Happy 100th Birthday, Drake’s Devil Dogs! I knew you were old, but I didn’t know you were THAT old. Did you get a shoutout on the Today Show? (Spotted by Tommy at Market Basket.)
Spotted something new? Send your photos to [email protected].
M&M’s are one of those candies that consistently pump out different varieties, and the new Bakery Collection features three flavors inspired by baked goods. We’re encouraged to scan a QR code and vote for our favorite from the following contenders: Lemon Meringue Pie, Chocolate Cherry Cupcake, and Peanut Butter Cinnamon Roll. I found these at Walgreens and heard more than one employee remark that they weren’t particularly interested in trying any of them.
It’s somewhat incomprehensible to me that anyone wouldn’t want to try a new snack, even if it sounds terrible (yeah, I bought those Swedish Fish Oreos), but I kind of have to agree – none of these really excite me. They exist, though, and that’s enough for me to fork over seven dollars and hope I’m not left mumbling curses through a mouthful of Lemon Pledge-flavored morsels.
Lemon Meringue Pie M&M’s are a white chocolate variety, about the size of a regular M&M but rounder due to a crispy rice center. The yellow, white, and peach-colored candies have a light lemon scent and a lemon flavor that I don’t find akin to a cleaning product, but I also can’t say I enjoy. The color scheme does better at imitating its inspiration than the taste and texture do. Perhaps fans of Crispy M&M’s will enjoy these, but crunch doesn’t align with lemon meringue pie in my mind, and I wish the center were some sort of tart lemony cream or jam instead.
At my wedding, I had a bunch of candy jars that I waited until the last minute to fill (who knew you were supposed to prepare for events like that in advance?), and in my haste, I ended up throwing some Lemonheads in the same jar as some chocolate Sixlets. Later that night, my very honest friend Chris informed me that this was a terrible combination, and I explained I hadn’t intended them to be eaten together. These M&M’s are what I think that combo must have tasted like. I’m sure some people will enjoy the lemon and crunch, but I want nothing to do with them. Chris, stay away from these.
Size: 3.22 oz bag
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 pack) 150 calories, 7 grams of total fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 18 grams of total sugars, and 1 gram of protein.
Chocolate Cherry Cupcake pieces are a thicker size, so you’d expect something in the center, but they’re pure chocolate. This seems like a missed opportunity because the inclusion of a tiny cake bit or something that mimicked it (not crispy rice!) could justify the cupcake moniker. The good thing is that the interior features a smooth combination of milk and dark chocolate, and the deeper notes of the dark chocolate are incredibly welcome.
These have a syrupy cherry flavor, more like a cherry cordial than anything else. There’s been a Cherry Cordial M&M before, but it lacked dark chocolate, and if we can just consider this iteration an upgrade on that, I’m alright with it.
Size: 2.47 oz bag
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/2 pack) 170 calories, 8 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 22 grams of total sugars, and 1 gram of protein.
Lastly we have Peanut Butter Cinnamon Roll. While this treat isn’t commonplace in any bakery I’ve ever been to, I have called Peanut Butter M&M’s my favorite since their debut, so these hold some promise. The basic size and structure here is right on; they look like the candy I know and love. For a brief moment, or perhaps if you’ve never had the original peanut butter before, you could bite down on these and be pleased with the perfect ratio of candy coating, milk chocolate, and creamy peanut butter center. But then the cinnamon creeps in. It’s not a hot cinnamon, and there’s nothing really wrong with it except that the original product was somehow much better without it.
If we’re trying to make a cinnamon roll M&M, I’m not sure why we skipped a cream cheese frosting element and went straight to peanut butter. Instead of pulling something fresh from the oven, they’ve just corrupted a perfectly good batch of peanut butter M&M’s.
Size: 2.83 oz bag
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 pack) 140 calories, 8 grams of total fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 13 grams of total sugars, and 3 grams of protein.
When you throw this many candy-coated chocolate pebbles at the wall, there are bound to be some that just don’t stick. Unfortunately, all three flavors from the Bakery Collection fell into this category for me. The winner of the fan vote gets to stay on shelves, but I wouldn’t be upset if all of these disappeared.
Purchased Price: $3.29 each (buy 2 get 1 free)
Purchased at: Walgreens
Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments. Spotted something new? Send your photos to [email protected].
Tee hee hee, indeedeedeed! (Spotted by DJ at Redner’s.)
Spotted something new? Send your photos to [email protected].
After globetrotting through Canada and several European countries over the past few years, McDonald’s Big Arch has finally landed in the US for a limited time. Okay, there was a layover at the McDonald’s headquarters restaurant in Chicago last year. Either way, it has more passport stamps than me, and now it’s available to everyone across the country.
The highly anticipated burger features two quarter-pound beef patties, white cheddar, slivered onions, crispy onions, pickles, lettuce, and a Big Arch Sauce on a toasted sesame and poppy seed bun.
Just opening the box and seeing that bun made this feel like an elevated experience. I’m used to the standard sesame seed bun on most McDonald’s burgers, but the black poppy seeds gave it a premium feeling. They don’t add much flavor, but they make a strong first impression.
Think of the Big Arch as the Big Mac’s younger, but more sophisticated sibling — a Big Mac that went abroad, and came back to the States more refined, mature, and cultured, and clearly hit Planet Fitness three times a week while it was away. Its size alone makes the Big Mac look, well, less big. Though for all its refinement, it still has the bad habit of leaving toppings scattered across the bottom of the clamshell box, just like its older sibling.
As for the flavor, it’s Big Mac-ish, thanks to the familiar combination of beef, pickles, onions, lettuce, and cheese. The creamy, slightly sweet Big Arch Sauce reminds me of French dressing with the tang dialed back, and it works beautifully with the pickles and onions, much like Big Mac Sauce does. The crispy onions add a pleasant crunch and a mild onion bite, though I’d say the slivered onions do most of the heavy flavor lifting. The white cheddar is milder than the orange American slices in a Big Mac, but its cheesiness still comes through among all the other toppings. Although there’s a lot of beef, every ingredients shares a bit of the spotlight, making each bite well-balanced, and I can taste why this burger was a hit abroad.
While it tastes great, the Big Arch isn’t something I’d order regularly if it became a permanent menu item. At 1,020 calories and as the most expensive burger my local McDonald’s currently offers, it’s firmly in splurge territory. If it were brought back periodically, like the McRib, I’d order it every time it returns.
It’s also worth asking: does it actually need two patties? The photos in this review are from the second Big Arch I ordered, which I had to purchase because the first one I bought had only one patty. Even with just one, I walked away completely satisfied with the meatiness and the overall flavor. A single-patty version would bring both the price and the nutrition numbers down to something far less intimidating, and, just like the Quarter Pounder, McDonald’s could always offer a double-patty version for those who want more meat.
Either way, McDonald’s Big Arch is a delicious burger, and I’m glad I don’t need to pull out my passport to try one.
Purchased Price: $8.99*
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 1,020 calories, 65 grams of fat, 25 grams of saturated fat, 3 grams of trans fat, 175 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,760 milligrams of sodium, 59 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugar (including 10 grams of added sugar), and 53 grams of protein.
*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.
