I was thinking a lot about the game show “Is It Cake?” when I ordered Burger King’s festive new limited edition Firecracker Cookie Pie; just like the confections featured on that show, this new dessert is unique and fun to look at, but I couldn’t immediately tell what the texture would be like on the inside.

Seasoned Burger King fans (is there a name for them? Burger Loyal Subjects?) may be familiar with the Hershey’s Sundae Pie, which is a variation on a similar theme. But since I’m allergic to chocolate, I didn’t have that frame of reference. Instead, I was drawn in by the promise of “velvety cream,” “crisp sugar cookie crust,” and colorful novelty sprinkles.

What I didn’t expect was for my pie to be practically all cream. No matter how “velvety,” I quickly started craving something more substantial. The promotional images show a clear delineation between the dollops of cream on top of the pie and the fluffy white layer beneath, but there wasn’t much of a distinction in my pie — everything that wasn’t the cookie layer had the same thin consistency. The cream wasn’t as dense as it looked, leading to the feeling that I was mostly just shoveling down mouthfuls of very sweet air.

Yes, there was a sugar cookie base with a nice butteriness that added some interest, but it was thinner than I would have liked and too crumbly to provide a uniform bite. I could barely dig my fork in without the cookie shattering to bits. (Maybe that was why the kind employee offered me a spoon instead? Apparently, I was a Burger Klown to turn that down.)

I also wasn’t expecting the cookie pie to taste so tangy, but lo and behold, when I flipped the (admittedly adorable) triangle-shaped box over to see the ingredients list, cream cheese was the fifth one listed. Apparently, this was even more like “Is It Cake?” than I expected, because actually, the pie did end up reminding me of cake—specifically, a cheesecake. I do wish the advertising mentioned that something with such a strong flavor would be such a core ingredient for those who aren’t into cream cheese.

The sprinkles did what they were supposed to do. They looked pretty and patriotic and added a tiny crunch. I really enjoyed how the pie was served chilled as well; that was a nice way to slightly temper the sweetness and provide more firmness to something that may have otherwise been too soft.

Pro tip: eat this as soon as you buy it, because I waited until I got home, and I think fresh from the fridge would have been even better.

While I have my critiques about this particular flavor, the cookie pie is a fun and flexible format that I’d like to see more of. This isn’t a bad way to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary… if only the price could be $2.50 to match!

Purchased Price: $3.59
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 250 calories, 12 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 210 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 22 grams of sugar, 1 gram of fiber, and 3 grams of protein.