Tag: Candy

REVIEW: Sour Patch Kids Cola Bubbles

Vin 5 Comments

Sour Patch Kids Cola Bubbles Pouch

What are Sour Patch Kids Cola Bubbles?

It’s Sour Patch minus the Kids, and this time they’re soda flavored.

How are they?

Sometimes I eat a new snack and genuinely enjoy it, but it still ends up bumming me out for reasons beyond its control. I’ll get to that later, but first? These are really good.

I can go in-depth about Sour Patch Kids Cola Bubbles’ flavor, but it just kinda boils down to “Sour Coca-Cola.” They’re exactly as advertised.

Everyone knows Sour Patch Kids start sour and become sweet, and these are no different. The initial sour sensation is very similar to that of a lemon or lime SPK, but it mellows into a moderate level of sweetness that I’d compare to watered-down cola.

Sour Patch Kids Cola Bubbles Glass Wht

Both colored bubbles have the same flavor, which I thought would pop (no pun) a bit more, if I’m being honest. That’s not really a complaint, though.

It’s akin to when you pour Coke over ice and take that first foamy sip as the bubbles settle around the cubes. Am I making sense? I find that to be the best and least cola flavor heavy sip. There’s obviously no effervescence here, but the taste gives off that sensation.

I couldn’t help but wonder how successful a “Sour Cola” would be after eating these. Maybe Pepsi could give that a trial run. I think it would be good, especially for a cocktail mixer.

Anything else you need to know?

So, I mentioned earlier how bummed these made me, and I’m probably dating myself here, but they reminded me of a candy that hasn’t existed in close to two decades – Betty Crocker Sodalicious Fruit Snacks.

If you know, you know.

I won’t dwell on that too much, and I encourage you to Google ’em because, man, they were an elite childhood snack, and these were semi-close to what I remember Sodalicious tasting like.

I also think Sour Patch Kids Cola Bubbles are better than Haribo Happy Cola gummies.

Conclusion:

Sour Patch Kids Cola Bubbles Glass Bag

These are legit, and I’d argue the little bubble form is a more satisfying bite than the usual flat kid shape.

I think these could and really should become standard movie theater candy. You can sub ’em in for the massive Coke and family-sized bag of Sour Patch Kids you usually get and just focus on your garbage can full of popcorn.

Purchased Price: $1.25
Size: 3.61 oz
Purchased at: Dollar Tree
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (24 pieces) 110 calories, 0 grams of fat, 25 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of total carbohydrates, 23 grams of total sugars, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Blueberry Muffin Kit Kat

Julie 14 Comments

Blueberry Muffin Kit Kat Wrapper

Whenever Kit Kat releases a new flavor, I think of someone who once asked me why consumers get so excited about “stuff that tastes like other stuff.”

Obviously, this person is not our friend, but I explained there are several reasons:

  • Candy is fun. The more varieties, the better.
  • Novelty breaks up the drudgery of everyday existence.
  • There is an artful and glorious alchemy involved in combining two perfect substances into one.
  • I don’t need a reason. Mind your business.

In the case of the Blueberry Muffin Kit Kat, all of the above apply. However, reason #3 is particularly apt because Blueberry Muffin Kit Kats are a beautiful representation of the bakery staple in candy bar form.

Blueberry Muffin Kit Kat Fingers

This limited edition bar is an earthy lavender-colored confection. (In real life, it looks a lot less sludgy gray than my best efforts at photography produced.) The wrapper describes the bar as “naturally and artificially flavored crisp wafers in blueberry muffin flavored creme.”

What makes a “blueberry muffin flavored creme?” This Kit Kat’s creme combines the flavors of blueberry and buttery cake batter, with strong undertones of brown sugar and warm cinnamon like you’d find in a crumble topping. I wasn’t expecting a touch of cinnamon, but that detail was exactly what my soul and taste buds wanted. The creme tastes delicious and complex, even if the sweetness is more reminiscent of cake than muffin. Because muffins let us brazenly blur the line between bread and cake at breakfast, this feels like a minor complaint.

Blueberry Muffin Kit Kat Wafers

What’s really cool is that the distribution of the realistic blueberry flavor is a little uneven, resulting in occasional strong pops of blueberry goodness. In one or two morsels alone, the Kit Kat recreated the experience of finding those especially juicy blueberries in a bite of the baked good. As I ate, I felt like Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory — before the severe physical and emotional damage.

Flecks of graham embedded in the creme support the wafers’ crisp texture. It is difficult to isolate their flavor, but they may contribute some of that crumble-like toastiness.

Blueberry Muffin Kit Kat Graphic

As fans of “stuff that tastes like other stuff” know, products can sometimes promise big flavors and deliver ho-hum results. (Public service announcement: lemon flavoring alone does not make something like lemon meringue pie, and it never will.) Happily, the Blueberry Muffin Kit Kat is not just blueberry flavoring dressed in a muffin’s wrapper. While Kit Kat reliably concocts delicious limited editions, the Blueberry Muffin variety is special for its inventiveness and complexity of flavor.

Because I would rank it within my top three Kit Kat flavors and because I can’t think of a reason not to, I am rating the Blueberry Muffin Kit Kat a rare 10 out of 10.

Purchased Price: 98 cents
Size: 1.5 oz bar (42 g)
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 10 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: M&M’s Munchums

Vin 7 Comments

M M s Munchums Pouch

What are M&M’s Munchums?

M&M’s has taken a fancy new natural approach by kicking the candy coating to the curb in favor of a crunchy baked shell.

How are they?

M M s Munchums Bowl

They’re one of the five best M&M flavors I’ve ever had.

Let me walk that back a little…

These are clearly different from the usual M&M, but I don’t care; they destroy most of them, especially the classic brown bag originals.

These are not so much pieces of candy as they’re tiny little chocolate chip cookie balls, and they’re good chocolate chip cookies at that.

M M s Munchums Innards

They start with a chocolate crispy core, which I was already pumped about as Crispy M&M’s are also in my top five. The core is encased in the standard chocolate, but the real marvel here is the shell, which has a perfectly crispy baked flavor that reminded me of a Famous Amos-type cookie.

Now you’re probably thinking, “So what, plenty of cookies use M&M’s,” and you’re right, but I just found this inverse to be much more exciting. I don’t know why, but I really loved the flavor of this bite-sized “candy.” Usually, if M&M’s releases a flavor with the promise of “cookie,” it would taste like an M&M with a hint of that cookie’s flavor. These taste like cookies without even really promising that.

Anything else you need to know?

I’ve never actually had Keebler Gripz, but I recall a similar product from my youth. They were just little tiny chocolate chip cookies in a pouch, and my Googling has brought no help. Anyway, that’s what I ultimately walked away thinking of. These taste like an upscale, more chocolatey version of those with a much nicer crunchy texture.

M M s Munchums Colored M

If you can’t tell, I really dug the shell. I even think the colored “M” on the tan shell looks great.

These could be a reinvention of the M&M wheel. I could also picture these being a truly elite ingredient in a great trail/snack mix.

Conclusion:

M M s Munchums Colors

I hope these expand on shelves and everyone gets to try them. They should really market these. Introduce a “Baked” M&M character to the revamped lineup. Give him little dreads and a goatee. Eh, maybe that’s a literal pipe dream.

Either way, these are legit. They also come in a salted caramel flavor if you’re lucky enough to find them.

UPDATE: By luck, my aunt had the Salted Caramel Munchums at my family’s Easter get-together! It is with great regret that I inform you they taste like a cheap salty café latte absorbed in a piece of cardboard. I cannot believe the stark difference between the two flavors. Don’t even bother with the Salted Caramel, and just get the Milk Chocolate flavor.

Purchased Price: $3.49
Size: 4.94 oz pouch
Purchased at: Wegmans
Rating: 9 out of 10 (Milk Chocolate), 3 out of 10 (Salted Caramel)
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz, 14 pieces) 120 calories, 5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of total carbohydrates, 9 grams of total sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Frankford Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Gummies

Jenna 5 Comments

Frankford Kraft Macaroni Cheese Gummies Box

What are Frankford Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Gummies?

When a friend sent me a video of a Trendy TikTok Teenager™ happening upon these, I immediately assumed it was an elaborately Photoshopped April Fool’s joke. But the siren song of curiosity compelled me to my local Five Below, just in case, and I’d never been so excited to be proven wrong. It’s not often that you genuinely have no idea what a snack food is going to taste like (or why it even exists in the first place), but this review gave me that dubious pleasure… and as it turns out, not many others.

How are they?

Frankford Kraft Macaroni Cheese Gummies Plate

These do not, in fact, actually taste like macaroni and cheese. Nor are they supposed to. If you’re a more reasonable person than I am, you might now be breathing a sigh of relief, but I found this disappointing. Van Leeuwen’s recent (and bizarre) Kraft Macaroni & Cheese ice cream has been widely described along the lines of “Huh, this really does somehow taste cheesy and creamy and salty… and honestly pretty good,” so why couldn’t these be like that too!? But, for better or worse, their flavor is fruity—tangerine-y, but in that nebulously synthetic way common to many gummies. The texture necessitates a workout for your jaw; rubbery and requiring some effort to chew. If these gummies really were pasta, I’d send them back to the kitchen.

Anything else you need to know?

Frankford Kraft Macaroni Cheese Gummies Compare

The box — an adorably dedicatedly crafted (or Krafted) facsimile that was probably my favorite part of this experience — cleverly gives no spoilers about what the heck these candies actually taste like, making for a prime opportunity for a prank or just a gimmicky surprise.

Conclusion:

Whether you find the concept queasy, uneasy, or just plain cheesy, Frankford’s Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Gummies probably have more shock value than flavor value, and only one of those values lasts past the first bite. I think they’re still certainly fun enough to justify a one-time novelty purchase, but fittingly for the store where they’re found, I can’t bring myself to rank them above a five (at least it’s not below)!

Purchased Price: $4.00
Size: 5.64 oz box
Purchased at: Five Below
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (7 gummies) 90 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 13 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Crunchy Cookie M&M’s

Marvo 3 Comments

Crunchy Cookie M M s Bag

As I looked down into my bag of Crunchy Cookie M&M’s, I wondered if the Red M&M was playing a trick on me and filled the bag with Sixlets rejects that didn’t meet the spherical standards of, um, whoever produces Sixlets (I’m too lazy to Google it).

Anyhoo, when did crisp rice-filled M&M’s get Sixlets-small?

While I was initially disappointed with their size, after I started eating them, I began to understand why they are the way they are. It boils down to what these chocolate candies are supposed to taste like — a crunchy cookie. That can also be expanded to their texture. Thanks to a thinner chocolate layer, they have a crunch that can be described as more like a cookie than candy-coated M&M’s, and I like it.

Crunchy Cookie M M s Layers

Sadly, that crunch doesn’t come from an actual cookie core embedded in the center of each piece. It’s a rice crisp, which our teeth have chomped on over the years. I guess when it comes to solid ingredients, M&M’s stuffing technology hasn’t improved beyond rice crisps, pretzels, and peanuts. Does Mars even have the Sixlets to add cookie nuggets to the center of M&M’s?

But the food manufacturing folks there should figure it out because if they added a cookie nugget, these would probably have a cookie’s flavor, which these Crunchy Cookie M&M’s lack. There were moments when I thought I got a bit of an artificial brown sugar-like flavor, but for the most part, these taste like less chocolatey Crispy M&M’s.

Crunchy Cookie M M s Core

Maybe there isn’t a strong cookie flavor because the chocolate mantle beneath the colorful candy crust is so thin. I’m sure that’s where the flavor is supposed to come from because it’s not the rice crisp core. I pulled one out from the candy, and it has a flavor that I wouldn’t consider cookie-like. Instead, it tastes (and looks) like a tanned piece of Kix cereal. This parent does not approve.

Crunchy Cookie M M s Inside

Look, I enjoy Crispy M&M’s, so much so that years ago I probably signed an online petition to bring them back. So I’m okay with the way these taste. But I’m disappointed that they could’ve been better.

I thought about making them better by pulling out a cookie sheet and a box of cookie mix to make actual cookies using these Crunchy Cookie M&M’s. But if I’m too lazy to Google who produces Sixlets, I’m too lazy to bake cookies with these underwhelming candies in them.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 7.40 oz sharing bag
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 oz/about 34 pieces) 130 calories, 5 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 16 grams of sugar (15 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein.