Tag: Cookies

REVIEW: Girl Scouts Raspberry Rally Cookies

Brandon 7 Comments

There’s a common misconception that, as the father of a Girl Scout (Brownie, technically), I am privy to cookie discounts. This is patently false. In fact, what ACTUALLY happens is that I end up having to buy more cookies than just about anyone else. Here’s how that transpires.

“Dad, I’m only ten boxes away from the next prize.”

“Which is?”

“At 100 boxes, I get a glow-in-the-dark cup.”

So I sigh, pull out my wallet, and fork over the whatever-amount-needed to ensure that she can obtain what theoretically amounts to a $600 plastic cup.

The good news is that Girl Scout cookies are wonderful. Well, some of them. Peanut Butter Patties (aka Tagalongs), Caramel deLites (aka Samoas), and Thin Mints are all excellent selections, obviously, and there are others that will do in a pinch. It is from the Thin Mint that ABC Bakers draws inspiration for its latest offering: the Raspberry Rally.

Marketed as “the thin, crispy cookie infused with raspberry flavor and dipped in chocolaty coating,” and “a ‘sister’ cookie to Thin Mints, our #1 bestseller,” “the raspberry kind,” as it is sure to nearly always be called, is an online only offering this Girl Scout cookie season.

So is it worth it?

If you like raspberry-flavored things, or the concept of a Thin Mint but inexplicably find mint to be disagreeable, the answer is yes, you’ll probably like this cookie.

The cookie itself is indistinguishable in appearance and construct from its minty sister. The outside of the thin cookie is the slightly waxy (yet delicious) “chocolaty” coating that you will recognize if you’re a connoisseur of Girl Scout cookies.

The inside, however, is where things get crazy. Instead of the near-black wafer of a Thin Mint, you’re blasted with a vivid pink middle. The artificial raspberry flavor is strong upon the first bite and grows stronger still as you consume. It’s almost *too* much, and I say this as an unapologetic fan of most artificial fruit flavoring.

And really, that’s the tale of the Raspberry Rally — it is a Thin Mint, only raspberry flavored. Very strong raspberry flavoring, though. It’s worth a go if you like fruity chocolate cookies or are a Girl Scout cookie completist, but I don’t know that I’ll feel compelled to buy an entire box each season. You know, unless it means my daughter is only one box away from a $300 eraser in the shape of a bee.

Purchased Price: $6.00
Size: 9 oz box
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (4 cookies) 160 calories, 8 grams of total fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of total carbs, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 10 grams of total sugar, and 2 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Reese’s Dipped Animal Crackers

Marvo 24 Comments

I wasn’t planning on writing about these Reese’s Dipped Animal Crackers, but after getting sent some and devouring a bag about five minutes after opening it, I felt compelled to let people know how awesome they are.

These have been available for several weeks, and when I first learned about them, I rolled my eyes and said out loud to myself, “ANOTHER Reese’s product that probably doesn’t remind me of Reese’s at all.” From what I’ve noticed, when it comes to most products that are Reese’s branded, besides the actual candies, they have a more generic peanut butter and chocolate flavor. They don’t scream Reese’s. They scream an opportunity to make some money with the Reese’s name.

But after one bite of these Reese’s Dipped Animal Crackers, they made me shut my mouth because they proved me wrong, and it would be rude of me to chew these with my mouth open. I wouldn’t want any of this delectable snack to go flying out of my face.

Each animal cracker is dipped in a peanut butter-flavored candy, and then their bottom sides are dipped into milk chocolate. The peanut butter-flavored creme’s texture isn’t gritty like what’s inside a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, Egg, Pumpkin, Tree, Mystery Shape, or whatever. It’s the same as the chocolate.

As for their flavor, saying they remind me of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups would be quite right. Instead, they’re more like Reese’s Eggs and Pumpkins, which I think have a slightly better peanut butter-to-chocolate ratio than the regular cups. Just having that flavor would’ve made an excellent product, but rumbling in soon after the sweet and salty hit my taste buds is the rattling crunch from the animal crackers. It’s a better crunch than ANYTHING Reese’s has stuffed into a peanut butter cup. And that cracker’s flavor doesn’t distract from the taste of the candy coatings.

While they have great flavor and texture, even with a barely passing grade in intro college zoology, I can’t tell what animals are coated in chocolate and peanut butter-flavored candy. Is it a bear? It could also be a rock with legs. Is it a lion? It could also be a rock with legs. They’re all mystery blobs to me. But who cares about that because this is the Best Reese’s Product That Isn’t Completely A Candy I’ve ever had.

Again, these have been out for weeks, so I imagine many of you have already tried them. But if you’re like me and haven’t because you pooh-poohed them, you should give them a chance because I woo-hoo them.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples from Hershey’s. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 4.25 oz bag
Purchased at: N/A
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (4 pieces) 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 11 grams of sugar (including 10 grams of added sugar), and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition The Most Oreo Oreo Cookies

Vin 10 Comments

Weird Al once brilliantly parodied the New Kids on the Block song, “The Right Stuff,” with an ode to the crème in the middle of an Oreo cookie. I’ll give you a second to ponder what the title of Al’s tune could’ve been.

Did you guess, “The White Stuff,” or did you know that already? If you did, then you also know, it’s a bop. The reason I’m bringing this up is to manifest a Super Bowl commercial in which Al and the “Kids” (Jordan, Donnie, Joshy… uh, I wanna say Boris? and, Skippy) unite to promote the newest Oreo. The biggest Oreo. The Most Oreo!

So, if anyone at Mondelez (more of this later) is reading this, there’s a golden Oreo idea for ya.

The Most Oreo is kinda like that ancient Xzibit meme in cookie form. “Yo dawg, we heard you liked Oreo cookies so we crushed up some Oreo and shoved them between an Oreo.” This one is pretty simple. Your thoughts on the Most Oreo will be dependent on how much you like Double Stuf Oreo, because these are essentially double stuffed Double Stuf.

These babies are thick. They’re so thick, they’re thicc with 2 “c’s,” and each “c” stands for “crème.” What you’re looking at is an Oreo with an almost inch wide layer of crème. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but lemme tell ya, it’s a lot. The crème is cookies-n-crème flavored, which just means it tastes like they pureed an Oreo and spread that between the chocolate wafers.

They’re very good and they’re exactly what you think. Each isolated frisbee of crème does have a cookies-n-crème flavor, but as a whole, it just tastes like an obese Oreo. It’s the Most Oreo!

Joey! Joey was a New Kid, not Joshy! Joshy is the Hydrox to Joey’s Oreo.

What was I talking about?

Oh right, the Most Oreo. I like them, but they’re still a little too “extra.” That’s a pretty lame complaint, but you assumed that, right? They’re like that theater kid you knew growing up. By all means, she was delightful… if not just a little extra. She was better in small doses.

Also, let’s be real, there’s nothing “creamy” about Oreo crème, and you really get that distinctly gritty texture here in droves. I did enjoy teeth scraping it out like an artichoke leaf though.

While I’m “complaining,” I don’t like the name. It’s too final. What if the market demands more of the most? Where do you go from there? Oops All Crème? Do they break form and make the cookies double wide? Can they possibly top “Most?!”

I guess the only important things are they’re good and the world needs that Super Bowl commercial.

I address Mondelez again, because they’re the only brand name on the bag. No Nabisco. Nabisco is a subsidiary of Mondelez, but since when has the name “Nabisco” been left off an Oreo package?

It doesn’t matter – Mondelez, you have less than one week to unite Weird Al Yankovic, Jordan, Donnie, Joey, Boris and everyone’s favorite, Skippy. Let’s make this a Super Bowl to remember.

I included a pic of a QR code that takes you into the Oreoverse, if you are so inclined. It’s just some mindless AR stuff, but maybe you can win something or find inner peace in the digital cookie landscape.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 13.4 oz package
Purchased at: Shop Rite
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 Cookie) 110 calories, 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Chewy Chips Ahoy! Confetti Cake Cookies

Marvo 6 Comments

Happy 60th Birthday, Chips Ahoy!

What do you get a cookie for its 60th birthday? An Amazon gift card? An iPhone? Cake? Maybe not to be eaten and preserved in an airtight cookie jar with a window that allows it to watch civilization crumble? Well, I can’t make any of those happen, but I will celebrate by eating the new Chewy Chips Ahoy! Confetti Cake Cookies that commemorate Chips Ahoy’s six decades of providing snacking goodness.

Baked into every one of those celebratory cookies are chocolate chips, cake-flavored white creme chips, and rainbow sprinkles. The packaging shows a yellow confetti cake with frosting and the white creme chips do give the cookie a cake-like flavor. Although, it’s more like cake frosting than yellow cake. As you can see, there are also regular Chips Ahoy chocolate chips, but the white morsels dominate the taste buds, so I’m not sure why they were included other than not wanting them to be left out of the party.

While colorful, the rainbow sprinkles have no texture or flavor, so they’re not what you’d find on cake frosting or on a kitchen floor if you allow a toddler to help you with baking. They’re just slivers of color that make the cookies look like they participated in a splatter painting class. They’re minuscule enough that I didn’t even notice them when I first started shoving cookies into my maw. Granted, my glasses prescription does need updating.

At first, I thought it was strange that these were Chewy Chips Ahoy and not regular crunchy Chips Ahoy. But then I eventually realized that the soft cookie’s texture represents the feel of cake. Besides, 2023 is also Chewy Chips Ahoy’s 40th birthday, so why not share the spotlight.

Chewy Chips Ahoy! Confetti Cake Cookies are a fine and decent tasting way to celebrate Chips Ahoy’s 60th birthday (and Chewy Chips Ahoy’s 40th). I can’t think of a better way for Chips Ahoy to celebrate the occasion. Although, to be honest, I don’t think any brand has thought of any other way to celebrate important milestones in a product’s history than to offer cake-flavored versions of their products.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples from Nabisco. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 14.38 oz pack (Family Size)
Purchased at: Received from Nabisco
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 130 calories, 6 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 11 grams of sugar (including 11 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Snickerdoodle Oreo Cookies

Vin 7 Comments

Limited Edition Snickerdoodle Oreo Cookies Package

Well folks, “Spooky Season” is just about over.

Crazy, right? It feels like it just started.

No, seriously, it feels like “Spooky Season” literally just started. That term seemingly appeared out of thin air and now every single person insists on saying it fourteen times a day.

For that reason alone, I was relieved to see Christmas snacks like Snickerdoodle Oreo Cookies starting to hit the shelves.

Are snickerdoodles even a Christmas thing? I’ve never really thought of them as distinctly Christmassy, but who am I to argue?

Snickerdoodle Oreo has both cinnamon-flavored cookies and crème, which are both speckled with red and green crunchy flavor crystals, so ya know what? Sure, these are Christmas cookies.

I love a good snickerdoodle. I love Oreo. Surely, I love these, right?

Ehhhh, I have some gripes. Bah humbug and whatnot.

Limited Edition Snickerdoodle Oreo Cookies Stack

First of all, there’s something very “synthetic cinnamon” about the scent these cookies emit. There’s a fine line between appetizing and “candle,” and these smell like the latter.

The cookie wafer itself has a very mild cinnamon flavor. There’s no mention on the package, so I may honestly just be tasting a cinnamon Ghost of Christmas Past radiating from the crème. These might just be decorated Golden Oreo, but I think I’m right. Either way, it’s a pretty bland cookie.

The crème is nice, but not exactly bursting with cinnamon. It’s like the classic Oreo crème with a dash of cinnamon. They’re not cloyingly sweet as a result, so that’s a positive.

Limited Edition Snickerdoodle Oreo Cookies Creme

Don’t get me wrong, there’s no mistaking the cinnamon, but these are a little on the boring side. I do love the colorful flavor crystals though. They’re basically the sprinkles you’d decorate Christmas sugar cookies with, and they made the wafers look like Doritos Cool Ranch Oreo, which excited me for some strange reason.

I should acknowledge that while I find these tame, they do a nice job of emulating the cookie’s flavor. It’s not like snickerdoodles typically burn your mouth like a shot of Fireball or a stick of Big Red, so I’m not sure what I was ultimately expecting.

Another thought I couldn’t shake was that snickerdoodles are usually as much a textural cookie as they are a flavor experience. If I’m eating one, I want it to be soft. I associate this cinnamon profile with a soft cookie, so maybe these never even had a chance to be a favorite.

Snickerdoodle might literally be the center point on an Oreo flavor scale. I don’t really remember the exact taste of the Cinnamon Bun Oreo, but I’m positive I liked those more. In reality, these probably aren’t that much of a far cry from those, but they’re definitely worse.

Limited Edition Snickerdoodle Oreo Cookies Sleeves

With these being released in October, I’m curious to see if Oreo has an even more Christmassy variety up its three sleeves. If not, you’re stuck with Snickerdoodle, which is… fine. They’re fine. They’re inoffensive and probably worth a try, but they certainly don’t pack enough of a punch to eat during something called “Spooky Season,” so maybe wait a week or two. Merry Christmas.

Purchased Price: $4.69
Size: 12.2 oz package
Purchased at: Shop Rite
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 Cookies) 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.