Category: Reviews

REVIEW: Popeyes Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cup

Marvo Leave a comment

As I type this, fall is almost in the air, and leaves are getting ready to let gravity guide them to the ground to be raked. Popeyes is welcoming the season with its new Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cup. Although, Popeyes, who uses orange everywhere, looks like it’s always welcoming autumn.

According to the chicken chain, the new dessert features rich cheesecake swirled with a sweet, tangy caramel apple filling over a buttery graham cracker crust. This isn’t Popeyes’ first foray into pre-made cheesecakes in cups, having also offered Oreo and Strawberry flavors over the years.

Popeyes’ description didn’t specifically mention the apple bits throughout the dessert. They’re larger than rice grains and had a crunch you’d expect from the actual fruit, but they didn’t provide much flavor. To be honest, they were kind of unnecessary because the caramel apple filling did all the heavy lifting with its artificial tart fruit flavor.

However, the level of apple varied from bite to bite. Sometimes, I got a noticeable apple and caramel flavor. Other times, I tasted more caramel than apple. And there were moments when I didn’t taste any apple, just the caramel and cheesecake. As for the caramel, it looked like it could be gooey from the top, but it was not. Instead, it blended in with the cheesecake’s texture. The cheesecake itself had a pleasant tang to it beyond what the filling provided, and it had a dense texture one would expect from the dessert.

While the cheesecake part of the dessert was great, the crust made this dessert for me. It was buttery, mildly sweet, and gritty, contrasting texturally and flavor-wise with the sweet and tart filling. I loved it enough in this dessert that those sporkfuls I scooped out sans crust made me slightly sad.

Four bucks might seem a little pricey for Popeyes’ Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cup, but it was a tasty way to celebrate autumn’s coming. Although I admit, the 18 grams of saturated fat makes me hesitant to eat this at the end of a Popeyes meal.

Purchased Price: $3.99*
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 480 calories, 29 grams of fat, 18 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 115 milligrams of cholesterol, 390 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 30 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

REVIEW: Hershey’s Ice Cream Shoppe Bars

Julie 5 Comments

When I learned that Hershey’s Ice Cream Shoppe bars would be available in stores for the first time, I felt an anticipatory thrill as though I’d heard the ice cream truck’s song growing ever closer. Rather than search manically for cash and sprint down the block lest those punk neighbor kid snag the last SpongeBob Squarepants-shaped Popsicle, I just had to stalk Walgreens for a few weeks.

Previously available only at Hershey’s Chocolate World or the online Hershey’s store, the available flavors—Strawberries ‘N’ Creme, Cookies ‘N’ Mint, and Salted Caramel—can be found at Walgreens’ front registers through summer’s end. Since they will be available for a very limited time, I’ll cut to the chase: my stalking efforts were worth it.

Each bar consists of a white creme base, flavored like its respective ice cream inspiration, with a crunchy mix-in. They are sectioned into triangles, each imprinted with an ice cream cone shape, which adds a much-appreciated touch of thematic whimsy. Each bar has a certain creamy, rich, vanilla-tinged essence that characterizes ice cream while delivering a full flavor that isn’t too sweet.

First, I tried Strawberries ‘N’ Creme, which consists of strawberry-flavored creme and strawberry-flavored flakes. I don’t always love berry-flavored creme, which can sometimes have an artificial flavor or off-putting tang, but this pretty pink bar gets it just right. The balance of strawberry and vanilla flavors replicates the taste of strawberry ice cream almost perfectly. The “flakes” are tiny, crispy, and dense with realistic strawberry flavor. Their texture is something like a wee sugar sprinkle, but the flavor ensures that they are more than just decoration.

Cookies ‘N’ Mint is mint-flavored white creme with crunchy chocolate cookie pieces. (It is also not to be confused with the identically-named, now-discontinued milk chocolate variety, for which I would commit unspeakable crimes to have back on shelves.) I love chocolate and mint in any form, so this bar was a delicious homage to one of my favorite ice cream flavors. The mint is strong (a few notches below Peppermint Patty filling), but there is still a hint of vanilla. Sometimes, the mint hides the chocolate flavor of the cookie pieces. The crunchy pieces are so plentiful, though, that it is hard to notice.

Last, the Salted Caramel variety includes salted caramel-flavored creme with toffee pieces. The creme here is just as delicious as the others, but it has a buttery, nutty quality that reminds me more of butter pecan ice cream than salted caramel. Paired with the creaminess of the confection, there aren’t enough sweet-and-salty punches to make the bar taste true to its intended flavor. The toffee pieces add the heartiest crunch of all varieties but don’t offer a contrast in flavor. I’d classify Salted Caramel as the least successful of the bunch, but I still enjoyed it enough to buy another bar.

The Hershey’s Ice Cream Shoppe bars are a delicious limited offering, deserving of a trip to Walgreens with a “The cone is melting!” kind of urgency. If you can’t find them in person, at least two will remain available online. While the Salted Caramel bar is not available through the Hershey’s store as of this writing, you can find three additional varieties there: Birthday Cake, Cotton Candy, and Chocolate Hazelnut.

Hershey, if you’re reading, there is enough room at the Walgreens’ register for a few more flavors. I’ll take a scoop of each!

Purchased Price: $1.50 each
Size: 1.38 oz (39 g) bar
Purchased at: Walgreens
Rating: 9 out of 10 (Strawberries ‘N’ Creme), 9 out of 10 (Cookies ‘N’ Mint), 8 out of 10 (Salted Caramel)
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) Strawberries ‘N’ Creme – 210 calories, 11 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 21 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Cookies ‘N’ Mint – 200 calories, 11 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 20 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Salted Caramel – 200 calories, 11 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 40 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 21 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Sonic Smasher

Brandon 10 Comments

If you’ve read any of the Sonic reviews I’ve written for this site over the past eight years, you’ll:

  1. Know that I tend to love nearly everything I try.
  2. Possibly recall the one time I said Sonic is better than In-N-Out.
  3. Probably discounted anything else I’ve subsequently said on account of B.

In my defense, I will once again point out—as I do each time—that it is one magical Sonic location in particular; I know that not all stores are created equal, and, in the parlance of online absolution, “your mileage may vary.”

It was with this predisposition of enjoyment that I tried the new Sonic Smasher, which features “two Angus beef, seasoned patties smashed and seared, crispy on the edges and juicy in the middle… two slices of melty American cheese, a creamy, tangy Smasher sauce, crinkle-cut pickles, diced onions, and…a pillowy soft potato bun.”

So, you know, a smashburger. With special sauce.

Pretty standard stuff.

That said, HOLY HELL was this delicious.

The patties—delightfully thin and crispy around the edges—had a beautifully earthy beef flavor, far better than any other major chain’s patty. The cheese was your standard fast food American, but it melted exquisitely into the meat. The sauce was a pretty run-of-the-mill burger sauce, Thousand Island-style, but maybe a bit sweeter than the sauce from the Sad Clown’s Big Mac. The next time I get one (which can’t come soon enough), I might try regular mayo; Sonic does good mayonnaise, and it is my preferred burger sauce. The onions were perfect, and while I’m not typically a pickle guy, these were leagues better than the regular floppy discs that adorn most chain burgers. (Though I will say, I feel like many places have upgraded their pickles over the past year or two, so maybe these are par for the course.)

My only complaint about this burger is that I didn’t go three patties. Well, and maybe also that I’m of an age where I shouldn’t responsibly consume more than one of these a month. But if my heart health was of no concern, I’d eat one of these a week, easy. I genuinely hope that Sonic keeps these around for the long haul and that you have a Sonic near you as good as the one on 91st.

Purchased Price: $6.59
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 600 calories, 37 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 100 milligrams of cholesterol, 1530 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 35 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Jif Peanut Butter & Chocolate Spread

Marvo 4 Comments

Jif has created its Peanut Butter & Chocolate Spread to compete with Nutella, or as referred to on this Jif jar and in the rest of this review, “the leading hazelnut spread with cocoa.” In the back of my mind, I recall another Jif peanut butter and chocolate spread, but I don’t remember when it happened. If only there was a site that’s been around for over 20 years that focuses on new store products. It would probably know.

The foods I tried this Jif Peanut Butter & Chocolate Spread with were unadventurous — whole wheat bread, plain Greek yogurt, and apple slices. I also tasted it straight from the jar with a spoon. They all were wonderful and tasty ways to consume the spread. The peanut butter and chocolate are balanced so well that if you blind taste-tested it, it might be difficult to tell if a peanut butter brand added chocolate to its product or a chocolate brand made a spread and added peanut butter.

However, while tasty, it lacks that addictive quality that makes me steal Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and all its chocolatey and peanut buttery ilk from my kid’s Halloween stash. Yes, I am a monster, a monster that loves Reese’s. I would never sink to that slime of the Earth level to steal this spread from my son. Also, I don’t find it as great tasting as the leading hazelnut spread with cocoa, which I find more decadent.

But there are a few things about Jif’s Peanut Butter & Chocolate Spread that the leading hazelnut spread with cocoa can’t compete with — it has 50 percent less sugar and has more than twice the protein. It also has a thicker consistency and spreads, not surprisingly, like peanut butter.

As I mentioned earlier, the leading hazelnut spread with cocoa is more decadent than this, but both are great. However, with its protein and lower sugar content, Jif’s Peanut Butter & Chocolate Spread could be eaten daily, while the other seems like a sometimes spread because it’s more of a treat.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples from Jif. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 15 oz jar
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 Tbsp) 200 calories, 15 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 13 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar (including 8 grams of added sugar), and 5 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Reese’s Werewolf Tracks Peanut Butter Cups

Mark 7 Comments

To prepare for this review of Reese’s Werewolf Tracks, I tried to immerse myself in lycanthropy to try to figure out what on earth this new candy has to do with werewolves. I watched The Wolf Man (1941) and listened to various werewolf songs. But I still can’t figure it out.

It’s just an ordinary Reese’s, except that the top is vanilla-flavored white creme. So here are the possibilities I have come up with:

  • Some wolves are white and some wolves are brown.
  • The round, white top looks like a full moon with jagged edges.
  • If a werewolf leaves a track in the dirt, it might fill up with water, which turns white when it freezes.

Questionable Halloween connection aside, how are they?

Eaten directly, the peanut butter cup does not taste all that different from a regular Reese’s cup. Vanilla-flavored creme just doesn’t impart that much flavor.

When I nibble the top off to try to isolate the creme, it just tastes like the white confection you can find in countless other candies. Nothing about it reminds me of actual vanilla.

I also should add that this is not the first time Reese’s has made a similar candy. It did the Franken-Cup, which had green-colored creme, and the Easter-themed Mallow-Top, which had a marshmallow-flavored top. And really, what even is marshmallow flavor? Green-colored creme, marshmallow-flavored creme, and vanilla-flavored creme don’t seem all that different from each other. This is just a boring candy.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are a top-tier confection, and if this were a brand-new treat, I would give it 10/10 based on taste alone. But this is simply a variation on a classic, and it’s just not that interesting or special.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 9.35 oz bag
Purchased at: Dick’s Market
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 pieces) 160 calories, 9 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 100 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, 15 grams of sugar including 14 grams of added sugar, and 3 grams of protein.