Author: Meghan

REVIEW: Hostess Cookies ‘n Creme Brownies

Meghan 7 Comments

Hostess Cookies n Creme Brownies

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve always been one of those people that get paralyzed by the abundance of choice I have when it comes to food.

Do I want peanut butter or almond butter on my sandwich? Cinnamon chewing gum or spearmint to keep in my purse? As for coffee, don’t even get me started on Starbucks since I can easily spend half an hour trying to decide what I want.

With Hostess and its new Cookies ‘n Crème Brownies, though, at least I won’t have to agonizingly choose between cookies or brownies for dessert anymore!

Hostess Cookies n Creme Brownies 2

Out of the box, each one of these cute little pucks come individually wrapped in Hostess-branded cellophane, which I suppose is to keep them fresh while also making them easy to eat on the go. Also, as an unintentional bonus, they help to prevent people from confusing them for especially lonely Little Debbie Zebra Cakes, which is appreciated since they look nearly identical from the outside.

Picking one of them up, I was surprised to find they’re oddly light for brownies. I associate brownies with being dense, fudgy, chewy squares of bliss, so I had a hard time believing these were going to be anything like that.

My trepidation about the texture wasn’t unfounded, either, because the brownies were as airy as I had expected them to be. They were so cakey that I don’t even think that they’re in the same galaxy as Cosmic Brownies. Compared to the decadent delights brought forth by Little Debbie, these are more like a flat, chocolate snack cake coated with Cookies ‘n Crème-styled icing.

After I stopped thinking about them as brownies and start thinking about them as any other snack cake, they get a lot more enjoyable. They smell like a combination of milk chocolate and sweet cream, and that’s the primary flavor that comes across when I chomp down on one of them. The white outer coating supplied the “cream” aspect, while the baked interior reminded me of cookies.

Hostess Cookies n Creme Brownies 3

Expanding on the cookie aspect, Hostess didn’t nail the whole Oreo-esque flavor profile that well here. Instead, I felt the light cocoa and spongier texture used in the cake were more reminiscent of the cookies used to construct Whoopie Pies. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, I still think that Hostess should have used a crème filling studded with cookie crumbs or something to bring the Cookies ‘N Crème theme around full-circle.

Even though I would consider two or three of these a worthy choice for a midnight snack, I still think Hostess should take some baking lessons from Little Debbie, because her brownies are out-of-this-world delicious by comparison.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 Brownie – 180 calories, 80 calories from fat, 8 grams of total fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 80 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 17 grams of total sugars, and 2 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.97
Size: 6-pack
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Not having to decide between cookies and brownies. Branded wrapper keeps you from confusing them for a different snack. Pretty tasty when you think of them as snack cakes. Acceptable choice for late night noshing.
Cons: Not nearly fudgy enough to be called a brownie. Doesn’t remind me of Oreos. Needs a crème filling or some cookie crumbs or something. Makes me wish that Little Debbie could teach Hostess how to make better brownies.

QUICK REVIEW: Exclusive Flavor Frosted Chocolatey Salted Caramel Pop-Tarts

Meghan 1 Comment

Exclusive Flavor Frosted Chocolatey Salted Caramel Pop Tarts

What is it?

Another one of those store-exclusive snacks that cajole you into buying a value pack by not offering a smaller box.

In other words, this Pop-Tarts flavor is a Walmart exclusive, only comes in a box of 16 pastries, and features a chocolate-y pastry filled with alternating ribbons of chocolate and salted caramel fillings and salted caramel icing.

How is it?

Even though Pop-Tarts are never going to be a five-star breakfast, I suppose these aren’t half bad when you consider that most people are going to be eating them while they’re not fully awake.

Exclusive Flavor Frosted Chocolatey Salted Caramel Pop Tarts 2

Fresh from the foil sleeve, each pastry was crisp, sturdy, and smelled faintly of cocoa. It did an adequate job of containing the pastry’s filling, which was surprisingly less runny than I was expecting it to be, and the acceptably sweet frosting gave a satisfying crunch to top off the experience.

Exclusive Flavor Frosted Chocolatey Salted Caramel Pop Tarts 3

Calling them “adequate” or “acceptable” is about as kind as I can be towards these, though. The dry pastry shell needed more cocoa to make it taste sufficiently “chocolatey,” and the salted caramel and chocolate fillings both ended up being so faint that they almost completely canceled each other out.

Even the frosting tasted like regular royal icing and left me wanting more salted caramel. If I had been eating one of these first thing in the morning, you could have told me it was a S’mores Pop-Tart and I would have believed you.

Is there anything else I need to know?

Like all Pop-Tarts, these are best eaten warm. Toasting them turns the filling into little rivers of chocolate and salted caramel lava, and that helped bring the fillings’ flavors forward a little more.

Conclusion:

While Chocolatey Salted Caramel Pop-Tarts are far from the worst toaster pastries to eat for a quick breakfast, you might want to split a box of these with a friend or two, because their lack of uniqueness and distinct flavor is guaranteed to leave you bored and disinterested before you finish the oversized box.

Purchased Price: $3.68
Size: 16-pack
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 pastry) 200 calories, 50 calories from fat, 6 grams of total fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 35 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

QUICK REVIEW: Herr’s Sweet ‘n Crunchy Funnel Cake Snack Balls

Meghan 5 Comments

Herr s Sweet n Crunchy Funnel Cake Snack Balls

What is it?

A crazy-sounding, state fair-inspired flavor of puffed corn balls that aren’t as crazy as they sound, considering they’re made by the same people who have previously brought us such delights as Kansas City Prime Steak Potato Chips and Birthday Cake Popcorn.

How is it?

Herr s Sweet n Crunchy Funnel Cake Snack Balls 2a

You know how funnel cakes have powdered sugar, whipped cream, and all kinds of other yummy toppings on them? Imagine one without any, and then translate that generic sweetness onto a ball of puffed corn. If you can imagine how sad that would taste, congratulations, you’ve just summed up the entire flavor profile of Herr’s Funnel Cake Snack Balls.

Yeah, it’s a pretty dull experience. Without the fun stuff, funnel cakes are a ho-hum mess of fried pancake dough, and these snack balls are proof that they don’t have enough taste on their own to successfully inspire any other kind of treat.

Is there anything else I need to know?

Honestly, I don’t feel these are so bad. They’re just incomplete. Like I said before, funnel cakes have toppings, right? Since Herr’s neglected to take care of that, I decided to take matters into my own hands and gussie up a few as though they were the belle of the state fair’s funnel cake ball.

Herr s Sweet n Crunchy Funnel Cake Snack Balls 3a

And, just as I expected, the toppings made all the difference. Even though this is never a flavor that’s going to be super exciting, the addition of some traditional funnel cake accoutrements make the experience seem more genuine by allowing the snack balls to act as little vehicles for delivering powdered sugar and whipped cream to your mouth, much like an actual funnel cake.

Conclusion:

Compared to other Herr’s creations, Funnel Cake Snack Balls look woefully beige and unexciting from the start, and their flavor is as bland as the naked funnel cakes they resemble. If you decide to buy a bag of these anyway, be prepared to dress them up because there’s not going to be enough flavor to keep you interested otherwise.

Purchased Price: $1.89
Size: 6 oz. bag
Purchased at: Ollie’s Bargain Outlet
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (39 pieces) 140 calories, 70 calories from fat, 7 grams of total fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 9 grams of total sugars, 8 grams of added sugars, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Sweet & Fiery Fruit by the Foot and Fruit Gushers

Meghan 5 Comments

Sweet Fiery Fruit by the Foot and Fruit Gushers

I’ve gotta admit; fruit snacks are something that I’d kind of forgotten about as an adult. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been aware that they exist, but they’re not something I’ve put much thought into after I stopped brown-bagging my lunch.

I’m always on the lookout for unusual flavor combinations, though, so coming across fruit snacks that promised to be both sweet AND spicy gave me more than enough reason to pick up boxes of Sweet & Fiery Fruit by the Foot and Fruit Gushers.

Sweet Fiery Fruit by the Foot

The Fruit by the Foot version features two flavors of tropically-themed fruit tape infused with a little tastebud-tingling heat: Spicy Watermelon and Fiery Peach. Like all varieties of Fruit by the Foot, each roll comes individually packaged, and General Mills was even kind enough to print the flavor on the wrapper so you can pick one out without having to open all of them up.

Flavor-wise, I have to say I was surprised at how much heat these had! Considering that Fruit by the Foot is a snack targeted towards kids, I had been expecting the inherent sweetness in these to overpower any sort of spicy element, but that was far from the case. Both started on the sugary side, but the heat built up while I chomped my way through each roll. By the time I got to the end, the spice and heat were the star attractions of both, and the featured fruits were just chilling in the background.

In contrast to how each of the two Fruit by the Foot flavors were packaged separately, Sweet & Fiery Fruit Gushers instead mixed all three flavors into individual pouches.

By the way, yes, I said all THREE flavors. The Gushers added Hot Mango to the party.

Sweet Fiery Fruit Gushers

And, man, they sure mixed a lot of the Hot Mango pieces in! I’ve eaten several pouches, and most of the ones I’ve opened have been at least 50 percent Hot Mango. For some odd reason, General Mills decided to color this Gusher-exclusive flavor bright green, which is just about the last color that I associate with mangoes. Maybe they wanted it to stand out more from the Spicy Watermelon and Fiery Peach pieces, but I kept expecting to taste hot lime whenever I popped one into my mouth.

Even though the Sweet & Fiery Gushers were tasty, I don’t think they were able to balance the combo of sweet and spicy as well as Fruit by the Foot was. Since the Gushers are small and easy to eat in one or two handfuls, the spice level of these didn’t have enough time to build up, and I usually only started tasting it when I was finishing up my pouch. On the bright side, though, the box does have 12 pouches in it, so you can eat a couple of them in one sitting without having to worry about running out.

While I enjoyed the Sweet & Fiery variations of Fruit Gushers and Fruit by the Foot, neither snack is something I can imagine most kids would care for. Instead, these are best suited for those with, dare I say, more complex palates. People like their parents, or 20-something college students who have self-confessed Chipotle addictions.

Anyway, kudos to General Mills for making fruit snacks relevant again for everyone over the age of 12!

(Nutrition Facts – Fruit by the Foot – 1 roll – 80 calories, 10 calories from fat, 1 gram of total fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of total carbohydrates, 10 grams of sugars, 0 grams of dietary fiber, and 0 grams of protein. Fruit Gushers – 1 pouch – 90 calories, 10 calories from fat, 1.5 grams of total fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of total carbohydrates, 12 grams of sugars, 0 grams of dietary fiber, and 0 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $3.29 each
Size: 9 oz. box (12 rolls) (Fruit by the Foot)
Size: 10.8 oz. box (12 pouches) (Fruit Gushers)
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Fruit by the Foot)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Fruit Gushers)
Pros: Fruit snacks that appeal to adults! Spice tames and complements the sweetness nicely. Both boxes generously sized.
Cons: Neither snack would probably appeal much to kids. Hot Mango is only found in the Gushers. Spice doesn’t have a chance to truly come into play with the Gushers.

REVIEW: General Mills Dippin’ Dots Cereal (Cookies ‘n Cream and Banana Split)

Meghan 1 Comment

General Mills Dippin Dots Cereal Cookies N Cream and Banana Split

Are actual Dippin’ Dots still a thing anymore?

I used to beg my mom to buy it for me all the time when I was a kid, but I can’t even remember the last time I saw a Dippin’ Dots kiosk. For something that used to tout itself as being the “Ice Cream of the Future,” it sure seems like it hasn’t aged well. Perhaps a reason for its lack of success was that the ice cream had to be stored in ultra-cold super-freezers, which prevented people from buying and eating them at home.

Thankfully for those of us who don’t have freezers that can hold ice cream at -40° F, the kind people over at General Mills lent their breakfast-making prowess to Dippin’ Dots to recreate two of its most popular flavors into a much more easily distributable cereal form.

General Mills Dippin Dots Cookies n Cream Cereal

The Cookies ‘n Cream flavor features tan and brown cereal puffs mixed with clusters of milk chocolate-coated cookie bits. Opening the bag, there was an aroma that reminded me more of Corn Pops mixed with a few crushed Oreo wafers than it did of ice cream.

The corn-heavy smell of the cereal foreshadowed its flavor, which didn’t taste like Cookies ‘n Cream at all. I had hoped the brown and tan puffs would emulate both flavors respectively, but they instead had that generic “corn-y” taste shared by most cereal puffs.

The chocolate cookie clusters were the only element that actually tasted like how they were supposed to, but there weren’t nearly enough of them to go around, and I found they had a tendency to sink to the bottom of my bowl once I added milk.

General Mills Dippin Dots Banana Split Cereal

Banana Split is constructed like the Cookies ‘n Cream version, but the quality here is a different story. I was hesitant to try it at first since banana is a flavor that often oversteps into the territory of being overly artificial. But it turns out it was what this cereal needed to overcome the flavor coming from the corn flour in the puffs.

Every bite I took tasted like authentic, sweet bananas and the banana-flavored white chocolate crunchies brought that creamy element of vanilla that really let this cereal hone in on being an ice cream-inspired flavor.

General Mills Dippin Dots Cereal Cookies N Cream and Banana Split 2

While I’m on the topic of those crunchies, they’re the best part of the cereal. Dippin’ Dots should consider boxing them up and selling them as candy. But there seemed to be way more of them in my box of Banana Split than in my box of Cookies ‘n Cream.

Both flavors got soggy quickly in milk, but the Banana Split flavor was able to use this to its advantage by getting the dairy to work alongside the white chocolate crunchies to produce a flavor reminiscent of a melting banana split. Cookies ‘n Cream didn’t fare as well. It sopped up the milk and tasted like mushy Corn Pops that had jarring chunks of chocolate coated sandwich cookies in it.

So, has Dippin’ Dots created the Cereal of the Future? Probably not, but it sure is fun to be able to say that you’ve just had a bowl of Dippin’ Dots for breakfast.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 cup – Cookies ‘n Cream – 120 calories, 15 calories from fat, 1.5 grams of total fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 65 milligrams of potassium, 27 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 10 grams of sugars, 15 grams of other carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein. Banana Split – 130 calories, 20 calories from fat, 2.5 grams of total fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 55 milligrams of potassium, 27 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 11 grams of sugars, 15 grams of other carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $3.64 each
Size: 18 oz. box
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 3 out of 10 (Cookies ‘n Cream)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Banana Split)
Pros: Not needing a super-freezer. Great flavor in the Banana Split version. Awesome crunchies in both flavors! Getting to tell people that you’ve just had Dippin’ Dots for breakfast.
Cons: Not enough flavor in the Cookies ‘n Cream variety. Neither one holds up well in milk. Crunchy bits are not available in stand-alone candy form.