REVIEW: Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Bite-Sized Edible Cookie Dough

Marvo 3 Comments

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Bite Sized Edible Cookie Dough Pouch

What is Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Bite-Sized Edible Cookie Dough?

It’s Nestle Toll House edible cookie dough covered in a rich chocolatey shell that doesn’t require utensils like the brand’s original edible cookie dough offering in tubs. Okay, technically, you could scoop it out with your fingers like it’s peanut butter or poi.

How is it?

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Bite Sized Edible Cookie Dough Coating

Let me put it this way. I’ve been eating my way through the bag at a pace that makes me wonder if I should be concerned if the product has an amount of time it needs to be consumed by before it needs to be thrown away. It’s been over three weeks already.

Yes, it’s a Sam’s Club-sized pouch with around 150 bites, so there are many of them. But despite eating some every day, it’s taking me a while to get through the bag because I haven’t been mindlessly eating them like any snack that tickles my taste buds.

It’s not a bad product, but I have yet to close this pouch with regret like I’ve done with numerous ice cream containers and cookie sleeves when I look down and realize I’ve eaten way beyond the serving size.

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Bite Sized Edible Cookie Dough Innards

The serving size for these cookie dough bites is eight pieces, but I’ve found myself satisfied with four or less because the “rich chocolatey shell” makes them a bit too rich for my tastes. Beyond the coating, I’m able to somewhat taste the buttery and brown sugary cookie dough innards.

But, for the most part, the exterior dominates every bite’s flavor. So much so that if I was given these without being told what they were, I’d think they were chocolate candy with a nondescript center, but not chocolate-coated cookie dough. Maybe a thinner coating might’ve helped with that.

Anything else you need to know?

As I mentioned at the beginning, Nestle Toll House’s original edible cookie dough came in containers that require a spoon (or fingers) to eat. Because they’re spoonable and pliable, I imagine bite-sized edible cookie dough made out of it without a coating and put into this pouch would’ve turned into a pouch-sized edible cookie dough bite over time.

Also, this is currently a Sam’s Club exclusive.

Conclusion:

Again, Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Bite-Sized Edible Cookie Dough isn’t a bad tasting product. But the ingredient I thought would make it better than regular cookie dough doesn’t accomplish that.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample of this product. (Thanks, Nestle Toll House!) Doing so did not influence my review. Also, I suspect this review might prevent me from getting any more free samples. We shall see.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 20 oz pouch
Purchased at: Received from Nestle Toll House
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (8 bites) 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of sodium, 35 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 15 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Kellogg’s Chex Green Onion Cereal (South Korea)

Rachel 4 Comments

Kellogg s Chex Green Onion 1

What is Kellogg’s Chex Green Onion Cereal?

Kellogg’s started cranking out a green-onion-flavored Chex cereal this summer and every snackochist (I’m trying to make this word a thing – pass it on) across the globe sat up and took notice. Why? Why? WHY?

Kellogg s Chex Green Onion 2

Blame it on 2004. Kellogg’s launched a cute marketing contest in South Korea to decide whether its next flavor would be the safe but predictable chocolate or the unimaginable yet intriguing green onion. It ended up producing the chocolate Chex, but circled back 16 years later to give green onion a shot.

It sounded horrific. I HAD to try it.

Kellogg s Chex Green Onion 3

How is it?

The aroma inside the box was like a sour cream & onion potato chip. The cereal pieces had a shiny glaze. I popped a few in my mouth for a dry run. They were…not bad! The onion was more subtle than I expected. The glaze was slightly sweet. It was a surprisingly good combo. It gave me hope. If we could, as a planet, make this work, we could do anything! I proceeded to gather milk and spoon for a real trial…

But, when the milk came in, everything went off the rails. I only managed to swallow four pieces of cereal. The combination of onion, sugar and milk was revolting. I have no idea what the science of this was, but somehow the milk amplified the onion and the flavors did NOT mesh. It was as disgusting as the Spicy Chicken Wing Oreo Cookies, but without the greasy mouth feel.

Kellogg s Chex Green Onion 4

I was shocked that I was shocked because this is the least shocking outcome, right? We all knew this would happen, yet here I was, looking like someone had just peed in my Green Onion Chex cereal.

Anything else you need to know?

Since these were pretty good when eaten dry, I ventured to make Chex Mix with it. Here, the Green Onion Chex was a welcome and rather unique addition. The onion flavor blended seamlessly and the hint of sweetness added a nice change of pace from the other savory notes.

Kellogg s Chex Green Onion 5

Conclusion:

Eat it dry. Make it into Chex Mix, but for the love of all that is good in the universe, do not eat this cereal in milk. This year has been bad enough, only one of us should have that experience.

Purchased Price: $25.19 (on sale) + free shipping
Size: 350 gram box
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10 (dry), 1 out of 10 (with milk)
Nutrition Facts: (30 gram serving) 115 calories, 0.81 grams of fat, 0.15 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 24.6 grams of carbohydrates, 8.7 grams of sugar, and 2.4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: DiGiorno Meatless Monday Meatless Sausage Supreme Pizza

Brandon 13 Comments

DiGiorno Meatless Monday Meatless Sausage Supreme Pizza Box

What is the DiGiorno Meatless Monday Meatless Sausage Supreme Pizza

Well, for starters, it’s a bunch of words. So going forward, I’ll probably refer to this as DMMMSSP, or “dimsup” if I’m saying it aloud. This is the frozen pizza maker monolith’s ode to fake meat, which has been quite the rage for the better part of recent history.

DiGiorno Meatless Monday Meatless Sausage Supreme Pizza Whole

How is it?

It feels as though this review should be split between “how’s the fake sausage” and “how’s the product, overall?”

DiGiorno Meatless Monday Meatless Sausage Supreme Pizza Closeup

So, to answer the first one — it’s great! Made with pea protein, you’d be hard-pressed to discern these crumbles from the real deal. (At least in terms of, you know, frozen pizza sausage.) There is a very convincing chew and real sausage-like seasoning. It’s peppery without being spicy.

DiGiorno Meatless Monday Meatless Sausage Supreme Pizza Slice

The pizza, however, is just okay. If you’ve had DiGiorno, you’re familiar with the bland, muted veggies (in this case, red and green bell peppers and onions), the overly sweet sauce that gets applied with a sauce cannon, and the crust which is thick and uncompromisingly bread-y.

Anything else you need to know?

“Meatless Monday” was started in 2003 by Sid Lerner, who advocated that people give up meat one day a week for both their health and the health of the planet. Is it weird that this was the first time I’ve ever heard of it? And I say this as someone who’s been a vegetarian for brief spurts in the past and regularly consumes meat-alternatives.

Conclusion:

While I used to think DiGiorno was tops in terms of the frozen pizza empire, it feels as though they have recently been passed on all fronts by multiple competitors. But while brands such as Urban Pie and Screamin’ Sicilian may best DiGiorno in most ways*, their meat-alternative options are, for now, nonexistent. Kudos to DiGiorno for taking the leap; hopefully, we’ll soon see more brands do the same.

*The best option, if you have it in your area, is Brew Pub Lotzza Motzza frozen pizzas, by the way.

Purchased Price: $6.99
Size: 20.8 oz
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/4 pizza) 300 calories, 10 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 750 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 14 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Marmite Peanut Butter (U.K.)

Mike 13 Comments

Marmite Peanut Butter Jar

In the last years of the 19th century, Justus von Liebig, inventor of Marmite, looked into an empty beer barrel, saw the yeast gunk there, and thought, “Yeah, Imma gonna eat that.” More than a century later, Unilever has released a new spread that combines Justus’ salty yeast extract with another culinary innovation of the late 19th century: peanut butter.

I have to ask, who is this product for? Peanut butter isn’t very popular in the Marmite-loving United Kingdom, and the peanut butter-loving people of the United States hate Marmite, if they’ve had it all.

Me. It’s for me. As someone who loves both ingredients in this spread, it’s possible I’m a target demographic of one, so I knew I had to try it.

Marmite Peanut Butter Spoon

Upon opening the jar, I give the contents a stir. This is an all-natural peanut butter with no sugar or added oils, so it’s separated. Then, I take my mixing spoon and give it a lick (because I’m efficient). The first flavor is of the familiar roasted peanut butter, quickly followed by salty yeast extract. It can be difficult to describe the taste of yeast extract spreads like Marmite if someone hasn’t had them before. It’s salty, and meaty, and a bit beery, and very, very intense.

The peanut butter and Marmite complement each other very well, but there’s no sweetness whatsoever. The Marmite even covers the peanuts’ natural sweetness, so the savory character can be a bit overwhelming. I usually prefer peanut butter without added sugar, but I have to wonder if this spread would have benefited if it had a salty-sweet thing going for it.

Part of the reason Marmite and peanut butter go so well together is that they’re versatile ingredients with savory and sweet applications, and have a fandom willing to explore the culinary limits. I’ve spent countless hours exploring Instagram looking for weird peanut butter sandwich combinations. Think peanut butter and pickle is weird? Try the next-level peanut butter with sauerkraut and onion, or peanut butter on eggs. On the other hand, a thin swipe of Marmite is a great addition to marmalade or cheese on toast.

Marmite Peanut Butter Spread

To test the versatility of this combined spread, I knew I had to do more than lick a spoon. I prepared a piece of toast with the classic peanut butter and strawberry jelly combination, as well as peanut butter and sharp Wisconsin cheddar. The Marmite PB&J proves I was right that this spread benefits from some sweetness. It tastes like standard PB&J with an umami flavor boost. The peanut butter and cheddar is a bit more challenging. It’s already a combo that leans in hard to unctuousness, and the Marmite does nothing to cut the fatty flavor. I liked it, but I also like peanut butter on sloppy joes, so your mileage may vary.

Look, I know I’m weird. I’m willing to pay $19.99 to have a small jar imported. Is it worth that price? No. Is it worth the much more reasonable £2.40 at Tesco? Yeah. Or, you could just buy some peanut butter and Marmite and mix them yourself.

Purchased Price: $19.99
Size: 225g
Purchased at: Amazon.com
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (15g) 88 calories, 6.8 grams of fat, 0.9 grams of saturated fat, 280 milligrams of sodium, 1.8 grams of carbohydrates, 1.2 grams of fiber, 0.9 grams of sugar, and 4.2 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Shake Shack Chocolate Spice Shake

Mark 5 Comments

Shake Shack Chocolate Spice Shake Cup

What is the Shake Shack Chocolate Spice Shake?

Chocolate Spice is one of three holiday shake flavors at Shake Shack this season. Its website describes it as “holiday-spiced chocolate frozen custard blended with crumbled chocolate cookies, topped with whipped cream and cinnamon.”

How is it?

As I sipped my shake, I thought, “This is a sophisticated chocolate shake!”

In my first sip, I did get a bit of cinnamon. But overall, this shake tasted like dark chocolate. It’s certainly unlike any other chocolate shake I’ve had.

Honestly, I didn’t realize that the cookie pieces were cookies. I just thought they were a special kind of chocolate that quickly dissolved in my mouth, like chocolate candies that don’t get hard when they’re cold. They didn’t clog my straw (thanks for the compostable straw, Shake Shack!), and they were a wonderful addition to the shake.

Shake Shack Chocolate Spice Shake Top

The only element that was lacking was the cinnamon. I detected it at first, but then it just blended in with the “sophistication” of the shake. After I finished, I could taste it lingering in my mouth, but the chocolate overpowered it.

I live for seasonal things. This shake was amazing, but it just didn’t seem very seasonal to me.

Anything else you need to know?

This was my first time ever going to Shake Shack, and if there was one closer to my house, I would totally go more often. But my wallet and my body are thankful that I don’t have one nearby.

Conclusion:

Shake Shack’s Chocolate Spice Shake is a classy take on a classic shake. Just don’t expect a ton of spice.

Purchased Price: $5.79
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available on website. At least 840 calories.

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