Tag: Pudding

REVIEW: Snack Pack Unicorn Magic Pudding

Marvo 1 Comment

Snack Pack Unicorn Magic Pudding

What is Snack Pack Unicorn Magic Pudding?

It’s the latest salvo in the never-ending war between Snack Pack and Jello for pudding supremacy. It came out roughly the same time as Jello’s Unicorn Slime. According to the packaging, it tastes like joy and rainbow sparkles and is made with fairy dust and princess kisses.

How is it?

I’ve never tasted joy or rainbow sparkles, but I have tasted misery from the salty tears of a crying face and rainbow sprinkles from the cupcake I stole from the person shedding those salty tears. With that said, this pudding definitely tastes better than misery and rainbow sprinkles.

To be honest, I thought the fairy dust would make the pudding gritty, but I guess it’s so fine that it’s not noticeable. It’s as creamy as any other pudding I’ve had. Or maybe the princess kisses helped dissolve the fairy dust. I mean, if a kiss from a prince can break a witch’s curse, then princess kisses must be as powerful.

Snack Pack Unicorn Magic Pudding Pink Vs Blue

If the young women’s accessory store Claire’s had a flavor, I’m quite sure it would taste like this pudding. There are two different color varieties in the pack – pink and blue – but there’s no flavor difference between them. Besides what a Claire’s would taste like, I also want to say its flavor is like off-vanilla. My taste buds get vanilla, marshmallows, a bit of cotton candy, and a hint of something floral.

Is there anything else you need to know?

For some odd reason, a six-pack of comes with an uneven four pink ones and two blue ones. No, it’s not a random thing. The nutrition facts point out there are supposed to be those amounts. Why not have an equal number of both colors?

Snack Pack Unicorn Magic Pudding Mixed

Oh, if you’re wondering, mixing the two colors together make a pretty purple color and causes a unicorn to appear in front of you to grant you ONE wish. That wish cannot be to have infinite wishes.

The packaging also comes with a pair of unicorn tattoos, which may or may not be on my body where a mumble rapper would put a tat.

Conclusion:

Snack Pack Unicorn Magic Pudding Lid

At first, I wasn’t into Snack Pack’s Unicorn Magic Pudding, but after eating halfway through a pink and blue container, I found myself liking it. Maybe there’s magic in the pudding that changed my mind. Or perhaps the disodium phosphate is just disodium phosphate.

Purchased Price: $2.69
Size: insertimg
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 pudding cup) 100 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 130 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Creme Pudding

Rachel 10 Comments

Hershey s Cookies N Creme Pudding

If there was a Nobel Prize for food flavors, whoever invented Cookies & Crème (Cream if you prefer) should’ve been awarded one.

Sometime in the early/mid 80s, my mother and young self slid into a booth at Friendly’s for our weekly lunch and ice cream out. I spied a new flavor: Cookies & Creme. “What’s that?” I asked the waitress. “Vanilla and Oreos” she said. EXCUSE ME? OREO ICE CREAM? My tiny cookie-obsessed mind was blown. “This is the best thing ever!” I chanted after every spoonful. Ever since, it’s been my flavor magnetic north.

As fan of Jell-O Oreo Cookies ‘n Creme pudding mix, Jell-O Oreo Pudding cups, and Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme candy bars, it was a no-brainer that I would try Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme pudding cups.

Hershey s Cookies N Creme Pudding 2

The appearance wasn’t exactly exciting for a cookie fanatic. All I saw were microscopic specks mixed into the white pudding. Maybe all the cookie bits were inside. Way inside.

Hershey s Cookies N Creme Pudding 3

Under the foil, there was a faint whiff of cookies, but still no bits. What the hells bells was going on here? I dug around with a spoon, hoping to rile up some hidden chunks. Didn’t happen. C&C fans know that the enjoyment of any given product is dependent on the mass of cookie in relation to the overall mass. See chart 1:

Hershey s Cookies N Creme Pudding 4

(Note this chart only goes to 70% – beyond that you risk under-creaming.)

Taste-wise, this pudding wasn’t bad. It’s reminiscent of Hershey’s candy bar of the same name – heavy sweet vanilla with a shadow of cookie. But it was missing something – cookie balls!

Hershey s Cookies N Creme Pudding 5

The greatest part of the candy bars are the little crunchy balls. They goose the flavor and impart much-needed texture. They’re completely absent in the pudding, and it’s a real shame. It needs them. It’s just a smooth white mass that left a slightly greasy film on my tongue.

I liked this pudding, but not enough to buy again. Jell-O’s Oreo puddings were closer to the mark for me – less sweetness, less vanilla, more cookie.

This under-cookied pudding was screaming to be repurposed, so I made mini-icebox cakes out of it. Drop dollops of pudding between Oreo cookies. (I ate the fillings out of mine!) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Hershey s Cookies N Creme Pudding 6

The moisture from the pudding soaks into the cookies, making something like a cold cakey milk-dunked Oreo.

Hershey s Cookies N Creme Pudding 7

(Nutrition Facts – 1 cup – 110 calories, 10 calories from fat, 1.5 grams of fat, 1 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 17 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.)

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: 4-pack
Purchased at: Key Food
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Like a melted version of its namesake candy bar (If you like that candy bar).
Cons: A severe, drought-like lack of cookie bits or varied texture of any kind. Greasy tongue slime trail.

REVIEW: Hershey’s S’mores Pudding

Marvo 8 Comments

Hershey's S'mores Pudding

Every time I’ve had s’mores, whether it’s at a barbecue using the hot coals to toast marshmallows or at a Boy Scout camp I really didn’t want to be at and faked dehydration to try to get a one way ticket home, I used Hershey’s chocolate. And I’m sure for many of you that chocolate from Pennsylvania is also what you use for s’mores.

Hershey’s is taking advantage of its chocolate being the default candy choice for s’mores by using it to sell pudding that’s not made by Hershey’s, but Kraft.

Hershey’s S’mores Pudding is a layered dessert. The top layer, I assume by its color, is supposed to be marshmallow flavored. Also, the top layer, I assume because there aren’t any actual graham cracker bits in the pudding, is also graham flavored.

It has an airy texture that I believe Yoplait and Jif would call “whipped” and Jello would call “mousse.” Well, I’d like to call it not marshmallow-y or graham cracker-y.

The bottom layer is chocolate pudding made with real Hershey’s cocoa. Sure, I’ll believe what the packaging says, even though my tongue thinks it tastes similar to other chocolate pudding served in plastic cups with foil lids.

Hershey's S'mores Pudding 2

When both layers are consumed together, it does remind me of s’mores eaten around the campfire in the middle of a forest, if those s’mores were made with just chocolate because someone forgot to bring marshmallows and graham crackers and it’s a pain to get them because we’re in the middle of a frickin’ forest, Steve.

The top whipped layer does change the flavor of the chocolate pudding, but not really in a good way. Oddly, the top layer has a bit of a cocoa flavor, which you’d think would enhance the chocolate pudding. But instead of enhancing, it lessens its flavor. I know that doesn’t make sense, but going camping with chocolate and no marshmallows and graham crackers also makes no sense, Steve.

Hershey’s S’mores Pudding is perfectly fine as a chocolate pudding and the two different textures are nice, but don’t expect memories of summer campfires to appear in your head as you scoop it into your mouth because I don’t think s’mores when I eat it. The only way you can experience s’mores with this pudding is if you rub some of it on your hands, making it appear to be as messy as eating an actual s’more.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 snack – 110 calories, 25 calories from fat, 3 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 16 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein, 4% vitamin A, 4% calcium, and 2% iron.)

Item: Hershey’s S’mores Pudding
Purchased Price: $3.49
Size: 4 pack
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Fine as a chocolate pudding. Two different textures are nice. Barbecues.
Cons: Doesn’t taste like s’mores. Top whipped layer doesn’t enhance bottom chocolate pudding. Can’t tell Hershey’s cocoa is being used. Forgetting the marshmallows and graham crackers when going camping, Steve.

REVIEW: Snack Pack Bakery Shop Pudding Cups (Apple Pie a la Mode, Chocolate Cupcake, & Lemon Meringue Pie)

Marvo 4 Comments

Snack Pack Bakery Shop Pudding Cups

I love bakeries.

I love the smells that fart out of their ovens. No matter what it is–bread, cake, or pastries–they create an ever so tempting scent, an aromatic come hither, if you will. Following it will always lead me to a carbohydrate and sugar bedspread with a rack of luscious cupcakes and creamy pies.

It’s hard to resist the all the wonderful doughy treats with that aroma pulling me by the nose. Unfortunately, the tickling of my olfaction was something I didn’t experience with Hunt’s new Snack Pack Bakery Shop Pudding Cups.

The Snack Pack Bakery Shop line consists of five flavors: Apple Pie a la Mode, Chocolate Cupcake, Lemon Meringue Pie, Banana Cream Pie, and Sugar Cookie. Because I watch too many baking reality shows, I was disappointed to see red velvet cake wasn’t one of the flavors. Maybe it’ll end up in the second round of flavors…if there is a second round, because the three flavors I tried weren’t that impressive.

Chocolate Cupcake didn’t taste like a chocolate cupcake, but it did taste like regular chocolate pudding, which I guess isn’t a bad thing since chocolate pudding tastes good. Maybe there were little nuances my tongue didn’t catch that made it taste like a cupcake, or maybe all the chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever eaten have been shitty and they’re really supposed to taste like chocolate pudding. I don’t know.

What I do know is the top pudding layer, which I assume represents frosting, comes in the gloomy color of gray. If the picture on the packaging is correct, it looks like it should’ve been white, but it’s not. I don’t know about you, but gray isn’t an appetizing color. But then again, maybe I feel this way because I’ve seen a lot of poi here on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The Lemon Meringue Pie flavor didn’t have any issues with gloomy pudding. Its top layer was as white as my mostly indoor-restricted body is. The lemon flavor, which comes from lemon juice concentrate, wasn’t as tangy as I hoped it would be, but I swear I could taste a bit of pie crust. The ingredients list doesn’t specifically say it contains pie crust, so I’m going to assume it falls under the vague “Natural Flavors” part of the list. It’s a nice flavor and it’s not too sweet, even though it has 18 grams of sugar per serving, but I could see someone easily mistaking this for regular lemon pudding.

My favorite of the three was Apple Pie a la Mode, even though it didn’t have any a la mode flavor. The top layer was cinnamon-y, while the bottom was mostly apple-y with a little cinnamon. There were little specks of spice floating throughout the bottom layer, but I’m not sure if that was supposed to represent cinnamon or vanilla bean. Even though the pudding’s hues look like Old Navy cargo short color options and it doesn’t really taste like apple pie, I enjoyed it the most because it had a pleasant apple cinnamon flavor and it didn’t seem like a rehash of another Snack Pack flavor.

All three flavors lack high fructose corn syrup and preservatives, and the packaging also boasts they have “0 Grams of Trans Fat Per Serving,” but that’s not really true since each flavor contains partially hydrogenated oils, which creates trans fat. (Insert science here). Unfortunately, the FDA allows trans fat levels of less than 0.5 grams per serving to be listed as 0 grams trans fat on the food label. So there’s trans fat that I wish wasn’t there.

You know what else I wish wasn’t there? The word “shop” in the name Snack Pack Bakery Shop. Who says, “bakery shop”? Not even old people say bakery shop. If I want cake, I’ll go to a bakery. If I want a car, I’m not going to go to a car dealership shop. And, if I want to buy more of these Snack Pack Bakery Shop Pudding Cups, which I probably won’t, I’m not going to go to a supermarket shop.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 pudding cup – Apple Pie a la Mode – 100 calories, 3 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat*, 125 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, less than 1 gram of protein, and 30% calcium. Chocolate Cupcake – 110 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat*, 140 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, 1 gram of protein, and 30% calcium. Lemon Meringue Pie – 120 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat*, 60 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 18 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein, and 10% calcium.)

*contains partially hydrogenated oils

Item: Snack Pack Bakery Shop Pudding Cups (Apple Pie a la Mode, Chocolate Cupcake, & Lemon Meringue Pie)
Purchased Price: $1.27 each
Size: 4 pack
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Apple Pie a la Mode)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Chocolate Cupcake)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Lemon Meringue Pie)
Pros: Apple Pie a la Mode doesn’t taste like a rehash of another pudding flavor. Some flavors provide 30% daily value of calcium. No HFCS. No preservatives. Chocolate pudding is still good. The crust flavor my tongue swears it tasted in the Lemon Meringue Pie.
Cons: Chocolate Cupcake tastes like any other chocolate pudding. Gray color of top layer of Chocolate Cupcake. Lemon Meringue Pie could easily be mistaken for regular lemon pudding. Contains partially hydrogenated oils. Not really adventurous flavors. Bakery Shop is redundant.

REVIEW: Jell-O Pudding Snacks (S’more and Strawberry Sundae)

Marvo 10 Comments

Jell-O Strawbrerry Sundae Pudding Snacks

I don’t have a child of my own, but right now I wish I had one so that I can have him or her try these S’more and Strawberry Sundae Jell-O Pudding Snacks to see if he or she likes them.

Sure, I could hold off on this review until I had a child of my own, but that would take too long. I’d have to get a woman pregnant, convince her to marry me, wait nine months while the child develops in the womb of the woman I shotgun married, and then wait a few years after that to let my child develop verbal communication so that he or she can express his or her thoughts about the two pudding flavors in complete sentences. I think by the time all that’s done, these two flavors might no longer exist.

So without a child handy, I’m left to my own taste buds, and my tastebuds like the S’more Jell-O Pudding Snacks, but when it comes to the Strawberry Sundae flavor, not so much.

Let’s start with my least favorite of the two. A Strawberry Sundae Jell-O Pudding Snack combines pink strawberry ice cream flavored pudding with a layer of red strawberry sauce topping. Since the pudding contains a double-barreled dose of strawberry, I thought the flavor of the pudding would taste like I’m competing in a county fair strawberry eating contest, but its surprisingly not that strong.

The strawberry sauce topping looks like what I imagine evil red ectoplasm is like. It doesn’t have the same consistency as the pudding, instead it’s a bit more fluid. The pudding gets most of its flavor from the ectoplasmic strawberry sauce, but it’s not enough to give the snack a robust strawberry flavor. Overall, the Strawberry Sundae Jell-O Pudding Snack is decent and it doesn’t have an artificial strawberry flavor, but I think it could’ve been better.

Jell-O S'more Pudding Snack

As for the S’more Jell-O Pudding Snack, it merges a chocolate graham flavored pudding with a whipped marshmallow flavored topping that’s similar in texture as the toppings found on the Temptations by Jell-O line. I didn’t notice the graham cracker flavor in the pudding; instead it tastes just like regular chocolate pudding. Strangely, I thought the airy marshmallow topping had a little graham flavor. Even though, it doesn’t really taste like s’mores, it’s a creamy, tasty pyro-less replacement, if you happen to be camping in the middle of a rainstorm, which is making it impossible to build a fire.

I enjoy Jell-O Pudding Snacks when I’m too lazy to combine milk and Jell-O instant pudding mix in a bowl, so, if I’m ever lazy, I could see myself picking up S’more Jell-O Pudding Snacks again. As for the Strawberry Sundae variety, I probably wouldn’t purchase more, unless it would help convince Jell-O to bring back their frozen Pudding Pops.

Seriously, Jell-O, bring back your Pudding Pops.

(Disclosure: We received these Jell-O Pudding Snacks for free from the PR firm that represents Jell-O. Yup, for free. Well, not really “for free,” since we did have to write this review. We have to disclose we received this product for free because if we don’t the Federal Trade Commission will get angry with us. Although I think I’ve gone a little over board with this disclosure. Technically, the first sentence was enough, but I figure I should make it lengthy and bold the damn thing so that it’s not hard to miss.)

(Nutrition Facts – 1 snack – S’more – 110 calories, 20 calories from fat, 2.5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein, 6% vitamin A, 10% calcium, 2% iron, and 10% vitamin D. Strawberry Sundae – 110 calories, 15 calories from fat, 1.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 18 grams of sugar, 1 gram of protein, 6% vitamin A, 10% calcium, and 10% vitamin D.)

Item: Jell-O Pudding Snacks (S’mores and Strawberry Sundae)
Price: FREE (retails for $3.59)
Size: 6 pack
Purchased at: Received from nice PR folks
Rating: 7 out of 10 (S’mores)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Strawberry Sundae)
Pros: S’more flavor was really good. Made with real milk. No artificial sweeteners and preservatives. Jell-O Pudding Pops. The miracle of childbirth.
Cons: Strawberry Sundae wasn’t exciting. Not really a good source of calcium and vitamin D (Pfff…10%? I laugh at that 10%). Graham chocolate pudding didn’t have any graham flavor. Not having a child handy to ask them what they think of the pudding.