packets than we need. (Spotted by Daisy at Walmart.)

Kroger Private Selection Michigan Cherry Cobbler Ice Cream

Hey, Krogerites! (I believe that’s what people who shop at Kroger are called.) Enjoy this for a limited time. Or buy a whole bunch of it and maybe they’ll make it a regular flavor. (Spotted by Lindsay at Kroger.)

Tastykake Kandy Bar Kakes Almond Joy Coconut Almond

A knew Tastykake Kandy Bar Kakes kind.(Spotted by Adam at Safeway.)

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. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

FAST FOOD FIVE – 10/11/2013

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Here are five recent fast food news bites:

Starbucks in the U.K. is selling a donut-muffin hybrid called duffin. Or they’ve started selling paper and shortened Dunder Mifflin. (via Business Week)

McDonald’s is testing a Southwest Chicken McWrap in the northeast. (via Grub Grade)

Start your morning with three maple sausage links, American cheese, and egg in a biscuit. Or be like 25 percent of Americans and skip breakfast. But if you eat breakfast, studies have shown, you’re more likely to remember facts like 25 percent of Americans skip breakfast. (via Business Wire)

Remember those Burger King Satisfries we reviewed recently? Well, Burger King is offering free Satisfries this weekend. So go get some free carbs! (via Huffington Post)

Including this post, we’ve mentioned Pei Wei only twice on this site. And both posts involved sriracha. So I think I’m going to create an official TIB rule: We will mention Pei Wei only when they come out with a new sriracha dish. (via Business Wire)

SPOTTED ON SHELVES (PUMPKIN EDITION) – 10/11/2013

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.

Limited Edition Food Should Taste Good Harvest Pumpkin Tortilla Chips

Garden of Eatin' Pumpkin Tortilla Chips

Pumpkin salsa would go great with these pumpkin-flavored tortilla chips. I wonder if anyone makes some. (Spotted by MaryLeigh at Target and Kayla at Whole Foods.)

Limited Edition Frontera Chipotle Pumpkin Salsa

Oh look! The Great Pumpkin has answered my question. (Spotted by Lindsay at Meijer.)

Betty Crocker Pumpkin Spice Cookie Mix

Betty Crocker Pumpkin Bar

Ugh! Instructions. Pre-heating. Mixing. Waiting. I want pumpkin baked goods and I want it NOW! (Spotted by Sara at Walmart.)

Entenmann's Pumpkin Muffins

Oh, Entenmann’s! You satisfy the lazy in me! (Spotted by Maria at Walmart.)

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. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

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