Author: Rachel

REVIEW: McDonald’s Snickerdoodle McFlurry

Rachel 3 Comments

McDonald s Snickerdoodle McFlurry

What is McDonald’s Snickerdoodle McFlurry?

Thank goodness for work rage! I recently stomped out of my office and into a nearby McDonald’s for an afternoon stress-eating break and discovered the chain had rolled out a new McFlurry for the holiday season! Full of snickerdoodle cookie bits! Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

Officially, the ingredient list is only vanilla soft serve and snickerdoodle cookie pieces, but there was definitely something else floating around in mine. I thought they were hazelnut bits at first. Then I read a description elsewhere that mentioned white chocolate chunks, which made much more sense.

McDonald s Snickerdoodle McFlurry 2

How is it?

Much like the Snickerdoodle itself, this McFlurry was greater than the sum of its parts. Cookies, ice cream, and white chocolate – nothing particularly fantastic, right? But that cookie dust did something magical here that turned the basic ingredients into something far better than I expected.

Yes, it tasted cinnamon-y. The baked sugar in the cookies added a caramel flavor and I was getting nutty-maple, too, but couldn’t tell where that came from based on the ingredient list. The snickerdoodle and white chocolate bits added a lovely crunch to the creamy soft-serve.

McDonald s Snickerdoodle McFlurry 3

From the first bite, this stole the crown of “my favorite McFlurry variety ever” from the Stroopwafel. The Queen is dead, long live The Queen! (Yeah, my McFlurries are female.) I hope they stick around after the holidays, but I’m going to eat as many as I can this month just in case.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Don’t try to order it at odd hours. ‘Cause the machines get hosed down. But you probably already knew that.

McDonald s Snickerdoodle McFlurry 4

Conclusion:

Buy it. Eat it. Love it. Just not at the Times Square locations, because if I go in and they’re out of them, we’re gonna have a problem on our hands.

Purchased Price: $3.19
Size: 12 oz. Regular-sized cup
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (12oz/ Regular) 530 calories, 19 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 300 milligrams of sodium, 79 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 65 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Roasted Turkey Pringles

Rachel 2 Comments

Limited Edition Roasted Turkey Pringles

What are Limited Edition Roasted Turkey Pringles?

Just in time for Thanksgiving prep, Pringles has dropped a roast turkey-flavored version of its potato crisps.

I have Thanksgiving-flavored-PTSD thanks to what I call “The Great 2004 Holiday Pack Debacle” – aka – that time I accidentally ordered 8 sets ($120 worth) of turkey dinner-flavored Jones Sodas, then tried until New Years’ to sell/give them to anyone who made eye contact. Two ended up at Goodwill.

But I love Pringles, and REALLY wanted to try these. So I persisted. This time I ended up with exactly as many as I intended.

How are they?

The aroma inside the can wasn’t much to write home about. It was a very slight turkey scent.

Limited Edition Roasted Turkey Pringles Cutting Board

But when I crunched one, the flavor was there. Really there. I could have sworn I was chewing on the delightfully burnt crust on the bottom of my roasting pan on Thanksgiving night. The caramelized turkey juice, meat scraps, and spices. Yeah, the stuff you’re supposed to make gravy with, but not in my house because I eat it as an appetizer huddled over the stove while the bird rests on the counter.

Limited Edition Roasted Turkey Pringles Closeup

Three crisps in, I decided these were my favorite Pringles flavor ever. I’m going to hoard cans before they disappear. While I know it’s unlikely that there’s any actual turkey in these (“natural flavors” leaves a hair of possibility), it’s such a convincing flavor, I just don’t care.

Limited Edition Roasted Turkey Pringles Ingredients

Is there anything else you need to know?

Turkey-flavored Pringles have been released in the U.S. previously as part of “Thanksgiving Dinner” packs, but those were simply called “Turkey.” Those might be different than “Roasted Turkey,” but since I haven’t tried them, I can’t say. So I guess this is really something else I need to know.

Conclusion:

Skip the turkey. Buy the Pringles. Feast.

Purchased Price: $1.99
Size: 5.5 oz. Can
Purchased at: Five Below
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz. – about 15 crisps) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 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: Hostess Limited Edition Wintermint Ding Dongs and Mint Chocolate Twinkies

Rachel 4 Comments

1 Hostess Limited Edition Wintermint Ding Dongs and Mint Chocolate Twinkies

When I first laid eyes on Wintermint Ding Dongs and Mint Chocolate Twinkies, in a nearly-untouched display at Walmart, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. Maybe it was Thanksgiving looming around the corner or the sugar high I was pre-experiencing, but all I could think was how fortunate I am that someone somewhere started this snack food flavor arms race and I now have a legitimate excuse to eat Ding Dongs on a random Wednesday as a full grown adult. Thank you!

2 Hostess Limited Edition Wintermint Ding Dongs and Mint Chocolate Twinkies

Right off the bat, I was drawn to the Ding Dongs. Firstly because that shade of blue in food is visually captivating, but also because I’d never tried a Ding Dong that wasn’t the standard chocolate/cream combo. Twinkies have been slinging the novelty flavors for ages now, so it’s less of a big deal.

3 Hostess Limited Edition Wintermint Ding Dongs and Mint Chocolate Twinkies

The golden cake of the Wintermint Ding Dongs was exactly like the golden cake used in Hostess Cupcake variations – buttery, yellow, spongy with a finer texture than Twinkies’ cake. The white fudge exterior was familiar as well – a generic sugary white chocolate coating that gives the slightest snap when you bite into it. At first, I swore the wintermint creamy filling tasted like mint toothpaste. I wasn’t a fan.

4 Hostess Limited Edition Wintermint Ding Dongs and Mint Chocolate Twinkies

I moved on to the Mint Chocolate Twinkies, which smelled and looked more like what I expected. It was made of the familiar cake you may have tasted in other chocolate Twinkie iterations – slightly greasy with a large crumb texture. Cocoa-heavy, but not dark chocolate. Here, the mint filling made more sense and felt more natural.

5 Hostess Limited Edition Wintermint Ding Dongs and Mint Chocolate Twinkies

Then I started wondering if the color of the Ding Dongs was playing tricks on my mind. Was the freshly-squeezed-from-a-tube look making me imagine the corresponding flavor? I alternated nibbles of each cake’s filling and WHA’DYA KNOW, they actually tasted the same! I do think the cake flavors made a big difference, however – the chocolate cake rounded off the edges of the mint, giving it a less-synthetic feel. With the subtler golden cake, the mint was left to barge out in front, and its color didn’t help matters.

6 Hostess Limited Edition Wintermint Ding Dongs and Mint Chocolate Twinkies

Overall, I thought they were both alright, but not Hostess’ best work.

You may have noticed the Try It Frozen!* on the front of the box. (I expected the * note found on the back to deny resemblance to a certain famous frosty film, but in fact, it helpfully clarifies that “Try It Frozen!” means place it in the freezer.) I did Try It Frozen, and I would not suggest you do the same. The cake fares well, but the wintermint creamy filling becomes and odd combination of too hard and too chewy.

Purchased Price: $2.79
Size: 10-cake box (Ding Dongs – 12.7 oz., Twinkies – 13.58 oz.)
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Wintermint Ding Dongs), 6 out of 10 (Mint Chocolate Twinkies)
Nutrition Facts: (2 cakes) Wintermint Ding Dongs – 320 calories, 15 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 170milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 36 grams of sugar, 35 grams of added sugars and 2 grams of protein. Mint Chocolate Twinkies – 240 calories, 9 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 300 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 26 grams of sugar, 26 grams of added sugars and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Snickers Pecan

Rachel 11 Comments

1 Snickers Pecan

What is Snickers Pecan?

Mars has created a new iteration of its Snickers chocolate bar for fall! To put it in simple math terms, Snickers – nougat – peanuts + pecans = Snickers Pecan. This one’s just nuts, caramel, and chocolate.

2 Snickers Pecan

So far, it’s only hit the market in a limited edition 15-pack that comes in a drawer-style box. This release is all about Texas – the pecan are from Texas, the wrappers say “Proudly produced in a Mars Facility in Waco, TX.” The graphics all reference the Texas flag, but in muted tones. “Texas Proud,” “Fixin’ To Satisfy,” and “Dig In, Ya’ll,” are printed on the box and wrappers. It’s a beautiful presentation.

3 Snickers Pecan

4 Snickers Pecan

How is it?

On first bite, these Snickers bars screamed THE SOUTH. Like you just picked them off the Formica counter of some sun-baked granny with a drawl who whipped them up along with a batch of pralines.

5 Snickers Pecan

The chocolate and caramel were the familiar Snickers formula (although the caramel felt stickier to me somehow), but the pecans brought a deeper, darker nut flavor than the usual peanuts. It worked really well. They were very sweet and felt indulgent enough as a once-in-a-while treat as opposed to an everyday snack. I really missed the nougat in these (big nougat fan here) so I dinged them a point for that.

6 Snickers Pecan

Is there anything else you need to know?

These were offered online only and sold out in less than 24 hours. No word on whether they’ll be released in stores, but they SHOULD BE. They’re far better than Fiery Snickers and those got shelf space. Don’t ask if you can have any of my 15-pack, it ain’t gonna happen.

7 Snickers Pecan

Conclusion:

If you don’t have any sweet old ladies to crank out pralines for you, definitely get these. Even if you do, get them anyway. They’re great, y’all.

Purchased Price: $30.00
Size: 15-pack Limited Edition Carton
Purchased at: snickerspecan.com
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 250 calories, 14g grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 25 grams of total sugars, 23 grams of added sugars, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Oreo China Six Flavors

Rachel 2 Comments

1 Oreo Six Flavors

I’ve never been to China, but I feel like I’ve eaten enough of their Oreo flavors to be named Ambassador. Hot Chicken Wing and Wasabi, Seaweed, Strawberry, Blueberry, Orange-Mango, Grape-Peach and now – Six Flavors. Is “Cookie Ambassador” a thing? Can I be that?

A collaboration with the Palace Museum in Beijing, Oreo Six Flavors are inspired by traditional foods eaten by Chinese royalty at The Forbidden City. I took to eBay recently to track them down, since they haven’t been released here in the U.S.

2 Oreo Six Flavors Wrappers

The Six Flavors are: Green Tea Cake, Red Bean Cake, Lychee Rose Cake, Vintage Haw, Chaoshan-style BBQ Pork Pastry, and Spicy Pepper Pastry. They sounded both delicious and challenging.

3 Oreo Six Flavors Boxart

4 Oreo Six Flavors Boxart

The packaging on this collection is fantastic. The box was telling me an epic story, and each flavor had a unique wrapper with a gorgeous design. There were five cookies per flavor – a perfect size to sample and share. China – KILLING IT on Oreo beauty and practicality.

5 Oreo Six Flavors Green Tea

I’ll get right to the flavors. First up was Green Tea Cake. I wasn’t sure about this one – sometimes green tea tastes like dirt to me. But here, it was really nice. Earthy but low-key, it worked really well with the slightly-less-sweet chocolate cookie that I notice all the Chinese Oreo have in common.

The Red Bean Cake Oreo was also earthy, but not as sweet as other red bean desserts I’ve had. My first reaction was “interesting, but not awesome,” but they grew on me the more bites I took.

6 Oreo Six Flavors LycheeRose

Next up – Lychee Rose Cake. Now, Rose is a very tricky flavor. One molecule too much, and it tastes like the smell of a Granny’s bathroom. It was surprisingly well done here, though – definitely present and dominant, but not annoying. The lychee was more of a background fruit taste, but it did a lot to keep the rose in its place. I really enjoyed these.

I didn’t know what Vintage Haw flavor was, but I wanted to taste it blind. It was sweet and flowery – something in the neighborhood of strawberry, grape and a gorgeous tropical bloom. These were my favorite of the six – I could eat a whole bag. Afterwards, Google told me that Hawthorn (Haw) is a Chinese berry. I’m on board the Haw train after these Oreo cookies!

7 Oreo Six Flavors Pepper

I left the savory flavors for last. Spicy Pepper Pastry Oreo smelled a lot like black pepper, but on first taste, it was very subtle. But when I tried the creme filling alone, it was quite strong – the chocolate cookies cut the spice on it considerably. They weren’t terrible, but I wouldn’t buy them again.

And lastly, Chaoshan-Style BBQ Pork Pastry. This flavor worked a lot better than the Hot Chicken Wing Oreo – less salty, meatier, very BBQ’y (a little sweet, a little tangy). Still not a flavor I need more than one shot at, but not totally disgusting!

8 Oreo Six Flavors Cookies

These were the most fragile Oreos I’d ever handled. Some had broken in transit, which I expected, but even the intact cookies seemed to crumble when I tried to twist them open.

I really enjoyed this collection of flavors and the presentation. They were well worth the money and the wait for overseas shipping. I hope they get an official release here in America.

Purchased Price: $17.99 + free shipping
Size: 291g box (30 cookies)
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Green Tea Cake)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Red Bean Cake)
Rating: 9 out of 10 (Lychee Rose Cake)
Rating: 10 out of 10 (Vintage Haw)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Spicy Pepper Pastry)
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Chaoshan-Style BBQ Pork Pastry)
Nutrition Facts: (per 100g) 489 calories, 21.5 grams of fat, 480 milligrams of sodium, 67.5 grams of carbohydrates, and 5.3 grams of protein.