Tag: Candy

REVIEW: Birthday Cake Kit Kat

Julie 3 Comments

Birthday Cake Kit Kat

What is Birthday Cake Kit Kat?

This limited edition Kit Kat features frosting-flavored white crème and rainbow sprinkles.

How is it?

Artificial birthday cake flavor has its fans and its detractors, but, despite its arguable overuse, I am definitely a fan. The rich sweetness and pops of color always evoke childhood memories of opening a fresh can of Funfetti frosting — and plunging a spoon into its creamy depths.

However, I write this review now as a sophisticated adult who eats vegetables of her own accord and no longer considers Lunchables to be “unpretentious charcuterie boards.” (Okay, only most of this sentence is true some of the time.)

Nowadays, I enjoy birthday cake flavor mostly in smaller doses and when it is paired with a complementary flavor or texture. If you like Birthday Cake Oreo Cookies, but thought Birthday Cake Hershey’s Kisses left something to be desired, then we might be of the same icing ilk.

Birthday Cake Kit Kat Wafers

Birthday Cake Kit Kat meets this most important criterion, as its crispy wafer insides pair well with the sweet white crème coating. The crème’s frosting-inspired flavor is spot on. I detected a hint of buttery taste that is often lacking in other birthday cake products that rely too heavily on sugar and artificial coloring as substitutes for flavor.

Birthday Cake Kit Kat Fingers

The rainbow nonpareils stand out beautifully against the white crème coating, giving the candy a cheery, fun appearance. They also provide a bit of extra crunch, which is not evident in every bite. Initially worried that the sprinkles would overwhelm the product and result in a gritty texture, I was pleased with their subtle effect.

The only thing I did not like about this Kit Kat is that the oil in the coating left a feeling of “mouth coat” that I haven’t experienced with other Kit Kat products.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Celebrating its 85th anniversary of production this year, Kit Kat has experienced a recent renaissance, with the release of its Duos line and lemon and raspberry seasonal varieties — all of which I have really enjoyed. With more flavors rumored for release this year, Kit Kat is proving an old dog can learn new tricks.

Conclusion:

Birthday Cake Kit Kat executes a familiar flavor perfectly and enhances both texture and flavor with rainbow sprinkles. Kit Kat fans and frosting fiends will celebrate having another reason to visit the candy aisle.

Purchased Price: 88 cents
Size: 1.5 oz (42 g)

Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 220 calories, 12 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 20 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Sour Patch Kids Frozen Dessert Bars

Vin 3 Comments

What are Sour Patch Kids Frozen Dessert Bars?

A vague raspberry flavored ice surrounding a vague vanilla ice cream-like substance, dotted with flavorless bits of Sour Patch Kids.

How are they?

These didn’t succeed, despite seeming like a great idea on paper.

The “redberry” ice pop portion was refreshing and tasted fine. Like Sour Patch Kids candy, it started sour then transitioned to sweet.

I still don’t actually know what “Redberry” is. It tasted like a combination of all the red berries (rasp, straw, even cran), but raspberry was most prominent, so I’m rolling with that.

The “dairy” portion that they or I wouldn’t dare call “ice cream,” was quite bad.

First off, the vanilla gets masked by the sourness of the Redberry ice, which is much colder than the “dairy,” so it’s pretty off-putting once you get to the bottom chunk of exposed vanilla. That’s the only time you can actually distinguish the flavors.

The worst part may have been the texture. It’s a slimy, synthetic, custard-like block that only gets worse with the addition of rubbery Sour Patch Kids “bitz.”

Is there anything else you need to know?

The Redberry ice overwhelms all the other flavors. There’s no strong vanilla ice cream taste at all, and the bits of the various Sour Patch Kid flavors are completely wasted. That was a bummer. I wanted to taste those since you only get one flavor of ice.

If you’ve ever had a custard and ice mix from a place like Rita’s or Ralph’s, this tastes like a dollar store version of those in bar form.

Conclusion:

I think these would succeed better as two separate ideas altogether. I’m sure they exist, but they should just sell SPK flavored ice pops and custard bars with candy bits as two different products.

Don’t even bother with these. There are 100 things better in the same aisle. If you need a Sour Patch Kids fix, just stick with the candy and mix them into a better frozen dessert.

Stay safe, everyone.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: 16.5 fl. Oz. (6 bars)
Purchased at: Stop & Shop
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 Bar) 90 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 20 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 15 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Pretzel Bites, Cookies ‘N’ Crème Cookie Bites, and Milk Chocolate Cookie Bites

Rachel 4 Comments

Hershey s Bites 1

What are Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Pretzel Bites, Cookies’ N’ Crème Cookie Bites, and Milk Chocolate Cookie Bites?

Hershey’s latest innovations are a group of familiar flavors in tiny ball format. Why? Because you just vacuumed up the last batch of small, round snacks that rolled into the deep recesses of your home in 2019.

There are two varieties of cookie bites – one vanilla cookie with milk chocolate coating, one chocolate cookie with white crème coating – and pretzel bites with a milk chocolate coating.

How are they?

I really wanted to try these because I am both a choco-pretzel fiend and a cookies & cream fanatic of the highest order. I was less interested in the vanilla cookie/chocolate combo.

Hershey s Bites 2

First thing, I was surprised at the size of them. I saw that the main photo on the package was enlarged, but I figured they’d be Whoppers-sized, like the rest of the images on the bag. Nope – teensy. The cookie bites were 1/2″ wide and the pretzel bites slightly larger. The bag was only half-full. Disappointing, but not a deal-breaker.

Hershey s Bites 3

The chocolate and white crème coatings were exactly what I’d expect from Hershey’s – delicious, but in this case, not ground-breaking. The texture was good – crunchy, but not too hard. I wished the pretzel balls were a tad saltier, though (if I’m doing sweet/salty, I’m going hard). I prefer Pretzel M&M’s to these.

Funny enough, the Milk Chocolate Cookie Bites – that I didn’t care much about at first – were the standouts here. Maybe because the vanilla cookie/chocolate coating combo isn’t as popular right now, so it’s not a well-worn flavor. When I bit into them, they tasted exactly like those not-Oreo vanilla cookies that I ate in my youth. It felt surprisingly nostalgic.

Hershey s Bites 4

I think there’s something of interest in the Milk Chocolate Cookie Bites because of the generally neglected vanilla cookie flavor profile, and would buy them again. The other two, however, seem like duplicates of existing products, just in a smaller, slightly different shape that I don’t think anyone was clamoring for. Maybe they should’ve marketed them as a mix of all three bites in one bag – like a flavor roulette – which one will you get?

Hershey s Bites 5

Is there anything else you need to know?

These things are HIGHLY mobile and slippery. I dropped at least five that I had to hunt for after they promptly rolled away.

Conclusion:

If you’re looking for something new, try the Milk Chocolate Cookies Bites. If you’re looking for solid, good old-fashioned Hershey flavor, try any of them. I’m not completely sure why they exist, but here they are!

Purchased Price: 3 for $12 (on sale)
Size: 7.5 oz. bags
Purchased at: Hershey’s Chocolate World
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Pretzel Bites), 7 out of 10 (Cookies ‘N’ Creme Bites), 8 out of 10 (Chocolate Cookie Bites)
Nutrition Facts: – Milk Chocolate Pretzel Bites: (30g – 17 pieces) 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 135 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 13 grams of total sugars, 12 grams of added sugar and 2 grams of protein. Cookies ‘N’ Crème Cookie Bites: (30g – 21 pieces) 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 100 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 13 grams of total sugars, 11 grams of added sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Milk Chocolate Cookie Bites: (30g – 26 pieces) 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 14 grams of total sugars, 13 grams of added sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: White Reese’s Stuffed with Pieces

Julie 2 Comments

Reese s White Creme Peanut Butter Cups Stuffed with Reese s Pieces

What is the White Reese’s Stuffed with Pieces?

Exclusive to Dollar General stores, Reese’s newest product is a white crème cup filled with Reese’s Pieces bits and the brand’s signature peanut butter filling.

How is it?

With each new addition to its line of products, Reese’s takes more of a “choose your own adventure” approach to offering the perfect peanut butter cup to meet individual tastes. Navigating among coating types, sizes and shapes, and filling add-ins, Reese’s fans get to try out new combinations more often than new flavors, and as a result, strong personal preferences form and comparisons are inevitable.

Reese s White Creme Peanut Butter Cups Stuffed with Reese s Pieces Outside

Personally, I swear that Reese’s Trees and Eggs are superior to your average cup. Milk chocolate ranks first, followed by white crème and dark chocolate, respectively. In 2016, when Reese’s introduced Reese’s Stuffed with Pieces in the milk chocolate variety, the addition of crunchy candy shells didn’t wow me enough to make my list of favorites.

Setting aside my biases, I was drawn to White Reese’s Stuffed with Pieces for its novelty, exclusive status, and charming polka dot wrapper. The white crème delivers in both flavor and texture, as the sturdy shell easily melts into a creamy bite with a subtle white chocolate taste. The crème’s flavor allows the peanut butter filling to shine.

Reese s White Creme Peanut Butter Cups Stuffed with Reese s Pieces Inside

The Reese’s Pieces bits add an enjoyable element of texture, but still feel scarce in number. In my pack of two, each cup contained at least one whole candy piece, which doesn’t quite meet the expectation that the word “stuffed” implies, but was still an improvement over my experience with the barely-there candy shells in the milk chocolate variety.

When I encountered a whole candy, I could taste its peanut butter flavor even against the powerful peanut butter filling. While Reese’s Pieces are not enough to make the milk chocolate variety special for me, they are enough to make the white crème variety more interesting.

Is there anything else you need to know?

The product wrapper specifies white crème because it contains no cocoa butter and so technically cannot be classified as chocolate.

Conclusion:

Having already dabbled in both white crème and Reese’s Pieces, Reese’s is not exploring uncharted territory with White Reese’s Stuffed with Pieces, but all of the elements work together well in this peanut butter-and-texture-forward candy. If you are a Reese’s aficionado who likes having options, try out this variety and share where it falls in your peanut butter power ranking.

Purchased Price: 95 cents
Size: 1.4 oz. (2 cups)
Purchased at: Dollar General
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 200 calories, 12 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 19 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein

REVIEW: Limited Edition Galactic Fruit Gushers with a Mystery Flavor

Julie

Limited Edition Galactic Fruit Gushers Mystery Flavor

What are Limited Edition Galactic Fruit Gushers with a Mystery Flavor?

General Mills is re-releasing a limited edition lunchbox favorite: Galactic Gushers, featuring Asteroid Apple, Berry Star Clusters, and a Mystery Flavor (“Unidentified Flavored Object”). The product is available exclusively at Walmart.

How are they?

First, if you have never eaten a Gusher, a) do you eat vicariously through junk food bloggers? and b) they are kind of their own species. Not quite gummy candy, not quite fruit leather, Gushers are dense and chewy with a burst of fruit-flavored liquid in the center.

Galactic Gushers, to reinforce the outer space theme, are the Jupiter of Gushers in that they are large in mass and volume. This box – well-decorated with glittery letters and a rich purple celestial background – contains 20 pouches, each of which holds about 8-10 Gushers.

Limited Edition Galactic Fruit Gushers Mystery Flavor Colors

The flavors are distinguished by color: bright green (Asteroid Apple), sapphire blue (Berry Star Cluster), and dark purple (Mystery Flavor), a color combination that could be recycled if Jewel Tone Gushers or Cool Side of the Color Wheel Gushers ever hit shelves. Details like a swirl motif and edible glitter to resemble planets and stars would have been a fun addition to boost the galaxy imagery.

The Asteroid Apple’s hint of tartness tastes like a typical artificial green apple flavor, and the Berry Star Cluster mimics the concentrated sweetness and flavor of blueberry jam.

Limited Edition Galactic Fruit Gushers Mystery Flavor Innards

The Mystery Flavor was harder to pinpoint, because the taste of each purple Gusher seemed to vary slightly. Perhaps primed by its purple shade, I first guessed grape, then recognized a sweet note that reminded me of boysenberry.

For help, I turned to the Galactic Gushers promotional site, which lists the following as potential flavors:

  • Big-Bang Blue Raspberry
  • Meteorite Mandarin-Melon
  • Satellite Strawberry-Kiwi
  • Light-Year Lemon-Lime

One more taste detected acidity in the Gusher goo that seemed to point to Big-Bang Blue Raspberry as the Mystery Flavor.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Limited Edition Galactic Fruit Gushers Mystery Flavor Back

You can guess the mystery flavor at GalacticGushers.com daily through April 30th for a chance to win prizes like gift cards and Gushers swag.

As of this writing, “Big-Bang Blue Raspberry” is in the lead with only 48% of the vote. I wonder if Gushers purposefully designed the Mystery Flavor pieces to taste inconsistent, or if the minor flavor differences I detected among them were just my imagination.

*X-Files theme plays*

Conclusion:

After the novelty of the Mystery Flavor wears off, you are left with three perfectly acceptable Gushers flavors and perhaps a reinvigorated urge to storm Area 51.

Purchased Price: $5.88
Size: 16 oz. box (20 – 0.5 oz. pouches)
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 pouch) 80 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.