SPOTTED (TRADER JOE’S EDITION): 8/14/2023

/ / Spotted on Shelves

Here are some new Trader Joe’s products found on shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments.

Trader Joe’s S’mores Bars
Trader Joe’s Root Beer Float Bars
Trader Joe’s Tiniest Chocolate Chip Cookies
Trader Joe’s Organic Dried Ataulfo Mango Slices
Trader Joe’s Organic Pasta Quintet
Trader Joe’s Organic Assam Black Tea
Trader Joe’s Sri Lankan Organic Mango Chutney
Trader Joe’s Freeze Dried Fig Slices
Trader Joe’s Chocolate & Vanilla Bean Swirl Gelato

(Spotted by Sarah R at Trader Joe’s.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: McDonald’s Peanut Butter Crunch McFlurry

/ / Reviews / 3 Comments

After years of having an occasional new McFlurry offering, there’s been a flurry of limited time McFlurry varieties over the past few years. There have been at least two annually since 2019. McDonald’s new Peanut Butter Crunch McFlurry is the second new blended treat this year from the Golden Arches. It follows the Strawberry Shortcake one that came out in the spring. So there’s a good chance we’ll have to wait until 2024 for a new variety.

The Peanut Butter Crunch McFlurry is described on the McDonald’s site as a crispy cereal mix and chocolatey peanut butter cookie pieces in vanilla soft serve. While that sounds delicious, if you look through the mix-ins’ ingredients list, there are “peanut butter creme cookies,” “fudge coated peanut brittle,” “chocolate peanut butter yummy chow” (no, fo’ reals), and “peanut butter cereal squares” listed, which makes it even more enticing.

And it’s not just appealing on paper. Looking at it from above, the dessert looks inviting, with a generous helping of cereal, cookies, and yummy chow floating on the white soft serve. If the image above doesn’t make you want to instantly dive in with a spoon, I don’t know if we can have a relationship. However, I will be the Snack Grinch here and say, as good as this looks in my photos and as intriguing as the ingredients list reads, this McFlurry is okay.

The cereal and cookie pieces were crunchy, but unfortunately, it’s not very chocolatey or peanut butter-y, even with a decent amount of mix-ins on my spoon. That’s fine if you want a treat that’s not too cloying, but I want a little indulgence here. I want something as enjoyable as a McDonald’s Hot Fudge Sundae, and I’m not quite getting that with this. Though, there were a couple of moments when the cereal, cookies, yummy chow, or a combination of the three sort of tasted like a waffle cone. Also, one last thing about the mix-ins. Like a good cereal, they maintained their crunch in the quickly melting soft serve after I took pictures.

McDonald’s Peanut Butter Crunch McFlurry is a nice change of pace if your usual After Mac treat is an Oreo or M&M’s McFlurry. It’s not going to knock your socks off. But if you’re wearing crew socks, it might make them slide down your calves slightly.

Purchased Price: $4.59
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 510 calories, 16 grams of fat, 10 gram of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 78 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 47 grams of sugar (including 47 grams of added sugar), and 12 gram of protein.

SPOTTED: Chocolate Lucky Charms Limited Edition Haunted Marshmallows Cereal

/ / Spotted on Shelves / 5 Comments

Haunted marshmallows? They look like (from left to right) French toast with a cinnamon swirl, Patrick from Spongebob Squarepants, a walrus’ snout, and the logo of the superhero Shazam. (Spotted by Erin at Jewel Osco.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

SPOTTED: Lindt Lindor Birthday Cake White Chocolate Truffles

/ / Spotted on Shelves / 2 Comments

Lindt Lindor Birthday Cake White Chocolate Truffles

Happy 74th Birthday, Lindt Lindor! (Spotted by Rachel J at Safeway.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: Brach’s Fall Favorites Candy Corn

/ / Reviews / 1 Comment

Between 2020 and 2022, Brach’s brought us some, um, interesting collections of candy corn based on autumnal meals: Turkey Dinner and Tailgate.

But now it’s 2023, and Brach’s has decided to spare us the meat-flavored candy, instead giving us a new theme: Fall Festival! (Truth be told, most of these flavors sound more like summer than fall. But there’s no green bean flavor, so I’m not going to complain.)

There are six flavors.

Kettle Corn (yellowish) reminds me of Buttered Popcorn Jelly Belly. It has that slightly savory flavor but with a good dose of sweetness. I dig it! 8/10.

Caramel Apple (brown and red) has been a candy corn flavor for a long time, and it’s the same as it’s always been. The red is an artificial apple, and the brown has a caramel flavor that tames the fruitiness. 7/10.

Cotton Candy (pink and blue) doesn’t have much flavor, but neither does actual cotton candy. It’s very sweet, just as you would expect. A little boring, but still pleasant. 7/10.

Lemonade Shake-Up (red and yellow) has a citrus flavor. I can’t tell if the red and the yellow parts are different flavors. It’s not as good as an actual lemonade, but I still like it in candy corn form. 7/10.

Strawberry Funnel Cake (pink and tan) tastes like those hard candies with the soft filling that come in the shiny red and green wrappers. But there’s also an element that tastes like something fried. It’s my least favorite of the batch, but it’s not bad. 6/10.

And finally, Lemon-Lime Snowcone really does taste like its namesake, Sprite, or any other lemon-lime thing you might enjoy. I can easily imagine myself dipping a spoon into icy goodness instead of biting off a soft candy corn tip. It’s my favorite. 8/10.

Now, this should go without saying, but you have to like candy corn to like this mix. Brach’s is the best brand of candy corn I have had. This mix wouldn’t be as good if it were executed by one of those inferior companies. (\*gives the side-eye to Zachary Confections\*)

In the space of three days, I have eaten nearly the entire bag. Usually, I get sick of regular candy corn much more quickly. And, of course, I dreaded eating certain flavors of the Turkey Dinner and Tailgate varieties, but not so here.

Brach’s has seen the error of its ways and given us a candy corn mix that is both fun and tasty! I approve.

Purchased Price: $3.00
Size: 8 oz bag
Purchased at: Lee’s MarketPlace
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (15 pieces) 110 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 22 grams of sugar including 22 grams of added sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

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