REVIEW: Lay’s Kettle Cooked Fritos Chili Cheese Potato Chips

Lay s Kettle Cooked Fritos Chili Cheese Potato Chips Bag

After polling the general public for over half a decade and creating almost every flavor iteration imaginable, Frito-Lay seems to have decided to start leaning on its heavy hitters. Last year’s inter-brand crossovers brought us Doritos, Cheetos, and Funyuns flavored potato chips. This year, they’ve come back, but they also brought along the new Lay’s Kettle Cooked Fritos Chili Cheese Flavored Potato Chips. What a mouthful, literally and figuratively.

Lay s Kettle Cooked Fritos Chili Cheese Potato Chips Closeup

So how are they?

They’re very accurate. One of the fun parts of these flavor extensions is that because they’re all in the same brand “family,” we get the actual seasoning blends but on a different chip base. Having the EXACT same seasoning is part of the enjoyment.

The cheese flavor is apparent right away and not too overwhelming. The chili seasoning and cumin flavors come up quickly, especially when munching on over-seasoned chips. Before long, I got that feeling in the back of my throat as if I’d just done the cinnamon challenge but grabbed the wrong spice jar, which ended up being smoky chili powder.

It’s possible the corn chip sweetness balances this seasoning better than kettle chips because these get pretty salty pretty fast. It’s almost to the point that they’re a self-regulated serving size kind of snack. But I think the super high chili flavor is an identifying characteristic of Chili Cheese Fritos, so I wasn’t bothered by this.

Also, the significant crunchiness of a kettle chip was the right pairing for such a potent seasoning blend. I think the Kettle Cooked Chips are the far superior chip format among all that Frito-Lay offers, especially when trying to translate a flavor generally found on a uniquely crunchy and savory corn chip. Regular Lay’s just weren’t going to get the job done here.

Lay s Kettle Cooked Fritos Chili Cheese Potato Chips Bowl

Overall, I enjoyed these arguably over-seasoned chips. The chili cheese flavor on the kettle chip base is strong but recognizable. I wouldn’t be mad if they stick around for a while, and they also seem like a good fit for tailgates.

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: 8 oz bag
Purchased at: Mariano’s
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 15 chips) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Pringles Scorchin’ Hot Ones Los Calientes Rojo and Los Calientes Verde

Pringles Scorchin Hot Ones Cans

What are they?

In a seemingly perfect brand partnership, Pringles has teamed up with the folks over at First We Feast’s Hot Ones to create two new Pringles Scorchin’ flavors — Los Calientes Rojo and Los Calientes Verde.

If you didn’t already know, Hot Ones is a YouTube talk show where Sean Evans, the most mild-mannered host to ever exist, interviews celebrities while simultaneously taking them through 10 rounds of hot wings coated in increasingly hot hot sauce. The output is a fantastic display of human panic as everyone from Brian Cranston to Gordon Ramsay attempt to keep a fraction of calm while ingesting what is essentially liquified fire on presumably cold chicken wings. I’m a fan. The show has been running for 18 seasons and has its own hot sauce line, and the seasonings on these crisps are based on two of those sauces.

How are they?

Hot. Thank God.

Pringles Scorchin Hot Ones Rojo

All kidding aside, it’s a huge pet peeve when brands tout words like “scorchin'” and partner with known legitimate hot sauces only to launch crowd-friendly products. That’s not the case here. These bad boys are kickin’.

I started with the Rojo and immediately smelled sweet roasted paprika and spice notes upon opening. The appearance of these was sort of terrifying as they’re coated on one side in a bright red seasoning powder. I dove in and immediately could taste the red sort of smoky, bright heat. These chips are HOT. They build heat across the front of your mouth and tongue and have a roasted taste. They’re fantastic. I don’t think I could eat more than five or so in one sitting, but they deliver expectations in a big way.

Pringles Scorchin Hot Ones Verde

I opened the Verde next and was hit with a spicy green pepper aroma. These chips look like they’re going to kill me, but I could think of worse ways to go. Munching on the spooky green seasoned chips, I immediately sensed a brighter heat. These chips don’t waste any time; the heat immediately pops you in the face, and there is a strong and fantastic green pepper flavor to balance everything. They’re definitely more acidic than the Rojo, and the heat seems more back of the mouth. I think these might be the less spicy of the two, barely, and because of the great balance in pepper flavor, I think I could snack on far more of these than the Rojo version.

Anything else you need to know?

Pringles Scorchin Hot Ones Doggo

My pup caught a whiff of these and sneezed three times in a row! Obviously, I didn’t let her eat any because I’m not cruel.

Conclusion:

These chips made my lips tingle, my eyes water, and if I had eaten more of them, I’m sure I would have broken out into a full sweat. They totally represented the Hot Ones brand and lived up to the flavor hype of the hot sauces they are based upon. It’s a huge plus when a product promises heat and brings it to the table, and I’m glad Hot Ones protects its brand image so well by executing partnerships like this one with Scorchin’ Pringles in a legitimate way. If you don’t like spice, stay far, far away from these.

Purchased Price: $1.79 each

Size: 5.5 oz cans
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Rojo), 9 out of 10 (Verde)
Nutrition Facts: (14 crisps) Rojo – 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein. Verde – 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Little Debbie Star Crunch and Unicorn Cake Ice Creams

Little Debbie Unicorn Cakes and Star Crunch Ice Creams

A few months ago, I reviewed a seven-flavor lineup of Little Debbie-themed ice creams exclusively available at Walmart. Despite a few instances of bare shelves, the original seven can now regularly be found at my local Wally World just in time for Miss Deborah and Hudsonville Creamery to grace us with two more line extensions: Star Crunch Ice Cream and Sparkling Strawberry Unicorn Cake Ice Cream.

I had high hopes for these two additions because they both contain a textural element (the crunchy rice puffs in Star Crunch and the candy sprinkles in the Unicorn Cakes).

Limited Edition Star Crunch Ice Cream Spoon

The Star Crunch Ice Cream has a chocolate ribbon swirl and chocolate-coated puffed rice. There was also, I’ll call it, an adjacent swirl that was very similar to the chocolate but tasted a bit more like the center of the Star Crunch. That amalgam of cookie and caramel wasn’t super strong, and it didn’t hit me over the head with caramel flavor, but I liked that it didn’t seem like there was one single chocolate swirl. The chocolate-coated puffed rice pieces were crunchy, and the chocolate flavor was well balanced against the vanilla ice cream. The Star Crunch itself is a tricky flavor to make stand out in ice cream, but I think the puffed rice pieces helped elevate this without a doubt.

Limited Edition Star Crunch Ice Cream Bpwl

Limited Edition Unicorn Cakes Ice Cream Top

Next up was Unicorn Cakes, and, gosh, did it have several wow factors. Upon opening, WOW that looks like psychedelic chicken pox! Bright blue sprinkles were EVERYWHERE and stood out against a pink strawberry-flavored ice cream base. The candies were crunchy and super sweet, and I think the candy made the ice cream overwhelmingly sweet, but the crunch was an impressive texture variant.

Limited Edition Unicorn Cakes Ice Cream Spoon

Like the Zebra Cake, Swiss Roll, and Strawberry Shortcake Roll ice cream flavors, this one also had little vanilla cake pieces. I found them to be a little saturated but authentic.

Limited Edition Unicorn Cakes Ice Cream Top 2

The final wow factor in this ice cream was the bright blue swirl, representing the icing design of its cake counterpart. My inner child was delighted by the vibrant colors. The adult in me was instantly concerned for the rest of my day after realizing I was eating something that tasted remarkably like strawberry cotton candy made into ice cream. What a trip.

Overall, I think these two are welcome and unique additions to the Little Debbie ice cream lineup. I preferred the balance and texture of the Star Crunch, but I can see how Unicorn Cake could delight the masses the way only something with crazy colors and candy can.

Purchased Price: $2.50 each
Size: One pint
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Star Crunch), 6 out of 10 (Unicorn Cakes)
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) Star Crunch – 250 calories, 13 grams of total fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 grams of dietary fiber, 25 grams of total sugars, 19 grams of added sugars, and 4 gram of protein.

Unicorn Cakes – 240 calories, 12 grams of total fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 23 grams of total sugars, 18 grams of added sugars, and 4 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Little Debbie Ice Cream

Little Debbie Ice Cream Lineup

Update 9/5/23: We tried the Turtle Brownie, Apple Fruit Pies, and Chocolate Chip Creme Pies ice cream flavors! Click here to read our review.

Update 3/8/23: We also tried the Fudge Rounds and Birthday Cakes flavors! Click here to read our review.

Update 9/2/22: We also tried the seasonal Pumpkin Delights flavor! Click here to read our review.

Update 6/24/22: We also tried the Star Crunch and Unicorn Cake flavors! Click here to read our review.

There aren’t many independently-owned companies with a brand as well-known and emotionally coveted as Little Debbie. Maybe it’s the vast and varied number of snack cake, donut, and bakery items. But I think Little Debbie has managed to package up some processed snack food magic in its little boxes, and when I heard it had collaborated to create Little Debbie-themed ice creams, my Cosmic-Brownie-loving heart did a flutter.

I realize there are a lot of nostalgic ties to Little Debbie treats. People have strong opinions about their favorites. My review aims to evaluate each ice cream for its overall representation of the snack cake and the total quality as a stand-alone ice cream. I purchased as many of the accompanying snack cakes as I could find but could not track down a Honey Bun or Swiss Roll IRL. (Supply chain shortages, UGH!)

I started my journey with the Nutty Bars one and immediately noticed the foil lid with a Hudsonville Ice Cream label. In my excitement to find these, I had missed the fantastic detail that these are all truly “ice creams” and not “frozen desserts,” “light ice creams,” or “soft serves.” The first three ingredients in every variety are milk, cream, and sugar (and then many other ingredients, but still, I was delighted and hopeful).

Nutty Bars Ice Cream

Little Debbie Ice Cream Nutty Bar 1

The Nutty Bars variety is a peanut butter ice cream with chocolate swirls and small Nutty Bar-type inclusions. The pieces were wafer squares covered in chocolate which had a more dense texture than the Nutty Bars themselves but were still pretty representative and delivered a wafer crunch. I was smitten. The flavors were clear and balanced, and the ice cream had enough flavor and texture elements to make it enjoyable while also definitely reminding me of a Nutty Bar.

Little Debbie Ice Cream Nutty Bar 2

Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 of the container) 280 Calories, 16 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 1 grams of fiber, 21 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

Zebra Cakes Ice Cream

Little Debbie Ice Cream Zebra Cake 1

Next up, I dug into the Zebra Cakes version, stopping to admire the zebra-striped lid and familiar graphics. It has a vanilla ice cream base with chocolate fudge swirls and vanilla cake pieces. The base tasted remarkably similar to the cake and frosting of the actual snack. The fudge swirl was a great addition, though I think it overrepresented the chocolate note compared to the snack cake’s decorative chocolate swirl. The pieces were more saturated than the Zebra Cake cake, which somehow made them better. This reminded me of the Christmas Tree Cakes Ice Cream, but with the welcome addition of the over-achieving chocolate swirl. Also, yeah, the only Zebra Cake I could locate was a Zebra Cakes ROLL, but the flavor, for comparison’s sake, was the same.

Little Debbie Ice Cream Zebra Cake 3

Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 of the container) 220 Calories, 10 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 80 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 23 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

Strawberry Shortcake Rolls Ice Cream

Little Debbie Ice Cream Strawberry Shortcake Rolls 1

After the Zebra Cakes, I went for the similar Strawberry Shortcake Rolls Ice Cream. This was vanilla-based with a strawberry swirl and vanilla cake pieces. This flavor made it clear that Little Debbie was an active participant in this collaboration because the strawberry swirl tasted IDENTICAL to the strawberry cream in the snack cake version. Like, WOW. There were lots of vanilla cake inclusions, and once again, the base had a bit of that vanilla cream flavor as well. In terms of tasting like the snack cake, this one felt about as close as you could get in an ice cream form. I’m not typically a strawberry ice cream fan, but there isn’t anything I don’t like about this.

Little Debbie Ice Cream Strawberry Shortcake Rolls 2

Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 of the container) 220 Calories, 10 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 80 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 21 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

Oatmeal Creme Pies Ice Cream

Little Debbie Ice Cream Oatmeal Creme Pie 1

Having established a heightened level of expectation, I chose the Oatmeal Creme Pies one next. This flavor had a lot of pressure, as it’s one of Little Debbie’s most well-known and best-selling treats (according to the internet). The ice cream base was a nice clean vanilla, and the mix-in was marble-sized gobs of cinnamon cookie pieces that didn’t appear to have any oats. Still, they were certainly representative. My biggest qualm is that there were too few cookies since they were the only inclusion. They also tasted too heavily of cinnamon and ginger. They were delicious, yes, but they didn’t taste as close to the Oatmeal Creme Pie cookie as I thought they would. Once I found and ate the cookie pieces, I was left with too much plain vanilla ice cream.

Little Debbie Ice Cream Oatmeal Creme Pie 3

Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 of the container) 220 Calories, 9 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 25 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

Honey Buns Ice Cream

Little Debbie Ice Cream Honey Bun 1

Honey Buns Ice Cream was next, and I have to say, I was really disappointed I couldn’t find an actual Honey Bun to compare. I did find a Hostess Jumbo Honey Bun, but that’s a different brand, and I was dedicated to the accuracy! When trying this, the first words out of my mouth were, “Holy crap! How’d they do that?” This delivers on the donut flavor. The base tasted exactly like a Honey Bun (again, maybe this is the magic of shared artificial flavors, and if so, I’m ALL for it!). There were cinnamon sugar swirls and sugar-coated fried dough chunks, which were slightly CRUNCHY like an old-fashioned donut. This ice cream blew my freaking mind. I will buy this again. The cinnamon might have been a tiny bit heavy, but those donut pieces, whoa.

Little Debbie Ice Cream Honey Bun 3

Rating: 10 out of 10 with enthusiasm.
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 of the container) 240 Calories, 13 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 21 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

Swiss Rolls Ice Cream

Little Debbie Ice Cream Swiss Roll 1

Heading back to the cake roll realm, I tried Swiss Rolls Ice Cream next. Again, pathetically, I couldn’t find an actual Swiss Roll to compare it with and had to go a bit on memory for this one. This featured a chocolate base which, again, tasted remarkably similar to the specific chocolate frosting found on Swiss Rolls. There were chocolate cake pieces and a white swirl to represent the sweet cream filling which had sort of a marshmallowy flavor. It might have just been my pint, but I thought the cake pieces were noticeably smaller than those in the Zebra Cake or Strawberry Shortcake varieties, and that made it hard to taste/notice them. When I did encounter some cake, it was dry and gritty. Overall, I still think this came close to representing a Swiss Roll, but as a stand-alone ice cream, the quality wasn’t as high as the others.

Little Debbie Ice Cream Swiss Roll 2

Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 of the container) 210 Calories, 9 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 23 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

Cosmic Brownies Ice Cream

Little Debbie Ice Cream Cosmic Brownies 1

And to round out this crossover launch, there’s Cosmic Brownies Ice Cream. Bright-colored chocolate sprinkles and gobs of chewy chocolate brownie were scattered against a background of chocolate ice cream. I honestly think the base’s flavor could have been stronger, but that might have taken it closer to the taste of Cosmic Brownie frosting. Maybe they could have also added a chocolate swirl? The brownie pieces, however, were fantastic. Chewy, chocolatey, and plentiful, the only thing wrong with them is that I think I liked them better than an actual Cosmic Brownie, and that made me feel like a traitor. The vibrant sprinkles are a little bit lost and muted when submerged in ice cream, but I was surprised that they still did deliver a candy flavor of their own. A pretty decent match with the popular treat and not at all a bad stand-alone ice cream.

Little Debbie Ice Cream Cosmic Brownies 2

Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 of the container) 230 Calories, 10 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 1 grams of fiber, 22 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

Little Debbie Ice Cream Pure Joy

I was pretty blown away by this lineup. I told A LOT of friends and family to go find them. I don’t think many other brand crossover launches like this have done this well at replicating flavor profiles, and I tip my hat to the ingenuity of McKee Foods and Hudsonville Ice Cream. I was particularly impressed with the quality, especially at a $2.50 price point. As mentioned above, the only disappointment was when I occasionally realized I might like one or two of these better than their bakery counterpart. Heaven forbid.

REVIEW: Milk Bar Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cornflake Ice Cream

Milk Bar Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cornflake Ice Cream Pint

What is Milk Bar Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cornflake Ice Cream?

It’s a mouthful in every sense! True to the Milk Bar standard, this ice cream loads in the flavors and textures to your heart’s content. Packed into the seasonal candy cane cookie dough flavored ice cream are crushed candy cane bits, chocolate-flavored chunks, a gooey marshmallow swirl, and the renowned cornflake crunch.

Milk Bar Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cornflake Ice Cream Bowl

How is it?

The ice cream base was a perfect mix of sweet candy peppermint flavor and toasty, buttery cookie dough flavor. Really impressive and not at all overwhelming in mint, as some minty ice creams can be. Plus, despite having a reindeer line-up’s worth of inclusions, everything was noticeably present and accounted for upon the first scoop.

Milk Bar Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cornflake Ice Cream Marshmallow

I quickly encountered a large swirl of gooey marshmallows and was surprised by how much marshmallow flavor it really had. You lose the marshmallow flavor somewhat when this swirl isn’t the majority of a bite, as it’s the most subtle flavor of the lot. That being said, I thought it was authentic and a fun texture change true to the gooey description.

The candy cane crunchies and chocolate-flavored pieces were pretty standard and added a nice crunch and sweetness without being too waxy. Nothing overly innovative there, but they balance out the other sweet and creative inclusions.

Milk Bar Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cornflake Ice Cream Cornflakes

The real pay dirt of this ice cream is the cornflake crunch. Anyone who has attempted to bake the Momofuku Milk Bar cookies will recognize this golden nugget of an ingredient. I found a large pocket of cornflake crunch and dug right in. This was my favorite part of this ice cream by far, as it delivered crunch, cereal milk sweetness, and a buttery balance.

Anything else you need to know?

Just like its Gingerbread counterpart, this flavor is seasonal. So don’t cut it down to the wire like a Turbo Man shopping trip. Go find this flavor now while you still can.

Conclusion:

Despite a possibly overwhelming number of inclusions, this ice cream was balanced in sweetness and texture variety. The cornflake crunch stood out, while the candy cane crunch and chocolate-flavored pieces helped round out the standard expectations. One of the better iterations of a mint ice cream I’ve ever had.

Purchased Price: $5.99
Size: 14 oz
Purchased at: Whole Foods
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 380 calories, 21 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 85 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, <1 grams of fiber, 33 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.