I liken the new Wendy’s Thin Mints Frosty to the Tostitos “Hint of” line of tortilla chips. The flavor is there but doesn’t bombard your taste buds with it. This new Frosty doesn’t scream pineapple like the SpongeBob SquarePants Under the Sea Pineapple Frosty or shout salted caramel like the Salted Caramel Frosty from last year. Instead, you’re getting a less pronounced flavor.

Unlike previous varieties, this one comes with either the chocolate or vanilla Frosty base and then a rich, minty cookie crumble sauce inspired by the popular Girl Scout Cookie is swirled and topped on the treat. It’s not blended together, so unless you do some mixing on your own, expect spoonfuls of just the icy and creamy base as you eat your way through the cup. That’s not the worst thing in the world, especially if you have fries to dip into them.

If you sample just the sauce, the Thin Mints flavor is mainlined to your taste buds. It has a grittiness comparable to the iciness of the Frosty base. There’s a hint of crunchiness in those cookie specks and a minty chocolate flavor in the dark sauce that brings Thin Mints to mind. However, when scooped with the vanilla or chocolate Frosty base, the sauce’s taste gets, um, thin. This flavor dilution happens more with the Chocolate Frosty base than with the Vanilla one.

The chocolate mint sauce makes these treats look enticing, but I wish it was mixed throughout the base to give it that mint chocolate oomph that we all know and love from the cookies.

While I found them to be a little disappointing, I enjoyed these Thin Mints Frosty varieties. However, I won’t scream and shout from the mountaintops about them. Heck, I don’t even think it’s something you should rush out the door for right at this moment. Instead, I think you should wait, order a pack (or a dozen) of Thin Mints from your friendly neighborhood Girl Scout Troop and use them to scoop up these Frosty flavors from the cup or crush the cookies and sprinkle them over the top to give your taste buds more than a hint of Thin Mints.

Purchased Price: $4.49 each
Size: Small
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Vanilla), 6 out of 10 (Chocolate)
Nutrition Facts: Vanilla – 490 calories, 22 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 270 milligrams of sodium, 64 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 53 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of protein. Chocolate – 490 calories, 22 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 270 milligrams of sodium, 64 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 51 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of protein.

There was a time when I ate a lot of Wendy’s chili. Everybody else would have their huge Bacon Cheese Whatever monstrosities, large fries, buckets of nuggets, and mega Frosties, and I would sit there, primly eating my fiber-rich, beany soup. My will was strong.

But I’ve weakened in my morals since then and have started experimenting with other Wendy’s fare, even burgers. But I still consider myself a Wendy’s Chili enthusiast, so I had to try the latest incarnation of its Taco Salad. This new incarnation of the classic entrée boasts new crispy chili lime tortilla strips, fire-roasted corn, and a “creamy zesty salsa” dressing, in addition to the standard ingredients: lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, and, of course, chili.

When you open the plastic clamshell, it looks like a normal fast-food salad with a few tablespoons of corn kernels dropped on it; some of the corn had some visible char on it, but most did not. The other special ingredients—the seasoned tortilla strips, the creamy salsa dressing, and, of course, the chili–came separately. Considering the fact that my default portion was pretty close to filling the whole container before any of the add-ins went on, clearly construction of my bespoke salad would be a careful process.

If you eat Wendy’s chili regularly, then you know that sometimes it’s more watery than others. This time, it was pretty watery, so instead of dumping a bunch of it onto my salad and giving it a bath, I went in with a spoon and teased out the solid components, effectively straining out the water. I only got through about a third of the chili before I had enough for my plate, and I didn’t use all of the dressing because it seemed like too much of a good thing. If you want to eat this with all of the chili and all of the dressing, you are braver than I, and hopefully wearing clothes that don’t need to be dry-cleaned.

There is a lot going on in this salad, to put it mildly. I know saying, “It was like a party in my mouth” is totally played out, but my mouth was definitely experiencing some kind of festive event. I mostly enjoyed all the different flavors and textures, although the temperature fluctuation was a little strange; when I went from a forkful of pipping-hot chili to a cold clump of lettuce, it felt a little like something had gone wrong with my meal, but that’s just part of the experience.

Every component I can point to was good (although the “creamy salsa” dressing was basically just a less-tangy Ranch to my palate), yet I found trying to arrange perfect bites and get a little bit of everything in one mouthful was kind of…stressful. Next time I have it, and am confident I will have it again, I need to chillax and remember that I’m not being judged by the Wendy’s Police.

After all that, I’m pretty happy with this incarnation of the Taco Salad. Just be aware that assembling and eating the darned thing is more of a project than you might have been anticipating.

Purchased Price: $5.99
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Salad w/dressing) 640 calories, 39 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 1550 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 11 grams of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, and 27 grams of protein.

With its beef patty, roasted mushrooms, Applewood smoked bacon, muenster cheese, and creamy garlic spread, Wendy’s says that its new Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger is “literally oozing with umami.” With so many savory ingredients, I don’t doubt that, but the burger is also seeping with some surprising spiciness.

That hint of heat comes from the creamy garlic spread, which is literally oozing out from the sides of the burger. Here’s a list of the sauce’s ingredients to help figure out what’s causing the slight spiciness and to add 50 words to this review:

Soybean Oil, Water, Egg Yolks, Salt, Cider Vinegar, Distilled Vinegar, Garlic, Contains Less than 2% of Onion, Sugar, Dehydrated Onion, Dehydrated Garlic, Mustard Seed, Spices, Xanthan Gum, Monosodium Glutamate, Potassium Sorbate (A Preservative), Natural Flavor, Oleoresin Paprika (Color), Parsley, Citric Acid, Calcium Disodium EDTA Added to Protect Flavor. CONTAINS: EGG.

Well, whatever it is, that spiciness doesn’t enhance the burger. If anything, it was more of a distraction because I usually don’t associate heat with garlic sauces. The garlic flavor is mild enough that if your significant other ate this and wanted to make out after, you shouldn’t be offended by their breath. It’s also subtle enough that it allows the mushroom’s earthiness, bacon’s smokiness, and the beef’s, um, beefiness to come through with every bite.

What doesn’t come through is the muenster cheese, which is supposed to have a mild nutty/buttery taste. Whatever flavor it has gets lost with all the other oozing umami. It’s so inconsequential that folks could be tricked into thinking this has Swiss, another mild-tasting cheese.

But the bacon and mushroom flavors do come through, and I think this is a good cheeseburger, with the garlic spread providing some difference from a standard mushroom and Swiss. However, it’s not oozing THAT much of a difference.

Purchased Price: $8.19*
Size: Single patty
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 670 calories, 43 grams of fat, 16 grams of saturated fat, 1.5 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 1210 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 35 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

Wendy’s didn’t bring back its delicious Pumpkin Spice Frosty for the holiday season. Are you experiencing various emotions about it because you thought eating one would be an annual tradition because you believed something so tasty has to come back annually? Well, I’m sorry, my mad and/or sad friend, our consolation prize is the new Salted Caramel Frosty that combines a Vanilla Frosty with sea salt caramel syrup.

Speaking of anger, you should also direct some of that emotion at SpongeBob Squarepants. If not for the Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty, which came out at the beginning of October, we might’ve tasted the Pumpkin Spice Frosty this year. (Shakes fist at SpongeBob Squarepants boxers, which I got as a gift a long time ago but never wore because I’d hate to get caught wearing them.)

This is the fourth new Frosty flavor this year. It follows the delicious Orange Creamsicle, the disappointing Triple Berry, and the wonderful Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty varieties. Because Wendy’s is batting .666 this year with home run Frosty varieties, I had complete faith that this Salted Caramel one would be delicious, so I ordered a large. Thankfully, my fast food treats analytics paid off.

The dessert looks a bit French Vanilla off-white, but when a spoonful hits my taste buds, they’re flooded with salted caramel flavor. The caramel is sweet and buttery, and it’s bold enough that there’s no hint of the vanilla base, but it’s not overwhelming. A subtle saltiness enhances the caramel, which turns this treat into something so tasty that it makes me forget about being disappointed that the Pumpkin Spice Frosty didn’t return.

If you’re interested in trying Wendy’s Salted Caramel Frosty, I recommend ordering it RIGHT NOW. Because after what we’ve seen with the Pumpkin Spice one, who knows what’ll happen to this seasonal one in the future. This might be your only chance to treat yourself to it.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: Large
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 540 calories, 13 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 570 milligrams of sodium, 94 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 84 grams of sugar, and 14 grams of protein.

If you plan to get Wendy’s Krabby Patty Kollab Meal because of the Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty, let me save you some money and tell you that you should skip the meal and just get the Frosty a la carte. The tropical-flavored dessert is leagues more satisfying than the Krabby Patty Kollab Burger, which is just a Dave’s Single with the mayo swapped out for a Thousand Island dressing-like sauce.

The meal comes with a small Frosty by default, and Wendy’s describes it as a Vanilla Frosty with a pineapple puree on the bottom. While the chain calls it a “puree,” don’t expect your Frosty to have any tiny fruit bits floating in it. It’s a sauce. Because mine came in a compostable paper cup instead of a clear plastic cup, I couldn’t see the sauce clinging to the sides of the cup like it does in the promotional drawings.

Actually, with my order, I didn’t see many yellow swirls of pineapple puree, even while trying to excavate it from the bottom of the cup. This somewhat worried me that I might’ve ended up with a dessert that tastes mostly like a Vanilla Frosty. It’s not a horrible predicament, but it’s not what I paid good money for and not what I want after having to say Krabby Patty Kollab Meal out loud.

However, my fears were quelled after putting the first spoonful into my mouth. I tasted a slightly tart but fully delicious pineapple flavor with an underlying creaminess from vanilla Frosty. After that initial taste, everything else was a blur that resulted in me shoveling half the small Frosty into my mouth with a bit of it dripping from my chin. I don’t know how many seconds passed, but I do know my taste buds were thoroughly satisfied. But I might be biased because I’m a pineapple-phile and have given positive reviews for a number of pineapple products over the years. After catching my breath and wiping away whatever was on my chin, I finished the rest and thought this Frosty was as delightful as the Orange Creamsicle one from earlier this year.

However, my sugar high was brought down a bit by the thought that when this limited time only offering is gone, I may never be able to taste it again. I hope you bring it back, Wendy’s.

Again, skip the Wendy’s Krabby Patty Kollab Meal and just get the Frosty. Better yet, use the money you’ll save from not getting the meal and put it towards getting a large Under the Sea Pineapple Frosty.

Purchased Price: $12.19 (combo)
Size: Small Frosty
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 330 calories, 8 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 58 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 52 grams of sugar, and 8 grams of protein.

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