The Impulsive Buy

Tag: Keebler

REVIEW: Keebler Harry Potter Butterbeer Fudge Stripes

Keebler’s new Butterbeer Fudge Stripes are the first Harry Potter-themed confection I’ve tried since a traumatizing run-in with a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Bean, so needless to say, I was trepidatious.

It’s hard to Obliviate your first earwax-flavored Jelly Belly. Just thinking about those cursed beans makes me freeze up in fear as if I were struck by the Immobulous charm. Yeah, I’ve seen the movies, folks. I know spells, at least like six of them. I didn’t read a single word of the books, but I know spells! Uh… Oculus Reparo! See?

I know you can see because I just fixed your glasses.

Anyway, despite being a fan of the Potter films, I’ve never actually had Butterbeer. I’ve had butterscotch. I’ve had butter rum, but that’s the extent of my forays into Butter *insert type of booze here.* I honestly don’t even really know much about the flavor profile of Butterbeer, so I wasn’t sure what to expect-O PATRONUM! Remember that one?!

Ya know, I gotta hand it to the elves, be it tree or house, we got ourselves a nice little collab here. Ernie met Dobby, and they baked up a solid little cookie.

These biscuits, for my British friends, reek of a Waffle Crisp-style cereal, but there’s no maple because Butterbeer IS butterscotch. I think. Perhaps my muggle brain can’t comprehend the subtle differences, but for all intents and purposes, these Quidditch goal-shaped rings taste like butterscotch. I assumed there’d be something a bit more foreign that tasted new to me, but I wasn’t disappointed.

The cookie base is the familiar Fudge Stripe sans fudge stripes, but instead piped with a white Butterbeer(scotch) icing.

As you know, Fudge Stripes are named after Cornelius Fudge, the thirty-second Minister of Magic, and Sorkelport Stripes, a legendary Hogwarts professor that I just made up. It is ultimately they who inspired this snack sorcery, and I think Keebler did them proud.

If you’re not a butterscotch lover, don’t worry, the flavor isn’t as pronounced as the classic hard candies. I’d say it exists in the same sweetness realm as dulce de leche and salted caramel fare we’ve become accustomed to, with these almost pushing “too sweet” but still quite indulgent and enjoyable for a cookie or three. Dare I say good enough to Expelliarmus anyone trying to steal one.

By now, it’s quite apparent – I know my Potter, huh?! Well, maybe not enough to decipher what I’m supposed to be seeing on each cookie, but these do seem to have fun little Wizarding World-specific designs that get swallowed up in the icing, so that’s fun, I guess.

I’d consider these a success, and I like to believe Harry, Hermoine, and… whatshisface would definitely buy a pack from the Hogwarts Express trolley.

It’s also nice to see butterscotch getting a little shine with all this butterbeer stuff hitting shelves. It’s a nice change of pace flavor that’s rarely seen outside of grandma’s candy dish.

Ron! His name is Ron. How could I forget Ron, that’s just Riddickulus! (Six. Told ya.)

Purchased Price: $2.98
Size: 9.5 oz package
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 Cookies) 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar (including 8 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein.

March 13, 2025
REVIEW: Keebler Special Batch Fudge Stripes Maple Creme Cookies

As the leaves change colors (unless you live somewhere mostly devoid of leaves AND four seasons, like I do), autumn flavors increase their annual grip on our collective consciousness.

I have seen more maple-flavored offerings in the last few years, but it feels underrepresented compared to pumpkin spice anything. But Keebler is doing its part to keep the cookie field diverse with its new Special Batch Fudge Stripes Maple Crème Cookies.

Upon opening the package, I am hit with a friendly aroma of maple. It is warm and sweet without being overbearing. Maple flavoring must be difficult to properly implement because I have had some maple-oriented foods that were far too strong. The smell is a good sign.

The cookies are somewhat difficult to pry apart, which I do not remember being the case with traditional Fudge Stripes. This bears no real impact on the product, but it feels worth mentioning. It is likely an effect of the maple crème melting during shipping and then re-solidifying.

The cookies have the same pleasant shortbread base as the original Fudge Stripes. Biting into them yields a rewarding crunch. The maple-flavored crème immediately hits my taste buds, and I am pleasantly surprised. It is not overly strong at all. If anything, it is a bit too subdued, but being able to taste the shortbread cookie beyond the maple crème is welcome.

Compared to an average maple donut, these are considerably milder. The crème is smooth and sweet, acting as an appropriate vessel for the maple. It has the same consistency as Fudge Stripes’ usual fudge.

My mother makes a “cookie salad,” which is like a form of ambrosia-style fruit salad with crushed up Fudge Stripes. I can see the maple crème version being a nice addition for a dessert dish in a similar manner. The flavor is restrained enough to add a hint of maple goodness without taking over.

Keebler Fudge Stripes Maple Crème Cookies are a solid seasonal offering and did a fine job bringing the familiar fall flavor to my mouth. While the maple could stand to be a little stronger, these cookies are well-rounded and offer some much-needed seasonal comfort.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from Keebler. (Thanks, Keebler!) Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 11.5 oz.
Purchased at: Received from Keebler
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

October 9, 2020
REVIEW: Keebler Limited Edition Birthday Cake Chips Deluxe Cookies

What are Keebler Limited Edition Birthday Cake Chips Deluxe Cookies?

They are Keebler’s Chips Deluxe Cookies with not only milk chocolate chips but also white chocolate chips and candy sprinkles.

Sometimes birthday cake-flavored products are released to celebrate the significant anniversaries of a brand or company. Even though Keebler turned 167 years old last month, I don’t think these commemorate that. But now that I think about it, it was about a year ago when Nutella-maker Ferrero purchased the Keebler brand from Kellogg’s.

So Happy First Anniversary Under Ferrero, Keebler!

How are they?

I’ve had a lot of birthday cake-flavored products since the introduction of Birthday Cake Oreo in 2012. Most of them have a similar flavor profile — frosting and/or a little chocolate or golden cake batter flavor. That’s the standard my taste buds expect when it comes to the flavor. But these cookies are, let’s just say, a different take.

They certainly do look the part with the colorful sprinkles providing a festive cake-like appearance. But when I eat them, why do my taste buds think of coconut? I mean, it’s faint and doesn’t happen with every bite, but it’s a bit odd. Maybe it’s the sprinkles, white chocolate, something baked into the cookie dough, or a combination of them causing that.

While these don’t remind me of birthday cake, they also don’t taste like chocolate chip cookies. I occasionally notice the milk chocolate, but with the mingling of other ingredients, they’re more of a nondescript tasting cookie. They’re not bad per se, but I can’t say I love them.

Anything else you need to know?

This review was posted on this site’s 16th birthday. I really should’ve made reviewing a birthday cake-flavored product on this day an annual thing. Maybe this review will start that. Or perhaps this is the last year?

Also, when was Ernie the Elf replaced with android Ernie the Elf?

Conclusion:

Keebler Limited Edition Birthday Cake Chips Deluxe Cookies look festive, but there’s no party in my mouth when I eat them.

DISCLOSURE: I received free samples of the product. (Thanks Keebler!) Doing so did not influence this review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 9.5 oz package
Purchased at: Received from Keebler
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 160 calories, 9 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

August 9, 2020
REVIEW: Keebler Special Batch Chocolate Caramel Fudge Stripes Cookies

As I’m sure that most of my fellow southerners understand, the arrival of May means the start of the hot, humid weather that’s going to be around for the rest of the summer. Most people give up trying to endure the heat and crank up the air conditioner at this point, but I normally try to stick it out until the official start of summer before turning mine on.

So, considering that my house is 87 degrees right now, there’s no way I’m going to turn my oven on to bake anything. Luckily, the grocery store has a wide enough variety of ready-to-eat cookies that I can enjoy a different treat every night of the week without ever having to heat up my kitchen!

Keebler’s Fudge Stripes have been a favorite of mine ever since I was a kid, and I love things that pair chocolate and caramel together, so the idea behind Keebler’s new Special Batch Chocolate Caramel Fudge Stripes sounded awesome to me when I spotted them while I strolled around Walmart, taking in the breeze from their industrial air conditioners.

Once I got them home and actually opened up the bag to grab a handful, though, my expectations started tank fast. First off, they smelled super weird. It’s kind of hard to describe, but they have this buttery, artificial aroma to them that reminds me of microwave kettle corn.

That’s probably due to the caramel fudge coating on them, which I’d say took up about 80 percent of the chocolate shortbread cookie’s surface area. Setting that aside, seeing the abundance of caramel fudge on these cookies made me excited that I was going to get some big caramel flavor from Ernie’s newest creation!

But it was a super let-down. Even though these have a distinct appearance and aroma when compared to the original ones, they taste about the same. The caramel coating got completely lost somehow, and the shortbread cookies only had the very lightest hints of cocoa when I was really searching for it.

That’s a real shame! Chocolate and caramel done right should complement one another like peanut butter and jelly.

In retrospect, these cookies might have tasted better if Keebler had used caramel-flavored shortbread and stuck to dipping it into their standard fudge coating. Something about trying to make the fudge taste like caramel makes the cookie’s entire flavor profile not work.

In any case, if the Keebler elves want to live up to their promise of only making cookies and crackers that are uncommonly good, this is a batch of cookies that needs to head back to the Fac-Tree for some more work.

(Nutrition Facts – 2 cookies – 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 60 calories from fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of total carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, 11 grams of total sugars, 11 grams of added sugars, 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.48
Size: 11.5 oz.
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 4 out of 10
Pros: Not having to heat up my oven. Sounded like a great idea on the package. They don’t actually taste bad on their own.
Cons: Smell like microwave kettlecorn. No caramel or chocolate taste. They taste like a regular Fudge Stripes cookie. Not being uncommonly good.

May 15, 2018
REVIEW: Keebler Whoopsy! Fudge Stripes Cookies

Is “accidentally” coating shortbread cookies completely with fudge instead of being dipped on one side and drizzled really worthy of a whoopsy?

I can think of several true whoopsies that could happen to Ernie and his fellow Keebler Elves.

If Keebler Club Crackers were shaped like Ritz Crackers, that would be a whoopsy. If Ernie the Elf burned down the Hollow Tree by accident, that would most definitely be a whoopsy. But the new Whoopsy! Fudge Stripes Cookies don’t seem to be as bad as those hypothetical situations.

The fudge enrobes the shortbread cookie, making it look like its wearing a skintight Speedo body suit so that it can do laps in a glass of milk. At some angles, they look like thin donuts dipped in chocolate icing.

But, it’s might be a bit too skintight since the fudge sinks into every nook and cranny of the cookie’s design, allow us to see the outline of what’s underneath. It’s like seeing the shape of your innie or outie belly button or nipples from the way a skintight Speedo bodysuit stretches.

Despite the extra fudge, the cookie within provides a hearty crunch. I somewhat expected the chocolatey exterior to dampened the crispiness, like with a fudge-covered Oreo, but the layer’s thinness doesn’t affect the baked good’s snap.

The extra coating also doesn’t affect the shortbread’s flavor. I mean, it tastes like a regular Fudge Stripes Cookie, but, obviously, fudgier. The flavor of the sweet and buttery cookie under the coating still comes through. But the difference between it and the original version is so slight that it disappoints me a little.

There’s nothing intriguing about Whoopsy! Fudge Stripes Cookies. They have more of something they had a lot of to begin with, and that’s it. Yeah, more fudge is nice, but they’re not better or worse than the original, which is pretty gosh darn tasty. If there was a significant difference between it and the original, like Oops! All-Berries Cap’n Crunch Cereal and Crunchberries Cereal, then it would be a bit more exciting.

With that said, if you enjoy the classic cookie from Keebler, I guarantee you’ll like these.

DISCLOSURE: I accepted a free sample of these cookies from a PR firm representing Keebler. Doing so did not influence my review in any way.

(Nutrition Facts – 2 cookies – 170 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 80 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 11.5 oz.
Purchased at: Received from Keebler
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Tastes like a regular Fudge Stripes Cookie, but slightly fudgier. Crunchy shortbread cookie. More fudge.
Cons: Not really a true whoopsy. Not that different from original Fudge Stripes Cookies. Accidentally burning down the Hollow Tree.

May 3, 2018