REVIEW: Funyuns Sour Cream & Funyuns

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Initially released in 1969, Funyuns remained entirely unchanged from its cornmeal and onion powder origins for over thirty years until several short limited runs like Wasabi and Chili & Limon surfaced during the 2000s. Now, the circular snack can be found with the original ’69 flavor profile, as well as Flamin’ Hot, Spicy Queso, and my favorite: Steakhouse Onion. Yet, over 50 years since the chips’ inception, we get possibly the most on-the-nose and least outside-the-box limited release in recent memory — Sour Cream & Funyuns.

While it may not be the most creative of concepts, I enjoy the simplicity of this idea. Oftentimes, new flavor twists, especially from other Frito Lay brands like Doritos, are meant to wallop you over the head with flavor, and this one aims to combine the onion with the onion in perfect seasoning-meets-form-factor harmony — and it works!

Sour cream and onion is one of the most popular potato chip seasoning choices, so it’s no surprise that it works really well on an onion-shaped circle of corn meal. Looking at the rings, you can tell immediately that these aren’t your grandma’s summer of love Funyuns. These have little green specs and an even more prominent funky flavor aroma than the original, and the simple mashup delivers delicious results.

The airy crunch is the same as always, starting with a sweet onion that then evolves into a bit of garlic and finishes with a legitimate sour cream tang. That tangy flavor absolutely stacks when eating more rings, and the sour bite lingers for a couple of minutes afterward. This is essentially 75% of the Funyuns you already love (or hate) with a touch more bite and a creamy finish, which, for me, is a subtle but effective improvement on the original.

While I may never love Funyuns in the way that I do Fritos, Doritos, Cheetos, or any other fried corn delight, Sour Cream & Funyuns constructs the ideal seasoning setup for this spherical snack to contend with the big boys of the Frito Lay brand.

Purchased Price: $2.69
Size: 2 oz bag
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (13 pieces, 28g) 130 calories, 6 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 150 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 0 grams of total sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Skinny Pop Harry Potter Butterbeer Popcorn

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Butterbeer, the fictional beverage from the world of Harry Potter, is having quite a comeback. I’m not sure if it’s in early preparation for the new HBO series (coming 2027) or if the snack-powers-that-be simply wanted the wizarding world to remain in the social zeitgeist, but Harry is back in the snack, big time. Mr. Potter’s Butterbeer has already had collaborative releases this year with Hershey’s Kisses, Keebler Fudge Stripes, and Goldfish, so if next in line isn’t going to be a new bizarro sweet and salty Lay’s, why not some Skinny Pop Popcorn?

I am not a wizard and have never been to the Wizarding World at Universal Studios to try the Butterbeer. However, I am a popcorn connoisseur and lover of butterscotch, so I went into this new fantasy-flavored kettle corn quite excitedly.

The aroma is distinctly that of sugary popped kettle corn with an extra rich burnt sugar flourish that mostly translates to the flavor as well. The taste of the popcorn is 70% that of the standard Skinny Pop “Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn” — corn-forward with a nice little boost of sweetness — but the other 30% is something magical. There’s a deep, toasty, brown-sugar-meets-browned-butter flavor that lands somewhere in between kettle corn and caramel corn. Occasionally, a kernel pops up that’s more coated and crunchy than the others, with an extra dose of buttery sweetness.

Speaking of crunchy, the texture is excellent. Every piece has a firm crunch, but a perfectly soft, airy crumble underneath makes the experience really pleasant. In the finish, there’s a touch of spice. The ingredients say cinnamon but I get a little more of a mild nutmeg. In any case that spiced quality helps contribute to the excellent burnt caramel profile. This is, without a doubt, my favorite unadorned bagged kettle corn I’ve had (not including drizzled varieties), and one that is very snackable without feeling cloying in the slightest.

Initially, despite how much I love the flavor, I thought this popcorn wasn’t quite sweet enough to be a proper butterscotch. But after a touch of proper research, I learned that in the Harry Potter books, Butterbeer is “a little bit like less-sickly butterscotch,” and you know what? I think they nailed it.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: 8.4 ounces
Purchased at: Amazon
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2.5 cups, 28g) 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 25 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 8 grams of total sugars, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Red Bull Spring Edition Grapefruit & Blossom Energy Drink

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With daylight saving time just settling in and the equinox approaching, do you know what time it is? It’s new Red Bull time. For the first time ever, the oldest energy drink in the game, has brought a Spring Edition to the United States — Grapefruit & Blossom. As with the usual Red Bull products, boasts 80 milligrams of caffeine in an 8.4-ounce can, along with some B vitamins, niacin, and a little smooch of taurine.

Full disclosure: I haven’t had a full-sugar Red Bull in a long time (although I had the Cinnamon Pear Winter Edition a couple years back, and it was awesome). As a rule of thumb, I try to stick with sugar-free energy drinks and soda, but purple is my favorite color, and the store didn’t have sugar-free, so I said, “screw it,” and took a chance. That chance paid off because the first annual US Red Bull Spring Edition is quite delicious.

The unexpectedly vibrant green color of the drink gives way to a nice, sweet, and zesty grapefruit flavor that reminds me of the ruby red variety, and then it rounds out with a gentle floral note. The floral quality isn’t bold or in your face like rose water or hibiscus; it just coasts on the backend in a very complementary role. I mostly detect the “blossom” in a way that smooths the usually top-heavy and sharp grapefruit flavor into something very palatable and truly tasty.

As someone who usually leans into sugar-free options, I was surprised this didn’t come across as more aggressively over the top and sweet. But then I had to remind myself that sucralose, the sweetener most commonly used in energy drinks these days, is said to be up to 600 times sweeter than table sugar. While it is definitely sweet, the drink is refreshing and seamlessly sip-able.

Grapefruit & Blossom Red Bull is perfectly balanced and a worthy introduction of the Spring Edition to the States with a flavor profile that delightfully honors the changing of seasons. It’s good enough that I will try to track down the sugar-free iteration to see if it can hold up to its sugar-laden counterpart to toss more regularly into the pick-me-up rotation.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 8.4 ounces
Purchased at: Nob Hill
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (One Can) 110 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 90 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 26 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Sundaes Ice Cream

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After being a pivotal part of the Ben & Jerry’s European scene for years, the pre-packed Sundae has finally arrived in the States. Like 2021’s Topped lineup, these new flavors bring a plussed-up-pint experience to your home freezer. Ben & Jerry’s Sundaes combine all the usual chunks and swirls of B&J’s classics adorned with a new whipping topping and extra chunks. Interestingly, the first significant drop from the company this year saw the ice cream containers getting larger with Scoop-apalooza, and these new Sundaes are the first time I can recall seeing a 14.4-ounce package as opposed to the standard 16-ounce pint.

The newly added whipped topping has a texture very similar to Cool Whip. It doesn’t deflate like a proper whipped cream, but it also tempers quicker and is softer than your average ice cream base. However, it is devoid of an off-putting artificial taste. It’s firm enough to hold up some light chunks and swirls, but it’s a notable contrast to Ben & Jerry’s dense, full-fat ice cream. Now, onto the individual flavors:

Cookie Vermont-ster

Vanilla ice cream with chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cookie swirls topped with a fudge-swirled whipped topping and fudge chips.

This packaged ode to the epic Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop sundae experience is essentially a slight deviation from the classic Milk & Cookies pint, and it delivers just as much satisfaction as that lineup staple. Here we have fudge chips instead of chocolate chocolate chip cookies and a fluffy whipped topping that elevates the creaminess of the already smooth and delightful vanilla ice cream.

The biggest addition by subtraction to this flavor profile is the lack of double chocolate cookies, allowing the chocolate chip cookies to take center stage as the lone non-swirl mix-in. This brings a defined brown sugar flavor and excellent chewy cookie texture to nearly every bite. The fudge chips’ crunch is a welcome addition, but chocolate is definitely a complimentary taste amongst all the sweet vanilla and buttery cookie bliss.

Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 130g) 370 calories, 21 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 35 grams of total sugars, and 5 grams of protein.

Dulce De-lish!

Salted caramel ice cream with pecan toffee pieces and caramel swirls topped with caramel-swirled whipped topping and sea salt fudge chunks.

This is, as the name implies, absolutely delicious. The salted caramel ice cream is smooth and buttery, perfectly accented by the caramel swirls, which bring a solid, sticky sweetness to the rich, dense base. The whipped topping works seamlessly with the ice cream, accentuating the creaminess without particularly standing out, and the pecan toffee pieces bring a pleasant little crunch against all of the smoothness in the pint.

The only way this could be better is if the sea salt fudge chunks were also filled with caramel, but there’s so much caramel up and down this flavor that it’s much less of a need and more of a (selfish, caramel-loving) want.

Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 137g) 370 calories,18 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 36 grams of total sugars, and 4 grams of protein.

Turtle Sundae

Buttery ice cream with fudge-covered almonds and pretzel swirls topped with a caramel-swirled whipped topping and fudge-covered pretzel pieces.

The buttery ice cream base is a lot like a sweet cream in that it provides a relatively blank flavor canvas but leans into the rich, buttery notes over the creamier, dairy-laden ones. It is exceptionally smooth and decadent and plays well with the fluffy caramel-laced whipped topping for a balanced, satisfying experience.

I don’t get quite as much pretzel swirl as I would like, but the ample amount of fudge-covered almonds and pretzel pieces bring more than enough crunchy saltiness to deliver on the turtle concept. I usually associate turtles with pecans, and while there are none here, I get some nutty, earthy pecan nuance from the pretzel pieces that tie the whole flavor together well. Fun fact: this is the only one of the initial four launch Sundae flavors to be new and exclusive to the US, which is a fitting homage to the turtle’s Midwest Chicago roots.

Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 134g) 400 calories, 23 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 300 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 30 grams of total sugars, and 5 grams of protein.

Choco-lotta Cheesecake

Chocolate cheesecake ice cream with chocolate cookies and chocolate cookie swirls topped with fudge-swirled whipped topping and sea salt fudge chunks.

I’m not sure I would ever guess “cheesecake” while digging into this sundae, but despite that, I think this is DIVINE. The chocolate cheesecake base doesn’t have a notable tang or anything I would immediately associate with Philly’s finest. But it has a very rich and decadent chocolate flavor that is more refined than the normal chocolate from Ben & Jerry’s. There’s a hint of cheesecake flavor there, but it is predominantly an incredibly deep and luscious chocolate flavor that only gets deeper with the double whammy of chocolate cookies and cookie swirls.

The cookies mixed in throughout the base make the flavor eat like a rich brownie batter with little pockets of gritty saltiness akin to a chocolate pie crust, and it is wonderful. Once again, the whipped topping is a great addition to the profile and the sea salt fudge chunks stand out more notably than in any other flavor, adding a nice pop of saltiness when they find their way onto my spoon. While some cheesecake pieces may have driven the concept all the way home, this is an undeniable creation that simply works and will deliver satisfaction for bonafide choco-lovers like myself.

Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 125g) 380 calories, 20 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 46 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 33 grams of total sugars, and 5 grams of protein.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product samples from Ben & Jerry’s. Doing so did not influence my review.

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Scoop-apalooza Ice Cream

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Kicking off the new year in XL style, Ben & Jerry’s is bringing the shareable scoop party to your home freezer with a new line of bigger ice cream containers in four new flavors dubbed Scoop-apalooza. The traditional Ben & Jerry’s pint has three 2/3 Cup servings and the new Scoop-apalooza 28-ounce jumbo-pints have five. The new flavors are designed to be simpler, more crowd-pleasing combinations that appeal to the broadest of palates.

In short, these Scoop-apalooza lack the usual mix-in variety and textural contrast associated with the B&J’s experience. If you’re a big fan of the brand like myself, this could initially be to the detriment of your expectations. But, if you’re a dad looking to serve something top-tier at your child’s birthday party, or a coffee freak looking to one-up your affogato profile, this is your moment.

Chocolate & Fudge Swirl

Chocolate with swirls of fudge.

I went into this scoop without much excitement, and boy, was I proved wrong. I enjoy Ben & Jerry’s straightforward bittersweet chocolate base but find it to be the most interesting when amplified by something else in the flavor’s composition, usually something salty. It is best in pints like Glampfire Trail Mix and Impretzively Fudged, and I was worried the bare-bones components here would let me down, which is not the case.

While there may not be any salt or crunch, the fudge swirl really came to play, big time. It is thick, rich, and ooey gooey, tasting like a premium jarred fudge from the grocery store. This simple but decadent double chocolate throwdown is perfect for scooping into a cone or topping with your favorite crunchy candy, nut, or sprinkle.

Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 129g) 330 calories, 18 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 80 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 33 grams of total sugars, and 6 grams of protein.

Strawberries & Cream

Sweet cream ice cream with tasty strawberry swirls.

This is the flavor that most resembles something you would find at a kid’s birthday party or in the back of your grandma’s freezer in a giant sleeve of small individually portioned cups. It’s a sweet and creamy base with a swirl of strawberry. No doubt the simplest ice cream I have ever scooped from Ben & Jerry’s (other than straight Vanilla, of course). It scratches that nostalgia itch but doesn’t do much else (although I’m not sure it needs to).

It’s tasty because it’s good ice cream, and the swirl, while a bit thin, isn’t icy in the slightest, which brings a respectable fruity flavor throughout most bites. As a little review bonus, January is my birthday month, and I had this alongside my double chocolate birthday cake. It was a fantastic combination, so I see the simplified palooza flavor vision.

Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 129g) 280 calories, 13 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 35 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 35 grams of total sugars, and 4 grams of protein.

Vanilla & Fudge Brownie

Creamy vanilla ice cream with rich chunks of fudge brownie.

This is the flavor that I was the most excited for, and it delivered exactly what I had hoped it would. A great smooth and creamy vanilla base with lots of chewy, bittersweet brownie pieces. This is the classic Chocolate Fudge Brownie pint with a vanilla base, which allows for more contrast — simple but effective.

Ben & Jerry’s brownies are among my favorite mix-ins and letting them shine here does exactly what I want from a flavor as barebones but delicious as this. Even without the brownie chunks, the vanilla ice cream is the strongest of the four bases in this lineup and is one I can keep going back to with ease. Would it be even better with a salted caramel swirl? Sure! But that’s not the mission statement here, and I have no problem hitting a scoop of this with a nice caramel-y drizzle of my own at home.

Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 122g) 290 calories, 15 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 31 grams of total sugars, and 5 grams of protein.

Coffee & Fudge Chip

Coffee ice cream loaded with coffee fudge chips.

Ben & Jerry’s use the word “loaded” in the description and, yeah, no lies detected. This is a simple coffee-ified spin on a chocolate chip ice cream, and both flavors are prominent and strong. The base, made with BLK & Bold coffee, has an excellent, bitterly potent but sweet coffee flavor that plays seamlessly with the high-quality dairy. The texture is a bit less smooth and creamy than the others, possibly from all the coffee used, but I don’t mind it after a proper patient tempering session.

There are abundant coffee fudge chips in every spoonful, which taste like great, crunchy, semisweet chocolate, and the pairing is about as classic as it comes. This is another scoop that would be perfect in a cone but with a slightly elevated touch for the adults in the (party) room.

Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 127g) 330 calories, 20 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 30 grams of total sugars, and 6 grams of protein.

DISCLOSURE: I received complimentary product samples from Ben & Jerry’s. Doing so did not influence my review.