Author: Meghan

QUICK REVIEW: Hostess Peanut Butter Totally Nutty! Bars

Meghan 6 Comments

Hostess Peanut Butter Totally Nutty Bars

What are Hostess Peanut Butter Totally Nutty! Bars?

Having grown up in a family that always had Little Debbie treats scattered around the house, these new confections seem to be Hostess’ take on its rival’s iconic Nutty Buddy Bars. They feature layers of peanut butter filling sandwiched between fudge-coated wafers.

How are they?

Hostess Peanut Butter Totally Nutty Bars 2

Hostess was right to call these treats Totally Nutty because they were all about the peanut butter. It was the most prominent flavor I noticed when I initially tasted one of the bars, and it was also the aspect that made me want to reach for another pack after polishing my first one off.

With all the nutty goodness going on, I forgot each bar has a fudge coating. Well, at least until it started to melt on my fingers. It’s easy to forget about because it’s bland compared to the rest of the bar.

Hostess Peanut Butter Totally Nutty Bars 3

If I had to describe the specific flavor of the peanut butter filling, I would say it’s quite close to what’s in Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Creamy, sweet, and salty enough to make them hard to put down, it was the perfect companion for the light and airy texture of each wafer layer.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Unlike Nutty Buddy bars, which come in twin packs, these are individually wrapped. So don’t plan on being able to split a sleeve between you and a friend all that easily.

Conclusion:

Despite the fudge coating’s shortcomings, I still found these quite enjoyable. They may not carry the Reese’s name, but peanut-butter-lovers everywhere should definitely make a spot for these in their snack cabinet.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 12 oz. box (8 bars)
Purchased at: Kroger
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 230 calories, 140 calories from fat, 16 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 16 grams of total sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

QUICK REVIEW: Great Value Danish Butter Cookie Coffee Creamer

Meghan 1 Comment

Great Value Danish Butter Cookie Coffee Creamer

What is Great Value’s Danish Butter Cookie Creamer?

Walmart’s Great Value Danish Butter Cookie Creamer is a union between an often overshadowed holiday treat and similarly underappreciated line of private-label coffee accoutrements. It promises to give you the ability to freely pour the nostalgic flavor of Danish Butter cookies into your morning cup of joe.

How is it?

Considering that Danish Butter Cookies are one of the best treats to pair with coffee, it should be no surprise this creamer is ideally suited for your morning caffeine. It’s sweet enough to take the bitter edge off a fresh cup without adding additional sugar. Also, the creamer’s predominant flavors of vanilla and butter complemented my drink well.

Great Value Danish Butter Cookie Coffee Creamer 2

After trying this in several different types of coffee, this tastes best when used alongside light or medium roast beans. It’s passable enough in bolder brews, but I found that darker ones tend to drown out some of the creamer’s flavor.

To be honest, I can’t believe Walmart was the first company to think of making a creamer like this. Coffee-mate and International Delight have covered everything from Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to Strawberry Cheesecake, so I would have figured that one of them would have developed a butter cookie flavor first.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Since I got the taste of Butter Cookies when I tried it in java, I got curious as to whether drinking it on its own would be like the Danish variation of Target’s Sugar Cookie Milk.

Walmart s Great Value Danish Butter Cookie 3

Lesson learned: It’s not. Without coffee to hide the artificial flavor, sipping this by itself tastes less like a cookie and more like how a vanilla Yankee Candle smells.

Conclusion:

If you prefer your joe on the light to medium side and have been looking for a new creamer to try, then I’d say Walmart’s Great Value Danish Butter Cookie Creamer is worth a shot. Just don’t expect to be able to leave out a straight glass of this for Santa without getting coal in your stocking.

Purchased Price: $2.48
Size: 32 fl. oz.
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 tablespoon) 30 calories, 1 gram of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 5 grams of total sugars, 5 grams of added sugars, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Magnum Ice Cream Tubs (Late 2018 Flavors)

Meghan 1 Comment

Magnum Ice Cream Tubs Late 2018 Flavors

Expanding upon its foray into the pint-size game, Magnum has released three new flavors of its ultra-indulgent ice cream just in time to comfort the lonely souls stuck at home watching Hallmark Christmas specials all by themselves.

Each pint features velvety ice cream intermingled with crackable cocoa shards and topped with a solid disk of Magnum’s signature rich chocolate. Because, you know, why choose between ice cream and a chocolate bar when you can have both?

Magnum Milk Chocolate Almond Tub

Magnum Milk Chocolate Almond Ice Cream

Featuring vanilla ice cream studded with chopped almonds, chocolate shards, and additional almonds sprinkled on a milk chocolate top, this is probably the tamest flavor of the bunch.

It’s not a whole lot different from Magnum’s Milk Chocolate Vanilla pint from the original line-up. Neither the ice cream, nor the chocolate has any flavor variance, and the only thing that separates this flavor from its predecessor is the texture given by the chopped almonds.

Magnum Milk Chocolate Almond Ice Cream 2

Even so, this is plenty enjoyable as it is. The luscious vanilla base is tasty enough to stand by itself but is also mild enough to allow the almond’s flavor to come though layers of ice cream and chocolate.

While not being pretty, the almond-studded milk chocolate disk on top helped to drive home the idea behind this flavor, making it slightly reminiscent of the Hershey’s Almond bars I remember eating as a kid.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 14.8 fl. oz.
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 390 calories, 25 grams of total fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 33 grams of total sugars, 26 grams of added sugars, and 6 grams of protein.

Magnum Dark Chocolate Mint Tub

Magnum Dark Chocolate Mint Ice Cream

Dark chocolate and mint are two flavors I’ve found an increasing appreciation for as an adult. Even so, it’s surprising this turned out to be my favorite of Magnum’s newest offerings.

The slight bitterness bought by ample amounts of dark chocolate helped keep this pint from seeming as sweet as it would have been had Magnum utilized the same milk chocolate featured in the other two flavors. The bright peppermint base complimented the dark chocolate’s richness exceptionally well, making it easy to finish in a sitting without feeling too heavy.

Magnum Dark Chocolate Mint Ice Cream 2

Honestly, eating this straight from the freezer reminds me of eating a frozen York Peppermint Patty, although the outer shell is notably thicker here. Even so, this is one of the best chocolate mint ice creams I’ve ever had, and it’s going to be a go-to when I’m craving chocolate, mint, and ice cream all at once.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 14.8 fl. oz.
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 350 calories, 22 grams of total fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 29 grams of total sugars, 24 grams of added sugars, and 4 grams of protein.

Magnum Milk Chocolate Mocha Tub

Magnum Milk Chocolate Mocha Ice Cream

In contrast to how Dark Chocolate Mint utilized shards of dark chocolate to balance against a sweet peppermint base, this pint decided to tackle that issue from the other direction by making use of coffee extract to bring bittersweet notes to the ice cream itself.

Even though I’m generally a fan of coffee-infused anything, I didn’t like this pint quite as much as I’d hoped. While the ice cream is undoubtedly delicious, I found that the coffee extract covered up the milk chocolate’s flavor, and I only noticed its presence when I chomped down on a larger-than-average chunk.

Magnum Milk Chocolate Mocha Ice Cream 2

Also, since the coffee and chocolate aspects of the ice cream aren’t seamlessly mixed, I don’t think that its fair of Magnum to call this flavor “Mocha.” Instead, calling it “Milk Chocolate Coffee,” or something similar, would more accurately describe how it actually tastes.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 14.8 fl. ox.
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 350 calories, 23 grams of total fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 40 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of total carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 25 grams of total sugars, 21 grams of added sugars, and 5 grams of protein.

Other Things

  • To make sure that the chocolate shards crack properly, Magnum recommends that you let all three of these sit on your counter for at least ten minutes before you squeeze them. So, plan your snack ahead of time. Or you can take the impatient route as I did by microwaving them in ten-second bursts.
  • Even after letting mine soften, I still couldn’t get any of the chocolate disks on top to crack when I squeezed the containers. Eventually, I found that I had to grab a heavy duty spoon and really dig in there to break past the chocolate monoliths on top and get into the silky ice cream underneath.

QUICK REVIEW: Pillsbury Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamania Toaster Strudel

Meghan 1 Comment

Pillsbury Cinnamon Toast Crunch Toaster Strudel

What is the Pillsbury Cinnamon Toast Crunch Toaster Strudel?

Combining the aromatic spices of Cinnamon Toast Crunch with the crisp flakiness of Pillsbury’s iconic Toaster Strudel, these heat ‘n eat treats take a cold cereal classic and turn it into a warming breakfast.

How is it?

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Toaster Pastries Pic 5 jpg

If there’s one thing about Toaster Strudels that’s always bothered me, it’s the icing that comes with them. While delicious, I don’t think that Pillsbury ever puts enough packets of it in the box. Each one is teeny-tiny, and you can only use a single packet per pastry unless you plan on eating some of them naked and unadorned.

Setting the icing situation aside, the Toaster Strudel itself was the true star of the show. Post-toasting, each pastry was pleasingly browned and filled my kitchen with the delicious smell of cinnamon sugar, alluding to their sweet, spiced filling. Although the top of each pasty was crisp and flaky, I thought that they were a little dry and chewy on the bottom, and they would have greatly benefited from some more butter or shortening in the dough.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Toaster Pastries Pic 7 JPG

Luckily, the much anticipated liquid spice goo more than made up for the pastry’s faults. The filling isn’t too strong, but it makes this Toaster Strudel taste genuinely reminiscent of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, ensuring that kids and adults alike will enjoy eating these for breakfast.

Is there anything else I need to know?

When you bite down onto one of these when they’re fresh from the toaster, the filling is about the temperature of lava, and it will burn your mouth if you’re not careful. Plus, the filling in mine had all run down to one end, leaving me with a few bites of plain dough.

Conclusion:

The Pillsbury Cinnamon Toast Crunch Toaster Strudel is a solid addition to the line. Sweet, aromatic, and true to the cereal, these are a solid breakfast choice for a chilly fall morning.

Purchased Price: $3.87
Size: 23.4 oz. box/12 pastries
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 pastry with icing) 180 calories, 60 calories from fat, 7 grams of total fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 9 grams of total sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

QUICK REVIEW: Starbucks Limited Edition Smoked Butterscotch Latte

Meghan 4 Comments

Starbucks Limited Edition Smoked Butterscotch Latte

What is the Starbucks Limited Edition Smoked Butterscotch Latte?

As a grab-and-go option for people too busy to stop by a brick-and-motor Starbucks, this coffee-house inspired drink features, “smoky sweet notes of kettle-cooked butterscotch mingled with Starbucks espresso and creamy milk.”

How is it?

Even though a lot of these bottled latte beverages are initially underwhelming due to their lack of milk froth, this limited edition offering took it a bit further by continuing to be disappointing all the way to the bottom of the bottle.

Starbucks Limited Edition Smoked Butterscotch Latte 2

Despite being a “smoked” latte, I thought this was surprisingly less smoky than Starbucks’ regular espresso-based drinks. Actually, rather than having pleasant notes of smokiness, I thought it tasted rather burnt, which also overwhelmed any butterscotch flavor it may have had. It’s almost got an element of artificial char, which is off-putting. I imagine the espresso usually would have helped to even out the acrid aspect of the smoke, but this drink didn’t have nearly enough of it.

Also, Starbucks has no right to boast that the smoked butterscotch is mingling with “creamy” milk. The reduced fat dairy utilized here makes the entire beverage way too watery to be called creamy, and it left me longing for the whole milk lattes served by my local baristas.

Is there anything else I need to know?

If you think this might taste better warmed up and sipped like regular coffee, I’m going to save you the trouble by telling you I’ve already gone that route, and, no, it doesn’t make this poor man’s latte any better. It makes it worse because it makes the espresso seem even weaker in contrast to the smoke flavoring.

Conclusion:

Even though the Starbucks Limited Edition Smoked Butterscotch Latte seems like an easy way to enjoy a seasonal favorite and skip the coffee shop, it’s not. Simply put, you’re going to wish that you had taken the time to stop by a real Starbucks and order a freshly made Smoked Butterscotch Latte.

Purchased Price: $2.79
Size: 14 fl. oz.
Purchased at: Kroger
Rating: 3 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 220 calories, 40 calories from fat, 4.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 110 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 34 grams of sugars, and 8 grams of protein.