Tag: Nabisco

REVIEW: Chips Ahoy Limited Edition Hershey’s S’mores Cookies

Marvo 4 Comments

When making s’mores, the only chocolate that comes to mind is a Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar. The thought of constructing a graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate masterpiece with a Ghirardelli Chocolate Square, Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar, or, heaven forbid, a Palmer Milk Chocolate Gold Coin. So it seems right, at least to me, that these new Chips Ahoy Limited Edition Hershey’s S’mores Cookies have that famous Pennsylvania chocolate in them, along with marshmallow-flavored chips and Chips Ahoy’s usual chocolatey pieces.

The Hershey’s chocolate comes in the form of Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Mini Bar Pieces. They are tiny and, I think, even have “Hershey’s” stamped into them. I didn’t know bars came in this size. That’s some extreme portion control and must not be very satisfying unless you eat dozens of them. But in these cookies, they are extremely satisfying, and along with the vanilla marshmallow-flavored chips, they make me forget the usual chocolate is even there. It’s as if the three morsels are in a production of Romeo and Juliet, and while the Hershey’s chocolate and white chips are in the two leading roles, the usual chips have been relegated to the roles of servants of the Capulet and Montague houses.

However, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate has a distinct taste, and I don’t notice it here. Its flavor might be skewed by the regular and marshmallow morsels. But those chunks make the cookies taste much more chocolatey than regular Chips Ahoy. As for the white chips, they have an enticing artificial marshmallow flavor, and if there’s ever a Chips Ahoy Peeps Cookie, these will do the trick nicely.

Now, this wouldn’t be a “s’mores” cookie if it didn’t have any graham cracker flavor, and I’m happy to report that it’s there…I think. The cookie part definitely doesn’t taste like a standard Chips Ahoy, but I wouldn’t say it’s like honey-kissed Honey Maid or Teddy Grahams. But there’s something about it that evokes the essence of graham. There’s no graham flour or graham anything. But it does complete the whole s’mores vibe these cookies have.

If there was one thing that irritated me about these, it was how quickly they disappeared from the packaging. I mean, that’s obviously my fault because I lack self-control sometimes, and sometimes I want to make ice cream sandwiches with the cookies I buy. But I wish this limited edition offering came in a weight that went beyond double digits.

Chips Ahoy Limited Edition Hershey’s S’mores Cookies are outstanding and worth a purchase during this s’mores season.

Purchased Price: $5.29*
Size: 9.58 oz package
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 cookies) 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar (including 11 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram 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.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Black & White Cookie Oreo Cookies

Julie 5 Comments

While the phrase “black and white” often connotes unchallenged simplicity, Oreo has instead presented us with the gustatory puzzle of a cookie flavored like a cookie that is technically a cake. Could any dessert be as delicious as the irony?

Whether you know them as black and whites or half moon cookies, the iconic deli staple sweet is the brand’s newest inspiration. Traditional black and white cookies are soft, cakey cookies sleekly coated with vanilla icing on one half and chocolate icing on the other. Limited Edition Black & White Cookie Oreo Cookies consist of golden vanilla wafer cookies and overlapping circles of vanilla and chocolate cremes.

It sounds like a fancy name for a lazy concept — a pet peeve of mine when it comes to product naming. (Unless it has sprinkles and a cherry, it isn’t hot fudge sundae flavored — it’s just chocolate and vanilla!)

Happily, the duo of cremes in this Oreo avoided that naming trap and pleasantly surprised me. The white creme has a distinct vanilla flavor, just like royal icing enhanced by a touch of vanilla extract. I expected to taste Oreo’s traditional white filling, but this creme is very vanilla-forward and less sugary-sweet. The complementary black creme has a deep, almost bittersweet cocoa taste. It is similar to the dark chocolate fillings of Oreo’s past, but not as rich. They are delicious apart, but both cremes together remind me of a black and white cookie in a way that makes “chocolate and vanilla” feel like an inadequate description.

Like the colors black and white, Oreo fans may also be separated into dichotomous categories: those who eat Oreo cookies by twisting the wafers apart to savor the creme first and those who just take a big bite out of the sandwich. Because of the well-flavored filling, B&WC Oreos were made for the first category of tasters. With one bite, the buttery cookies take over, and it is hard to taste the cremes. As a result, the entire cookie becomes just okay instead of special. The golden vanilla wafers were a good choice to represent the cookie’s inspiration dessert, but, like an overcast sky, they hide the understated beauty of the (half) moon.

The enduring success of the original Oreo proves that there is perfection in simplicity. The Limited Edition Black & White Cookie Oreo approaches, but doesn’t quite live up to, that truth. The cookie may have been more successful in the Double Stuf variety, where the filling could really shine. I hope Oreo revisits these cremes before it rushes to develop something more wacky or luxurious because they are too good to be written off as basic.

Purchased Price: $4.69
Size: 10.68 oz (303 g) package
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 2 cookies) 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Chicken in a Biskit Ranch Crackers

Vin 11 Comments

What are they?

After decades of being the most underrated cracker on the shelf, Chicken in a Biskit has a new flavor.

How are they?

I just wanna double down here – I believe Chicken in a Biskit is arguably the most underrated salty snack in the entire supermarket.

Do people even know about Chicken in a Biskit? The incredible cracker that tastes like it’s seasoned with packets of powdered chicken soup mix?

It’s always one little blue column of boxes amidst a sea of red Cheez-It and yellow Wheat Thins. I walk by it on so many supermarket trips that it’s always like rediscovering them when they actually catch my eye. Needless to say, I was really excited when I saw the new Ranch flavor.

Unfortunately, these are nowhere near as good as the OGs.

I’ll be fair, they’re still pretty solid, but the flavor is a little jarring. It tastes like standard Ranch if heavy with dill, which I’m pretty sure isn’t a standard ingredient. The buttermilk essence is strong, and you can taste the garlic and onion combo to a fault.

The finish has a pronounced, almost sour garlic flavor that will make you want to avoid people for a few hours. My brain kept flip-flopping between sour Ranch and slightly off Tzatziki the whole time.

They’re closer to authentic Ranch dressing in smell and flavor than a Cool Ranch Dorito, but I guess I like inauthentic Ranch. That Hidden Valley can stay hidden for all I care!

Anything else you need to know?

These still retain enough of the “chicken” flavor that it isn’t a total loss. Ranch is probably 8th on my chicken dipping sauces, so if it’s one of your favorites, you might like these a lot more.

I do love the texture of these crackers, though. They’re more of a Ritz crunch than a crispy Cheez-it.

I also have to mention that the odd finish does slowly fade the more you eat, but I still desperately wanted to chase these with gum.

Conclusion:

I’m maybe a bit disappointed in these, seeing as they are the first brand expansion of one of my favorite sodium-bomb crackers, but in the end, they’re still worth picking up, if you actually notice them.

As far as misspellings of “Biscuit” go, here are my rankings:

  1. Chicken in a Biskit
  2. Ranch Chicken in a Biskit
  3. Limp Bizkit

Purchased Price: $4.28
Size: 12 oz. (which is apparently a “Family Size” these days)
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (12 Crackers) 160 calories, 8 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 260 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of fiber, and 2 grams 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 Chocolate Confetti Cake Oreo Cookies

Mike 9 Comments

Chocolate Confetti Cake Oreo Cookies Package

In celebration of Oreo’s 110th birthday, Mondelez has released Limited Edition Chocolate Confetti Cake cookies. Oreo is the world’s most successful cookie, sold in over 100 countries with sales of more than $500 billion. Isn’t it a bit gauche for a rich and famous cookie to ask us to buy something for its 110th birthday? I’m getting “Bilbo celebrating his eleventy-first birthday” vibes from this. But, like a good little hobbit, I can’t help but attend and see how the food is.

The cookie contains two crème layers: standard chocolate and a buttercream-flavored white crème with confetti mixed in. They’re sandwiched between classic chocolate Oreo wafers sprinkled with even more confetti.

Birthday cake flavor can be tricky to get right, and it takes a special kind of alchemy to distill the essence of birthday cake and infuse it into a snack. I felt regular Birthday Cake Oreo were a rare misfire from the brand. They tasted too artificial, less like alchemical magic, and more like a laboratory accident.

Chocolate Confetti Cake Oreo Cookies Wafer

These are much better. The confetti is eye-catching and stands out from the dark cookie. The buttercream filling has a creamier flavor than the standard white crème, though it’s also a little artificial tasting. However, the chocolate crème and cookies manage to overpower that defect. The result is a creamy chocolate cake flavor that evokes a real cake. They’re maybe even better with milk than regular Oreo.

Chocolate Confetti Cake Oreo Cookies Creme

You may ask how I figured out the white crème tastes bad by itself if the two layers are smushed together. You see, like a hobbit, my social life revolves around food. I have a Cookie Friend. My friend and I sample every new Oreo, carefully assess, and then rank them. We’re methodical in our process, so we pried the two fillings apart to critique them independently. He pointed out these cookies seemed grittier than regular Oreo, and perhaps it’s due to the confetti. I don’t know if I agree, but you don’t disregard the opinion of your Cookie Friend, so I’m reporting it here. Then again, he also thinks that Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Oreo are good dunked in Screwball peanut butter whiskey, so can you really trust his judgment?

Chocolate Confetti Cake is an excellent addition. I think they’re a natural addition to Oreo’s growing collection of flavors, and Mondelez should consider making them permanent. These are a limited edition, so I recommend grabbing them when you see them.

Purchased Price: $4.50
Size: 12.2 oz (345g)
Purchased at: Oreo.com
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Two cookies) 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 13 grams of sugar including 13 grams added sugar, and 1 gram of protein.