food reviews

REVIEW: Twizzler’s Filled Twists Flavor of Florida Key Lime Pie and Orange Cream Pop

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Hershey’s are hell bent on us tasting the most iconic states in America.  From California’s Strawberry Kit Kat to Texas’ BBQ Payday, they want to make SURE we can put America in our mouth without leaving the couch.  In an effort to give sunny citrusy Florida its fair due, and apparently admitting they kind of screwed them by not giving them any chocolate, Hershey’s have TWO Flavors of Florida Twizzlers Filled Twists – Key Lime Pie and Orange Cream Pop.

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The Key Lime Pie twist immediately hits me with the one flavor I wasn’t expecting to taste at all – graham cracker crust.  I find this bizarre but kind of tasty, as I’m getting way more golden graham flavor than tart lime.  In fact, there’s so much crusty flavor going on that the usually insanely sweet Twizzler becomes slightly savory…and it’s kind of weird.  The balance is off, since key limes have a notoriously sweet-sour combo that define the typical profile of the pie, and there’s only a small bit of crust that lines the bottom – Hershey’s decided to flip this ratio upside down.

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The lime flavor is there, and comes through with a bit of pop towards the end, but the filling inside of this Twizzler must be crust-injected because it really is incredibly prominent.  There are no graham cracker crumbs listed in the ingredients, but the Hershey-scientists really did some impressive work to get the flavor in there, it just doesn’t have the right balance.  While it needs more citrus, I like the complexity this Twizzler offers, which isn’t something I ever expected to say about something neon green.

The Orange Cream Pop is much more what I was expecting the product to taste like.  It’s immediately sweet and citrusy with a soft vanilla cream center that perfectly mimics the popsicle on the front of the package.  I get that same sensation of the different textures that come in a Creamsicle, with the squishy licorice exterior taking place of the icy water-forward frozen pop, and the creamy filling playing the role of classic vanilla ice cream.  It’s pretty much perfectly executed as a familiar flavor, but I can’t help but feel like it’s also a really straight forward profile to pull off with ease.

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These Twizzlers are much more repeat-noshable for me than the Key Lime, and satisfy that sticky sweet licorice sensation that I want when choosing a candy like this.  I really enjoy the seasonal Caramel Apple Twizzlers, and they’re pretty much the only reason why I even batted an eye at this product in the first place.

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While neither of them are gross, they don’t really beckon me to want to eat much more either, but I’m kind of fascinated by how weird the Key Lime are, as it’s rare a candy tastes nothing like what I anticipated.  Both of these are fairly successful, but I wouldn’t recommend searching for these unless you absolutely love sticky sticks of sugar or are one of those people that think Creamsicles are the greatest frozen thing man ever invented (you know you’re out there..weirdos).

Key Lime Pie Rating: 6/10
Orange Cream Pop Rating: 7/10

Found at: CVS ($3.99 each)

REVIEW: Clancy’s Cinnamon Churro’s

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When I wrote about my love for Cheetos Sweetos last month a reader of the blog from Kansas City reached out to me and told me to slow down and back up because I didn’t know a damn thing until I had Clancy’s Cinnamon Churros.  Okay…she didn’t really say it like that, but she said they were better, and a seasonal release from local grocery chain Aldi, and that if I really loved cinnamon sugar treats I needed to try them.  Out of the kindness of her heart she waited for them to pop back up on shelves and sent a bag all the way to the bay area so I could try the heralded regional brand, so today, I try and put to the test, Clancy’s Cinnamon Churros.

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Out of the bag these Cinnamon Churros look almost identical to the warm twisty braided bundles of yum from Taco Bell.  They have a huge, sharp, and defined cinnamon smell that more closely resembles sniffing a bottle of ground cinnamon than a bag of chips.  Biting in the crunch is serious.  They’re hard yet airy with a delightful flavor that, much like the smell, is more cinnamon-forward than sweet or salty.  The crunch is addictively fun, and the spice-level is spot on for someone like me that loves cinnamon.

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Unlike Sweetos, there’s no underlining butteriness and not a single sign of greasiness either.  The churros themselves are dry, but not in a bad way, more in a way that registers they were perfectly fried and dried so you get all the well-executed crunch factor without any leftover oil or undesirable texture.

The only thing I don’t like about these Churros is the fake sugar aftertaste when I finish a mouthful of cinny-delight.  I didn’t notice it immediately, but after a second handful I had a distinct Splenda zing on my tongue that was surprising and took away from the great spicy flavor.  Looking at the ingredients I wasn’t surprised at all to see sucralose listed right after cinnamon, and I find the use of the sweetener kind of puzzling.  While it does keep the sugar content low, at 3 grams per serving, these aren’t marketed as a diet food so why sacrifice the taste to shed a couple grams of sugar?  I eat plenty of products with sucralose in them, mostly protein bars and yogurt, but if I’m having a sweet and salty cinnamon snack I would prefer they just stick to their real sugar guns and give me the full cal goods.

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As far as cinnamon-factor goes, these ARE better than Cheetos Sweetos, but I’ve gotta be honest, they’re pretty different.  While these pack a huge crunch and authentic spice flavor, the Cheetos bring a softer butterier flavor that I enjoy just as much.  The saddest part in all of this for cinna-sluts like myself is that BOTH of these products are seasonal and will always be hard to come across.

Rating: 8/10
Found at: Aldi Supermarkets

REVIEW: Little G’s That Peanut Butter Brownie Dough

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If you love ice cream and you don’t know about Little G it’s time to learn about the internet-driven gourmet ice cream movement.  What Grace is doing out of her small commercial kitchen in Massachusetts is not only delicious but insanely fun.  Late last year she asked fans to submit flavor ideas for a run of seasonal pints to start 2017 and one of the winning suggestions was That Peanut Butter Brownie Dough, which is her own spin on the Ben & Jerry’s 2014 limited batch Peanut Butter Half Baked.  The flavor combines chocolate and peanut butter ice creams with brownies and peanut butter cookie dough chunks.  Are you awake yet?

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Wow.  Sometimes the apprentice surpasses the master and that skill set is on perfect display in this pint.  The peanut butter ice cream has a very genuine nuttiness to it that isn’t very sweet, but isn’t salty either.  The peanut flavor comes through in a soft yet rich way that has just enough character to stand up to the chocolate, which is velvety smooth and has cocoa notes somewhere between milk and dark – not quite bitter but not too heavily leaning on milky-ness.  It’s hard to get two separate ice cream bases to work harmoniously in one flavor and these two are a lovely brown and tan yin and yang.

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The mix in density is absolutely spot on.  While the ice creams have a chance to shine with their melty mouthfeel and subdued sweetness, the real star of this show is the fudgey as all hell scratch made brownies.  These are the best brownies I have ever had in an ice cream, and are firm enough to be solid chunks but have maintained all of their fresh-out-of-the-oven squishy chew that make brownies unique from cookies.  They are sweeter than either of the bases which elevates the flavor to a whole new level of eyes closed brilliance.  When I get a bite with chocolate ice cream and brownie together the taste transforms into a decadent richness that reminds me of chocolate cheesecake and is over the top with indulgent intensity.

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This is an entire chunk of flawless brownie

The only thing holding this pint back from being absolutely perfect is the peanut butter cookie dough.  While the dough is still really good, I wish it had a little bit more dough-y butteriness and rich peanut flavor to really stand out against the other three very strong components.  The chunks are big and succulent but missing a little something, I think a touch more salt, to really drive the experience into something transcendent.  Even though I wanted a bit more pop from the dough, I still found myself gleefully excited having a piece of unbaked cookie that took up nearly my entire spoon.  Eating Little G is a completely different experience of ice cream exploration and this was a fantastic journey.

Rating: 9.5/10
Found at: http://www.goldbely.com

Note: This flavor can’t be purchased anymore but on May 1 Little G will be announcing their next line of limited flavors and you never know what Grace may have whipped up this time.  If it’s your first order from Goldbely use code seanpancake0 to get $25 off!!

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REVIEW: Milka Oreo Choco-Mix

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In the mighty realm of junky snacks sometimes there are releases that are just so seemingly ridiculous they actually work.  We’ve had Cotton Candy Oreo’s, Cinnamon Sugar Cheetos (Sweetos), Orange Crush Pop Tarts, and now, Milka Oreo Choco-Mix.  Yes, a trail mix made of cookies and chocolate, or, a semi-healthy snack made entirely unhealthy by removing any protein and fiber that may have once existed to provide a true hike-able energy boost.  After the successful launch of the Milka and Oreo collaborative candy bar, the company is bringing all of our big boy dreams to fruition with a poppable mix of both golden and chocolate mini Oreo cookies, chocolate candy buttons, and candy coated chocolate pieces.

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The mini Oreo’s are exactly what you would expect – miniature bite sized versions of the GOAT grocery cookie combining two wafter cookies and a thin layer of creme filling.  As always, the golden cookie has a soft vanilla flavor and the chocolate is slightly bitter.  The chocolate candy buttons are flat circular disks of Milka’s wonderful smooth and creamy milk chocolate that melt right when they hit my tongue and finish with a wonderful cocoa butter flavor that tastes high quality and compliments the crunchiness of the cookies.

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My least favorite part of the mix is the candy coated chocolate pieces, which taste and feel just like M&M’s but somehow just aren’t quite as good.  While these are milk chocolate just like the Mars staple, they don’t have as much pop and tasty flavor as the version I’m more familiar with.  They do add some additional crunch to the package, but are ultimately pretty forgettable and I wouldn’t miss them if they were gone.
What is most surprising about this mix, and why it is ultimately a success, is how good it is when you you get all components in one bite.  As any good trail mix should be, all the elements need to come together in a way that compliment each other and when I get a sturdy handful the flavor is greater than the sum of its parts.  Somehow, even amongst the wash of all the chocolate, the golden Oreo cuts through and adds some round vanilla shine to the bite and alleviates some of the cocoa-onslaught that makes up a big portion of the bag.

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Whether you like your trail mix devoid of any valuable nutrients or just dig a mix of different Oreo flavors, this is a solid product on its own that could also easily be mixed with some popcorn or pretzels to make a great sweet and salty table piece for your next big boy movie night.

Rating: 8/10
Found at: Walmart ($2.99)

REVIEW: Humphry Slocombe Hong Kong Milk Tea (Northern CA Whole Foods Exclusive)

/ seansskillet / 3 Comments

On May 5 Humphry Slocombe will launch a Whole Foods exclusive flavor that can only be purchased in person at Northern California stores.  While on the surface this might not seem like that big of a deal, it’s important to remember that exclusive releases are generally reserved for brands like Ben & Jerry’s at stores like Walmart and Target; and this merging of a smaller craft ice cream brand with Whole Foods is a significant leap for the gourmet company.  The flavor, Hong Kong Milk Tea, is inspired by the sweet caffeinated beverage that keeps Hong Kong (and the bay area) hustling.  The ice cream is a fusion of Numi organic tea, sweetened condensed milk, and almond cookies, and arrives as the creamy brain-child of Slocombe’s Jake Godby and Whole Foods Market Chef Ambassador Melissa King.  The awesome folks at Humphry Slocombe sent over a pint so I could get an advance tasting of their latest creation and I’m eager to scoop into it.

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When I think of milk tea I think of boba tea, and imagine a syrupy sweet beverage with chewy tapioca balls and silly colored wide straws.  I know that that type drink is much newer and less traditional than the Hong Kong variety, but I have more experience with it, and luckily this ice cream is almost nothing like that.  The sweetness is incredibly subdued, with a wonderful melty mouthfeel and smooth malty black tea finish that is genuine and refined.  The flavor of the Numi tea coats my tongue with the dairy and tastes like a perfectly steeped cup of tea with a generous helping of sweetened condensed milk.

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The most impressive aspect of this great tea base is the lingering aftertaste, which even after a minute or more of not eating has left a nice sharp tea flavor that is pleasant and not bitter in the least.  This is a perfect frozen rendition of a drink usually served warm and preserves all the tannin-y nuances of tea balanced out by repeated licking sweetness.

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The almond cookies in place of tapioca balls (in my boba-mind) also elevate this to a more “adult” version of the milky beverage, adding small bursts of almond-y chew that add just a touch more sweetness but not too much additional flavor.  The cookies remind me more of softened, soggy cereal in milk than they do snappy cookies, and I wish the pieces were bigger and/or caramelized in the way that HS does in their fantastic flagship flavor Secret Breakfast.  As the lone mix in I don’t get a ton of crunch or almond taste from the cookies, which seems like a bit of a missed opportunity considering how simple and delicate the base is.  The idea makes sense, having an almond cookie with a cup of milk tea, there just needs to be something else done to make it all really click.

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Full disclosure: I’m not the biggest fan of tea-based ice cream, or coffee for that matter.  I like drinking my coffee and tea straight and my ice cream to be caramel-y and chocolate-y and salty sweet peanut butter pretzel-y intense.  That being said, if you like tea in your ice cream bases (like my girlfriend), you will undoubtedly love this pint.  It has a tremendous balance of flavor that captures the simple magic of Hong Kong milk tea.

Rating: 7.5/10

If you’re in the bay area and want to sample Hong Kong Milk Tea, they will be giving away free scoops at a public preview on April 29 from 12 PM to 3 PM at Whole Foods Market Oakland, where there will also be $1 off pint coupons, Numi tea samples, a lion dancer, and tons of happy ice cream enthusiasts.

REVIEW: Hostess Limited Edition Carrot Cake Donettes

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The life of a snack food reviewer can be much more tumultuous than you may think.  No, there’s nothing actually risky about what we do but sometimes it’s so HARD to find a certain item you really want to explore.  Some products come and go without ever making it to my region, and sometimes for whatever reason they just allude me.  That was the case with the new Hostess Limited Edition Carrot Cake Donettes, but hey, better late than never, right?  I already gave you my best carrot cake backstory when I reviewed the Hershey’s Kisses in February, so I’ll just cut right to the chase with this one – let’s eat!

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Plunging my nose into the bag the smell is fantastic – sweet and spicy with the classic spring-y cinnamon notes that make this veggie-laced baked good so damn tasty.  Biting in, though, there’s a distinctly strong nut flavor that comes across in these little carrot cake tires, something that I don’t usually associate with the spicy orange cake.  The only nut I’ve ever had in a carrot cake is the walnut and this flavor is more aggressive and reminds me of a hazelnut flavored syrup or coffee creamer.  Taking a closer look at the donette itself the coating seems to be made up mostly of coconut, and checking the ingredient list confirms this as the first ingredient is “crunch coconut coating”.  Turns out the strong nutty flavor I’m getting is actually toasted coconut, which is, again, not something I usually associate with carrot cake, and reminds me much more of the Hostess Crunch Donette than said cake.

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The texture of the donette’s are very hit or miss, with some of them being kind of dry and off-putting, and some of them, with more coating and crunch, being moist and soft on the inside.  The amount of crunchy coconut seems to directly correlate to how successful the flavor is, but unfortunately, even when the flavor and texture comes through on point it still isn’t very much like carrot cake.  Although I wasn’t expecting there to be frosting on top of these, the presence of a cream cheese tang would help change the flavor from slightly spicy coconut to something that better resembles carrot cake.

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In summation, while these donette’s aren’t disgusting by any means, they’re essentially just cinnamon-spiked Crunch Donette’s with no carrot or cream cheese or distinct cake-y flavors to be found.  Yet another lazy rebranding of an already almost-existent product that could have been so much better with a little more effort.
Rating: 6/10
Found at: Walmart ($2.00)

REVIEW: Haagen-Dazs Toasted Coconut Caramel

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Coconut is one of the most intensely polarizing flavors I have ever come across during my eating escapades.  Some people love it and want to bask in its nutty glory in their coffee, on their donuts, in their curry, coating their chocolate, and on their shrimp.  Others find the taste disgusting, and liken it to drinking a tub of sunscreen, with no enjoyable qualities either sweet or savory.  It is for this reason, I think, that we don’t see nearly as many coconut ice creams lining the grocery freezers as any number of chocolate, vanilla, caramel, and berry varieties.  Stepping up to the daring plate, much like they did with their intense Bourbon Praline Pecan flavor, Haagen-Dazs have delivered Toasted Coconut Caramel, which combines coconut ice cream with toasted coconut flakes and swirls of dulce de leche caramel.

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Immediately upon scooping into this pint I’m smacked over the head with big, bold coconut flavor. The one-two punch of coconut ice cream with toasted coconut flakes leaves nothing to the imagination if you’re seeking a taste of the tropics, and I’m generally impressed with how strong the flavor is. The grittiness of coconut flakes could be off putting to some but I don’t mind the added chew and it doesn’t take away from the creamy indulgence that ice cream should be.  There are so many coconut flakes that it’s nearly impossible to isolate the base and it’s unclear how much of the nutty flavor is coming from the ice cream as opposed to the flakes themselves, but it doesn’t really matter as the point is made and it is strong.

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While the dulce de leche caramel in this flavor is perfectly fine and adds some extra sweetness to the equation, I can’t help but feel as though it could have been a lot better. It doesn’t really stand out much against the other two components, and even when I isolate some pure caramel on my spoon I don’t get much toasty caramel goodness – just sort of flat sugary goo. Maybe I’ve just been spoiled by so much extraordinary Salt & Straw caramel recently but I would love a little bit of salt or toasty darkened caramel as opposed to the standard dulce de leche to help elevate this pint to another level and add some extra depth of flavor.

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The combination of the intensely toasted and textured coconut with the pure sweetness of the dulce reminds me a lot of Samoas Girl Scout cookies, and had they thrown in some chocolate chips or a fudge swirl this could have easily been branded as such.  If you’re looking for a big blast of coconut in your ice cream this will definitely leave you satisfied, but ultimately there wasn’t enough going on in this flavor to be super crave-able or warrant a repeat purchase.
Rating: 7/10
Found at: Safeway ($3.99)

REVIEW: Limited Edition Cookies & Creme Oreo Cookies

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Would you like some cheese and tomato flavored pizza? How about a beef and bread flavored hamburger? No? Well…what about an Oreo flavored Oreo? Yes, these “new” Walmart exclusive Cookies & Creme Oreo’s are indeed cookies flavored like themselves.  I’m going to keep this one brief because if you’re on this site chances are you know what an Oreo is, what it tastes like, and that it has been the grocery cookie champion for over 100 years.

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The good news is these taste pretty much exactly like an original Oreo, and Oreo’s taste fantastic, so you won’t be losing much if you spend $3 on a package of these. The bad news is, the only small difference here is not really an improvement, but potentially a downgrade, depending on your flavor preference.

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What makes this version of Nabisco’s classic afternoon treat different from the one released in 1912 is the presence of cookie bits within the creme.  The pieces of wafer cookie crushed up into the creme takes away a bit of the bright sugary pop that usually comes from the white stuff, and as a result the ultimate balance achieved by the OG is disturbed. It makes the overall experience more bitter chocolate-forward, and kind of eats like a cross between a regular (vanilla-y) and chocolate Oreo without either flavor being too dominant.

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While this limited edition is about as silly as a snowball in May, I don’t hate it, and if I was craving an Oreo and this was put in front of me it would satisfy that urge.  It isn’t a big enough of a departure to be a letdown for someone seeking some classic cookie crunch, but it is most certainly a sorry excuse for a promotional release.  Luckily we’ve got Jelly Donut, Mocha, Fireworks (pop rocks creme), Apple Pie, and Waffles with Syrup Oreo all to look forward to later this year.

Rating: 8/10
Found at: Walmart

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Oat of this Swirled

/ seansskillet / 2 Comments

Bring on the fudge flakes. Five flavors, five flakey endeavors, welcome to the modern era of Ben & Jerry’s. Although I have a sneaking suspicion that whoever orders ingredients for B&J accidentally ordered 1,000 pounds of the flakey chocolate instead of 100, these flakes in this flavor actually have a purpose, in the form of an homage. In 2012 Ben & Jerry’s sent Oatmeal Cookie Chunk to the flavor graveyard, and although I never had it, I’ve heard of its greatness referenced more times than I can count.  Oat of This Swirled is the company’s response to the fans’ dairy-soaked tears, which combines buttery brown sugar ice cream with fudge flakes and oatmeal cinnamon cookie swirls.

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The brown sugar ice cream is more effective here than in Blondie Ambition, where the toffee flakes muddy some of the texture and take away from the subtle golden brown sugar notes. It’s not a mind blowing base by any means but it’s clearly not vanilla and has a richness to it that is very enjoyable and compliments the profile of oatmeal cookies well. Speaking of cookies, the swirl here is very tasty, with a slight grittiness and buttery cinnamon flavor that is straight oatmeal cookie without the chew. Some of the cinnamon flavor seeps into the base and the two work together to translate the creamy slightly spicy feeling of fresh baked cookies. I do wish there were some chunks to go along with the swirl though, to give some bigger bursts of the baked goods, because as it stands you’ve gotta dig deep and hope to find a decent strand of the ribbon (which is great when you do).

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The fudge flakes, as good of quality as they are and as much as I begrudge their overuse in these new flavors, actually do work here. Their sweet yet dark chocolate notes serve as a good gap between the cinnamon and brown sugar, and even though they’re strong tasting they don’t overpower the other two elements. There’s still a few too many of them in relation to the amount of swirl, but they aren’t making me angry at all.

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The more that I eat the more I realize this ice cream tastes almost identical to eating an original IT-S-IT, the Bay Area born oatmeal ice cream cookie sandwich dipped in chocolate. The flavors in this pint mimic that experience almost perfectly, even hitting the right balance of spices and sweetness to the degree that multiple times I walked away from the freezer thinking I had just finished eating a sando and not playing shovel with my spoon. This is both a blessing and a curse because A. IT’S-IT’s are freakin awesome I love them and B. They were invented in 1928 and I’ve had that experience at my disposal my entire life, so there’s nothing new or unique being brought to the table, even though it’s delicious.

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Through and through this pint comes off as a touch lazy and lacking some pizazz but I actually really enjoy a lot of what’s inside. If Ben and Jerry’s wanted to make a simple switch that could take this to another level, cut the fudge flakes by 30% and add in some cookie chunks to compliment the swirl – boom – magic would be made.

Rating: 8/10
Found at: Safeway

REVIEW: Salt & Straw Roasted Strawberry Tres Leches (San Francisco Exclusive)

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The time has finally come and on this Friday, April 14, the bay area will get its first Salt & Straw scoop shop.  The stellar Portland-based ice cream company will be taking a similar approach to their stores in Los Angeles and will offer some SF scoop shop only flavors that you have to be present for to actually experience and taste that will be unique not only in their exclusivity but in their profile to represent the bay area.  I was fortunate enough to get to try a couple of these flavors before they hit the public, and like everything S&S does, they are impressively great.  Salt and Straw’s San Francisco exclusive flavor Roasted Strawberry Tres Leches combines a roasted strawberry ice cream with chunks of tres leches cake and a vanilla strawberry jam swirl.

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The strawberry ice cream is perfect.  Bursting with authentic slightly tart strawberry flavor there’s a touch of saltiness to the base that is simply delectable and tempers the aggressive sweetness of the jam to create a full bodied multi-layered berry flavor.  The roasted element of the strawberries gives a true-to-taste fruit experience that shares absolutely nothing in common with lower quality, artificial tasting “strawberry” ice creams.  I’m not as well versed on berry bases as I am with sweet cream, caramel, or chocolate, but this is without a doubt my favorite strawberry I have ever had.

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The tres leches cake is dense and chewy in a way that resembles cake batter with a beautiful cinnamon flavor that melds harmoniously with the two fruity components.  There’s a touch of golden sheen to the cake that reminds me of graham crackers in the best way – channeling honey and spice and childhood nostalgia.  A little bit of the cinnamon seeps into the strawberry, so even when you get a bite without cake there’s an added touch of spicy depth that elevates the ice cream beyond your basic berry and into something transcendent.

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What makes Salt and Straw so incredible is their precise attention to detail, and everything about that precision is represented in this pint.  From the use of vanilla strawberry jam instead of just strawberry, which adds a round fullness to the flavor, to the subtle use of salt to balance everything out, Salt & Straw truly craft the scoops of ice cream lovers’ dreams.

Rating: 10/10