Tag: Twix

REVIEW: Twix Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Marvo 2 Comments

“My goodness, the cookies are crunchy!”

Those were the first words to pop into my head after tasting a spoonful of Twix Cookie Dough Ice Cream. It wasn’t, “Dear Lord, the caramel swirl is so gooey!” Or, “Hot skippity damn, the cookie dough bites are so cookie dough-y!” Or, “Oh my, the vanilla flavored reduced fat ice cream with artificial flavor added is so creamy!” The Twix caramel cookie bar pieces shouldn’t be the most memorable components of this new ice cream from Mars, but they are to me, and that’s probably not a good thing.

However, I do have to say they’re crunchier than the actual cookie in a Twix bar. Granted, I did get this pretty much straight from the factory, thanks to Mars. Also, while they’re chocolate-coated and apparently have caramel, I didn’t taste either. Maybe their crunch might be distracting me from noticing.

Despite the caramel swirl and the crunch from the Twix cookie pieces, I couldn’t shake the thought that this tasted like a typical chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. The cookie dough bites have the same flavor and soft, gritty texture as they do from other brands. But while they’re somewhat plentiful, their size isn’t impressive compared to the gobs in a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

“Vanilla flavored reduced fat ice cream with artificial flavor added” isn’t the most tantalizing string of words, but the sweet and creamy vanilla base does the job of allowing the cookie dough flavor to come through whenever your spoon scoops one up.

Twix Cookie Dough Ice Cream is adequate, and I happily ate the entire pint to satisfy my sweet tooth. But I wish this had chopped Twix Cookie Dough Bar pieces with the cookie dough bites. That might’ve helped make this pint a bit more memorable.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from Mars. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 16 fl oz
Purchased at: Received from Mars
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 220 calories, 9 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 110 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 27 grams of sugar (includes 17 grams added sugar), and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Nestle Coffee mate Zero Sugar Twix Coffee Creamer

Margaret 4 Comments

What is it?

It is a dream.

A big dream.

Sure, sometimes we have dreams that are terrifying and recurring, thus inciting a visit to a therapist… BUT sometimes you’ll find a good dream. The good ones? We make them come true. Need proof? Take a look above. This was a dream made real at Coffee mate headquarters. In this subtle “cardboard box” shade of brown container, Twix has been made into liquid form. What mad science is this? Let’s find out…

How is it?

Kinda disappointing.

Look, I’m impressed by the smell. It has the exact poof of sugary fragrance that happens when you open a Twix wrapper: caramel, cocoa, all with a hint of cookie in the background.

But the taste? Well, I was hoping it would taste like a melted Twix. But no. Alone, it tastes like white sugar and some weak, weak NesQuik. In coffee, it tastes like what happens when you forget about a s’more in the fire and the whole thing comes out a mangled mess and then you accidentally set off the fire alarm from the s’mores and now the fire trucks are here and you have to deal with that AND the burnt s’mores. It’s just a feeling of overwhelming disappointment.

Anything else you should know?

If you just melt a Twix in the microwave, you’ll have a much more fulfilling experience.

Conclusion:

Coffee mate really had an opportunity to bank on the Twix flavor. But it ended up tasting like cheap caramel with a dash of something brown. It was worth trying, if only to fulfill my unending sense of curiosity, but I wouldn’t go out of your way for this one. On the whole, this Twix-inspired creamer was ambitious, but not even Cookie Monster would touch this one.

Purchased Price: $3.98
Size: 32 fl oz
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 tbsp) 20 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 5 milligrams of sodium, 2 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Twix Cookie Dough

Marvo 9 Comments

Twix Cookie Dough Wrapper

I have no substantial evidence, but I have a feeling the new Twix Cookie Dough might be a Twix Cookies & Creme but with a classic Twix cookie bar instead of a chocolate one. One piece of proof I have is that it’s not beneath Mars to slightly tweak a Twix to generate a new variety. See: Twix Salted Caramel.

But that’s circumstantial evidence, and I might be watching too much Law & Order.

The product’s press release says the new candy bar combines the classic Twix cookie bars with a cookie dough-flavored layer sprinkled with chocolate cookie bits, all of which are coated with milk chocolate.

The use of chocolate cookie bits instead of tiny chocolate chips is what initially made me question the cookie dough layer and wonder if it’s the same one from the older Twix variety. Because when it comes to cookie dough-flavored products, it’s usually the combination of something that replicates the sugary dough and bits of chocolate or something that tries to emulate the taste AND feel of chocolate, and that’s not what the cookie dough layer in this Twix has.

Twix Cookie Dough Closeup

When I eat the layer on its own, I don’t think of cookie dough. Although, to be fair, I don’t immediately think of cookies and creme either. It does have a sugary, vanilla-ish flavor with bursts of chocolate from the dark bits, which you could convince a jury via taste or appearance that it’s either cookie dough or cookies and creme.

But the bar, when eaten whole and not layer by layer, does convince me that it’s cookie dough-flavored. However, it’s not the black and off-white layer that makes me think that way. It’s the crunchy cookie bar, and because it tastes like it provides all the dough flavor, I feel Mars reused its cookies and creme layer for this candy.

I rest my case, Your Honor.

My verdict: Twix Cookie Dough is a delicious candy bar with a noticeable cookie dough flavor. Although I have my suspicions about it, they shouldn’t prevent anyone from trying it.

(NOTE: Twix Cookie Dough will be available nationwide in December 2022. Samples were sent to 1,000 Twix fans who entered a drawing in June to try the candy bar early. And some of those folks sold their samples on eBay, which is how I got my hands on some. And because I got them from a seller on eBay who had to ship it across the country, they look like they might’ve stared for a moment at the Ark of the Covenant after it opened.)

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 1.36 oz bar
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 pack/2 cookies) 200 calories, 11 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar (including 16 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Twix Shakers Seasoning Blend

Marvo 2 Comments

Twix Shakers Bottle

Twix Shakers Seasoning Blend attempts to bring together the flavors of the popular candy bar – chocolate, caramel, and cookies – but does it in a powder form that was, unfortunately, not made using a proprietary Twix Shredder that granulates Left and Right Twix bars left and right.

Twix Shakers Macro

After taking a sniff, but not a deep one for fear of sneezing and blowing the seasoning all over my kitchen, I could smell the caramel and chocolate, but not the cookie. If you’re able to notice it, you have a better nose than mine or you’re a dog. And if you’re a dog and can read this, that’s a good doggie. Who’s a good doggie who can read? You are. Do you want belly welly rub rubs? Yes, you do.

Twix Shakers on Twix

Since brown sugar is the second item in the ingredients list, it’s not surprising that Twix Shakers looks like brown sugar’s cousin. Much like its aroma, its flavor lacks a cookie presence, but the chocolate and caramel are there. However, they don’t taste like Twix’s chocolate and caramel. To test this further, I ate a mini Twix with enough of the sweet seasoning to partially bury it, and the candy bar ended up not tasting like a Twix.

Twix Shakers on Popcorn

While its Twix-ness is questionable and it tastes a bit odd on its own, the sweet powder does a tasty job enhancing other foods. Well, not an actual Twix, but I did find that it pairs well with a number of foods, many of which are recommended on the bottle. Here’s a short list of things it worked well with — iced coffee, hot oatmeal, overnight oats, ice cream, Cheerios, popcorn, and a banana smoothie. However, in order to get the seasoning’s flavor in most of those, I had to triple the serving size (1 teaspoon).

Twix Shakers Water

Because there’s almost a pound of this stuff in the bottle, I decided to go off the beaten path with my what I put this on. I tried it on foods like French fries, green grapes, eggs, and in plain water. All were bad choices.

Like most refrigerated coffee creamers from International Delight and Coffee mate, Twix Shakers doesn’t taste very good when it’s consumed on its own. Its chocolate and caramel flavor is definitely a downgrade from the actual candy bar. But when it’s added to the right foods, it does make them taste better. It’s worth giving it a fair shake.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from B&G Foods. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 13.5 oz bottle
Purchased at: Received from B&G Foods (currently a Sam’s Club exclusive)
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 tsp) 15 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of sodium, 4 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of sugar (including 3 grams of added sugar), and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Salted Caramel Twix

Julie 12 Comments

Salted Caramel Twix Wrapper

When whispers of a new Twix flavor circulated on social media a few weeks ago, junk food fans reveled in the anticipation. Would this new flavor be a crowd-pleasing birthday cake, a seasonal pumpkin spice, or something completely unexpected, like purple ube with a mango twist? (Let the record show that was my idea first, Twix!) Would the long sought-after Sugar Cookie Twix finally hit shelves? Would we chocolate fiends soon be granted a Middle Twix?

Enter Salted Caramel Twix for the big reveal. Sea salt joins the beloved combination of caramel, shortbread, and milk chocolate in this new bar, packaged in a shiny teal wrapper.

With this news, the part of me that loves odd and novel flavors experienced the emotional equivalent of a sad trumpet sound effect, but the part of me that remains slightly obsessed with salted caramel was thrilled. I would rather enjoy a familiar flavor executed perfectly than novelty for novelty’s sake.

Salted Caramel Twix Coating

Although Salted Caramel Twix is also available in King Size, I opted for the standard size. The petite twin sticks look like the original Twix — although a little smaller — inside and out. I was expecting a visual hint of salt, either embedded in the caramel or sprinkled on top of the chocolate coating, but there was nary a grain in sight. Note that if you are vehemently anti-salted caramel, someone could use this Twix to play a trick on you.

With each bite of the Salted Caramel Twix, I experienced the same trajectory of flavor. For the first several chews, the bar tastes largely like an original Twix: creamy milk chocolate, sweet chewy caramel, and crunchy cookie. Then, a punchy salt flavor comes through and lasts for three or four seconds before the taste mellows back into original territory. The saltiness isn’t intense enough to produce a strong mingling of sweet and salty, but it was intense enough to make me incredibly thirsty after eating one stick.

Salted Caramel Twix Split

Tasting one element at a time, I believe the salt is baked into the shortbread cookie, not the caramel. The separation of salt from caramel might contribute to the fleeting saltiness of the bar as a whole. When located in the least sweet element, the salt needs some help being introduced to the sweet.

The thought of salt being separated from caramel until reunited by someone’s mandibles is somewhat tragic. If the salt is not inside the caramel, is it truly salted caramel? Begin the philosophical discussion in the comments below.

Rating the Salted Caramel Twix is tough, because we all know that caramel, shortbread, and chocolate combine to make magic. Yet, the bar’s muted salty/sweet contrast underwhelms. It neither capitalizes on the power of a simple flavor nor deviates strongly enough from the original Twix to feel exciting. Salted caramel fans may enjoy this twist on the original, but it won’t make them forget about the countless other like-flavored products available to satisfy their sweet (and salty) tooth.

Purchased Price: 88 cents
Size: 1.41 oz bar (40 g)
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 200 calories, 9 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 20 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.